Wilson Puts On Rally Caps For CIF Baseball Victory

The Long Beach Wilson baseball team took one step closer to winning the CIF Division 1 title as it knocked off third-seeded Vista Murietta High, 6-4, in a second-round game Tuesday in Murrieta.

Solomon Williams’ two-run triple in the seventh inning proved to be the difference. Trailing 4-3 in the top of the seventh, Wilson scored three runs for the victory.  Williams would then be at the receiving end by turning a key double play in the bottom of the seventh which sealed the victory for the Bruins.

“I’m very happy because I didn’t want to take that hour and a half bus ride back home with a loss,” he said.

Wilson starter Bobby Webb would pitch four innings, giving up two runs on five hits with a walk and two strikeouts, but would get a no-decision in the game.

Wilson would strike first, scoring two runs against Murietta starter Joven Afenir.

After Brett Harper struck out, Webb would single then  Williams would double.  Stefan Miladinovich would then single, scoring both runners.  Miladinovich would then be thrown out at the plate to minimize the damage as Wilson took a 2-0 lead in the first inning.

Afenir would settle down, keeping the Bruins scoreless before giving way to Tyler Russell in the fourth inning.  He would give up two unearned runs on three hits, a walk, a strikeout and a hits batsman.

Murietta would respond in its half of the first as Jeff Moberg would single and then later score on Joe Ortuno’s double.  Murietta would score once more in the fourth and twice more in the fifth highlighted by a squeeze play scoring Ortuno.

Trailing 4-3 at the top of the seventh, Wilson would begin its comeback.  Harper led off with a single, but was forced at second base while Webb reach first.

With one out, Daniel DeWolf would draw a walk to put runners at first and second. Williams followed with a line drive down the line, scoring both runners as he would reach third safely.  He would then score on Miladinovich’s sacrifice fly to put the game out of reach.

“I was looking for a low fastball,” Williams said. “Because it is a pitch I could hit.  He threw it and I hit it.”

“You gotta hit the ball to win games,” Wilson coach Andy Hall said.  “We had a couple of clutch hits.  Obviously the Solomon (Williams) hit was huge.”

Chase Dejong would enter in the sixth inning and would pitch the final two innings to pick up the victory, his second in as many games during this playoff run.

Wilson faces the winner of the El Toro/Simi Valley matchup in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

While Hall says he doesn’t care who his team plays, he confided that he would like to face Simi Valley because they beat the Bruins in the 2008 title game, so there’s a little payback there.

The Quarterfinals are set for Friday at 3:15 pm.  Should Simi Valley win, then Wilson would be hosting, otherwise they will travel to El Toro should they emerge victorious.

BOXSCORE

School Name

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

R

H

E

LB Wilson

2

0

0

0

1

0

3

6

9

2

Vista Murietta

1

0

0

1

2

0

0

4

7

2

WP – Chase Dejong (6-0)                                                                                     Jeff Moberg (1-1)