Jack Williford lifts Wilson past Millikan in Moore League baseball showdown

LONG BEACH >> A Moore League season that was looking like a 12-game victory parade for Millikan High School took a sharp detour on a chilly Wednesday night at Blair Field, thanks to a stellar game from Jack Williford.

The Bruins scored two runs in the fifth iing to give themselves the lead, and Williford made it stand up in a 4-2 Wilson win.

“I went into my bag of tricks a little bit,” said Wilson coach Andy Hall. In addition to a critical hitting adjustment, he also made an important promise. “I told the kids if you get a win I’m buying pizza tomorrow. Pizza motivates kids big time.”

The result couldn’t be more of a shake up to the Moore League standings. The Rams were more than halfway home in a bid to be the first undefeated league champs since 1998, but now sit in a first-place tie with Lakewood (both teams have one league loss) while Wilson is now just a game back in second with two losses.

The game was a great battle between preschool classmates Williford and Spencer Steer for Millikan, and it went back and forth in the early-going. The Bruins took a 1-0 lead in the third iing on a balk called with a ruer on third, as the ump said Steer never came set with his hands.

The Rams struck back immediately on a two-RBI double from David Balboa to take a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth iing, but Wilson tied it up in the bottom of the frame, as Zach Pettway scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-2.

The Rams made the switch from Oregon signee Steer to Concordia signee Mike Killeen in the fifth iing, as Steer finished with four iings pitched, two eaed runs, and nine strikeouts.

The Bruins were ready for Killeen and waited on the low fastball, then got the hits they needed in the bottom of the fifth. After loading the bases with no outs, Max Williford (Jack’s little brother) brought in a run with an RBI ground out, then Jack Williford made it 4-2 with a sacrifice fly to score Riley Dent.

As it tued out, the Rams needed both runs, because North Carolina signee Aaron Greenfield smashed a left field home run in the top of the seventh iing to make it 4-3. The home run (which landed between the new 335-foot fence at Blair Field and the original fence) was just the third hit in the Moore League in the last eight years. Williford didn’t blink though, even after Steer doubled with two outs to put the tying run in scoring position; Williford struck out the final batter to end the game.

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“I told Jack he’s the man and he’s got to make this happen,” said Hall. “I’m not going to take the ball from him. This is his senior year, he deserves the opportunity to win it or lose it.”

Williford pitched a complete game with nine strikeouts, giving up five hits and two eaed runs.

Asked about the Moore League race, Williford’s answer was simple: “We’re back in it.”

Wilson (14-11, 6-2) is next in league action on May 4 against Lakewood at Blair, before finishing against Cabrillo and Compton. Millikan (16-6, 7-1) hosts Cabrillo on Friday.