By Rabbi Jonathan Schachter
The Frisch boys varsity softball team completed an undefeated season by defeating YDE (Yeshivat Derech Eretz) in the championship game by a score of 10-8.
Throughout the season, Frisch’s stellar defense put them in position to win every game. Up until the championship game, the team had not allowed more than 3 runs in any single game. Josh Chesner was the team’s star pitcher, and he managed to consistently keep hitters off balance by changing speeds and location, while staying right around the strike zone. The infield play was crisp, as the combination of Scott Levine (1b), Seth Forman, Jacob Levine (2b), Andrew Langer (SS) and Isaac Laifer (3b) showed the reflexes and poise that are needed to win softball games. And almost any ball that made it to the outfield ended in the sure-handed gloves of Jonathan Katzman, Isaac Weinstock, Yoni Potash and Yakir Judas.
On the offensive side, the team excelled at hitting line drives, instead of trying to do too much and inducing those deflating, rally killing pop-ups. Throughout the season, every batter in the line up, including our designated hitter Judah Adler, came up with clutch hits and contributed to an offense that averaged over 8 runs per game. We did make use of the long ball too, no one more than Yoni Potash, who drilled five really long balls well beyond the Frisch fences. Even more impressive was that three of Yoni’s shots were in late game situations and propelled us to victory; none bigger than in our semifinal game versus Hillel, when he crushed a ball over the right field fence, breaking a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning. In the championship game, it was the bat of Isaac Aronoff that led the way, as Isaac hit a homerun and a bases loaded triple that gave Frisch the lead. And it was our leader, Isaac Weinstock, who sealed the deal with a 2-run home run over the left field fence in the bottom of the sixth inning, which proved to be the game winning runs.
Perhaps the best part of the experience this year was the camaraderie among the team. The team loved spending time and joking around with one another, especially with our assistant coach Simi Friedman, who is a constant source of happiness and laughter for the team. A special thank you to the teams and coaches in our conference. As much as we compete against each other, we all treat each other with respect, and we understand that when we walk off that field, we are all in it together and are all rooting for each other.
