Long Beach Poly’s Fausto Gaxiola III (13) slides safely into second behind Wilsons James Mirabile (11) in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Wilson’s Shane Guy (1) gets things started for the Bruins as they take on Long Beach Poly in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Tate Hammond (3) slides into home plate scoring for the Jackrabbits as they take on Wilson in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Wilson’s Penn Peters (6) looks to bat in a runner as they take on Long Beach Poly in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Wilson’s Cesar Castro (23) looks to throw the out at first as the Bruins take on Long Beach Poly in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Fausto Gaxiola III (13) slams the ball to the fence as they Jackrabbits take on Wilson in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Malakai Pruitt (2) gets things started for the Jackrabbits as they take on Wilson in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Malakai Pruitt (2) tries to get Wilsons James Mirabile (11) out at second as the two teams battle it out in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Freddie Parish IV (5) reaches for the ball as the Jackrabbits take on Wilson in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Cameron Christen (7) waits to hear the out call on Wilsons Cade Miller (2) in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Az Zuger turns to throw the out at first as they take on Wilson in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Caleb Safety (35) waits for the ball as Wilsons Eddie Becker (5) score a run for the Bruins in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Az Zuger (4) throws for the out at first as the Jackrabbits take on Wilson in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Malakai Pruitt (2) bats for the Jackrabbits as they take on Wilson in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Freddie Parish IV (5) scores for the Jackrabbits as they take on Wilson in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Az Zuger (4) races for first as Wilsons Cooper George (3) reaches for the out in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Wilson’s Jake Marshall (4) grounds the ball as the Bruins take on Long Beach Poly in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
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Long Beach Poly’s Fausto Gaxiola III (13) slides safely into second behind Wilsons James Mirabile (11) in Long Beach, CA, on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
LONG BEACH — A five-run first inning helped propel the Wilson baseball team to a 6-3 win over Long Beach Poly to wrap up a second-place finish in the Moore League on Tuesday.
The Bruins (16-11, 10-2) bounced back from losing at Cerritos, 6-2, on Monday.
Wilson coach Andy Hall said he was happy to see the lineup, jump-started by second baseman James Mirabile and shortstop Nico Thiem, respond after trailing 2-0 in the first inning against the Jackrabbits (16-11, 7-5).
Mirabile and Thiem had two hits apiece.
“(Monday) we didn’t bring a lot of offensive firepower,” Hall said. “So to score five runs in the first inning…it gives everybody a chance to breathe a little bit.”
Millikan clinched the league title outright Tuesday with an 8-0 win over Lakewood. The Rams finished one game ahead of the Bruins.
Poly scored two runs in the top of the first inning. An error in left field allowed the first run to score and an RBI single from Fausto Gaxiola III gave the Jackrabbits a 2-0 advantage.
Jackrabbits starting pitcher Malakai Pruitt was on the wrong end of some hard luck in the bottom of the first. An error at third base allowed Mirabile to reach base. Thiem followed with an RBI triple to cut the deficit in half.
“The approach was way better today,” Thiem said. “That’s what mainly helped us. I got a fastball right down the middle from (Pruitt). I just drove it to left field and was using my wheels to get to third.”
Two batters later, Thiem scored on a sacrifice fly from Penn Peters.
A walk, single and hit batter then loaded the bases. After a wild pitch scored Wilson third baseman Cesar Castro, catcher Cade Miller laced a two-run single to push the lead to 5-2.
The Bruins sent all nine batters to plate in the first inning.
In the second inning, Poly got a run back on a two-out RBI single from catcher Caleb Safotu.
Pruitt appeared to be on his way to a shut-down second inning, but an error allowed Mirabile to score and make it 6-3.
“The defense has not always been perfect when (Pruitt) is pitching,” Jackrabbits coach Soloman Williams said. “But his facial expressions never changed, he battled.”
Pruitt and Wilson’s Shane Guy both pitched five innings and settled in after shaky starts.
Guy scattered seven hits — all singles — and struck out eight and had two walks. He retired 10 of the last 13 batters he faced.
Hall said he started Guy on the mound to prevent Cooper George, who played first base, from reaggravating a sore wrist.
“For sure, the lead helped,” Hall said. “I was a little worried the first inning when they scored two, some pretty hard hit balls. But (Guy) was able to regroup.”
Castro came on in relief and struck out two batters over the final two innings for the save.
Pruitt was tagged for six hits, but two of his six runs allowed were unearned.
At the plate, Poly got two hits each from Pruitt and shortstop Tate Hammond.
Williams said the issue for his lineup was striking out looking on five occasions, including all three outs recorded by Guy in the first inning.
“It’s been a problem all year,” Williams said. “If you don’t put the ball in play and make the other team make plays, you can’t be a good team.”