Israel Baseball Scores

Israel Senior Baseball has a new Fall League Champion - Ra'anana PTC "Wildfire", which came all the back from a 7-1 deficit to edge out a depleted Israeli National Team 10-8 in a thrilling end to an engaging Fall Season. Emboldened by its semi-final playoff win over the Tel Aviv Reds, the youthful Ra'anana squad, shored up by a number of stalwarts from its junior program, came in eager to cap off its campaign with a championship. However, atrocious defense put the team in an early big hole against their more experienced counterparts, doing an injustice to Ra'anana's fine young pitching prospect, new Cuban oleh Yeoandray Gil-Levy, who was starting his third big game in two weeks.
Meanwhile, National Team fireballer George Chityat breezed through the first four innings allowing only one run and no hits, keeping the ball in the infield, and far away from the gaps left by the presence of only two outfielders But the Wildfire refused to die, beginning its comeback in the fifth inning with three runs, sparked by consecutive hits by Nate Rosenberg and Mike Ralson. Ralson's subsequent mad dash home from third base, following a pop up to second base, undoubtedly lit up the Wildfire. Meanwhile, a wholesale defensive realignment and the entry of relief pitcher Elad Cohen stabilized PTC in the field. In the top of the seventh, Ra'anana closed the gap to 8-7 against a tiring Chityat, as Guy Peled started another 3-run rally with a double, which was capped by a crucial two-out two-run sharp single by Gil-Levy and an RBI single by Amit Megiddo. Then, in the eighth and last inning, Ra'anana finally grabbed the lead off of relief pitcher Omri Modiano, who had thrown a fine complete game for his Tel Aviv squad only five days earlier. Another hit by Peled kept Ra'anana's hopes alive, as did a two-out error by the National Team's third-baseman. The tying run then scored on a wild pitch, and the go-ahead runs were provided by a huge two-run triple by Litz.
But the last act of the drama was yet to come. Moishe Lewis led off with a single, and advanced to second base on an error. But attempting to steal third, he was promptly thrown out by Cohen. Consecutive base hits by Asaf Rotem and Rafi Stern put runners on first and second, but Cohen induced the dangerous Orr Gottlieb to pop up for the second out. Chityat then singled to load the bases, putting the tying run in scoring position and the winning run on first. Cohen quickly went to a 3-0 count against Modiano, and the Ra'anana bullpen stirred. But the young right-hander showed true grit, pumping in a letter-high fastball for strike one, another one which Modiano fouled straight back, and finally, with the runners moving, yet another fastball for a swinging strike three, touching off a jubilant Ra'anana celebration, which continued long into the night

Ra'anana PTC Wildfire notched a scintillating 8-6 win over the Tel Aviv Reds in Israel Senior Baseball Fall semi-final playoff action. The victory catapulted the Sharon squad to next week's championship game against a rump National Team squad, which rolled over Hasmoneam, 21-0, in the other semi-final game.
Ra'anana was paced by a trio of young hurlers: the new kid on the block, crafty Cuban oleh Yeondray Gil-Levy, who threw five fine innings, Elad Cohen, who battled through 3-plus innings to get the win, and Mike Ralson, who came in in the ninth to shut down Tel Aviv's final rally. Ralson also turned in some crucial plays at shortstop. Centerfielder Daniel Maddy-Weitzman nailed two Tel Aviv runners at home plate, the second of which ended the game, and kept PTC within striking distance by blasting a laser beam home run over the 350 foot sign in left-center field. After falling behind 6-3 in the sixth inning, Ra'anana stormed back, with two runs in each of the sixth and seventh, and an important insurance run in the eighth, thanks to timely hits by Ralson, Amit Megiddo and Guy Peled, and an RBI groundout by Prof. Ken Goldstein. Tel Aviv's Omri Modiano kept his team in the game with a heroic complete game eight inning performance on the mound, scattering eight hits while striking out five. Moreover, Modiano rapped two hits of his own and scored two runs, as did his battery-mate Ofir Katz, while third-baseman Toni Gallili delivered an important RBI single in Tel Aviv's three-run sixth. But from that point on, it was all Ra'anana.
The win constituted a measure of revenge, for just one week earlier, it was Tel Aviv which had hung on to grab and 8-7 win over the Wildfire, behind a complete game two-hit performance by George Chityat, early RBIs by Dan Rothem and Katz, and an unfortunate behavioral lapse by a Ra'anana player, resulting in a late ejection and leaving the PTC a player short, of which the Reds took full advantage.
The National Team-Hasmoneam game was scoreless after two innings, as the wily lefty Moishe Lewis kept Coach Jeff Chestnut's sluggers at bay. But the Hasmoneam defense then broke down, and the romp was on. Asaf Rothem had a perfect night at the plate with three hits, two walks, four runs scored, and fine outfield play. Nate Rosenberg and Dan Rothem each threw two hitless innings, and Guy Peled closed with three scoreless innings of his own.
In Junior League playoff action, Gezer took the championship, beating Ra'anana 8-4, as Nate Rosenberg threw a seven-inning complete game, and Sivan Schick led the kibbutzniks' attack with three hits. Elad Cohen had two hits out of six for Ra'anana, but repeated failure to deliver in the clutch was fatal for the Sharon nine. Earlier, Ra'anana had reached the finals by solidly defeating Jerualem 8-4, behind Yeondray Gil-Levy's six-innings of one-hit ball, and back-to-back triples by him and Ronen Kornberg. Jerusalem then coasted to an easy win over Tel Aviv 14-1, led by Yehoshua Zlotogorski's six-inning complete game performance, and three hits by Zvi Render.

