A youth baseball team from Walnut Creek's neighboring Danville is one tournament away from the Little League World Series.
San Ramon Valley Little League beat El Dorado Hills 12-2 on Thursday, July 30, in Chico to claim the Northern California regional championship for players 12 and under. The league is based in Danville, which borders Walnut Creek to the south in Contra Costa County and draws players from the San Ramon Valley communities adjacent to the city.
The victory punched the team's ticket to the West Region tournament in San Bernardino, which begins Sunday, Aug. 9.
It's the first NorCal title for a 12U team from the league since 1993, according to a social media post by San Ramon Valley Little League, as reported by Bay City News. That's a 33-year gap.
The NorCal win was the team's third straight tournament victory this summer. San Ramon Valley first won its district championship, then took the section tournament in Castro Valley before rolling through the regional bracket at Chico Eastside Little League.
Bay Area teams must win four consecutive tournaments to reach the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The West Region tournament is the final hurdle. Four teams will compete in San Bernardino from Sunday, Aug. 9, through Friday, Aug. 14, representing Northern California, Southern California, Arizona, and Hawaii. The winner advances to the World Series, which runs Wednesday, Aug. 19, through Sunday, Aug. 30, according to the tournament schedule.
Two other Bay Area squads, from Mill Valley and Los Gatos, competed in the NorCal tournament but did not advance.
The league has not released its roster or coaching staff for this year's tournament team. San Ramon Valley Little League's next games begin Sunday, Aug. 9, in San Bernardino.
