Lakewood softball comes back to stay atop Moore League

LONG BEACH >> The Lakewood High softball team has played plenty of important games while wiing the last four Moore League titles, and in a close game on Thursday at Millikan, the Lancers used that experience to comeback and take a 6-2 win from the Rams.

Lakewood junior CJ Apacible’s two-out, bases loaded triple in the seventh iing proved to be the difference.

Millikan (8-13, 5-1 Moore League) took a 2-0 lead in the fourth iing on a two-run home run from junior Kylee Perryman, but Lakewood (13-2, 6-0) scored five times in the seventh iing to stay atop the league standings. This is the best start for the Lancers under 12-year head coach Andy Miramontes.

“I preach from day one that good teams find a way to win, and we did that today,” Miramontes said. “These girls know what it takes to win.”

Lakewood senior Ari Bus cut the Millikan lead in half with a home run in the fifth iing, and then the Lancers took the lead for good in the seventh. Logan Miller and Haylee Kela led of the iing with back-to-back singles to left field. Bus was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and after a pop out, catcher Montana Dixon tied the game with a sacrifice fly to score Miller.

After a walk loaded the bases again with two outs, Apacible drilled the first pitch to the fence in left-center field. The junior drove in three runs with the triple, her first hit of the game.

“I was really nervous,” Abacible said of the game-wiing at bat. “(Millikan pitcher Rachel Rubio) was throwing first-pitch strikes, so I saw one and went for it.”

Abacible would come home on a passed ball to cap the scoring.

“We’ve got a lot of new girls on this team,” Bus said. “As leaders, we just try to calm them down and stay ready. We know what we’re capable of.”

Lakewood pitcher Vanessa Foreman only allowed five base ruers besides the fourth iing when Cheeks Ramos scored on Perryman’s blast. The sophomore struck out eight and allowed four hits in a complete game performance. On the other side, Millikan’s freshman hurler Rubio went the distance and struck out seven before giving up the lead in the seventh. The Lancers finished with eight hits.

“I just had to stay in it and stay strong,” Foreman said. “I knew we had it in us and that the offense would come eventually. We’ve all seen it before.”

Advertisement