Millikan played two very different Moore League softball games in the span of 24 hours this week.
On Wednesday, the Rams needed 10 innings and a game-winning RBI from Maya De Sota to break a scoreless tie and beat Poly. On Thursday, the Millikan offense exploded for a 12-0 win over Wilson at Joe Rodgers.
“Whoever showed up yesterday wasn’t the same team that showed up today,” Millikan coach Akemi Fleming. “The girls knew they couldn’t play like they did yesterday. We have to come into games with more aggressiveness and play smart. These seniors feed off of each other.”
Senior Rachel Rubio set the tone in the circle with her second complete game shutout of Wilson this season. Rubio only gave up two hits while striking out five.
“I know how to pitch to them and shut them down,” Rubio said. “I go in feeling really confident with the defense I have behind me. I know my team is going to score.”
The Rams (8-8, 4-1) took an early lead with six singles and five runs in the third inning. They added six more in the sixth as Anissa Ramos and Grace Fleming delivered a huge offensive day at the top of the lineup. Ramos had a single, a double, a triple, an RBI and three runs scored. Fleming had a single, a double, a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored.
“Yesterday was a real struggle for us,” Rubio said. “Our bats were not alive at all. We all had a talk about stepping up, and stepping on their throats. We knew this wasn’t going to be an easy task.”
Wilson (8-7, 3-3) got its hits from Sinclair Lawhorn and Natalya Rodriguez.
Millikan junior Jazmin Fernandez chipped in two singles and three RBIs.
The Rams will take on first-place Lakewood on Thursday, and they’re confident after losing to the Lancers in walk-off fashion earlier this year.
“We don’t get out hit against them,” Fleming said. “We’ve had our mental errors and that’s where we’ve messed up in our games against them. Granted, Lakewood is good, but we’re able to keep up.”
“We’re better than them,” Rubio said of Lakewood. “We just need our bats to come alive, and our defense to be on point like it has been, and we’ve got it.”
