Tag: sports

Sunsets, salsa, and spaceships and baseball, Power beat Pirates in Palm Springs

Max Suckley

Hot, hot, hot. The red-hot, undefeated Palm Springs Power hosted the struggling, yet talented, Inland Valley Pirates at the arid Palm Springs Stadium.

The journey from the Inland Valley is far, but the gameday environment in Palm Springs is unparalleled in Southern California’s collegiate summer league scene. 

A combination of misters and wind greeted the hundreds of fans in attendance to cool them down in the 100-degree heat. 

A mix of classic Mexican music, rhythmic salsa, and world-renowned reggaeton serenaded the crowd in honor of Hispanic Heritage Night. 

The beautiful view of the palm tree-scattered cityscape with the backdrop of barren desert mountains illuminated by the day’s last light falling beneath the jagged peaks of Mt. San Jacinto is a magnificent setting to take in a baseball game.

The combination of all of this makes Palm Springs Power games a unique experience and undoubtedly one of the more fun ways to take in a baseball game in the region during the summer. 

The gameday experience became even more fun for the visiting Pirates as they dominated offensively in the first inning. Despite the difficulties of hitting against seven-foot-tall pitcher Brenton Thiels, Inland Valley manufactured three runs because of timely hitting from Landon Greenhouse and Connor Green.

After two quick outs in the bottom of the first, it appeared that the Pirates would be able to establish momentum, but the Power were able to start an improbable two-out rally. 

After loading the bases, Palm Springs was able to drive in two runs on a single to left field. The Power could have tied the game, but catcher Max Shor ingeniously threw the trailing runner of a double steal out at second to end the inning and maintain the Inland Valley lead. 

After the rough first, Thiels settled in, and even with some traffic, he was able to shut out the Pirates over the next three innings. 

It was the opposite story for Inland Valley. Pirates’ pitching was never able to settle in allowing Palm Springs to log three consecutive three-run innings. This streak only ended in the fourth when they scored three to extend their lead to 9-3. 

In the top of the fifth with a runner on first, the attention of those in the stands and dugouts was inadvertently directed toward the sky. High in the sky over Mt. San Jacinto appeared a giant smoke trail led by a spaceship lighting up the night sky. 

Could the spaceship be a sign? A harbinger of an incoming Pirates comeback? Or maybe it was just an outgoing vessel venturing into the cosmos in search of things we do not understand. 

Regardless of the potential symbolism, Inland Valley scored the runner from first, cutting the deficit to 9-4 with four innings left. 

On defense, the Pirates finally put up their first scoreless frame. From the fifth inning on, Inland Valley did not surrender another run and only allowed two baserunners.

With pitching finally settling down, the Pirates had a chance to mount a comeback. In the sixth, Inland Valley was able to load the bases with two outs but only scored one before Andrew Pinedo came in to end the inning. 

Pinedo halted the Pirates’ momentum and closed out the last 3.1 innings to hand the Power a 9-5 win. 

Palm Springs is now 7-0 in the CPCL and has won a ridiculous 32 games in a row. 

Inland Valley has been competitive but is still looking for its second win of the year. The Pirates will certainly have a lot of chances to get back on track this week with games on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. 

Wednesday’s game will be at Bonita High School at 4 PM, while the rest will be played at Cal Poly Pomona’s Scolinos Field.

All American helps Legends dominate Bucs

Max Suckley

It was an ugly, overcast Monday, but Scolinos Field looked as beautiful as ever for a CPCL matchup between the Bucs and the Legends. 

The Bucs came in looking for their first CPCL win, while the Legends vied for their third. 

The seemingly normal early-season game, gifted the fans in attendance a look at one of college baseball’s premier talents as the Legends took the field.

Starting on the mound for the Legends was UCSD’s Izaak Martinez. In Martinez’s senior year with the Tritons, he held a 1.85 ERA and was named an All-American by the NCWBA and Perfect Game. 

Martinez, a crafty lefty, splintered the bat of the Bucs’ leadoff hitter en route to a quick perfect inning. In the second, Martinez walked a batter but helped himself out by catching a comebacker and turning around to throw the runner out at first for an inning-ending double play. 

Martinez finally allowed a hit with two outs in the third, but he locked in and struck out the next batter in three pitches. The All-American finished his outing with three scoreless innings, allowing only two base runners. 

Martinez’s pitching prowess gave confidence to the Legends and helped establish a high standard for the rest of the game. 

“Honestly, when you have a guy who’s known to shut hitters down like that, it makes you feel good, and he really set the tone for what we wanted to do today,” said Legends head coach Matt Cordero. “It continued not just through Izaak but also to Isaac Mendez”.

APU’s Isaac Mendez took over in the fourth and was even more impressive, quickly throwing three scoreless innings and only allowing one base runner.

The Legends dominated the Bucs offense with six innings of stellar pitching combined with some very impressive defense around the diamond. The defense has made tremendous strides since the start of the season, which has helped piece things together for the Legends. 

“There’s been a big improvement in our defense over the last week and a half or so. We started rough against Palm Springs, but since then we’ve steadily improved,” Cordero said. 

