By Steve Sitter
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – The Palm Springs POWER put up fourteen runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, a franchise record, to defeat the SoCal Bombers 21-7 in their final SCCBL game.
In a game that saw five lead changes, the POWER’s record-breaking eighth inning could not have come at a better time. After the POWER scored first in the second inning, the Bombers put up two runs of their own in the top of the third. In the bottom of the third, the POWER answered right back by putting up four runs, one off of Taylor Grace’s (Michigan State) seventh home run to give the POWER a 5-2 lead. Grace is now second all-time in single-season home runs behind Ryan Mota (Cal Baptist) with twelve.
The Bombers scored two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to tie the game, but the POWER again took the lead, this time on a Skyler Hunter (Purdue) RBI double in the bottom of the fifth. The Bombers scored another run in the top of the sixth to tie the game yet again, but the POWER put their own run up in the bottom of the sixth off a Hayden Schilling (University of New Mexico) RBI single to give the POWER a 7-6 lead heading into the seventh.
The score would remain that way into the eighth inning, until the Bombers tied the game for the third time of the night. With a tie game in the bottom of the eighth inning, the POWER offense roared to life with a total of ten hits, five walks, one hit by pitch, and an error. The POWER would bat around twice in the inning, scoring fourteen runs and cementing the score at 21-7.
Hunter led the POWER going 3-4 with four RBIs and a run scored. Schilling went 2-3 off the bench with three RBIs and a run scored. Justin Wylie (San Diego State) went 2-3 off the bench with two RBIs and two runs scored. John Mauldin (University of New Orleans) went 2-4 with one RBI and three runs scored.
Five POWER pitchers would combine for twelve strikeouts and just one walk in the game. The winning pitcher is Ryan Mota, the pitcher in the eighth inning.
The POWER will face the Colton Nighthawks in a non-league game on Sunday night at 7 PM.
Photo Credit: Clinton Cole
