IBL: Beit Shemesh Blue Sox's Feliciano tosses no-hitter

Feliciano (3-0) struck out a league record 13 Pioneers in the win.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
baseball 88 (photo credit: )
baseball 88
(photo credit: )
Blue Sox ace Juan Feliciano threw the third no-hitter in IBL history as Beit Shemesh (10-1) hit five home runs in a 7-0 rout over woeful Petah Tikva (1-9). Beit Shemesh suffered their first loss of the season Sunday night to the Tel Aviv Lightning, and bounced back from that loss in a big way. Feliciano (3-0) struck out a league record 13 Pioneers in the win, and was quite pleased to throw his first professional no-no. "I'm so happy!" Feliciano proclaimed after the game. "I do my best to help my team win the game, and I threw my best pitches to strike out the hitters. My first pro no hitter, It's a good feeling." Jason Rees got the score going by smashing a tworun homer in the first inning off of Pioneers starter Andrew Morales (0-2). Two batters later, catcher Scott Jarmacowicz repeated Rees's feat with a solo shot staking Beit Shemesh to a 30 lead. The Blue Sox extended their lead in the fifth when Jason Rees and Johnny Lopez hit back-to-back home runs to take a 5-0 advantage. It was Rees's league-leading seventh home run, and the fifth for Miami born Lopez. Gregg Reymundo finished off the scoring with a tworun homer in the sixth, his second round-tripper of the season. The night's other game was at Yarkon Field, with the Ra'anana Express edging out the Netanya Tigers with a 31 victory. The game was close throughout with the score tied at one through the first 51⁄ innings. In the bottom of the sixth, Express catcher Jesse Michel laced a two-run homer to right field that put Ra'anana up for good. The home run was Michel's first of the season. Californian Joshua Zumbrun pitched a stellar game for the Express, throwing 52⁄ innings and allowing no earned runs on just three hits. In the sixth inning, Zumbrun was replaced by Nat Ballenberg, who picked up his first win of the season. Tonight, the Sportek in Tel Aviv opens. Fittingly, the teams playing tonight both plan on using Sportek as their home field when the Tel Aviv Lightning take on the Netanya Tigers at 5:00 pm. Also this evening, the Beit Shemesh Blue Sox and Modi'in Miracle will play a makeup game at 5:00 pm at Gezer Field. The Ra'anana Express play the Petah Tikva Pioneers at 7:00 pm at Yarkon Field at the Baptist Village.