PALM SPRINGS, CA — The POWER capitalized on six opponent errors Saturday night, clobbering the So Cal Elite 12-3 at Palm Springs Stadium.
Chad Clark put the POWER on the scoreboard first, homering to left-centerfield in the second inning for a 1-0 lead.
The margin quickly disappeared though, as the Elite struck for three runs on three hits in the next half-inning.
The POWER (38-4, 17-3) found themselves trailing 3-1 entering the bottom of the fourth inning, but a flurry of miscues by the Elite opened the door for a six run frame. Ryan Jones reached on an error to begin the inning and advanced to second on a wild pitch. He scored on a Clark groundball that went through Elite first baseman Ryan Barker’s legs for another error. Austin Barrett followed with a single and took second base on a failed throw to get Clark at third. After a pitching change, Jonathan Serven laid a bunt up the third base line that Elite pitcher Joseph Mauldin picked up and threw away. Clark and Barrett both scored to give the POWER a 4-3 lead. Eric Urry then singled and Jared Theisen was hit by a pitch to load the bases. After a wild pitch scored another run, T.J. Bennett singled to drive home Urry and Theisen for a 7-3 advantage. Five of the runs scored in the inning were unearned.
The POWER bats jumped to life again in the eighth inning, sending ten men to the plate and piling on another five runs. C.J. Reed and Jake Howeth each chipped in two-run singles to finish off the rout.
Reliever Jackson McClelland (3-1) kept the Elite bats silent for the middle three innings, striking out seven without surrendering a hit. The right-hander earned the win after starter Ryan Harper pitched a pre-determined three innings. The Elite did not sent more than four batters to the plate in an inning after the third frame.
The POWER return to the field Sunday to take on the OC Jacks at 7:05pm. The first 200 fans through the gates will receive a free POWER T-shirt. Fans that can’t make it to the game can listen to the broadcast online at pspbb.com or on the radio on 1010 KXPS.