The incredible pitching and defense were combined with a strong offensive performance. 

In the bottom of the first, Moonhyeon Eom attempted to lay a sac bunt down, but he was unsuccessful as the pitcher threw a fastball up-and-in that barely missed his face. Two pitches later, Eom clobbered a two-run home run over the left wall. 

The Legends added another run in the second to extend their lead to 3-0. They would blow the game wide open in the fifth by scoring four more runs by taking advantage of defensive mistakes, which elongated the inning. Eom drove in the first of the four runs for his third RBI of the game. 

Moon Eom drove in another run in the seventh inning for his fourth of the day and the final of the Legends’ eight runs. Moon has consistently performed for the Legends this summer, making him one of the most valuable players in the lineup. 

“Moon has been huge all summer… He’s been consistent in the outfield and also in the lineup, he’s bat anywhere from the two to the five slot, but he’s been productive wherever we need him, so I’m happy with the output,” said Cordero.

The Bucs finally got on the board in the seventh inning with an RBI triple off the top of the left-field wall for Jarren Sanderson. During the next at-bat, Sanderson attempted to steal home, causing the pitcher to balk. 

In the ninth, the Bucs scrounged a third run on a solo home run from UCLA’s Jarrod Hocking. 

With an 8-3 win, the Legends grabbed their third victory and solidified their hold of second place in the CPCL. 

The Legends are in action again tomorrow, this time for a doubleheader in Escondido against the San Diego Waves. The Bucs also have a game tomorrow, matching up against the Colton Nighthawks at Fullerton College.

Knuckleballs not enough for Pirates

Max Suckley

On Friday, Scolinos Field hosted a matchup between the Sunset League’s South Bay Saints and the CPCL’s Inland Valley Pirates. 

The Pirates have gotten off to a 1-3 start in the CPCL, while the Saints have gone 1-0 in the Sunset League. 

After a quiet first inning, Inland Valley’s Bret Bowers got on first base with one out in the second. With the threat of an inning-ending double play alive, Bowers stole second. The next batter, Sonny Rios, hit a double to score Bowers. 

After this, the game was serene for a while. Inland Valley’s Andrew Nesson held South Bay scoreless over four, allowing minimal traffic. 

It was the same story for the Saints pitchers outside of giving up a run in the second. With a heavy dose of offspeed pitches, South Bay pitching was able to keep Pirates hitters frustrated. 

Even in fastball counts, Saints pitchers kept throwing off-speed pitches inducing an array of swings and misses. When Inland Valley batters did make contact, it was usually soft, and the South Bay defense fielded it cleanly every time. 

In the 6th inning, the Pirates’ pitching faltered, walking four batters and allowing a hit, resulting in three runs for the Saints. It looked like Inland Valley would get out of the inning with only two runs given up, but misfortune found them.

With two outs and the bases loaded, South Bay hit a hard ground ball up the middle that deflected off the second base bag, allowing an extra run to score. The runner from second base tried to score, but the Pirates second baseman picked the ball up and nailed him at home to save a fourth run. 

In the eighth inning, the Saints’ barrels warmed up, leading the inning off with three consecutive singles. Defensive mishaps extended the inning and helped extend South Bay’s rally longer than it should have.

Inland Valley finally got out of the inning, but not before surrendering another three runs. 

Carson Mounce hit a late RBI single for the Pirates to give them a second run, but the team ultimately was never able to mount a comeback. 

The highlight of the day for Inland Valley was the top of the ninth when outfielder Gavin Garcia came in to pitch. Garcia shocked everyone when he started to throw knuckleballs during his warmup pitches.

It became even more shocking when he started throwing them during the game. Garcia was able to throw his knuckleball over the plate and even got a swing-and-miss.

To top this off, his catcher, Mounce, made an acrobatic diving catch in front of the dugout for the final out of the scoreless inning. 

Garcia’s pitching and Mounce’s defense finally brought some excitement back into the solemn dugout.

Inland Valley is now 1-4 on the season and 1-3 in the CPCL. The team has a lot of talent and has led in four of their five games, but they have not been able to piece everything together consistently.

The Pirates will have a chance to get their season back on track on Tuesday in Palm Springs against the undefeated Power. 

Legends one-hit Pirates in first matchup

Max Suckley

The warm, early-summer sun shone down upon Scolinos Field in Pomona, where the Pirates met with the Legends for their first matchup of the year. A breeze cooled the field temperature and blew the flowers off the still-blooming Jacaranda trees in right field.

The Legends got their offense going in the bottom of the second with a leadoff double from Justin Cabada. On the next pitch, Moonhyeonn Eom laid an immaculate bunt down the third base line to move Cabada to third and get himself on with an infield single.  

After a sac fly scoring Cadaba, Nathan Hellein came up and hit a deep drive to left that skipped off the top of the wall for a double, scoring Eom and extending the lead to 2-0. 

The game became tranquil until it was the Legends’ turn to hit in the fifth. After two quick outs to start the inning, the Legends unexpectedly commenced a major rally. The Legends did not have to hit the ball hard or at all; they simply had to stand in the box as Pirates pitched, hit a shocking five batters, and walked another two. 

