Palm Springs, Calif. – The California Winter League held an exciting day of games at Palm Springs Stadium Tuesday. The Auxiliary field saw the Alberta Grizzly take on the Washington Blue Sox. The morning stadium game had the British Columbia Bombers against Team China. The final game of the day saw the Canada A’s battle the Palm Springs Chill at 12:30 PM.
BLUE SOX 11 – 3 GRIZZLY
The Washington Blue Sox escape the play-in game with an 11-3 victory over the Alberta Grizzly on the auxiliary field Tuesday morning.
Both teams scored in both the first and second innings. The Grizzly struck first in the top of the first on an error by Blue Sox shortstop Kevin Gameros that scored a leadoff single by Matthew Fabian (Grizzly). Grizzly starter Atsushi Kataoka gave up the lead immediately in the bottom of the first, allowing the first five batters on base consecutively, with the exception of an error by Grizzly third baseman Jason Leon. The first three batters scored, giving the Blue Sox a 3-1 lead.
The Grizzly put up one run in the second on a Davie Morgan RBI single and one in the fifth on an Andrew Gravdahl sacrifice fly to center field, but they never caught up to the Blue Sox. The Blue Sox scored three in the second, one in the third, and four in the sixth, providing plenty of run support for their starter Aoi Nakaza, who went the distance for a complete game outing. Nakaza gave up all three runs to the Grizzly on 10 hits, but issued zero free bases and struck out 10 in seven innings of work. The Alberta Grizzly end their regular season on a five-game losing streak, falling to 3-12. The Blue Sox finished their regular season with a 5-9 record and evade the play-in game tomorrow afternoon, which will be the afternoon game at Palm Springs Stadium between the British Columbia Bombers (#6) and the Alberta Grizzly (#7).
CHINA 5 – 4 BOMBERS
Team China won a thriller in sudden death over the British Columbia Bombers 5-4 on Tuesday morning at Palm Springs Stadium. Team China struck first on a solo home run by Li Yuyang in the second inning; the first home run for Team China this season. They added another run in the third inning on an RBI single by Zhang Mingxin to take a 2-0 lead. The Bombers then answered back with back-to-back hits by Bubba Thompson and Nolan Machibroda in the fourth inning to cut the lead in half. The score remained 2-1 until the sixth, when Elijah Dickerson led off the inning with a solo home run to right field to tie the game. China took the lead back with two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, but Elijah Dickerson had an answer once again. Down to their last strike with a full count on Dickerson and runners at first and second, the Bombers center fielder cracked a two-run double off the center field wall to tie the game at four. After Team China failed to score in the bottom of the seventh inning, the game went to sudden death with China opting to hit and try to walk it off. With the courtesy runner at first base, Team China took advantage of a Bombers defense playing in to defend against the bunt as they slapped a pair of hits through the infield to load the bases with nobody out. That set the stage for Xing Wenbin, who singled through the right side of the drawn in infield to win the game for Team China. Hua Dan Cai Rang picked up the win for Team China, while Chaz Graham suffered the loss for the Bombers. The Bombers will play in the play-in game on Wednesday at 12:30 pm against the Alberta Grizzly to try and make the postseason, while Team China has a bye to the semifinals after securing a top-two seed.
A’s 2 – 9 CHILL
The Palm Springs Chill took on the Canada A’s in the second stadium game on Tuesday. No playoff implications for either team as the A’s had already locked up the two spot in the CWL playoffs and the Chill were slotted in at three as the top team in the quarterfinals. The A’s top ranked offense looked the part, scoring in the top of the first. Daiskue Fukuda and Grayson Moeller singles started Ethan Smith with a lead. Smith came out for the bottom of the first and immediately dazzled. Canada’s top arm struck out the side in a quick first. In the second, Smith continued to pound the zone. Jarett Burney and Dominick Bucko reached to start the inning, but Smith struck out the next two and looked like he might get out of the jam. With two outs, Nick Chiusano stepped to the plate in what was the turning point of the game. Smith induced what looked like it would be the first fielded out of the game on a high pop up over the infield. Moeller, Smith, Jorge Colon and Stan King all converged but nobody caught it. The ball fell to the grass and Jarett Burney was sprinting on contact and immediately scored when it landed. Ethan Roberts then stepped up and hit a line drive to shallow center field. Juan Frances dove for it but it fell just under his glove. Bucko and Chiusano scored easily and Roberts went home for the inside the park home run putting the Chill up 4-1. The Chill scored Burney again in the third and Smith was replaced by Paul Turelli in the fourth. Five walks by the Chill proved to be a final nail in the A’s coffin. Palm Springs scored three more extending the lead to 9-1. Tino Novis and Cruz Hamilton covered the middle innings after Ryan Schroeder allowed one run over three. Hamilton allowed one run and handed it over to Johansel Gomez for the seventh inning. Gomez allowed a walk to Jed Downham who worked a long at bat and a single to Grayson Moeller before he struck out Tyler Foug to seal the win for the Chill. Tino Novis was credited with the win and Ethan Smith took the loss in his last outing of the season. The Chill improved to 9-6 handing the 12 win A’s their third loss of the season. The stakes are high this Wednesday as the 2025 CWL playoffs get underway! The Alberta Grizzly and the British Columbia Bombers face off at 12:30 PM, battling for a coveted spot in the quarterfinal round. Be there for all the playoff intensity!
Wednesdays at Palm Springs Stadium are Locals day where general admission for all Coachella Valley residents are only $5!
Fans can also tune in on the California Winter League YouTube to watch every 2025 stadium game live.
The California Winter League is the longest running professional showcase league of its kind. Since its inaugural season in 2010, the CWL has seen over 850 of its players sign professional contracts. Each year, it is the premier destination for free agent baseball players who are looking to be scouted and signed.
Stay up-to-date with the California Winter League at californiawinterleague.com or by following the CWL on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Palm Springs Stadium is located at 1901 E Baristo Road in Palm Springs.
For more information, visit californiawinterleague.com or call (760) 778-4487.
