Das NLB-Team erreichte gegen die Thun Hunters am Sonntag, 15. August erneut eine Punkteteilung. Die Challengers gingen im Stadion Heerenschürli im ersten Spiel 10-0 in Führung und brachten den Vorsprung letztlich mit 12-5 sicher über die Distanz. Im zweiten Spiel setzten sich jedoch die Hunters knapp mit 6-4 durch.
Die Challengers gewannen vier ihrer acht letzten Spiele und verbesserten ihren Rekord somit auf 5-11. Am Samstag, 21. August treffen die Challengers anlässlich der offiziellen Eröffnung der Sportanlage Heerenschürli durch die Stadt Zürich auf die Zürich Lions.

One week after a split against the Zurich Lions the Challengers again earned a split this time against the first-placed Zurich Barracudas on Sunday, July 25 at the Heerenschürli ballpark.
Yusuf Isik outdueled Oliver Christen, as the Barracudas edged the Challengers 5-4 in Game 1. The Barracudas opened the score in the first inning, but the C’s answered with two runs of their own in the second, as Oliver Christen and Willy Schaub crossed the plate to make it 2-1. The Challengers’ lead was short-lived, as Francisco Robles delivered a two-run single and the Barracudas added one more in the bottom half of the frame. And the Barracudas added another run in the fourth, as Mick Meier hit a sacrifice fly to center field to make it 2-5.
The C’s weren’t done yet, but Isik gave up only two single runs over the last three frames, as Mathew Stringer drove in Patrick Maier in the fifth and Adrian Kämpfer in the seventh inning, as the Barracudas held on for a 5-4 victory.
Isik went the distance, as he allowed four runs and seven hits, while Oliver Christen gave up five runs and seven hits, while also striking out three.
The Challengers collected a surprising win, as they rallied for three runs in the seventh to eventually beat the Barracudas 5-3 in Game 2. A close affair the entire way, the C’s got some great pitching from Patrick Maier, who tossed a three-hitter with seven strikeouts and only one walk.
The C’s broke a scoreless tie in the third inning, as Adrian Kämpfer drove in Maier with an RBI-double and they added another run, as Maier scored on a sacrifice fly from Yanik Probst in the fifth inning. The Barracudas turned the game around, as they scored three runs in the bottom half of the fifth, as a two-run double from Mick Meier made it 2-3. But the Challengers scored three unanswered runs in the top of the seventh frame, as again Maier drove in Probst with an RBI-double to tie the game at 3-3. After a hit-by-pitch to Kämpfer, Werner Zingg loaded the bases with a single to left field and one batter later the C’s took the lead again, as Micha Seger drove in Maier, while Oliver Christen drove in Kämpfer for a 5-3 lead.
The Challengers remain in sixth place with a 4-10 record, while the Barracudas (11-3) were passed by the Zurich Lions, who moved into first place with a 10-2 record.

Das NLB-Team bestreitet am Sonntag, 25. Juli sein zweites aufeinander folgendes Stadtderby. Nachdem vor Wochenfrist gegen die Zürich Lions die Punkte geteilt wurden, treffen die Challengers diesmal auf den Tabellenführer Zürich Barracudas. Die Challengers unterlagen dem Stadtrivalen am 6. Juni zweimal. Nach einem 13-20 in Spiel 1 setzte es für die Blauroten in der zweiten Partie eine 1-3 Niederlage ab. Die Spiele beginnen um 10.00 und 13.00 Uhr im Stadion Heerenschürli.

