KERSEY — Eaton coach Jim Danley’s 700th career victory was a laugher, but real baseball men don’t rub it in. The 64-year-old qualifies.
“Hey, I’ve been there, we were 1-23 my first year, we were like (them),” Danley said Saturday after Eaton handled host Platte Valley’s Broncos 18-1 in the Patriot League.
In his 40th season, Danley’s career mark is 700-151-2 with nine Colorado championships, 31 league titles and 32 appearances in the state tournament. The Class 3A top-ranked Reds are 10-0 overall, 3-0 in league.
Right-hander Seth Jackson, in his first start of the season, threw a no-hitter. More important was that he got to be yet another part of state history.
“He’s a great coach; not that many get that many wins,” the senior said.
Only Cherry Creek’s Marc Johnson has surpassed 600 in Colorado.
“He deserves it,” said Platte Valley’s Jim Jorgensen, and the Broncos (3-10, 1-3) coach should know — “Coach Danley was my first-ever baseball coach, in T-ball in Greeley.”
Eaton also had an oddity, four sacrifice flies in the game, symbolic of the program’s scrappiness. How many times have we seen it? The Reds are down to their last three outs and trail by three runs, only to rally for a four-spot.
“You have to be lucky and you have to do the little things,” Danley said. “Little things become huge. And if you can do the little things, well, they become a huge advantage.”
Danley became a Reds assistant for three years beginning in 1969, or when The Beatles were photographed at a zebra crossing on Abbey Road that became the album cover.
Said Danley: “I’m appreciative.”
Eaton 175 41 — 18 16 2
Platte Valley 000 01 — 1 0 2
Eaton — Flores ss 3-3-1-1, Hager 2b 4-2-1-0, Jackson p 4-3-4-2, Batt c 3-1-2-3, Schreiber cr-ph 0-1-0-1, Abbott cr-ph 0-1-0-0, Sieg lf 1-0-1-3, C. Dyer 1b 3-1-1-2, Mossberg ph 1-0-1-0, Hall cf 2-1-2-2, Kilber ph 1-0-1-0, Longwell lf 2-1-0-0, Wronski ph 1-0-0-0, B. Dyer 2-3-2-0, Garretson ph 1-0-0-0, Moody ph 1-0-0-0, Koehler ph 0-0-0-1, Lind ph 0-1-0-0. Totals 29-18-16-15.
Platte Valley — Trujillo ss 0-0-0-0, Dunn cf 2-0-0-0, Gardner rf-p 2-0-0-0, Gonzales 3b 1-0-0-0, Naibauer lf 2-0-0-0, Gehring 1b 1-0-0-0, Smith ph 1-0-0-0, Martinez p-2b 1-1-0-0, Richardson c 2-0-0-0, Maxey 2b-p 2-0-0-0, Hamilton p 0-0-0-0. Totals 14-1-0-0.
E —Gonzales, B. Dyer, Jackson, Trujillo. DP — Eaton. LOB — Eaton 8, Platte Valley 2. SB — Martinez. CS — Naibauer. 2B — Batt 2, Hager, C. Dyer, Kilber.
Batteries — Jackson and Batt; Martinez, Maxey (2), Gardner (3), Hamilton (4) and Richardson. W — Jackson (1-0). L — Martinez. WP — Jackson 2, Gardner 2. SF — Sieg 2, Schreiber, Koehler. T — 2:04.
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
