Millikan scores late to upend Warren, 4-3
Warren shortstop Tiger Cruz (6) forces out a Millikan player at second base in their non-league baseball game at Warren High School on Wednesday. Millikan defeat Warren 4-3. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)
CORRECTION: A previous version of the story confused Warren High School with Downey High School. The errors have been corrected.
DOWNEY — In a game that got away from host Warren High School, the Millikan Rams scored three times in the seventh inning to come from behind for a 4-3 nonleague victory Wednesday (April 2).
Warren led 3-1 in the sixth inning, but the Rams nearly batted around with four hits, as they sent eight men to the plate for the win.
With the win, Millikan improved to 10-4 overall.
Warren (10-5), however, was led by freshman pitcher Ryan Morales, who scattered six hits and a run in his six innings of work. The lefty struck out three Millikan batters.
“I felt pretty good and was in the zone and throwing strikes and getting ahead of the count,” said Morales, who won a starting position for the Bears.
Perhaps, a big stop in the fifth, could have been the story of the game when he got out of a bases-loaded jam, allowing just a run in the inning.
“Obviously, in the moment you have to stay calm and collected and have a lot of confidence too.”
The young pitcher was poised for the Bears for the first four innings, allowing only one runner to second base.
“As a freshman, for me, with my first shot at varsity in my freshman year, I’m very excited, especially facing good teams like La Mirada and Downey and Gahr is very nice,” he said.
Freshman right fielder Evan Osuna led the Bears with two hits, a single and a double, while junior designated hitter Johnny Arechiga collected two RBIs on a ground out and a sacrifice fly.
Millikan was led by junior first baseman with four hits (3 Sgls, Dbl, 2 RBIs), while two other players had two hits each – Andrew Perez (2 for 3, Run) and Ben Keisler (2 for 4, RBI).
Senior pitcher Thomas Ramsey picked up the win for the Rams.
The Bears scored two runs in the second inning for the 2-0 lead as junior catcher Ivan Perez walked and junior center fielder Diego Ramirez reached on a single.
A ground out by Arechiga drove in Perez and a sacrifice bunt by junior second baseman Josue Evangelista gave the Bears a second run on a sacrifice bunt.
Not until the fourth inning, did the Bears add another run for a 3-0 lead on a hit batter by junior third baseman Carlos Navarro to open the inning, a walk to Perez and an RBI fly ball by Arechiga, scoring Navarro.
That was basically it for the offense, as the Bears had two players reach base in the last three innings.
The Rams, who were kept off the scoreboard until the fifth inning, opened up with a leadoff walk by senior catcher Connor Patton, who eventually came home with their first run on a double to center field by junior first baseman Adrian Ramirez, to trail, 3-1.
In the Millikan sixth, three of the first four batters scored.
Perez opened with a single to right center, followed by a hit batter and an infield bunt single by Anthony Pack (1 for 5), to load the bases.
Patton reached on an RBI fielders choice for the first run by Perez and an RBI single to right field, scoring second baseman Noa Morales, who was hit by the pitch.
The third run of the inning came on a hard shot off the glove of Bears reliver Logan Rios for an RBI single by Ramirez.
“Everything happened in that inning,” said Warren coach Cesar Martinez.
Rios suffered the loss for the Bears.
“Sometimes a loss can be beneficial,” added Martinez. “It wakes them up and hopefully they bring it out (Thursday).”
The Bears play Gateway leader La Mirada. (Results not available due to press deadlines).
Martinez talked of his freshman pitcher (Morales) saying, “He’s one of our most talented freshmen that we have here at Warren. Every outing he just gets better and better. He earned a spot in the Fall and Winter. I’m just really happy of what he did and how he conducted himself on the bump.
“In that fifth inning, he had to make pitches and execute, and I went out there and told him it’s damage control at this point. You don’t have to be perfect, you just got to compete and be competitive with his pitches. His demeaner and he is very composed.”
PMA Boys Volleyball keeps rolling in league
The St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy Boys Volleyball team keeps on rolling in the Santa Fe League with their sixth win without a loss, as they defeated Verbum Dei Jesuit 3-0 by scores of 25-21, 25-23, 25-18 on Tuesday.
The Warriors, who are 9-6 overall, have dropped only one set in the six wins. Leading the team was Elijah Rostro with 15 kills, followed by Brian Silva with six. David Romo and Nathan Nakayama had six aces each.
“We’re fining a win to win,” Warriors coach James Covell said. “They showed grit having limited numbers because of injuries.”