IBL: Tigers make spectacular comeback against Lightning

Netanya team claws its way back from 7-1 deficit to tie the game; Ra'anana Express beats Beit Shemesh Blue Sox 8-3; Petah Tikva Pioneers win 7-4 against Modi'in Miracle.

By JERUSALEM POST SPORT STAFF
Baseball Tigers 298.88 (photo credit: Efrat Sa'ar)
Baseball Tigers 298.88
(photo credit: Efrat Sa'ar)
In a wild game at Sportek in Tel Aviv, the Netanya Tigers clawed their way back from a 7-1 deficit to tie the game at 7 apiece against the Tel Aviv Lightning. The game was suspended due to darkness and will be made up only if there is a direct impact on the playoff seeding. California native LHP Aaron Pribble started for the Lightning, holding the Tigers scoreless through 3 innings. Tel Aviv scored five runs on four hits in the third inning. Dominican SS Raul Fraanco (3-for-4) scored the first run of the game for Tel Aviv when 3rd Baseman Nate Fish drove him in with a pop single to first base. Netanya answered back with six runs on six hits in the bottom of the sixth inning off of Tel Aviv pitcher Adam Crabb. Dominican SS Hector De Los Santos of Netanya was 3-for-3 on the day raising his batting average to .313 on the season. The Tigers need to win one more game to clinch the fourth seed. Meanwhile at Gezer Field, the Ra'anana Express defeated the first-place Beit Shemesh Blue Sox, 8-3, to remain in contention for the fourth seed. RHP Joshua Zumbrun (2-4) of Ra'anana recorded the win, pitching 6 innings allowing three runs (two earned) while striking out three. Both Ra'anana and Beit Shemesh scored one run in the first inning. The Express took a 5-1 lead in the third inning on a three-run home run by 1B Scott Feller, his second of the season. Beit Shemesh resident Jeff Mor suffered his first loss of the season, pitching 2.1 innings allowing five earned runs. At Yarkon Field in the Baptist Village, the Petah Tikva Pioneers won a comeback victory, 7-4, against the Modi'in Miracle. 51-year old RHP Scott Cantor recorded his second victory of the season for the Pioneers, pitching a complete game and holding the Miracle scoreless for the last three innings. Cantor kept the Miracle batters off-balance throughout the night, with a variety of off-speed pitches. The Pioneers battled back from deficits of 3-0 and 4-2, before taking the lead in the fifth inning. Outfielder Ben Dashefsky was 2-for-4 with one run scored for the Pioneers. Outfielder Ryan Crotin, who was 1-for-3 on the night, had a two-RBI double in the bottom of the third inning to bring in the first two runs for the Pioneers. The Pioneers scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth on RBI singles by 3rd Baseman Willis Bumphus and 1st Baseman Alper Ulutas.