PALM SPRINGS, Calif. ~ The Canada A’s hung on to defeat the Palm Springs Chill by a score of 5-2 to excitingly open the day’s action on the auxiliary field during a contest that ended with the potential winning run at the plate for the Chill. Tyler Pfeffer drove in the game’s first run for the A’s in the top of the first with an RBI single. The Chill responded in the bottom of the second when third baseman Andrew Kendrick launched a solo shot over the left field wall to tie the game 1-1. The A’s brought seven batters to the plate in the very next inning and scored four runs to retake the lead. Pfeffer added another RBI single which was followed shortly thereafter by a three-run home run off the bat of Derek Bangert that landed a few rows deep in the parking lot to make it a 5-1 Canada A’s lead. Left-handed relief pitcher Andrew Chin took the mound in the seventh to seal the game for the A’s. Chill infielder Brian Pozos hit an RBI single in the seventh to make it a 5-2 game, but that was all the closer the Chill would get as Corey Dempster grounded into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded to end the game. The Canada A’s are now 8-5-1 and the Palm Springs Chill are currently 7-7 heading into the final game of the regular season as both teams have an off day on Monday.
The first game at Palm Springs Stadium showed the Washington Blue Sox and British Columbia Bombers with the Blue Sox taking the win 7-3. The Bombers struck first sending eight batters to the plate in the first inning. After Cory Lubinski flew out to start the inning, the Bombers next four batters reached base with three of the four scoring in the inning. Losing pitcher Garrett Brown was very effective through his first three innings but gave up four runs in the fourth. Taisei Yamada drove in the first two with a pinch-hit double followed up by another double by Ikegami Katsuyuki and a sacrifice fly from Kodai Sasaki. The Blue Sox piled on more runs in the fourth and fifth with base hits from Yamada and Tatsunori Negishi to make it 7-3. The Bombers’ bats would be held in check the rest of the game giving the Blue Sox the win. Keita Shimizu earned the win for the Blue Sox going two innings without giving up a run.
The Palm Springs Power earned a 3-0 victory over the Oregon Lumberjacks in game two on the auxiliary field. Power first baseman Won Jie Choi got the power on the board early in the bottom half of the first inning with an RBI double which drove in Nicholas Michaels. Shortstop Jacob Boston followed up with an RBI double of his own to put the Power up 2-0. Boston would later hit a sacrifice fly into deep centerfield to drive in Michaels in the bottom of the sixth to extend the lead to 3-0. The Power relied on the strong arm of right-handed pitcher Seth Burris who threw a complete game shutout. Burris went seven innings and only walked two batters while striking out nine in the winning effort. The game ended with the based loaded for the Lumberjacks as Charles Sturdivant II was thrown out by Power outfielder Aaron Bailey in a collision play at home to end the game. Heading into the final two days of the regular season, both the Palm Springs Power (7-7) and the Oregon Lumberjacks (6-5-2) need victories to receive a first round bye in the CWL tournament next weekend to avoid the play-in game on Thursday.
The second game at the main stadium featured the top teams in the Canadian Division and the bottom team in the American Division as the Toronto Rush and the New York Colonials ended in a 5-5 tie. Toronto scored the first run of the ballgame in the second inning when T.J. Ward reached on a leadoff single and then hustled home on a sacrifice fly into right field by Jon Argetsinger. The Colonials would take the lead for the first time in the third inning when they brought in three runs which all scored during a two-out rally. Brooks Carson drove in the first run followed by a two-run double from Ryan Myers which made it a 3-1 lead for the Colonials. The Rush bats were held down until the fifth inning when they would drive in four runs off hits from Glen Kubek, Bryson Connor, and McClain Bradley as well as another sacrifice fly from Argetsinger to make it a 5-3 ball game in favor of Toronto. The Colonials got one run back in the fifth off a double by Jay Carp to halve the lead and make it a 5-4 advantage for the Rush. In the bottom of the seventh, the Rush got two quick outs before issuing a walk to Carp then giving up two consecutive singles to tie the game. With the bases loaded, Jake Luce hit a line drive into right field which was caught by Bradley to end the game.
Monday will be Locals Day, when Coachella Valley residents get $3 admission with a valid ID. Game one at Palm Springs Stadium begins at 10:00 AM Pacific and pits the Oregon Lumberjacks against the Alberta Grizzly, followed by the New York Colonials vs. the Manitoba North Stars at 12:30 PM.
