By: Jack Grimse
PALM SPRINGS, Calif.- The Palm Springs POWER swept their first conference series of the year, after tonight’s 12-1 victory over the Orange County Riptide in game two.
POWER starter Angel Delgado set the tone with a 1-2-3 first inning. He worked efficiently all night en route to picking up the win. Orange County starter David Orndorff took the loss.
Delgado’s offense gave him an early lead to work with. Miles Bice scored the first run of the game, coming around on a Connor Hornsby single after stealing second base. Bice, the POWER three-hole hitter, seems to reach base nearly every time he comes up to bat. Coming into the ballgame, Bice led the team with a .464 batting average, and a couple of hits improved it to .500.
But the lead didn’t last long. The Riptide had runners at first and third base with one down in the top of the third when Delgado was called for a balk, allowing second baseman Nashea Diggs to score.
Three singles in the fourth inning allowed the POWER to retake the lead. Catcher Chad Clark led it off with a base hit, and outfielders Erik Maki and Nick Jackson followed him with singles to make it a 3-1 Palm Springs lead.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, the POWER scored again. They got three runs, and the first of the frame was scored in spectacular fashion. With the bases loaded and Riptide reliever Justin Zielinski working from a deliberate windup, Hornsby broke for home. By the time the pitch had reached catcher AB Blanchet, the POWER right fielder had created a cloud of dust and had the fans out of their seats by stealing home.
Not stopping there, the POWER scored two more in the bottom of the fifth. Then, in the sixth, they tacked on two more, extending the margin to seven.
Delgado turned in another fantastic start, picking up the win and improving his record on the year to 2-1. He struck out five in seven innings of work.
Relentless at the plate all night, the POWER added four more in the bottom of the seventh. Four singles and two walks made it a 12-1 ballgame. That’s the scoreline the game would finish with, as Ryan Avila and Max Compton each tossed an inning of shutout ball in relief of Delgado.
With an off day tomorrow, the POWER won’t be back in action again until Friday night. They play three home games this weekend though, and all are scheduled for a 7:05 pm first pitch at Palm Springs Stadium.