League newcomer Hasmoneam, bolstered by some key free-agent pickups from Jerusalem, started its belated Israel Senior Baseball fall campaign in fine style by notching a hard-fought come-from-behind 11-7 victory over league-leader Ra'anana PTC Wildfire.

Initially playing with the confidence derived from a 4-0 record, the Wildfire jumped off to 3-0 lead in the first inning, thanks mainly to infield and pitching jitters by the latter-day "Maccabeans."

But starter Avinoam Bernstein managed to wriggle out of a bases-loaded jam, which Ra'anana would later rue.

Still, the Wildfire appeared to be comfortably in charge, as starter Daniel Maddy-Weitzman dominated the Hasmoneam batters, allowing only a bunt single and striking out eight over five innings.

Jerusalem import Moishe Lewis, having just returned from intensive baseball training at Lee University, helped out Bernstein and reliever Rafi Stern (his long time Jerusalem teammate) by repeatedly running down fly balls in deep centerfield.

The last two innings were a veritable see-saw, as Hasmoneam, led by Yoni Schwartz's two hits, finally broke through against the PTC bullpen and a suddenly unstable defense.

With the echoes of thunder reverberating across a sky lit up by lightning bolts, and Ra'anana loading the bases once more, Stern managed to outfox Under-21 National team outfielder Amit Megiddo to nail down the final out.

The Ra'anana Junior Red Wings faired better than their older brothers, scoring two impressive wins against previously unbeaten Kibbutz Gezer, 5-4, and Jerusalem, 6-4, giving them a 2-1-1 record in Fall play.

The away win over Gezer was marked by a masterful complete game performance by IDF trombonist Elad Cohen.

Ra'anana took an early 4-0-led by some patient hitters and an RBI single by Micha Lansdberger, who also played solid at second base. Gezer scored 2 in the 4th to cut the lead in half, and the Ra'anana bats were kept silent until the 7th and last inning, when Oren Litz scored the 5th run on a bunt by Ronen Kornberg.

Nate Rosenberg's 2 run HR cut the lead to 5-4, and back to back singles by Yoni Schwartz and Ilan Suskin put the winning run in scoring position with only one out, but Cohen maintained his poise, dominating the last two batters with a strikeout and comeback grounder to seal the win.

Against Jerusalem Ra'anana scored 3 in the first, setting the tone for the rest of the night. Meanwhile, the Jerusalem offense was shut down for 523 innings by young Cuban immigrant Yoandry Gil-Levy, who kept the Capital gang off balance with a mixture of breaking balls and fastballs , striking out 11.

Ra'anana's offense was paced by Kornberg, Cohen and Ilan Gross. Jerusalem mounted a come back in the last 2 innings, as it put the tying run in scoring position with 2 outs in the 7th, but wasn't able to pull the trigger, as Cohen earned the save.

For Jerusalem, Eran Epstein threw 5 solid innings in relief, giving up only 3 runs.

League newcomer Hashmonaim, bolstered by some key free-agent pickups from Jerusalem, started its belated Israel Senior Baseball fall campaign in fine style by notching a hard-fought come-from-behind 11-7 victory over league-leaders Ra'anana PTC Wildfire. Initially playing with the confidence derived from a 4-0 record, the Wildfire jumped off to 3-0 lead in the first inning, thanks mainly to infield and pitching jitters by the latter-day "Maccabeans." But starter Avinoam Bernstein managed to wriggle out of a bases-loaded jam, which Ra'anana would later rue. Still, the Wildfire appeared to be comfortably in charge, as starter Daniel Maddy-Weitzman dominated the Hasmoneam batters, allowing only a bunt single and striking out eight over five innings. Jerusalem import Moishe Lewis, having just returned from intensive baseball training at Lee University, helped out Bernstein and reliever Rafi Stern (his long time Jerusalem teammate) by repeatedly running down fly balls in deep centerfield. The last two innings were a veritable see-saw, as Hasmoneam, led by Yoni Schwartz's two hits, finally broke through against the PTC bullpen and a suddenly unstable defense. With the echoes of thunder reverberating across a sky lit up by lightning bolts, and Ra'anana loading the bases once more, Stern managed to outfox Under21 National team outfielder Amit Megiddo to nail down the final out.
The Ra'anana Junior Red Wings faired better than their older brothers, scoring two impressive wins against previously unbeaten Kibbutz Gezer, 5-4, and Jerusalem, 6-4, giving them a 2-1-1 record in fall play. The win over Gezer was marked by a masterful complete game performance by IDF trombonist Elad Cohen. Nate Rosenberg's two-run HR pulled Gezer to within one run in the last inning, but Cohen maintained his poise and held on for the victory. Against Jerusalem, Ra'anana's young Cuban immigrant Yoandry Gil-Levy kept the Capital gang off balance for five-plus innings with a mixture of breaking balls and fastballs to earn the win, with relievers Ronen Kornberg and Cohen finishing the job.

