PALM SPRINGS, CA – The Palm Springs Power (4-0) raced out to a 9-0 lead Tuesday night over the Orange County Waves (3-1), then dug in and withstood a furious rally to hang on 11-7 at Palm Springs Stadium.
The Power took advantage of Waves starter Tito Paez’s lack of control, scoring five runs in the first two innings on just one hit. Paez walked three batters, hit another three, and uncorked a wild pitch in just 2 1/3 innings.
Palm Springs pushed the margin to 8-0 on back-to-back RBI singles by Ryan Raslowsky and Jake Howeth in the fourth inning.
The lead ballooned to 9-0 after an RBI single by Palm Springs High alum Tyler Truitt, but the Waves scored the next six runs. Mike Fagan and Cody Bruder each brought a run in for Orange County with singles in the sixth. Four more came across in the seventh on three hits and two POWER errors. Pete Reyes would come out of the bullpen to calm things down though, earning the save with 2 2/3 innings of stellar relief.
POWER starting pitcher Jackson McClelland (1-0), making his team debut, earned the win with six brilliant innings. The right-hander allowed two runs on seven hits, striking out three while walking only one. The Pepperdine product never faced more than four batters in an inning in his first five frames.
Howeth paced the offensive attack, collecting two hits, including his first triple of the season, and driving in three runs.
The POWER return to the field Wednesday to take on the Orange County Blaze at 7:05pm. It’s the first Dollar Admission Wednesday of the season, with general admission tickets only $1. Fans that can’t make it to the game can tune in at pspbb.com.
