With just one game remaining in the 2026 JCSL by MDSC regular season, the playoff race remains crowded.
While a few teams have already secured their place in the upcoming Ashley Custom Homes Postseason, several others still have work to do before they can officially book their playoff reservations. Every at-bat, run, and defensive gem could prove to be the difference between extending the season and cleaning out the equipment bag.
And while the playoff field is beginning to take shape, one question remains unanswered: Who will ultimately take home the Premier Financial Trophy?
If this past Sunday’s action taught us anything, it’s that nothing should be taken for granted.
CREZLY Earns First Win of the Season
CREZLY finally broke through in the win column, edging Gerstman-Insurance 11-10 in a wild one.
Baruch Glazer and Evan “Steven” Sagal helped ignite the offense early, while Aharon Schnur and Eli Kelemer delivered key hits to keep CREZLY in front.
The game featured enough momentum swings to make spectators dizzy. Defensive miscues threatened to derail CREZLY’s chances on several occasions, but each time they responded with timely hitting and refused to let the game slip away.
Gerstman-Insurance mounted a late rally and brought the tying run into scoring position, but CREZLY’s defense came through in the biggest moment of the season, recording the final out and securing a memorable first victory.
Clothier Moves Within Reach of the Playoffs
Clothier reminded everyone that the playoff race is far from settled.
Powered by backup catcher/designated hitter Ozzie “The Beached Whale” Marizan, Clothier defeated CREZLY 8-5 and moved to the brink of securing a postseason berth.
Marizan was nearly impossible to retire, finishing a perfect 3-for-3 while driving in his team’s first four runs. His mammoth three-run double in the second inning broke a scoreless tie and gave Clothier a lead it would never relinquish.
Jeremy Strauss and Yitzy “Lord get me” Hyatt each collected two hits, while Yankie Goldsmith contributed two hits of his own and earned the victory on the mound.
Perhaps the biggest celebration came courtesy of Aiton “Left Out” Marizan, who recorded his first hits of the season, including an infield single that may have required league officials to review security camera footage to verify.
Orshan Legal Group Remains Perfect
At this point, Orshan Legal Group appears determined to make league historians work overtime.
With their undefeated season hanging in the balance, Orshan Legal delivered, extending their perfect record and strengthening their position as one of the favorites heading into the postseason.
The recent free-agent additions continue to pay dividends, none more so than rookie shortstop Avi Abramson, whose defensive play drew rave reviews from teammates and spectators alike.
Ezra Rosen had a monster day at the plate, blasting a triple and a double while driving in five runs. On the mound, Dr. Stutman kept hitters guessing all afternoon, making adjustment after adjustment and controlling the strike zone with the precision of an expert chiropractor.
Elazer “I want to break” Freedman turned the outfield into his personal highlight reel with several spectacular catches, while Moshe “Smooth like” Mutterperl, Tzvi Perlman, Uncle Lefky, Shlomo Rosenstein, Calvin McCracken, and Meir Samberg all contributed in important ways.
Orshan Legal remains unbeaten and will look to complete a perfect regular season next week.
Lazar Real Estate Clinches the #2 Seed
In a matchup that may not have generated national headlines but certainly generated plenty of dugout commentary, Lazar Real Estate defeated Clothier 9-6 to officially clinch the #2 seed in the upcoming postseason.
A balanced offensive attack helped Lazar establish control early, while timely defensive plays prevented Clothier from fully closing the gap.
The Lazar roster once again featured its colorful cast of characters, including first baseman Ben “Bet it all on” Blackman, who spent much of the afternoon vacuuming up throws around the bag, and third baseman Walter Johnson, who continued proving that hot-corner defense is still an art form.
The standings now confirm that Lazar Real Estate will enter the postseason as one of the league’s top contenders.
Gerstman Insurance Bounces Back
After suffering the heartbreaking one-run loss to CREZLY, Gerstman Insurance responded with an impressive bounce-back performance.
Gerstman fell behind 3-0 early but immediately answered with four runs in the bottom half of the inning and never looked back.
Captain Shimon Kanter helped set the tone offensively. Veteran Josh Zaslow looked as steady as ever, and Sol Kuhnreich seemingly reached base every time he stepped into the batter’s box.
Defensively, Big Neil Charnowitz put on a clinic at first base, repeatedly rescuing errant throws and preventing potential rallies from developing.
After the early deficit, Gerstman took complete control and cruised to another strong team victory.
“The Catch Heard Around the World”
Tov Pizza and Lazar Real Estate delivered one of the most entertaining defensive battles of the season.
Tov Pizza jumped out to an early 3-0 lead before Lazar slowly chipped away and eventually narrowed the deficit to 6-4 entering the final inning.
Then came the play of the day.
With a runner on first and nobody out, a pop fly drifted into the infield. Two fielders converged and collided, and the ball appeared destined to fall harmlessly to the ground.
Instead, Captain Shua Novograd emerged seemingly from nowhere and made a barehanded catch just before the ball hit the dirt. The play immediately turned into a double play and completely shifted the momentum.
The Lazar dugout stood stunned. The crowd erupted.
By the time the inning ended, Tov Pizza had escaped with a dramatic 6-4 victory and perhaps the defensive play of the year.
Web Interactive Technologies Sweeps Doubleheader
Few teams had a better Sunday than Web Interactive Technologies.
Entering the day searching for their first win, WIT decided to skip directly to two of them.
First came a 7-5 upset over YL Waitering. Then came a 10-7 victory over Tov Pizza.
Leading the charge was owner and star player Navid Raoofian, who spent the day treating the basepaths like his own personal amusement park. According to reports, Raoofian stole home seven times during the doubleheader, a statistic that remains under review but has not yet been disproven.
Regardless of the exact total, WIT’s offense was aggressive, opportunistic, and relentless throughout both games.
One Week Remains
With only one regular-season game left, the playoff picture remains partially unfinished.
What everyone knows for certain is that the race for the 2026 Premier Financial Trophy remains open.
And if this season has taught us anything, it’s that no lead is safe, no game is predictable, and somewhere out there another barehanded catch is waiting to happen.
