Games We Play: Fall ISA tournament gets under way

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The Israel Softball Association's "Babe Gillett" memorial fast-pitch fall tournament began play last week with three games. Shimshon Hi Tech outslugged the Dawgs 21-14 in the opener and Eilat dropped a pair of games, 16-6 to Zion Tours and 20-7 to the Galil Twisters. Last Sunday, Shimshon Hi Tech won a slugfest over a feisty Dawgs team. The Dawgs scored three in the first, but Shimshon Hi Tech answered with five off of Jeff Weiner, making his pitching debut. Moshe Hamburg's two-run homer over the fence in the second increased the lead, and the team from Beit Shemesh never looked back. Shem-Tov Shapiro reached based five times and scored four runs, Dovid Axelrod had three hits and played a solid third base, and Avi Jacob, in his last game before returning to the USA, had a pair of hits and called a great game behind the plate. Ken Goldstein had an auspicious debut for the Dawgs going 4-for-4 with three RBIs and starting a double play, and Robert Even had five put-outs in left field. On Thursday, Zion Tours jumped out to an 11-0 lead in the third before Eilat got on the board. The Jerusalemites' big bats banged out nine hits, including triples to the fence by Benny Ruggill, Aviv Ya'akov and Noam Zwilling and a pair of hits from Tom Haskell. Pitchers Blair Portnoy and Zwilling held Eilat to eight hits, including two each from Ron Blumenthal and Roy Even and a two-run double by Hirofume Goto. Zion Tours's Mike Doktowsky turned an unassisted double play at first base. On Friday, the Galil Twisters broke open a tight 3-2 game with a seven-run third and tacked on another 10 in the fourth en route to an easy victory. Three Eilat pitchers walked 18 northerners and Moshe Hyde went 4-for-5, with four runs and four RBI's, Tim Cummings drove in three with a pair of hits, Micah Winston scored four runs, Alex Crane reached base four times and David Earll three. Bill Arscott was outstanding on the mound for the Twisters, allowing two earned runs in four innings while striking out three and walking none. Hirofume Goto homered and scored twice, Yosi Glikman had a two-run double for Eilat and Roy Even pitched 12⁄3 scoreless innings in relief.