The Teaneck TBO 11U baseball team has roared into the Fall NEBAS travel season, notching an impressive 2-0 record with wins against Ft. Lee and Westwood. The strong and balanced roster includes Mordechai Angel, Gideon Apter, Zevy Bluman, Nathan Demby, Binyamin Epstein, Elisha Finkelstein, Raphi Greenspan, Aiden Merkin and newcomers Ezra Ashkenas, Caleb Kim and Nachi Stechler.
Teaneck kicked off the season on September 8 with a 5-2 victory over Fort Lee. Teaneck jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning with a Bluman walk, a Merkin single and speed on the basepaths with Bluman stealing home plate. On the mound, Merkin shut down Ft. Lee with four strikeouts across two innings pitched. Teaneck extended to a 3-0 lead in the third inning with a Bluman double, a Demby walk and a Kim single that scored both. Bluman took the mound in the third inning and quickly retired the side, punctuated by catcher Epstein tagging out a Ft. Lee runner’s attempt to steal home. Ft. Lee got on the board in the fourth inning with two runs, but then Teaneck took over. Teaneck extended its lead to 5-2 in the top of the fifth, with a Demby single, an Epstein walk and aggressive baserunning. Demby alertly stole home plate during a bad throw from the Ft. Lee catcher back to the pitcher. Kim then drove Epstein home on a hard ground ball. Closing pitcher Demby recorded the final six outs with five strikeouts, including the final out when he picked off a Ft. Lee runner’s attempt to steal second base, as catcher Epstein returned the ball to the mound after a strikeout. Key offensive contributions came from throughout the lineup including Angel’s 3-for-3 day. Teaneck was also aggressive on the basepaths with 12 stolen bases. Pitchers Merkin, Bluman and Demby recorded 12 strikeouts while holding Ft. Lee to three hits.
Returning home on September 15, Teaneck treated their fans to an offensive showcase, outlasting Westwood in a thrilling 8-6 victory. This game was a rollercoaster, with Teaneck taking a big 8-2 lead early before Westwood attempted a comeback. Starting pitcher Merkin took the mound and quickly retired the side with great defensive plays from CF Apter, 3B Kim and 1B Demby. Teaneck scored early with one run in each of the first two innings. In the first, Bluman turned his walk into a triple with two stolen bases and he was driven home by a deep Demby sacrifice fly to center. In the second, Angel and Finkelstein singles and an Apter walk loaded the bases for Greenspan who hit a deep sacrifice fly to center to bring Angel home. Westwood brought the score to 2-1 in the top of the third on a Teaneck error. The Teaneck bats roared back with six runs in the bottom of the inning on singles from Bluman and Angel, doubles from Merkin, Finkelstein and Greenspan, and Merkin and Epstein steals of home plate. Westwood added another run in the fourth to bring the score to 8-2, and then in the fifth, took advantage of Teaneck walks and errors and a hard hit double to bring the score to 8-6. Demby closed out the game with three strikeouts to bring Teaneck to 2-0. Teaneck finished with 10 hits, including two each from Bluman, Merkin, Angel and Finkelstein. Merkin, Bluman and Demby finished with eight strikeouts while holding Westwood to two hits.
As the fall NEBAS travel season progresses, the Teaneck TBO 11U team has set a high bar with their 2-0 start. Their combination of explosive offense, clutch pitching and resilient defense makes them a formidable opponent and an exciting team to watch. The team will look to extend their winning streak as they host Rutherford at Clubhouse on Sunday, September 22 at 5:00 p.m. Come out and cheer on the boys.
