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The562’s coverage of Jordan Athletics is sponsored by former LBUSD superintendent Chris Steinhauser.
The Moore League baseball season got off to a delayed start on Thursday afternoon, with Wilson taking care of business in their league opener against Jordan on Bohl Diamond at Blair Field. This year’s season-opening doubleheader was supposed to be played on Wednesday night, but was pushed back due to rain.
The Bruins busted loose with nine runs in the third inning, on their way to an 11-0 shutout over Jordan in five innings.
“I’m pleased with the result, I think it was what it was supposed to be,” said Wilson head coach Andy Hall after the win. “Obviously when you’re controlling their offense with your pitches, that’s critical … And it was a good day offensively. I like where we’re going, I think we’re heading in a good direction. And obviously, figuring out the pitching is key.”
Senior Aaron Mingo started on the mound for Wilson and surrendered a leadoff, two-strike single to JJ Nielsen, but that was all he would allow. Mingo picked off the Jordan leadoff man, then retired the next eight batters he saw while collecting four strikeouts.
Senior Taylor Kirk was the tablesetter for the Wilson offense, going 3/3 with a triple, an RBI, and a pair of stolen bases. Rudy Carlos had a pair of runs and a pair of hits, including a two-run triple. Owen Ehmann was 2/2 with a pair of runs scored and an RBI triple of his own.
Wilson pounded out 14 hits, including 10 in their monster third inning rally, which saw 13 Bruins come to the plate. The first four batters of the inning singled, then Nathaniel Parris delivered a two-run single with the bases loaded to make it a 5-0 Wilson lead.
Danny Royle added another 2-RBI knock later in the frame, then came home to score on Carlos’ triple. Ehmann switched spots with Carlos to cap the scoring, giving Wilson the 11-0 edge in the middle of the third frame.
“I think that we made better adjustments the second time through the lineup,” Hall said. “There’s some meaning to coming to Blair Field to play the first Moore League game, and I think there’s a little nerves. I had nerves before the game, you know, I just wanted to get started on the right foot. And I think that the kids once they kind of settled in a little bit, things started to flow real nicely for us.”
Ben Howard tossed a scoreless fourth inning for Wilson, then Angel Urias came in for an impressive fifth inning. In his first high school appearance on the mound, Urias struck out the side, getting the first two batters looking before a swinging K ended the game.
Despite not being able to get the bats going, Jordan did take away some positives. Sophomore Adrian Mendez tossed two scoreless innings out of the bullpen with a pair of strikeouts. And as head coach Phillip Berman pointed out, his team didn’t commit an error and a handful of Wilson’s base hits came on soft contact, keeping him optimistic for his squad. J-Town is currently ranked No. 10 in Division 7 with their 6-2 overall record.
The Panthers will be back in action on Friday night, hosting Millikan at Blair Field at 6 p.m. Wilson (5-5) is back in action on Saturday as they’ll host Fountain Valley on campus at 11 a.m.
