The first-place Teaneck TBO 11U baseball team continued their strong spring NEBAS travel season with a convincing 9-4 road victory over the Hasbrouck Heights Aviators on April 30, followed by a hard-fought 5-3 loss to the Rutherford Rebels on May 4. With their 3-1-1 record, the team maintains their position atop the 11U standings with 3 regular season games to play.

Teaneck’s Bats Dominate in 9-4 Victory Over Aviators

In their April 30 road matchup, Teaneck showcased their offensive firepower, timely hitting and aggressive baserunning to defeat Hasbrouck Heights 9-4.

The game began with Teaneck immediately seizing control in the first inning. Zevy Bluman set the tone with a leadoff double to left field, advancing to third on an Aiden Merkin groundout before Elisha Finkelstein delivered an RBI single to put Teaneck ahead 1-0. After Nathan Demby reached on a fielder’s choice and advanced to second on a steal, Binyamin Epstein came through with a clutch single, driving in Demby to extend the lead to 2-0.

Hasbrouck Heights responded in the bottom of the first to make it 2-1. The Aviators then took a brief 3-2 lead in the second inning, capitalizing on walks and timely hitting, including a game-tying RBI single.

Teaneck reclaimed control in the third inning, scoring three runs to take a 5-3 lead they would not relinquish. Finkelstein and Demby started with back-to-back singles, and after Gideon Apter’s groundout advanced both runners, Epstein delivered another clutch hit, driving in Finkelstein. The highlight of the inning came when Demby and courtesy runner Jojo Boim (running for Epstein) both executed perfect steals of home to push the advantage to two runs.

The offense continued to click in the fourth inning, with Simon Rauch singling and eventually scoring on Aiden Merkin’s booming triple to center field. Merkin then crossed the plate himself on a steal of home, extending Teaneck’s lead to 7-4.

After a scoreless fifth inning, Teaneck put the game away in the sixth when Mordechai Angel singled and advanced to second on an error, followed by a walk to Bluman. Merkin then delivered the knockout blow, crushing his second triple of the game to right field, driving in both runners to make the final score 9-4.

On the mound, Teaneck’s pitching staff was effective throughout. Merkin started and pitched two innings, allowing three runs while striking out three. Bluman took over for the middle innings, allowing one run with three strikeouts. Demby closed the game with two scoreless frames, striking out three and allowing just one hit to secure the victory.

The Teaneck offense was led by Merkin, who went 2-for-4 with two triples and three RBIs, while Epstein continued his hot hitting with a perfect 3-for-3 day including two RBIs. The team’s aggressive baserunning was on full display, with five different players recording steals, including three for Demby and two for Apter.

Hard Fought Battle Ends in 5-3 Loss to Rutherford

Four days later, Teaneck traveled to face the Rutherford Rebels in what would become a tense pitching duel and defensive battle. Despite a valiant late-inning effort, Teaneck suffered their first loss of the season, falling 5-3.

Rutherford struck first in the bottom of the first inning with 2 singles to take a 1-0 lead. Teaneck’s defense limited the damage when shortstop Bluman made a heads-up play, catching a pop-fly and tagging the runner who left second base for an inning-ending double play.

The game remained tight through three scoreless innings as pitchers from both teams controlled the action. Teaneck’s defense was on display in the bottom of the second inning which included two amazing plays. After fielding a fly ball, LF Rauch made a perfect throw to 3B Apter who tagged out the advancing runner for the second out. For the final out of the inning, P Merkin executed a perfect pickoff of a Rutherford runner who had taken an aggressive secondary lead. After receiving the ball back from C Epstein, Merkin alertly snapped the ball to SS Bluman who was covering second base and applied the tag.

Teaneck finally broke through in the top of the fourth when Binyamin Epstein singled and Gideon Apter followed with another single. The breakthrough came when Epstein scored on a perfectly executed double steal, with Apter taking second and Epstein swiping home to tie the game at 1-1. The tie was short-lived, however, as Rutherford responded in the bottom of the fourth. With some strong hits to the outfield, 2 Rutherford doubles and a single pushed Rutherford ahead 5-1.

Showing their characteristic resilience, Teaneck battled back in the fifth inning. Bluman singled, then showcased his speed by stealing second and third bases before scoring on Merkin’s RBI single to cut the deficit to 5-2. Teaneck added another run in the sixth when Apter walked, stole two bases, and scored on Ezra Ashkenas’s RBI single to make it 5-3.

Despite getting the tying run to the plate in the final inning, Teaneck couldn’t complete the comeback. The pitching staff performed admirably in the loss, with Merkin, Bluman and Demby combining to strike out five Rutherford batters. Bluman led the offense by going 1-for-2 with a run scored and three stolen bases, while Ashkenas contributed a clutch RBI single in the sixth inning.

Looking Ahead

Teaneck 11U remains in first place in the NEBAS spring travel league with their 3-1-1 record, having outscored opponents 29-11 across five games. The team will look to bounce back in their next contest against perennial powerhouse Cresskill on Sunday, May 11 (Mother’s Day). The team’s blend of consistent pitching, aggressive baserunning and timely hitting continues to make them a formidable opponent for anyone in the league. With the playoff push approaching, Teaneck aims to maintain their momentum and solidify their position as the team to beat in the NEBAS spring travel season. Come out and cheer on the boys!

When he’s not coaching baseball, Jason Demby is a husband and father of 3 amazing children and leads Generative AI & ML business development for financial services for a major cloud provider. Jason uses generative AI to turn game data into some of the narrative used in his articles. No large language models were harmed in the writing of this article.