By Kurt Martin
POMONA, CA – Tuesday marked the beginning of the POWER’s quest for an unprecedented fourth-straight league title and things couldn’t have been crazier in game one of the SCCBL Championship.
After eight innings of play, the Palm Springs POWER are leading the Inland Valley Pirates 17-12. The game was postponed due to darkness and is set to resume tomorrow in the top of the ninth inning at 7:05.
The POWER knew they had a tall task ahead of them. Not only did they have to play on the road, but they had to face Andrew Alvarez, who already beat them twice this season.
Palm Springs did not let that deter them, jumping out to a 4-0 lead going into the bottom of the third.
The Pirates answered the POWER with a five-run third inning capped off by a three-run home run by Kyle Garlick.
Inland Valley jumped all over starter Morgan Earman (Arizona) tagging the right-hander for five total runs in two innings. Earman had only given up one run all month and four runs all season.
The Pirates would extend the lead to 11-5 through six innings, but then it was the POWER’s turn to play comeback kids.
With one out in the seventh inning, Hunter Bening (NW Florida St.) knocked a solo home run over the left field wall to cut the deficit to five. Zach Sterry (Oakland) and Charlie Madden (Mercer) followed with back-to-back singles putting two men on and giving the POWER some hope to get back into the game.
After recording the second out of the inning, Pirates’ reliever Kevin Glomb allowed two-straight RBI singles to Ryne Clark (Chico State) and Scotty Burcham (Sacramento State). With the Pirates’ lead down to three, Jordan Zimmerman hit a three-run home run tying the game at 11.
But the POWER weren’t done scoring.
After two walks, Danny Edgeworth (Mercer) had his biggest hit all summer singling into right field giving the POWER their first lead in the game since the third inning. The POWER would go on to score five more runs in the inning taking a 17-11 lead.
Inland Valley got one run back in the eighth inning before the game was postponed going into the ninth.
