The CPCL Championship series started Saturday night at Palm Springs Stadium as the 1 seed POWER battled with the 2 seed Inland Valley Bucs. POWER ace Seth Mattox got the nod in game 1 of the best of 3 series. The Cal Baptist right hander dominated as usual tossing 6 innings allowing only 1 unearned run. He allowed only 4 hits and 1 walk while punching out 8 Bucs batters.
Mattox was masterful but the true story tonight was the hitting performance from Manager Casey Dill’s lineup. The POWER took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Jacob Mejia worked a full count walk and eventually came around on a double scorched to the left field wall by CSUN outfielder Emanuel Dean.
The second inning is where things really got out of hands for Inland Valley. Defensive wizard Dalton Thomas drove in Anthony Angel Jr with a 2-out line drive single to right field. That sparked a 5 run second, with all runs coming across with 2 outs in the inning. UNC-Ashville short stop Kohl Abrams barely missed a homer that ended up a double that scored Thomas. Jacob Mejia then drive in Abrams before Noah Blythe tripled to drive in Mejia all the way from first. Emanuel Dean capped off the 5-run inning with his second rbi hit in as many innings.
Anthony Angel Jr doubled down the left field line in the 3rd inning. He eventually scored on a Kohl Abrams line drive single. This put the POWER up 7-0. The Bucs scored their only run in the 6th inning on an error from Angel Jr. The POWER got that run back immediately in the home half of the 6th via a Noah Blythe rbi single.
Jacob Strmiska came on in relief of starter Seth Mattox and pitched a scoreless 7th and 8th while tossing 3 strikeouts. Southern Nevada’s Naun Haro was tasked with closing out the 9th with an 8-1 lead. Haro was up to the task, tossing a 1-2-3 inning icluding 2 strikeouts to secure a 1-0 series lead for the POWER.
The Championship series contiunes tomorrow July 16th at Scolinos Field on the campus of Cal poly Pomona. Game 2 of the series will be at 2 3:00pm. If the POWER can win game 2 they will sweep and win the series. If Inland Valley wins they force a game 3 also played on Sunday. The POWER are 29-1, 1 win away from the all time win percentage record and a CPCL CHAMPIONSHIP!
