In the battle for that fourth and last playoff spot in the Moore League, Millikan used smart base running to beat back Cabrillo, and exploded for five runs in the fourth on the way to an 11-1 victory. 

With the win, the Rams (4-5) moved into fourth place, and the Jaguars (3-6) fell to fifth. 

Millikan starter Elizabeth Gonzalez had the rise ball working and racked up 10 strikeouts while giving up just three hits in the five innings played. 

“We’re getting healthy and playing good ball,” said Millikan coach Don Harper.  “Our lineup is kinda’ small, so we like to play small ball.”  On Thursday, small ball produced nine hits, nine walks and eleven runs.

Momentum swung the Rams way early when Brittany Adler’s line drive bounced off the leg of Cabrillo pitcher Janessa Martinez.  The junior finished the inning but couldn’t continue, and Katherine Reyes came out of center field in relief.

Reyes should have gotten the first two outs of the second inning with a ground out and a strike out, but strike three went to the backstop, and Jordan Collier went to first without a throw.  Nicole Mendez hit it hard at second baseman Leonor Aguilar, who was breaking to cover second, and it bounced off of her out-stretched glove. 

The runners at the corners broke on the next pitch, and on the throw down to second, Collier came home to score and Mendez moved to third.  Melisa Sponholtz’s ground out RBI made it 2-0 Rams.

In the top of the fourth the Jags made it interesting when Cynthia Gutierrez hit a single up the middle and pinch runner Valerie Aguilera stole second.  With two outs, Yvette Lopez blooped a single into center and Aguilera scored on the throw to make it 2-1.

Millikan wasted little time getting the run back when Stephanie Ospina advanced to third on a wild pitch after a walk, and Sponholtz knocked in her second RBI.  Millikan added four more runs on two hits and four walks. 

Gonzalez came out and made quick work with two strikeouts, and Adler’s two run double in the fifth ended it.

The Rams will travel to Thousand Oaks to play this weekend and get ready for the stretch run in the Moore League.