IBL: Lightning edges Pioneers

By JERUSALEM POST SPORTS STAFF
The Tel Aviv Lightning had a come-from-behind victory over the Petah Tikva Pioneers winning 5-4 at Sportek on the last day of the IBL's regular season on Wednesday. The Pioneers jumped out to a 3-0 lead at the top of the second inning on a two-run home run by Canadian 2B Dustin Melanson, his first on the season. Tel Aviv answered back with three runs in the bottom of the fourth and added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. In the top of the seventh inning, Dustin Melanson (2-for-3) hit his second home run of the night to bring the Pioneers within one run. However, Tel Aviv LHP Jason Bonder recorded the next three outs to earn his first save of the year. At Yarkon Field in the Baptist Village, a crowd of over 250 fans witnessed Israeli RHP Daniel Maddy-Weitzman of the Ra'anana Express shutdown the Netanya Tigers, 9-1, to earn his first victory of the season. Maddy-Weitzman threw a complete game, with 11 strikeouts, while allowing only one run. Ra'anana 2B Donnie Mott Jr. was 2-for-4 on the night with one RBI. The Express were aided by Netanya‚s six errors on the night. Meanwhile, the Modi'in Miracle scored one run in the bottom of the seventh inning of a, 14-13, suspended game against the Beit Shemesh Blue Sox. Australian outfielder Moko Moanoroa tied the score at 14 with a solo-home run with no outs, to force a home run derby' It took ten batters to determine the outcome of the derby in which Modi'in was the ultimate victor. In the regularly scheduled game, the Blue Sox defeated the Miracle, 11-6, in which both teams rested many of their frontline starters to prepare for the playoffs. Bet Shemesh scored five runs in the fifth inning on only two hits with the help of two errors by the Miracle defense. DH Johnny Lopez (1-for-2) had one of those hits, with a two-run ground rule double, plating OF Sean Slaughter and SS Gregg Raymundo. Modi‚in OF Adalberto Paulino hit his 1.1th homerun of the season, a three-run shot, in a losing effort.