Games We Play: Softball

CleanTech, Optica power into semis.

By JERUSALEM POST SPORTS STAFF
The defending champion CleanTech Warriors advanced to the semifinals of the modified slow-pitch softball league Sunday, defeating table-to-Table 26-14 in a slugfest at Kibbutz Gezer.
In the other first-round playoff matchup, Optica International crushed the Beersheva Rockets 22-7, invoking the mercy rule after just five innings.
The single-elimination semifinals take place on Tuesday at Gezer (CleanTech vs Beit Shemesh Suns; OI vs RiseHi), with the best-of-three finals kicking off on Thursday.
CleanTech fell behind 6-2 early, but a three-run homer by Aaron Lazor in the third woke up the slumbering Warrior bats.
The team went on to hammer 24 runs on 25 hits over the last four innings.
Gershon Jacobovitch and David Fain led the powerful Cleantech offense, both going 5-for-5 at the plate. Jacobovitch had his best performance of the season, collecting three doubles, a triple and five RBI’s.
Fain scored four times and knocked in three. Left fielder Matt Brenner was also perfect at the plate, going 4-for-4 and scoring five times. Avi Dzik added another five RBI’s for ClenTech.
In the late contest, OI jumped out to a 10-run lead after two innings and cruised to the shortened victory.
Danny Gewirtz pitched a near perfect three innings, giving up just two unearned runs while the OI bats did the rest.
Matzi Chinskey was the hitting star of the game for OI, blasting two home runs and knocking in five runs.
Captain Yedidya Rausman had two doubles and four RBI’s, while Gewirtz went 2- for-2 at the plate and scored both times, in addition to keeping the BeerSheva bats at bay all night.
Steve Leibowitz came in and pitched the last couple of innings for OI, giving Gewirtz a chance to rest for Tuesday night’s semifinal showdown with powerhouse RiseHi.