The Palm Springs Power have consistently been a dominant force in the Southern California Collegiate baseball scene over the years. Constantly a thorn in the side of the Inland Valley Pirates, one of the teams’ goals this year is to finally beat the Power, who went 30-1 and swept them last year. The first opportunity to beat Palm Springs presented itself on a Sunday doubleheader at Scolinos Field in Pomona.
Incoming Freshman Alex Chavez got the start for the Pirates in what would be his first Collegiate outing. The Power looked dangerous in the first after getting multiple runners on, but Chavez was ultimately able to get out of the jam unscathed.
Inland Valley bats quickly inflicted damage on the Palm Springs pitching staff in the bottom of the first with an RBI single from Landon Greenhouse followed by a loud Connor Green RBI double.
The Power got runners on early in each inning, but Chavez proved he belonged at this level by shutting them down each time without a problem.
In his four-inning debut, Chavez struck out five batters and didn’t allow a single run. Chavez’s game plan against the dangerous opposing lineup was simply to throw strikes.
“It felt good to get back out there, I just wanted to throw strikes, pound the zone, and learn what I need to do to get through the summer”, said Chavez.
In the top of the fifth, Palm Springs was finally able to break through the floodgates and quickly poured on runs. The Power batted through their lineup and scored eight runs from a multitude of hits and walks.
Palm Springs brought in seven-footer Brenton Thiels in relief who shut down the Pirates in the bottom of the inning.
Inland Valley initially struggled with Thiels’ extreme release point, but they began to adjust after his first inning. A past ball in the sixth along and another RBI single from Greenhouse cut the deficit to four.
The Pirates couldn’t compile their momentum into the next inning allowing the Power to add another run to their lead.
With their backs up against the wall, the Pirates made a valiant final effort in the ninth culminating in three more runs. Unfortunately for Inland Valley, the Power were able to suffocate the late rally leaving two Pirates on base and the tying run at the plate.
Inland Valley had the chance to avenge their 9-6 loss just 30 minutes later as the sun came down and the temperature dropped.
The Pirates struck first once again on a Dominic Porter double that hopped over the third base bag in the third inning.
Inland Valley cashed in one more run in the fourth inning when Greenhouse tallied yet again, another RBI single.
Palm Springs responded promptly by loading the bases and driving in two runs in the fifth. With one out and the bases still loaded, Anthony Vasquez came in and got out of the jam.
Vasquez held the Power scoreless in the next three innings, but Palm Springs’ pitching matched Inland Valley’s, holding them scoreless from the fifth to the eighth.
The game was all knotted up heading into the ninth, with the Pirates possessing the opportunity to end the Power’s illustrious winning streak.
Palm Springs put runners in scoring position with one out for Aiden Perez who then hit a two RBI double to right field to create a two-run lead.
The next batter also hit the ball to right field, but Porter was able to catch the ball and spectacularly throw a runner out at home to end the inning and limit the damage.
Inland Valley looked to replicate their three-run ninth inning in game one to end the Power’s winning streak in walk-off fashion.
Palm Springs tasked Andrew Pinedo to get the final three outs against the Pirates four, five, and six hitters. Pinedo promptly struck out the side completing the double-header sweep and extending the Power winning streak well past 20 games.
Inland Valley lost the heartbreaker 4-2, dropped the doubleheader, and are now 1-2 on the young season. The Pirates will have a chance to get back to .500 on Wednesday against the Legends at Scolinos Field.
Inland Valley Baseball Association 