Playoffs game report
After Friday’s nail biting semi-final action, the Modi’in Miracle will take on home field rival, the Beit Shemesh Blue Sox, in the inaugural IBL Championship game
At Sportek in Tel Aviv, third-seeded Modi’in Miracle upset second-seeded Tel Aviv Lightning, 4-2, with much of the damage occurring in the first inning. Tel Aviv suffered a huge blow in the third at bat of the game when 1B Stewart Brito suffered a broken nose from a wild throw by teammate SS Raul Franco, forcing Brito to leave the game. On Franco’s throwing error, Modi’in SS Adam Harwood came in to score the first run of the game. The Lightning ran into some more bad luck when RF Jeff Hastings got his arm stuck in the right field fence trying to chase down a fly ball hit by C Eladio Rodriguez.
Hastings was charged with an error on the play, allowing Modi’in 1B Aaron Levin to score the second run of the inning.
The Lightning scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to bring them within one run, on a RBI double by LF Josh Matlow and a RBI single by 1B Sam Marthinsen. Modi’in added an insurance run in the fifth inning on a home run by 2B Noah Walker (2-for-4) to put the Miracle up 4-2.
Modi’in LHP Matt Bennett earned the victory throwing a complete game, allowing two runs on four hits with five strikeouts. LHP Aaron Pribble of Tel Aviv recorded the loss, despite pitching a complete game, allowing only one earned run on the day. The usually steady Tel Aviv defense let them down today, committing four errors, allowing three unearned runs to score.
At Gezer Field, the Beit Shemesh Blue Sox defeated the Netanya Tigers, 6-3, battling back three times from one run deficits to earn the win. Netanya jumped out to a one run lead on a bases loaded RBI single by C Sam Faeder off of Bet Shemesh RHP Juan Feliciano. The first inning run was bitter-sweet for the Tigers, because OF Josh Doane, the Tigers’ top hitter, was forced to leave the game due to a leg injury.
Beit Shemesh answered back with a solo home run by SS Gregg Raymundo (2-for-2) in the bottom of the first inning. The Tigers took the lead in the top of the second inning, on a sacrifice fly by OF Ben
Engelhart. Netanya was hit with another injury when starter RHP Leon Feingold was forced to leave with a back injury during the bottom of the third inning. Israeli RHP Shlomo Lipetz replaced Feingold, retiring one batter before giving up Raymundo’s second solo home run of the day, tying the score at 2 apiece.
After the Tigers scored one more run in the top of the fourth inning, the Blue Sox answered back with a two RBI ground rule double by 1B Ben Pincus. The play was originally ruled a home run, however, after a long conference amongst the umpires the call was changed to a ground rule double. Beit Shemesh added two more runs in the fifth inning and starting pitcher Juan Feliciano held the Tigers scoreless for the last three innings. Feliciano recorded the win pitching a complete game, allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits with six strikeouts.
Sunday at 6:00 pm at Yarkon Field in the Baptist Village in Petach Tikva, Art Shamsky’s Modi’in Miracle will play Ron Blomberg’s Beit Shemesh Blue Sox in the IBL’s inaugural Championship game. The pitching probables for the game feature Dominican RHP Maximo Nelson (5-3, 3.55 ERA) for Modi’in and Californian RHP Rafael Bergstrom (7-2,
2.44 ERA) for Bet Shemesh.
After the conclusion of the game, IBL Commissioner Dan Kurtzer will present the winning team with the championship trophy. Commissioner Kurtzer will also be presenting the IBL’s top players with end of season awards.
