By MICAH WINSTON
Ben Kai Ben-Israel went 4-4 with three runs scored and threw a runner out at third to end the game as the Dimona Mean Judeans took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three semifinal series on Monday with a 7-5 victory over the Tel Aviv Tigers.
Dimona scored one in the first off of starter Goose Gillett when Ben Kai doubled and came around to score on Elyaheed Ben-Israel's single and tacked on two more in the second on Elinatan Ben-Israel's long two-run sacrifice fly scoring Akhaziyah Ben-Israel and Ovade Ben-Israel.
The Tigers battled back, closing the gap to 3-2 when two runs scored off of Yarone Ben-Israel on passed balls, one after a triple by Alberto Scioscia.
In the fourth, the Tigers tag-team pitching strategy backfired as the Southerners tallied two more off of relief pitcher Mike Williams - Ben Kai again scoring, and single runs in the fifth and sixth off of Ilan Spira.
Down 7-2 in the seventh, the Tigers rallied against new pitcher Elyaheed. Two runs scored on a fielding error and then, with runners on first and third, Mendie Pinchovski laced an RBI single to centerfield. Ben Kai came up throwing and fired a perfect strike to third baseman Amikhi Ben-Israel who applied the tag to runner Eran Kedar for the final out.
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