The562’s coverage of Lakewood Athletics is sponsored by J.P. Crawford, Class of 2013.
The other top Moore League softball teams have blowout wins against each other this season, and Tuesday night was Millikan’s turn in an 11-3 win at Lakewood.
Millikan finished with 14 hits and third baseman Morgan Zimmerman led the charge from the leadoff spot. She reached base five times with two singles, two doubles and a hit by pitch. The drove in two runs, scored two runs and thinks the Rams success is contagious in their loud dugout.
“I think our team chemistry is just really good, we all love each other so much,” Zimmerman said. “When one person does a good job everyone hypes them up and it just keeps going and going like the butterfly effect.”
Millikan’s Riley McAndrew had the big swing of the day with a 3-run homer over the centerfield wall to cap the scoring in the sixth inning. Jocelyn Owen was 3-4 with a pair of doubles and an RBI. Ella Burleson also had a home run in the second inning.
Rams ace Lauren Cantwell had her league scoreless inning streak snapped in the first inning but responded well with five more scoreless innings after that. The senior righty scattered six hits and struck out nine while walking one.
Millikan was also without head coach Michelle Lehr, who served a one-game suspension following an ejection during a tournament game over the weekend, but the Rams were obviously not distracted.
“We were still clicked in, I liked our (offensive) performance today with that adversity more than the first game (against Lakewood),” Millikan assistant coach Mike Mathis said. “We were just executing, our bunters moved runners over and the hitters behind them did their job.”
Mathis and Cantwell stuck to the game plan and pitch chart from the Millikan win over Lakewood last month, but the Lancers scored two in the first inning on Jay Echeverria’s 2-RBI single. She drove in all three Lakewood runs while center fielder Izzy Rueda was a tough out all night and scored twice after two singles and a walk.
Cantwell and Mathis were able to hold down the Lancers offense for the rest of the game by utilizing the same game plan and pitch chart that Cantwell and Lehr used to beat Lakewood last month.
This rivalry game is usually hosted at Lisa Fernandez Field but was hosted under the new lights at the new softball field on campus at Lakewood High.
Zimmerman was hit by the first pitch of the game and scored on Addy Everrett’s RBI sac bunt. The third baseman then drove in a run with a single in the second inning. Her doubles in the fourth and sixth innings were driven to the gap. Zimmerman had been struggling at the plate but a change to her swing and a breakout week at a recent tournament set her up for a solid performance on Tuesday.
“Before I would get my foot down early and wait for it. now I’m kind of doing a bigger step and getting it down right before I hit the ball, and that little tweak definitely helped,” Zimmerman said. “It’s helped me adjust (to pitches) and hit more line drives. I’m letting the ball get deeper so I can see it and get better contact.”
The 3-4-5 hitters for Millikan (Owen, Everrett and McAndrew) went a combined 6-for-9 with 4 doubles, HR, 5 RBI and 6 runs scored.
On the last day of league play before Spring Break, Lakewood will visit Jordan and Poly will host Compton while Wilson travels to Cabrillo.
