Teaneck 11U Baseball Remains Undefeated With Win Over Emerson and Hard-Fought Tie Against Northern Valley
The first place Teaneck 11U baseball team continued its impressive spring NEBAS travel season with two compelling performances in recent action, securing a decisive 7-2 home victory at Clubhouse Field against Emerson on April 10 and battling to a hard-fought 1-1 tie in extra innings against the Northern Valley Norsemen on April 21.
Teaneck Bats and Baserunning Overwhelm Emerson
In their April 10 home matchup, Teaneck showcased their trademark combination of aggressive baserunning, timely hitting and dominant pitching to defeat Emerson 7-2.
The game began with both teams exchanging runs in the first inning. Emerson struck first, but Teaneck responded immediately when Aiden Merkin walked and promptly stole his way around the bases, scoring on a steal of home to knot the game at 1-1. Teaneck took the lead in the second inning when Simon Rauch singled, stole two bases, and scored on Mordechai Angel’s RBI to make it 2-1. After a scoreless third inning, the teams traded runs in the fourth, with Emerson tying the game 2-2 before Teaneck reclaimed the lead with two runs. The decisive blow came when Nathan Demby singled, allowing Zevy Bluman to score, and later crossed the plate himself as Emerson attempted to throw him out at second and third.
The Teaneck squad put the game away in the fifth inning, adding three more runs through their aggressive baserunning and taking advantage of control issues from Emerson’s pitchers. Jojo Boim scored after walking, stealing two bases, and coming home on a Bluman ground ball. Merkin continued the onslaught by walking and scoring on another steal of home, followed by Demby scoring in similar fashion to extend the lead to 7-2.
On the mound, Teaneck’s pitching staff was excellent. Merkin started and allowed just one unearned run over two innings, striking out three. Bluman took over for the middle innings, allowing one earned run while recording four strikeouts. Demby closed the game with a dominant performance, striking out five batters in two perfect innings to secure the victory.
The Teaneck offense was led by Demby who went 2-for-2 with an RBI and five stolen bases, while the team combined for an impressive 19 stolen bases throughout the contest. Defensively, the infield turned in a solid effort with Z. Bluman and E. Finkelstein making key plays to limit Emerson’s scoring opportunities.
Extra-Inning Thriller Ends in 1-1 Tie Against Northern Valley
Eleven days later, Teaneck traveled to face their perennial archnemesis, the Northern Valley (NV) Norsemen in what would become a classic pitcher’s duel, ultimately ending in a 1-1 tie after seven intense innings. Teaneck and Northern Valley have a history of close and impassioned games, with each ousting each other from the playoffs in seasons past.
Northern Valley struck first in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 lead. The Teaneck pitching staff then buckled down, as Merkin, Bluman, and Demby each pitched 2 innings, with Elisha Finkelstein coming in to close out the game in the extra 7th inning. The breakthrough for Teaneck’s offense came in the fourth inning when Bluman singled, stole second base, and scored on a Merkin triple to center field to tie the game at 1-1.
Both teams had opportunities to take the lead in the late innings. In the sixth, Teaneck loaded the bases after Rauch and Bluman were hit by pitches and Boim singled, but couldn’t push across the go-ahead run. Northern Valley mounted their own threat in the bottom of the sixth with bases loaded and no outs, but Demby delivered clutch strikeouts followed by a Boim fielders choice to escape the jam.
The seventh inning saw Finkelstein take the mound for Teaneck, striking out two batters while working around a single and two stolen bases to preserve the tie. With a runner on 3rd base and 2 outs, Bluman made a perfect grab of a Northern Valley grounder and threw to an outstretched Demby at 1B to record the final out before the runner could cross the plate.
Bluman and Merkin led Teaneck’s offense, with Bluman scoring the team’s lone run and Merkin delivering the crucial RBI triple. The pitching staff was impressive throughout, with Merkin, Bluman, Demby, and E. Finkelstein combining to strike out 11 Northern Valley batters while allowing just six hits and one run.
As the spring NEBAS travel season continues, the Teaneck 11U team has established itself as a formidable competitor. Their record now stands at 2-0-1, having outscored opponents 18-3 across three games. The team’s blend of disciplined pitching, aggressive baserunning and timely hitting continues to impress, and they’ll look to maintain their unbeaten record in their upcoming contests.
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. No large language models were injured in the writing of this article
