The562’s coverage of Millikan Athletics for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by Brian Ramsey and TLD Law.
The562’s coverage of Lakewood Athletics is sponsored by J.P. Crawford, Class of 2013.
There was no question that Thursday’s contest between the Lakewood and Millikan baseball teams was a big game. With a log-jam at the top of the Moore League standings, whoever won the game sat in first place heading into Spring Break.
Millikan star Daunte Bell started on the mound and did what the Rams have become accustomed to as he pitched a complete game shutout, striking out 8 and scattering three hits. Bell also went 2-3 from the plate and had a highlight-worthy catch at the first-base line that showed off his glove.
While Bell said he didn’t have his best stuff, he still kept Lakewood quiet at the plate as he pitched his second straight complete game after shutting out Long Beach Poly a week ago.
“I kind of knew off the bat and my coach saw that too,” Bell said of not having his best stuff. “I just told myself ‘You know, it’s okay and I’m just gonna kind of grind through it and fight through it. I feel like I did a pretty good job at that.”
After Bell and Lakewood’s Xavier Nunez kept the game scoreless through two innings, the Millikan offense got to work in the bottom half of the third inning. Marco Marchionni led off with a double and scored shortly after that when Shane Walley hit an RBi single that gave the Rams a 1-0 lead after the third.
At the top of the fourth inning, Lakewood’s Jayden Pea hit a one-out single, but was stranded when Bell retired the next two batters. That’s when the Rams’ offense got to work again after Xavier Kennard laid down a perfect bunt single to put a runner on with no outs.
Kennard then stole second and moved to third when Bell hit a single. Kennard scored to make it 2-0 after the fourth when Ethan Briones hit into a double play.
With the extra insurance run, Bell retired the Lancers in order in the fifth and in the botom of the fifth Millikan added two more insurance runs when Adrian Ramirez smokes a shot to right and after an error – two runs ended up scoring to make it 4-0.
“My last two at bats I hit the ball hard, so I just wanted to keep it going,” Ramirez said. “Keep the same swing. I know the guy I faced and knew he was going to give me something good. On the second pitch it was right there and I swung. Thank God, it fell through.:
With the win, Millikan moves into a first place tie with Wilson – another matchup the Rams and Bell are looking forward to after the break. Wilson defeated Millikan in their first contest 1-0 at Blair Field.
“We kind of have a lot of confidence and stuff, especially in this more league play because that Wilson game did put us on a little holdback,” Bell said about the team after that loss. “We just told ourselves we gotta take it game by game.”
