The 4th of July is always the “Superbowl” of Palm Springs baseball. That was the same tonight on July 4th, 2023. The Power took on the all stars of the Power Summer Collegiate League.
Pitching was dominant throughout the game. Pitt Panther Kyle Mosely started and tossed 4 scoreless innings for the Power. Mosley only allowed 2 hits and struck out 2 batters. Another Pitt Panther, Matt Porter, added 2 more shutout innings and 4 k’s of his own.
The Power bats got a lead in the third after UNC-Asheville shortstop Kohl Abrams reached on a base on balls. Abrams eventually came around to score when his Asheville teammate Michael Groves drove him in with a linedrive single into centerfield. The Power added 2 more in the 6th with sacrifice flies from Mark Kirkland and Anthony Angel Jr.
The PSCL All stars were able to push across 1 in the 7th to bring the deficit within 2. The 8th inning is when the the PSCL team rallied to do the improbable. They scored 3 runs to take the lead 4-3. Jackson Gifford walked with the bases loaded to complete the comeback and take the lead. They shut out the Power in the bottom of the eighth. The All Stars couldnt add any insurance in the top of the 9th. We were setup for an all time ending.
The Power started the bottom of the 9th needing to 1 to tie and 2 to win. Kohl Abrams lead off being hit by a pitch. Porter Pittman worked a 3-0 count before being a hit by a pitch again. Noah Blythe reached on a fielders choice that put runners on the corners. Michael Groves lined another base hit to center to bring in Abrams and tie the game at 4 a piece. That brought up Emanuel Dean with blythe 90 feet away at 3rd base. Dean chopped one to third and Coyotes’ representative Owen Fuoco fielded it and fired home. Catcher Calvin Carrol reached but couldn’t pull down the throw allowing Blythe to slide in safely to win the game!
A game for the ages, we got fireworks on the field and fireworks in the sky afterwards. The Power will be back at Palm Springs Stadium on Wednesday July, 5th against the San Diego Grind. The game time is back to normal at 7:00pm and gates open at 6. Come out and enjoy summer baseball in Palm Springs!