As the excitement of October post-season Major League Baseball fast approaches, Israeli Senior Baseball's own Fall Classic proceeded apace. After three weeks of action, the new and improved version of Ra'anana "PTC Wildfire" stood alone at the top with a 4-0 record, while perennial power Jerusalem "Mike's Place" languished at the bottom with a 1-3 record, tied with the Tel Aviv "Soviets", and newcomer Hashmonaim prepared to enter the fray after Succot. In the most recent action, PTC struck for seven runs in the second inning and coasted to a 15-7 win over Tel Aviv. Starting pitcher Daniel Maddy-Weitzman was efficient in his mastery of Tel Aviv's batsmen, allowing no hits over four innings of work, while striking out five and walking only three. He also contributed a long triple to the deepest part of the Yarkon Sports field to drive in PTC's first run. Matan Kaufmann's sharp double, Amit Megiddo's three runs scored, and the relief pitching of Elad Cohen and Mike Ralson were also noteworthy. For Tel Aviv, young Asaf Yenko's two hits provided some consolation.

Ra'anana PTC "Wildfire" remained unbeaten in the second week of Israel Fall Senior Baseball, notching a convincing 11-4 win over Jerusalem "Mike's Place." Starting pitcher Daniel Maddy-Weitzman had Jerusalem batters futilely flaying at his fastball and slider, allowing no hits over five innings while striking out 11. Meanwhile, the Wildfire's offense, paced by Mike Ralson's perfect 3 for 3 night, kept the pressure on Jerusalem's hard-pressed fielders, building up a comfortable margin. Jerusalem finally broke through in the sixth and final inning with a two-run triple by Rafi Stern, but relief pitcher Elad Cohen got himself out of a self-induced bases-loaded jam by striking out the final batter to seal the win.

Two days later, Jerusalem dropped a heartbreaker to the Tel Aviv "Soviets", 14-13, taking a four-run lead into the bottom of the seventh and final inning, only to fritter it away. With one run already having scored, Tel Aviv's veteran Brandon Freedman drilled a two-out bases loaded triple to the center-field fence and continued all the way home for the victory on an errant Jerusalem throw. For the "Soviets", it was their first win of the campaign, after two losses. Or Gottlieb clubbed a mammoth HR over the double-decked "Gray Monster" in LF, 320 ft. from home plate.

Back-to-back triples by Matan Kaufman and Guy Peled broke a 7-7 tie to lead Ra'anana PTC "Wildfire" to an 11-7 win over the Tel Aviv "Soviets" in the first week of Israeli Senior Baseball fall action. The rust accumulated over the long summer break was evident on both sides, as pitchers struggle with their control and batsmen with their timing. But the revamped Ra'anana squad, featuring a younger, hungrier lineup including five players from the Under 21 National Team, played crisper defensively then the "Soviets." Ironically, it was the veteran Peled, returning from a year's absence, who showed the way, driving in two runs and sparkling at first-base. Alon Leichman notched the win with three and 2/3rds innings of no-hit ball, striking out four.

Earlier in the week, defending league champion Jerusalem "Mike's Place" nipped Tel Aviv 4-3 with two late inning runs, after a tight pitcher's duel between Rafi Stern and George Chityat. Stern went the distance (8 innings) for the win, giving up 4 hits and striking out 9. Chityat was just as sharp, giving up just two runs in six innings, striking out 12 Jerusalem hitters and allowing four hits as well. Aaron Lazor and Sobol Garret had RBI doubles for Jerusalem, and Mike Hochman and Sheldon Radner also contributed the Capital Gang's attack. Tel Aviv batsmen were paced by Chityat and centerfielder Omri Modiano, who each drove in a run, and by first baseman Ehud Talmor, who had two singles.

Senior National Team practice began this week as well, in preparation for a Balkan Region Tournament in Athens, and for tryouts for the newly formed professional Israeli Baseball League, scheduled for November 10th at the Yarkon Sports Fields, Petah Tikva. The tryouts will be supervised by former Boston Red Sox general manager and IBL Director of Player Development, Dan Duquette.