The Pirates’ self-inflicted damage allowed the Legends to score four runs on a two-out rally in which they did not log a single hit. 

On the other side of the ball, the Legends were spectacular. Rising freshman Gavin Reeve took the mound and dominated from start to finish. Reeve worked fast each inning, limiting Pirate traffic, momentum, and hard contact. 

The ex-factor for Reeve was his utilization of his changeup, which created soft contact early in at-bats. 

“I was able to get some early contact, and my changeup was working really well, so I just lived with it early,” said Reeve. 

Reeve was so dominant that he took a perfect game into the third and a no-hitter into the seventh. Even after giving up the leadoff single that broke up the no-hitter, Reeve stayed composed and quickly got a pop-out and a double play to get out of the inning. 

Over seven innings, Reeve allowed one hit, no runs, and two walks on only 75 pitches. 

Reeve pitched extremely well, but he also benefited from the help of the stellar defense that made a myriad of miraculous plays behind him all day. 

“Our defense showed up today. In Palm Springs, we had a total of 12 errors in two games, and we had zero today, so that really made a difference,” said head coach Matt Cordero. 

The Pirates finally got multiple baserunners on in the eighth, but were only able to score one run on a wild pitch before being shut down. 

The Legends answered the Pirates’ sole run in the bottom of the inning with a well-executed sac fly from Eom to extend the lead to 7-1. 

Eom stood out today and has been one of the Legends’ most eye-opening players thus far.

“Moon has surprised me, he made some plays this last week that surprised me,” Cordero said. “He laid down a bunt early and came up with a big sac fly… He’s been a very productive player for us, and I look forward to seeing him the rest of the season.”.

Garret Halbiesen struck out the side in the top of the ninth to hold the Pirates to one lonely hit and end the game in just under two hours. 

This was the Legends’ second win of the season after beating the Bucs earlier this week. Beating two conference opponents back-to-back was validating for the team after a tough start in Palm Springs.  

“Honestly, they owned us last year, so it felt good… It was good to see that we can compete against both the Pirates and the Bucs,” Cordero said. 

Both teams will play Friday, with the Legends in Palm Springs taking on the Power and the Pirates at Scolinos Field against the South Bay Saints.

Pirates drop doubleheader to Power

Max Suckley

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. 

IVBA Alumni Update

Max Suckley

By Max Suckley

Multiple IVBA alumni have been making waves throughout Minor League Baseball this season. Three recent members of the Inland Valley Pirates have impressed scouts and have been spotlighted within their respective organizations.

Ricky Tiedemann has become one of the top prospects in baseball since being drafted by the Blue Jays in the 3rd round of the 2021 draft. Tiedemann’s meteoric rise through Toronto’s farm system has drawn the attention of scouts throughout the MLB. Coming into 2024 Tiedemann was ranked as a top-30 prospect by Baseball America, Major League Baseball, and Baseball Prospectus and was the consensus top prospect in the Blue Jays organization. Tiedemann only threw 44 innings in the 2023 regular season, but in that short time, he struck out 82 batters giving him an incredible 16.8 K/9. After the regular season, Tiedemann was sent to the Arizona Fall League where he had a strong showing for the Surprise Saguaros. After an impressive fall, Tiedemann was assigned to the AAA Buffalo Bisons to start the 2024 season. Tiedemann is now only one level away from the big leagues and could potentially join the team at some point this season if Toronto decides to put him on the 40-man roster. 

Julian Aguiar is another 2021 draft pick who has been performing at a high level. Aguiar was picked in the 12th round by the Cincinnati Reds and has been steadily rising through the ranks ever since. In 2023 Aguiar started 14 games for the A+ Dayton Dragons, pitching to a 1.92 ERA and a WHIP under 1. Aguiar struck out 77 batters and only gave up 2 home runs over 70.1 innings for Dayton before getting called up to the AA Chatanooga Lookouts where he made another 11 starts. Aguiar finished the 2023 season with a 2.95 ERA in 125 innings across the two levels. The Reds were so impressed with Aguiar’s season that they named him their Minor League Pitcher of the Year. MLB ranks Aguiar as Cincinatti’s number 17 prospect. Aguiar has extended his dominance into the 2024 season, pitching to a 2.98 ERA in Chatanooga through his first 10 starts of the year. 

Nacho Alvarez Jr. played for the IV Pirates before being picked by the Atlanta Braves in the 5th round of the 2022 draft. Alvares Jr., a third baseman at Riverside City College, has been moved to shortstop in his pro career where he has impressed scouts with his defense. Alvarez Jr. currently ranks as the Braves’ number 6 prospect and their top non-pitching prospect. His superb fielding, strong arm, and high walk rate have quickly made him Atlanta’s most intriguing infield prospect. Alvarez Jr. is currently playing in AA for the Mississippi Braves, where he has a 119 wRC+ — third best on his team. At just 21 years old, Alvarez Jr. is the youngest hitter in Mississippi, and almost three years younger than the league average.