Fast-Pitch Softball: Dimona pitcher falls just short of no-hitter

Tigers take both of their games, pasting the Cerveceros 19-2 and dropping Ziontours 11-1.

By JERUSALEM POST SPORTS STAFF
softball 88 (photo credit: )
softball 88
(photo credit: )
Dimona's Yarone Ben-Israel lost his bid for a no-hitter in the seventh in a 4-0 shutout of Ziontours in Israel Softball Association action this week. In other games, the Tigers took both of their games, pasting the Cerveceros 19-2 and dropping Ziontours 11-1, the Galil Twisters bested the Dawgs 16-9 and Penticon downed Re/Max-Ra'anana 20-12. Beit Shemesh split a pair of women's games, falling to Dimona 24-4 and then overcoming Tigers B 18-11. Dimona Mean Judeans 4, Ziontours 0 On Sunday, a tense pitching duel between Dimona's Yarone Ben-Israel and Ziontours' Blair Portnoy was scoreless through four. Dimona pushed across three in the fifth and another in the sixth. Yarone held his no-hitter until the top of the seventh when leadoff hitter Eitan Frankel singled and Aviv Yaakov followed with a one-out double before Yarone bored down to get the final two outs and preserve the shutout. Tigers 19, Cerveceros 2 The Tigers cruised to an easy victory over the Cerveceros in the shortest game of the year - one hour and five minutes. Pitcher Goose Gillett, just hitting his stride, was on all night, besting Carlos Hidalgo-Grass, who allowed home runs to Ilan Spira and ex-Cervecero Mario Rojas (4-4 night). Yohandry Gil Levy was the Cerveceros' bright spot with a 3-3 game. Galil Twisters 16, Dawgs 9 On Tuesday, the Twisters jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first and never looked back. Hezi Ganz pitched well, fanning four, Don Weintraub was 4-4, Allan Paderson reached base and scored four runs and Alex Crane was 3-4 for the Twisters. Losing pitcher Daniel Baram had three hits and Michael Marunov drove in three for the Dawgs. Penticon 20, Re/Max-Ra'anana 12 On Wednesday, Daniel Maddy-Weitzman crushed a home run in his first appearance since returning from the USA and Sam Goldberg pitched five solid innings before Ami Baran relieved to shut the door on the feisty Ra'ananans. Ron Duhl smashed three hits in a losing cause. Beit Shemesh Fireballs 18, Tigers B 11 On Tuesday, in women's action, Beit Shemesh rode the valiant pitching of the injured Monica Drori and an exciting delayed steal of home by Meirav Eisenberg that spurred the offense. Down 6-4 in the fourth, the Fireballs rallied to tie the game against Tigers pitcher Esti Soloveitchik and then exploded for 10 in the fifth, highlighted by Minna Wolf's grand slam.