The562’s coverage of Millikan Athletics for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by Brian Ramsey and TLD Law.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009.
A trio of two-run homers fueled the Millikan offense, and the Rams cruised to an 11-1 victory over the visiting Wilson Bruins on Tuesday afternoon.
It’s the 39th consecutive Moore League victory for the Rams, who clinched their sixth consecutive Moore League softball championship. Millikan is also on track to become the first team in league history to win six outright titles in a row, needing just one victory in their two remaining games to accomplish that feat.
“I’m really proud,” said Millikan head coach Michelle Lehr, who has overseen this recent run of success for the Rams. “I feel like this senior class has been really strong. A lot of them have been starters since their sophomore year … When you have a group that lands that starting role early on in their high school career, they’ve been here before. They’ve been through all the challenges and the pressure, so they know how to work through it. So I just feel a sense of maturity, like they know what’s expected.”
One of those seniors who’s been starting since 10th grade is Riley McAndrew, who tossed four innings in the circle with seven strikeouts, getting the first five of them looking. She also had a pair of hits, including a two-run homer in the first inning to put the Rams on top 4-0 early.
She followed in the footsteps of classmate Addy Everett, who opened the scoring with a two-run bomb in the first, giving her three on the season and a team-leading 28 RBIs.
The Rams had 15 hits in their six-inning victory, with 10 players recording at least one. Millikan also scored in every inning except the third, putting consistent pressure on Wilson’s pitchers.
But the best bat in the lineup on Tuesday was in the No. 8 spot, and represents that next wave of talent for the Rams. Sophomore shortstop Aisley Smith was 3/3 at the plate, scoring three runs and driving in a pair with a two-run home run of her own in the bottom of the fifth.
“It feels great. I’m really glad that I could do it for my team, because I would do anything for this team,” said Smith, who has continued to show improvement at the plate and in the field. “They’re a bunch of really great players, and they just support me so much. And they helped me become so much more comfortable on the field, and always picking me up when I make a mistake or anything like that, and it has given me a lot more confidence.”
Smith is filling in for injured starter JuJu Dizon, who has missed most of the season with a hand injury. Lehr has said she hopes the junior will be available before playoffs start, but Smith has helped steady the ship after overcoming an injury of her own.
She explained that she’s dealt with a pars defect in her back–two stress fractures that kept her out of action from last September until March of this year. After overcoming that challenge, she’s gotten herself ready to contribute in a big way for her team.
“I just had to grow a lot,” Smith said. “And it’s helped me become more appreciative of the game and just love it a lot more.”
Lehr is confident that the returning talent on her roster, including Smith, will help continue Millikan’s excellence beyond this season.
“I feel like next year we’re going to be seasoned again,” said Lehr, highlighting the five sophomores and juniors in the starting lineup. “I don’t feel like we’re going to take a dip. A lot of programs, when they lose a big senior class, they feel that dip. And I feel like our secondary players, they’re not secondary because they’re not good, they’re only secondary because they have a strong class that’s been there before them.”
On the other side, Wilson got a pair of hits from junior first baseman Paulyne Henderson, who also had a walk to reach all three times for the Bruins. She drove in Wilson’s lone run in the third inning, singling home shortstop Sacha Zalamea, who drew a pair of walks out of the No. 2 hole in the lineup.
Both teams are looking forward to the CIF-SS playoffs, with brackets dropping on May 11. Each team still has two league games and one non-league game remaining.
Wilson (8-16, 5-5) will host Compton on Thursday while Millikan (24-8, 10-0) will be at Jordan.
