The562’s baseball coverage in 2025 is sponsored by the Millikan, Long Beach Poly, and Lakewood baseball boosters.
The562’s coverage of Lakewood Athletics is sponsored by J.P. Crawford, Class of 2013.
Millikan baseball knows what it wants, and it wants it now.
The Rams offense came out swinging early and often Wednesday night on Bohl Diamond at Blair Field while mashing their way to a 12-3 win over Lakewood. Millikan can grab a share of the Moore League championship by beating first-place Wilson in the regular season finale next week.
“We just try to come out swinging and be aggressive,” Millikan senior Anthony Pack said. “We’re hunting the fastball 100 percent.”
Pack led the potent Millikan offense with four hits, three RBI and two runs scored. His double in the sixth brought two runs home and capped the scoring. It also came on the first pitch of the at bat, which was the Rams routine. Ben Keisler and Xavier Kennard also had great nights at the plate that included an RBI hit on the first pitch.
Millikan coach Ron Keester thinks that an emphasis on using the whole field has helped his team stay aggressive early in the count.
“We’re able to get more pitches in and that keeps us more focused,” he said. “We’re able to pull the ball more because (the pitcher) has to spread the ball around the plate.”
It was an action packed first three innings, but Millikan set the tone in the bottom of the first inning when Shane Wally singled on the first pitch from Lakewood starter Nate Garcia. Keisler and Adrian Ramirez drove in the runs for a 2-0 lead.
Lakewood used its patented small-ball approach to keep pace with Millikan. The Lancers scored twice on squeeze bunts from Tanner Miramontes and Angelo Ortiz. Joe Dizon had the only RBI hit for Lakewood, and it tied the game 3-3 in the third inning.
Millikan immediately retook the lead thanks to an RBI double from Kennard and an RBI single from Wally. Eventually a four-run fourth inning blew the game open and forced Lakewood to bring in four different pitchers. Kennard delivered the big hit by clearing the bases with a double on the first pitch from Lakewood reliever Hunter Gershen.
Millikan starter Owen Waytas scattered eight hits and hit one batter during his complete game performance. Over the last four innings, he settled in nicely and limited the Lancers to three base runners who were all stranded on first. First baseman Ramirez also helped Waytas stay in the game with a fantastic pick to get the leadoff batter in the sixth inning.
The Rams used 16 hits and a handful of walks to score in all but one inning, and all but one spot in the lineup reached base.. That total team effort is a byproduct of the team bonding that has grown stronger as the season has gotten longer.
After the game, the Rams surprised coach Keester with a rendition of “Happy Birthday” to celebrate. He then jokingly told them to line up for sprints.
“We see a lot more of that off the field, it’s just recently started to blend on the field,” Keester said of his team’s chemistry. “That’s starting to help our offense and it’s just starting to go. There’s times after practice where we’re done and they just sit there and talk. Maybe that’s what we need, maybe that’s the missing piece that we’ve needed. Hopefully that gets us to where we want to go.”
“We’re not only teammates, we’re brothers,” Pack added. “If you play like brothers you play better in the game.”
Pack, who is an elite talent likely headed to the MLB Draft, showed off his skills all night. His speed on an infield hit had the crowd amazed, but the Rams dugout wasn’t shocked.
“Everything he does is just different,” Keester said of Pack. “The ball comes off his bat differently, the ball comes out of his hand differently and he plays the game hard. It’s fun to see. He just goes.”
Next Wednesday at Blair Field, Millikan (20-6, 10-1) and Wilson (17-7, 10-0) will decide the league champion if Wilson can beat Jordan on Friday. The Bruins beat the Rams last month, so Millikan shares the title with a win. Millikan is the defending league champions and has won six of the last 10 titles. Wilson hasn’t won the league since 2017, and its last outright win was 2005.
“We’re definitely going into that Wilson game with a chip on our shoulder, we’re taking it personal,” Pack said. “We’re coming with a little bit more fire in us. I think we’re ready, we showed that with this game.”
Kennard produced two doubles and a single from the bottom of the lineup while driving in four runs. Noa Morales scored three times and had an RBI double as part of the pivotal fourth inning. Keisler continued to swing a hot bat and reached base four times on three singles and a walk. He drove in two runs and scored once.
