The Frisch Cougars entered the Metropolitan Yeshiva High School League championship game looking to extend their six-game winning streak and to end their five-year baseball trophy drought. They came onto the Rockland Boulders Stadium determined to defeat the Kushner Cobras in a rematch of the last game of the regular season which the Cougars won.
In the top of the 1st inning Frisch came out fierce scoring one run and taking the lead early on with a beautiful hit from Michael Reinhart. The game then stayed close because of Isaac Seelenfreund’s flawless pitching. Then, in the 5th inning, after multiple missed opportunities, the Cougars scored one more run increasing their lead to 2-0.
It seemed that the game was in the bag for Frisch, but a strong pitching performance, solid defense, and a pressuring offense deceived them. Kushner came back and scored two runs on a combination of hits, errors, and fluke plays. They got out of the inning with the game tied 2-2 with two innings left to play.
The very next inning the Cobras had the bases loaded with one out. They tried to utilize their perfectly practiced suicide squeeze, but to no avail. Their batter missed the bunt and the runner from third base was caught in a rundown. With a perfect read from the catcher, Mark Abramovitz, he and Michael Reinhart were able to tag the runner out. They left the inning unscathed.
In the top of the 7th, Raphe Shankman led off and ripped a single into centerfield. Alex Kershenbaum came up to bat next, hit a little squibbler down the third base line, and busted down the line to first. Man on first and second, no outs. Seelenfreund came up to bat and decided to help himself and drive in Raphe from second. The next batter was Reinhart with one out and Kershenbaum sitting on second waiting to be driven home as an insurance run. Yet again, Michael gets an RBI and gets Kershenbaum home to make it a 4-2 game going into the bottom of the last inning.
The Frisch Cougars held on to their 4-2 lead and finished off the game doing what they know how to do best: WIN. A huge congratulations to the entire Frisch team on its accomplishment nobody saw coming from the youngest team in the league. The team thanked Captain Ayal Pessar on leading it through the season, pulling the team together, and making it one amazing experience for them all.
By Alex Kershenbaum
