The top four Moore League baseball teams are now officially in the Division I C.I.F. Southern Section playoff bracket. The Moore and Marmonte are the only leagues to send four representatives into the field of 32. Lakewood, Wilson, Millikan and Poly have beat each other up all year, and now it’s time for Millikan and Poly to take the show on the road, while Wilson and Lakewood will try to defend Blair Field. All first round games will take place today, May 15…
Wilson v. Edison, Blair Field @ 3:15
The Bruins ended the season on the highest note possible, handing Lakewood its only league loss of the year. Aaron Hicks threw a one-hit shutout against the Lancers and will likely take the bump again for Wilson to take on Edison. The Chargers are the Sunset League’s second seed, led by senior catcher Kyle Higashioka and senior third baseman Nick Torres. Edison played league rival Los Alamitos tough this year, beating one of the bracket favorites twice. Wilson will need to hit the ball hard against the Chargers solid defense.
Lakewood v. Tustin, Blair Field @ 6:30
The Tustin Tillers are the definition of feast or famine, outscoring opponents 44-28 in their last six victories, and being outscored 21-77 in their last six defeats. The Lancers have won 13 of the last 15, and could start any three of their top pitchers, Matt Johnson, Omar Jiminez, or Derrick Dingeman; all of whom have a sub-three ERA. Lancer catcher Jonathan Keener will need to call a good game, but more importantly, add to his 37 RBI’s and .455 batting average.
Millikan v. Thousand Oaks, Thousand Oaks High School @ 3:15
The Rams lost their last four games and will need to score more runs than the two-a-game they’ve averaged in those loses. Coach Scott Glasser will also have to choose between starting pitcher Andrew Culver or Adam Bemowski. Culver has the better ERA (1.98) and leads the team in strikeouts (41) but Bemowski has pitched more innings (54.2) and has a team-high six wins. Thousand Oaks is on an eight-game winning streak, and will look for a big game from senior catcher Jett Bandy, who’s hitting .394 with a .873 slugging percentage.
L.B. Poly v. Los Alamitos, Los Al High School @ 3:15
Poly played a very though pre-league schedule, and split a series with the #1 seed Griffins in March. Poly is led by third baseman Joe Terry and senior Brent Tani, who are hitting .462 and .459 respectively, and have combined for 50 of the teams 155 RBIs. Los Al hasn’t lost a game in more than a month, mostly due to a pitching staff that has a 1.80 ERA and 208 strikeouts in 27 games.