The NLB-Team improved its record to 3-9 after a split with the second placed Zürich Lions on Sunday, July 18 at the Heereschürli ballpark.
Five runs in the top of the fifth inning and a flawless defense were all Oliver Christen and the Challengers needed, as they posted a surprising 6-4 victory in Game 1 over the Lions. Starter Oliver Christen tossed six plus strong innings, as he allowed four runs and four hits for his first win of the season and the defense threw out three baserunners and turned a crucial double play in the fourth inning.
The C’s opened the score in the first frame, as an RBI-single by Adrian Kämpfer plated Roger Burger to make it 1-0. Then the two teams exchanged zeros on the scoreboard for the next three and a half innings.
The C’s started the fifth with a base-on-balls to Korey Kovac and back-to-back singles from Burger and Kämpfer to load the bases, before Willy Schaub drove in Kovac. Up 2-0, the C’s continued the inning with an RBI-single by Mathew Stringer and an RBI-double by Alex Gordon to make it 4-0. And the C’s added two more runs, as Kurt Kovac was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Gordon scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-0.
The Lions scored two runs in the bottom half of the frame and added another run in the sixth to close the gap to three runs. After surrendering a lead-off walk in the seventh Christen handed the ball to closer Willy Schaub, who picked up his second save of the season.
The Lions bounced back in the second game of the day, as they built a six-run lead in the second inning and held on for a 14-8 win over the Challengers. Nevertheless the C’s moved into sixth place with the split. They will face the Zürich Barracudas for the next derby at the Heerenschürli ballpark on Sunday, July 25.

The NLB-Team lost twice to their cross-town rivals Zurich Barracudas on Sunday, June 6 at the Heerenschürli ballpark. The Challengers rallied for seven runs, but the Barracudas built a nine run lead again to eventually win 18-13 after 3 hours and 20 minutes in Game 1. Adrian Kämpfer led the Challengers’ offense with two hits, while Roger Burger and Daiki Sato scored three runs apiece.
Ralph Vonderschmitt outdueled the Challengers’ pitching staff, but the Barracudas needed Marcel Spring’s RBI-triple in the top of the seventh inning to knock off the Challengers in Game 2. The Barracudas opened the score in the third inning, while Lukas Krautter tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning at 1-1. Challengers starter Jarrod Baker allowed one run and two hits with two walks and four strikeouts in three innings on his birthday, before handing over the ball to his bullpen. While Vonderschmitt kept the Challengers’ bats under control, the Barracudas scored the game-winning run on the only hit they had over the last three innings. Korey Kovac was given the loss after allowing two unearned runs and one hit with one walk and one strikeout in 2.1 innings of relief.
The Challengers are now in seventh place with a 1-7 record. They will face the Thun Hunters on Sunday, June 13 at Thun.

The NLB-Team won its first game since returning to the national league B on Sunday, May 30 at Sissach against the Therwil Flyers. In the first game of the day the Flyers kept the Challangers’ bats silent, as they posted a 3-0 shutout win over the C’s. But the blue and red answered powerful in Game 2, as they cruised to a 20-1 victory over the Flyers.

The NLB-Team is still seeking for the first victory of the season, after losing twice to the Wil Devils on Sunday, May 16.
The Devils scored four runs in the first inning, but the C’s answered by four runs of their own. After exchanging zeros in the next two frames, four errors from the Challengers’ defense enabled the Devils to make it 8-4. And the Devils scored three insurance runs on another costly error in the seventh to make it 11-5. The C’s cut the deficit to three, but the Devils eventually posted an 11-8 win.
Roger Burger, Bryan Shemley and Yanik Probst delivered two hits apiece, while Dean Scherbaum was given the loss, as he allowed six runs – only one earned – six hits and six walks and two strikeouts in six innings.
In Game 2 the two teams were head-to-head again. Patrick Maier tossed six magnificient innings for the Challengers, as he allowed only one unearned run and three hits with one walk and thirteen strikeouts. But it was not enough, as the C’s stranded a total of eleven runners and the Devils held on for a 3-1 win over the C’s, who have now a dismal 0-4 record, despite four good performances so far.

Challengers U18-Nationalspieler Yanik Probst nimmt am Donnerstag, 6. Mai an den MLB European Academy Try-out Sessions im deutschen Bonn teil. Mit Rafael Eigenmann (Flyers) und Beni Zumbrunn (Hunters) nehmen zwei weitere Schweizer an den Try-outs teil.

Die zweite Mannschaft der Challengers bestritt am Sonntag, 25. April ihr erstes NLB-Spiel seit der Saison 2007. Dabei trafen sie in Bern gegen die Cardinals auf einen Mitaufsteiger aus der 1.Liga. Das Team aus der Bundeshauptstadt setzte sich dabei mit 11-6 und 8-7 zweimal knapp gegen die Challengers durch.