The562’s baseball coverage in 2025 is sponsored by the Millikan, Long Beach Poly, and Lakewood baseball boosters.
he562’s coverage of Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009.
The562’s coverage of Lakewood Athletics is sponsored by J.P. Crawford, Class of 2013.
Wilson baseball has developed a habit of steadily improving.
Once again the first-place Bruins are playing their best baseball towards the end of the season, and the Moore League clash at Lakewood on Wednesday was another example of that.
Wilson’s offense waited until the sixth inning to score six runs in a 7-0 victory over Lakewood. Meanwhile, ace Ben Howard pitched around a few baserunners early before retiring 11 straight in a five-hit complete game shutout. Howard thinks the early struggles help his team.
“That’s how we’ve been all year,” Howard said. “It happened against Millikan. This team has a lot of grit and we want it at the end of the day. We show that through the game. All of our guys are confident at the end of the game. We might move a little slow (early) but we still gain confidence as the game goes along.”
“I just think it’s practice, us learning out guys and figuring out the right combinations,”Wilson coach Andy Hall said. “Then they grow in confidence and I’m not kidding you when I say it’s fun to watch them practice now compared to before Christmas when we couldn’t execute. They’re starting to hit their stride, and that’s what you want to see this time of year.”
The game-changing hit was also an example of self-reliant improvement. Designated hitter Logan Smith came to the plate in the fourth inning with Rudy Carlos on third base after his leadoff triple. Smith ended up striking out looking on a curve ball from Lakewood starter Nate Garcia.
“When he came to the dugout I told him, ‘You can’t get punched out in that situation. At least make an out swinging,’” Hall said of coaching up Smith. “I think he took it to heart. He said, ‘Yeah I know coach, that’s unacceptable.’”
Smith got his opportunity to atone in the sixth inning with the bases loaded and no outs. He worked the count and then singled through the right side to score two and give Wilson its lead.
“I can’t leave it up to the umpire, I just have to go up there and be aggressive and put the ball in play, especially in a situation like that in a 0-0 ballgame,” Smithy said. “You have to put the bat to the ball and score runs.”
“He’s very coachable and a good kid that wants his team to win and do whatever he can,” Hall said of Smith. “He brings a special something to our team leadership wise.”
Lakewood errors helped Wilson score six runs in the sixth inning while Nathaniel Parris, Cooper George and Carlos each had two hits at the top of the order. George also scored twice. Eddie Becker chipped in a triple and an RBI.
Jayden Pea and Angelo Ortiz each had two of the five hits allowed by Howard, who shut down the Lancers from the fourth through the sixth inning.
“I thought the first couple innings until the fourth I was pitching to contact a little bit more,” Howard said. “I didn’t feel like I had the movement I’m used to with my two-seam and my cutter. When I let myself just free flow I got the movement and location and everything I was looking for.”
Games against Long Beach Poly and Millikan on May 2 and May 3 in the last week of the season stand between Wilson and its first league title since 2017.
