The562’s baseball coverage in 2025 is sponsored by the Millikan, Long Beach Poly, and Lakewood baseball boosters.
The regular season is a grind – teams compete week after week with the goal of bringing their school a championship. On Sunday afternoon, some of the best athletes from the Moore League and Gateway League came together for an all star game to wrap up the 2025 campaign.
With some timely hitting and impressive pitching, the Gateway All Stars defeated the Moore League All Stars 9-1 at Long Beach City College.
As the away team, the Moore League got one runner on after a two-out single from Wilson’s Rudy Carlos Jr but couldn’t do anything with it at the top of the first.
Millikan junior Daunte Bell got the start for the Moore League and enjoyed playing with guys he usually competes against.
“It’s fun playing with these guys,” Bell said. “I’ve known a lot of these guys ever since I was 5-6 years old. We’re all just kind of like one big family. It doesn’t matter what jersey you have on. It’s just we’re out here to have fun and play one last game together. I know a lot of these guys – they’re moving on to college. So, just to play with them one last time was very fun.”
Bell’s strong start continued in the second inning, as he retired the Gateway League to complete his outing with 2IP, 1 hit and 5 strikeouts.
The Gateway League sent out Gahr senior Noah Irwin who pitched two shutout innings, giving up two hits with no runs.
With Wilson’s Ben Howard on the mound, the Gateway All Stars were able to get on the board thanks to a 2-run single by Gahr’s Jake Curneen.
The Gateway League wasn’t done there, as Gahr’s Andres Gonzalez, a USC commit, hit a 3-run double to push the lead to 5-0. La Mirada’s Aiden Aguayo extended the lead to 6-0 when the UCLA commit hit a RBI double.
The Moore League threatened in the top of the fifth after Wilson’s Gram Ludwig and Ben Howard worked back-to-back walks with one out but couldn’t do anything with runners on.
With Compton’s Rafael Vicente taking over on the mound in the fifth, the Gateway All Stars continued their hot hitting after JJ Cadenas led off with a single and La Mirada’s Jason Rodriguez hit an RBI double to push the lead to 7-0.
The Moore League wouldn’t be shut out completely though. Poly’s Deven Munoz hit a sacrifice that allowed teammate Tate Hammond to score and cut the lead to 8-1 in the sixth inning. However, they couldn’t mount a comeback in the 9-1 loss.
Cabrillo’s Adrien Rosalez was named the Moore League MVP after a single and a nice grab at third base.
“It felt good to be out there,” Rosalez said. “A little nerve-wracking , but at the same time, it’s baseball. Just play your game.”
While it wasn’t the result the Moore League team was hoping for, it gave the athletes an opportunity to have some fun playing the game they love.
Bell went from pitching, to coaching at first base, to playing outfield and got some action at second base where he kept a grounder in the infield.
“I love this game every day I come out,” Bell said. “Just to be able to do that and my coaches allow me – it was a blast. Because you know you don’t get to coach first base too many times as a player.”
