Palm Springs, Calif. – A dynamic day of California Winter League baseball unfolded at Palm Springs Stadium today, with a captivating doubleheader. The morning game showcased a hard-fought battle between the Washington Blue Sox and the hometown Palm Springs Power. Later in the day, the international flavor of the CWL was on full display as the British Columbia Bombers faced off against Team China in an intriguing afternoon contest.
BLUE SOX 1 – 5 POWER
The Power (4-6) and Blue Sox (3-7) met in the first stadium game of the day, both teams coming off losses on Wednesday. The Power jumped ahead with two runs in the second inning. Robert Starr and Jacob Maiben started the inning with back to back doubles. Maiben stole third and scored on a groundout by Aled Andres.
Cooper Bagby was great for the Power on the mound, hurling five innings of one-run ball just allowing three hits. The lone Blue Sox run was scored on a Parker Depasquale sac fly bringing Niko Diaz home from third.
The wheels fell off in the fifth for Jimmy Johnson’s starter Clayton Warner. A walk and error by Angus Stayte at third had two on for John Taylor with two outs. The newest member of the Power, Taylor continued his hot start, crushing a three run home run to center field giving the Power a 5-1 lead.
Kyle Bell took the mound for the Power in the sixth and shut out the Blue Sox over the last two innings. The Power took home their fifth win of the season improving to 5-6 and will face the A’s on Friday at the stadium. The Blue Sox fall to 3-8 and get a day off before a match up with the Chill on Friday.
CHINA 8 – 4 BOMBERS
Team China took care of business to get their tenth win of the season against the British Columbia Bombers. Session two newcomer Noah Cole was the starter for the Bombers, while Haizheng Wu took the mound first for China.
China would strike first early with a Pei Liang single scoring Hu Tian Yuan. It would start to get out of hand in the second inning, when an errant throw by Cole led to Ning Li and Yuyang Li scoring. A pitch hit Wen Bin Xing, and Pei Liang walked before Lu Yun brought them both in with a double to make it 5-0.
A scoreless third from both sides would lead to the fourth, where Nolan Machibroda would smoke a solo home run over the right-field wall to put the Bombers on the board. Machibroda’s first home run of the season was 104 mph off the bat and went 401 feet.
China would respond with two in the bottom half as two singles would put Yuan and Xing on again, and Yun brought them both in again with a single and error by right fielder Jaden Brown.
The Bombers responded in the top of the fifth with a Mark Hernandez RBI double. They would score two more on a Howie Hatton RBI double and an error by Hu at second, closing the gap to make it 7-4.
China would grab one more in the seventh on a Xing sacrifice fly. Xiang Wang only needed four pitches to close out the game in the bottom half and give China the victory.
China is now the first team in the CWL to ten wins, and they take sole possession of first place over the Canada A’s. The Bombers fall to 3-8, joining the Alberta Grizzly and Washington Blue Sox in last place.
Both teams will be in action tomorrow, as Team China will face the Palm Springs Chill at the Auxiliary field at 9:30 a.m. The Bombers take on the Grizzly tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.
Hey Canada! Join us this Friday at Palm Springs Stadium for Canada Day! Canadian residents can catch all the California Winter League thrills for only $5 general admission. We can’t wait to see you there!
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.
