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Wednesday afternoon’s Moore League showdown between Wilson (7-6) and Millikan (8-4) saw both teams generate plenty of traffic on the basepaths. But while scoring chances were plentiful, clutch hits were harder to come by.
A total of 17 runners were stranded on base in less than seven innings of action, with the host Rams emerging victorious with a 5-2 win on their home field.
“They’re a really good team out there, and fortunately we were able to make the plays and make the pitches to keep it where it was and to leave their guys on base,” said Millikan head coach Ron Keester. “I think both teams feel like they left four or five runs on the table, but that’s the game. I think both of us, the next time we play each other, we’re gonna put out a better brand of baseball, because you can see a lot of talent on both sides.”
Millikan put up the only crooked number of the evening, plating three runs in the bottom of the second inning to deliver the winning margin. The first three Rams reached base in that frame, on a pair of walks and a hit batter.
After Wilson starting pitcher Aaron Mingo got a key strikeout for the first out of the inning, Millikan catcher Connor Patton poked an RBI single to left center to score Ben Keisler and open the scoring, 1-0 Rams.
After another strikeout from Mingo, leadoff hitter Anthony Minton delivered the biggest hit of the day with an RBI double to left, scoring Enrique Lopez and Adrian Ramirez for a 3-0 Rams lead.
The teams traded off scoring single runs in the next three half-innings, starting with a two-out infield single by Andres Molinar to score Matt Pappas (2/3, 2B, R) to make it a 3-1 Millikan lead.
Once again, the first three Rams reached safely in the third, with Anthony Pack and Ben Keisler hitting singles before a walk to Lopez loaded the bases with no outs. Wilson did a nice job limiting the damage, as Mingo collected two more strikeouts around a terrific diving stop by Owen Ehmann at second base, turning a possible two-run single into just an RBI groundout.
Wilson put together a two-out rally in the fourth to again trim the deficit back down to two, as Taylor Kirk delivered an RBI single to plate pinch-runner Nicolaus Guadamuz and make it a 4-2 game. Kirk continues to be a force at the top of the Wilson lineup, going 3/4 on Wednesday with a stolen base and that RBI.
Millikan’s Owen Waytas did a nice job in relief for the Rams to help hold off any further comeback attempts by the Bruins. He worked the final 3.1 innings to secure the win, allowing no runs on three singles and racked up four strikeouts. But perhaps most importantly, he didn’t walk a batter. Of the four pitchers who appeared for both teams, Waytas was the only one who didn’t issue multiple free passes as both sides dealt with a tight strike zone.
“Coming in with a Milliken defense, I feel really confident in the guys behind me,” said Waytas of his approach. “I just go in there, throw strikes, let the defense do the work, and it worked out well today.”
Millikan tacked on an insurance run in the 5th, as Pack led off the inning with a walk, stole second, and was bumped over to third by two more walks. Matthew Ness would drive him home with a ball to the outfield, allowing Pack to utilize his elite speed and bring home the final run of the evening.
Pinch-hitter Logan Smith legged out an infield single for Wilson in the seventh, but Waytas recorded back-to-back strikeouts to end the game.
Despite the loss, Wilson out-hit the Rams 9-4, stranding 10 men on base in seven innings. Wilson head coach Andy Hall was pleased with his team’s effort to come back, but bemoaned the free passes his team issued to help out the Millikan offense, issuing a combined six walks and two hit batters.
“I was proud of the way our guys came back and were able to put some runs on the board,” said Hall. “I think Aaron’s got pretty good stuff, I just think he tries to be a little too fine at times. And we like that little combination that we threw out there today, and I think we’ve got some others to back it up. But in this game, it’s about not beating yourself and when you give your opponent as many free bases as we gave away today, it’s kind of hard to scrap back in there.”
Millikan will be back in action on Friday, taking on Cabrillo at 3:30 p.m. on Bohl Diamond at Blair Field. Wilson’s next game is Thursday at Cerritos at 3:30 p.m. before hosting Compton on Friday at 2:30.
