As the defending champions, the Killer B’z knew there would be a bullseye on their backs heading into the playoffs. In a first round matchup, the B’z were matched up against a tough team in the Bottling Company, led by pitcher Harold Gellis. The B’z jumped out early with key hits from Joey Shatzkes and the Neiss brothers, Jon and Daniel. The game went back and forth until the top of the 5th inning, when a pep talk by captain Michael Graber and Jon Neiss ignited the B’z, and led to a nine run explosion, resulting in a 12-4 lead. Key hits were had by Amnon, Graber, Shabtai, Weissberg, and Yoni. The big hitter of the day was Yitzi Katasick, who was one HR short of hitting for the cycle. Pitcher Jacky Fleischman contributed with a strong pitching performance which included four strikeouts while adding two hits. Everyone contributed to the exciting 12-6 victory. The B’z know repeating as champions won’t be easy, but they are eagerly awaiting their next opponent.