Longtime sports fans are quite familiar with the expression “it ain’t over, till it’s over.” Proving that this old clich? still has merit, the Teaneck Under-8 All-Star baseball team rallied from a three run deficit in the bottom of the fifth inning on Sunday, defeating the visiting NJ Renegades by an 8-7 score. The game was played at the Club house field in Teaneck under gray skies and slightly humid surroundings.
Teaneck led early on a bases-loaded walk to Rafi Wall in the bottom of the second. Teaneck starter Zev Weiner had breezed through the first two innings allowing one hit and no runs to the visitors from Wyckoff. When Noam Eckman came in to face the Renegades in the top of the third, the normally sure-fired hurler ran into a little wildness and, after loading the bases, allowed the only hit of the inning, leading ultimately to a 4 run rally for the Renegades. Trailing now by a 4-1 deficit, Teaneck didn’t waste any time getting back into the game in their next at bat. After Isaac Kantowitz and Ben Rose led off the bottom of the third with walks, Eckman came to bat with one out. Forgetting his pitching woes in the top of the inning, Eckman delivered with a two-run double to the outfield. Teaneck now trailed half way through the game by a 4-3 score.
Coaches Buchsbayew and Rothenberg decided to bring Eyal Kinderlehrer in to pitch the top of the fourth for Teaneck. This was his first mound appearance this season and as can happen, Kinderlehrer, throwing mean fastballs, was just missing. This led to another inning of no-out walk problems for Teaneck, but, through timely relief pitching by Liev Wolin, Teaneck only allowed two Renegade batters to score.
The Renegade pitchers were having their own control problems and they loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the 4th with Ryan Buchsbayew, Eyal Berkowitz, and Josh Rothenberg getting the free passes. Rafi Wall was then hit by the Wyckoff pitcher and Teaneck trailed by 6-4.
Given an injury to Eckman who was scheduled to pitch the 5th inning, Akiva Rotenberg, regular centerfielder for Teaneck, was called on unexpectedly to pitch. After the first two batters got on, a recovered Eckman came on in relief of Rotenberg and was able to escape allowing only one of the runners to score on a fielder’s choice.
Entering the bottom of the fifth inning, Teaneck knew they trailed by 3 runs but had two at bats to overcome the 7-4 deficit. With the top of the order coming up, things looked hopeful. However, to this point, the Renegades had allowed only one hit to the home team. They had allowed Teaneck nine walks, but Teaneck batters had left seven runners on base. The first two Teaneck batters in the bottom of the 5th failed to reach base and the mood in the dugout was gloomy. But a Cinderella finish was in the offing! First Noam Eckman (now the pitcher of record for Teaneck) singled to the outfield. Liev Wolin followed with a walk and ZevWeiner drove in Eckman. The Renegade pitcher next got a 0-2 count on Ryan Buchsbayew, but the Renegades called for a time out when their catcher had equipment trouble. Coach Buchsbayew wisely used the time out to instruct Ryan on how he should adjust his approach to the at bat. Whatever it was that Josh said to his son worked, because, on the next pitch, Ryan laced the ball over the leaping Renegade third baseman for a two-run single. The game was tied and the two-out rally was almost complete. Up to the plate came Eyal Kinderlehrer and he wasted little time dropping a single in the outfield that brought home Buchsbayew with the go-ahead run. The top of the sixth was almost an anticlimax as Wolin pitched a 1-2-3 inning capped by Ezra Berkowitz deftly catching the Renegades’ last-gasp fly ball to right.
The victory brings Teaneck’s record to 2-1, the locals having dropped their home opener last Tuesday to a stacked Rockland Elite squad. Ben Rose, slightly under the weather, and Aron Major both contributed to the win with their hustle and fielding.
By Joe Rotenberg
