Jordan got its first hit of the day off Millikan starter Josh Frye in the sixth inning. By that time, it was too late. The Rams (11-0) stayed undefeated in the Moore League with a 4-0 win over the Panthers (4-7) at Blair Field on Tuesday.
Frye grabbed yet another complete-game shutout in the Moore League, giving up just two hits while walking three and striking out seven. Aside from Frye being Frye, the Rams used their patented recipe for success that has carried them through the ML season.
They use good pitching and good defense, and when one is lacking, the other picked up the slack. Uncharacteristic errors in the first and second inning put runners in scoring position, but Frye got two pop ups and two strikeouts to keep the it scoreless.
On offense, Millikan is known for great two-strike and two-out hitting. In this game, the Rams scored two of their four runs with two outs. They also got a lift from leadoff hitter Brandon Sadler, who hit the first pitch from Jordan starter Marcos Lara into right field.
“That’s the first time this year that (Sadler) hit the first pitch,” said Millikan coach Scott Glasser, whose team has avoided the typical high school sports let down that most fans anticipated. “That set the tone for us… in a game of failure, that confidence is so important. It starts with Josh (Frye)… in any line of work, if you know you’re good, then you know what you need to do… Josh knows baseball, and he knows what he needs to do. He’s got that confidence.”
The Rams got that confidence early in the first when a hit-and-run from Paul Slater plated Sadler. They added another run with a bases loaded walk, and a third with a scoring ground ball form Cody Hazel in the second inning. Hazel capped the scoring with an RBI single in the fourth.
Frye took the lead and ran with it, working quickly and pounding the strike zone on his way to putting the Panthers down in order in the third, fourth and fifth inning. And in true Ram fashion, after he gave up the first hit to Lara in the sixth, his defense picked him up with a 5-4-3 double play from Matt Clampitt, Brandon Dopplick and Jon Singleton.
“It’s not a magic trick,” said Glasser. “But it is something special.”
Millikan can complete its magical season with a win over Lakewood on Thursday.