FRAMINGHAM, May 1, 2011 -- In as crisply played a game as they have taken part in during their brief two-year tenure in the Men's Shul Softball League, The Boys of Bat Sabbath/Temple Emanuel III defeated Beth Am of Framingham, 10-8, today for their first win of the season.

 

For the second consecutive week on the road, Emanuel III (1-2) exploded out of the gate in the top of the first -- scoring four runs -- only to nearly give the entire lead back in the bottom of the frame. The culprit behind Beth Am's crooked number was a dropped fly ball on which three runs scored, but from this point on Bat Sabbath's defense tightened up.

 

After Beth Am took a 6-4 lead in the third, timely hitting helped Emanuel III tie the game as with two on and two outs in the fourth, Peter Feldman (double) and Saul Wisnia (single) delivered run-scoring hits to make it 6-6. Smelling victory, Bat Sabbath then started the fifth with six straight hits, good for four runs, and from that point on the pitching duo of Wisnia and Jack Brotman kept Beth Am at bay with great support from a speedy outfield corps and defensive gems at third base by Eric Spitz.

 

The batting star on the day for Emanuel III was Goldstein (3-for-3 with 3 RBI, giving him 9 RBI in three games), while Feldman and Scott Paisner had two hits and 2 RBI apiece. Spitz's perfect season at the plate ended after eight at-bats, but with two more hits he is still batting .820 (9-for-11) on the year. Although its record is not what it would like, a closer look at the numbers shows the progress Emanuel III is making in its second season. After three games last year Bat Sabbath had been outscored 65-17; at the same point this year, it is nearly matching its opponents at 40-32. END