All-SCCBL Selections- A Hitter from Mississippi and a Pitc...
Date: Jul 25, 2019
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - With seven of twelve league match-ups being decided by two runs or fewer, the fourth week of SCCBL play demonstrated just how competitive the league is shaping up to be. The Bombers and Bulldogs both picked up big wins over the Power, and the Bucs stole three of four against the Force.
The Inland Valley Pirates stayed hot, grabbing a share of the top spot in the SCCBL by going 2-1 in league play (2-2 overall) and earning one-run wins over the San Diego Force and Palm Springs Power. Freshman IF Aaron Halpert (Cypress College) contributed a hot bat in both wins, ending the week with a batting average of .462 and recording four runs, an RBI and a double. Jake Anderson (UC Colorado Springs) also played a big role, posting a two-for-three night with a homerun and a stolen base in the Pirates’ 13-inning marathon win over the Force on Thursday. Relief pitching was key for the Pirates this week, as the bullpen was called upon for 28 of the team’s 39 innings pitched. Justin Dunham (Irvine Valley College) came up huge from the ‘pen on Friday night, leading the Pirates to the 6-5 win over the Palm Spring Power by pitching 6.1 scoreless innings of relief while only giving up two hits. A 6-4 record in SCCBL puts the Pirates at the top of the league standings by win percentage.
The San Diego Force endured a lengthy week of baseball, playing eight games over seven days. The Force ended the week 3-5, losing three of four against the Bucs, taking one versus the Bulldogs, falling to the Pirates, and splitting a pair with the Palm Springs Power. Following a tough loss to the Power in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader, the pitching and the bats came alive in the last game of the week for the Force. Ryan Losman (Southeast Missouri), who now owns an SCCBL-leading 0.56 ERA in 16 IP this season, got the nod for the start against Palm Springs. The right-hander looked sharp and dominant all night, earning the W with a final stat line of 7 IP, 12 Ks, 0 ER, and 3 hits. The Power could not figure out the hard throwing Losman, who touched 94-95 MPH with his fastball. While the pitching shut down the Power all night, James Shimashita (San Jose State) had a stellar night with the stick, going two-for-four with a pair of RBIs and a run scored. Donnie Roethler (Southwest Baptist) continued his great summer, improving his season average to .371 by going two-for-four on the night with a run scored. The San Diego Force end the week tied for first in the league with an SCCBL record of 8-6, trailing the Inland Valley Pirates on win percentage due to having played four more league games thus far.
The Riverside Bulldogs find themselves third place in the SCCBL standings after a .500 week (1-1), dropping a matchup with the Force 12-4 but rebounding with a 7-3 win over the Power. The Bulldogs’ offense rolled through both contests, collecting 24 hits over the two games. Catcher Cole Cooper had a solid game for the Bulldogs against the Force, going 4-4 and a walk and a run scored. The Riverside pitching staff had an up and down week, struggling particularly against the dominant San Diego Force offense. The Bulldogs bounced back fast in the week’s last game against the Palm Springs Power, led by a solid start from sophomore pitcher Michael Coppens (Riverside City College). Coppens kept the Bulldogs in the game by pitching seven innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits. Owning a 7-6 SCCBL record, the Bulldogs trail the Pirates and Force by half a game for the top spot in the standings.
Week Four proved to be unkind towards the Palm Springs Power, who played to the tune of a 2-4 record across six SCCBL matchups. Palm Springs opened the week with a tough loss to the SoCal Bombers, falling at home for the first time this season Tuesday night by a final score of 10-8 in 10 innings. The Power would drop Wednesday night’s meeting with the Riverside Bulldogs, 7-3, and Friday night’s face-off with the Inland Valley Pirates, 6-5, before finally earning a 6-1 victory over the Pirates on Saturday, thanks in large part to Jack Carberry’s (Western Illinois) seven innings of two-hit ball. Closing the week out with a Sunday doubleheader in San Diego, the Power split the final two games of the week with the Force, taking game one 7-5 but dropping the finale by a final of 7-2. Hayden Schilling (New Mexico) provided a bright spot for the Power lineup during the week, slashing .360/.429/.760 while blasting three home runs. The defending SCCBL champions now sit in fourth place with a league record of 5-5.
The Inland Valley Buccaneers kicked off the week with a huge doubleheader sweep of the San Diego Force, earning 7-5 and 8-3 wins at Amerige Park Monday night. Kory Brown led the lineup for the Bucs, going five-for-nine with three RBIs across the two games, while catcher Christos Stefanos’ (Biola) power surge provided a pair of home runs and five RBIs in game two. Keeping the ball out of play hugely benefited the Inland Valley squad in the doubleheader, as the Bucs’ pitching staff notched 30 strikeouts over the night’s 18 innings. After a midweek 8-2 non-league victory over the Gamers on Thursday, the Buccaneers concluded their week by hitting the road for another twin bill with the Force on Saturday. Dropping game one by a final of 1-0 but bouncing back in game two with a 3-2 win, the Bucs’ pitching staff was stellar once again, striking out 15 more Force hitters while only allowing 10 hits combined on the night. With a 5-6 record in SCCBL play, the Bucs find themselves in fifth place and half a game back of the Power.
The SoCal Bombers started off the week on a high note, defeating the Palm Springs Power on the road in 10 innings. Starter Nathan Giesler (Chaffey College) looked sharp right out the gate against the dangerous Palm Springs lineup, finishing the night with 7 IP, 4 ER and 6 K’s. Sergio Valenzuela (St. Mary’s) relieved Giesler and threw 3 innings of one-run ball, which earned him the suspenseful extra-innings win. Joseph Kim, who had swung a hot bat all game, was pinch hit for by Edward Manzo, who came up big in his first and only at bat in the 10th. Manzo crushed a line-drive over the Power right fielder to score the two go-ahead runs to put the Bombers up 10-8, the eventual final score. Unfortunately, the high from the victory was short-lived, as the Bombers closed out the week with three non-league defeats by close scores (6-5, 9-8, and 9-5). Currently in last place with a 2-6 league record, the Bombers face a crucial upcoming bulk of SCCBL matchups.
Key match-ups are set for Week Five, including a two-game series between the Force and the Power in Palm Springs on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Bombers will face the Bulldogs and Bucs before a three-game weekend-series with the Power.