The Softball-Team swept the Luzern Eagles 2 on Saturday, May 21 at Reussbühl. The Challengers scored 11 runs in the first inning, as they cruised to a 21-3 victory in Game 1. Taylor Mc Cants went 3-for-4 and Leandra Simitovic had two hits, four runs and drove in four, while Brittany Howell added a base-clearing 3-run triple in her debut in a Challengers uniform.
Game 2 was much closer, as the Eagles cut the deficit to two runs in the bottom of the third inning, but the C’s scored eight unanswered runs to eventually win 13-3. Brittany Howell belted an inside-the-park-homer to start the sixth frame, while Andrea Wirth went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI’s. Taylor Mc Cants recorded her first career win, as she allowed two runs – one earned – and three hits with three strikeouts in five innings.

 
Newly acquired softball pitcher Brittany Howell arrived in Zurich on Friday to join the Challengers Softball-Team. The 22-year old left-handed pitcher, who was born in Mt. Vernon, Washington, played with the Blue Hose Presbyterian College Softball Team in the NCAA Division I in 2011. Howell, who was majoring in economics, pitched in 24 games, with 19 starts, and had a 10-6 record and a 2.75 ERA in 119.2 innings pitched in her senior year.
 
In high school Howell won the State 2B championship with the Concrete Lions High School Softball Team in 2007. She garnered state Player of the Year honors as a senior and was a three-time league MVP. She ended her high school career with a state record 1’128 strikeouts.
 
Howell will make her debut for the Challengers on Saturday against the Luzern Eagles 2 at Reussbühl.

The Softball-Team lost twice to the Therwil Flyers on Saturday, May 14. The best performance of the season was not enough to beat the Flyers, but the C’s came close.
The newly acquired American Danielle Weir belted a 2-run homer far over the left field fence and Sophie Zihlmann pitched seven strong innings, as the Flyers edged the Challengers 4-3 in Game 1. The C’s started the sixth inning with back-to-back doubles from Nancy Plamondon and Leandra Simitovic and Ziegylou Wehrli added a RBI-single to cut the deficit to one run, but the tying run stranded on third base.
Leandra Simitovic allowed four runs and four hits with two walks with one strikeout, while Nancy Plamondon led the offense with three hits.
Game 2 was a close battle as well, as the Flyers scored three runs in the first and sixth inning to eventually win 9-4. The Challengers came within one run in the bottom of the fifth inning, as Ziegylou Wehrli drove in Taylor Mc Cants to make it 4-5. But Sophie Zihlmann’s 2-run single in the top of the sixth selt the deal for the Flyers. Nadja Critelli, Taylor Mc Cants and Simona Cellar had a double each for the Challengers.
Th C’s remain in fifth place with a 2-6 record, but they are already three games behind a playoff spot. They will face the Luzern Eagles 2 on Saturday, May 21 at Reussbühl.

The Softball-Team split with the Bern Cardinals again on Sunday, May 8 at the Klopstockwiese. And the crowd witnessed a thriller, as the Challengers scored two runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to eventually win 13-12 in Game 1. The Cards led three times, but a decisive error on the last play enabled Simona Cellar and Ziegylou Wehrli to score the tying and winning runs. Cellar and Wehrli led the Challengers offense, as they delivered three hits and crossed the plate twice each, and Cellar and Nadja Critelli belted a triple each, while Taylor Mc Cants had a double, a single, one RBI and scored one run in her debut for the Challengers.
Leandra Simitovic went the distance, as she allowed twelve runs – five of them unearned – on twelve hits and three walks with two strikeouts for her first win of the season.
Game 2 lasted only four innings, as the Challengers committed six errors in the first two frames, that led to eleven unearned runs and a 14-3 lead for the Cardinals, who eventually posted a 15-3 victory over the C’s. Taylor Mc Cants had no support from the defense in her first career start for the C’s, as she gave up 15 runs – only four earned – and twelve hits with two walks and one strikeout.
The Challengers will host the Therwil Flyers on Saturday, May 14 at the Klopstockwiese.

The Softball-Team finally arrived in the win column, as the Challengers managed to split with the Bern Cardinals on Sunday, April 10. The Cards rallied for a 18-11 win in Game 1 against the Challengers. In Game 2 Karen Heimgartner led the Challengers to a 9-1 victory over the Cards, hurling seven innings of two-hit, one-run ball with one walk and eleven strikeouts.
The crowd saw an entertainig Game 1 with four lead changes, as the Cardinals and the Challengers combined for 27 hits, nine errors and several defensive misplays. After the Cards scored twice in the first inning, the Challengers answered with three runs in the second on three hits by Sophie Töpel, Celine Welti and Leandra Simitovic and an error by the Cards’ defense. But the Cards made it 5-3 in the bottom of the frame on a RBI-single by Aline Stämpfli and a two-run single by Lia Heimann. The Challengers took the lead again in the third inning, as four errors from the Cards enabled the C’s to score six runs to make it 9-5. After the Cards cut the deficit to one run in the fourth, they erupted for eight runs on five hits in the fifth inning to seal the deal.
Leandra Simitovic and rookie Sophie Töpel delivered two hits each and Brigit Zuber, Andrea Wirth, Simona Cellar, Sophie Töpel and Celine Welti scored two runs apiece for the Challengers, while Tiffany Toney and Lia Heimann went a perfect four-for-four for the Cardinals.
Game 2 was all Challengers, as they took an early lead and never looked back to eventually win 9-1 for their first victory of the season. The Challengers opened the score, as Simona Cellar drove in Brigit Zuber with an RBI-double and scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0 in the first inning. And that was all Karen Heimgartner and her defense needed. After giving up one run in the bottom of the first frame, Heimgartner retired 17 straight batters, while the Challengers scored four more runs in the second and added another insurance run in the fourth frame to make it 7-1. Rookie Joy Amendola highlighted the seventh inning, as the Cards mishandled her groundball to enable Karen Heimgartner and Ziegylou Wehrli to make it 9-1. Leandra Simitovic had two hits, while Simitovic, Cellar and Heimgartner scored two runs apiece.
The Challengers are now in fifth place with a 1-3 record. They will face the Cardinals again on May 8 at the Klopstockwiese.

 
The Softball-Team started its campaign with two losses against the reigning Swiss champion Luzern Eagles on Saturday, April 9 at the Klopstockwiese.
The Challengers erased a 8-run deficit to eventually lose 15-16 in Game 1. The Eagles opened the score with seven runs in the first inning and they added three more in the second and third frames each, as starting pitcher Leandra Simitovic had problems to find the zone and the Challenger’s defense committed several costly errors. But the Challengers fought back, as a 2-run double from Nancy Plamondon and a base-clearing triple from Nadja Critelli highlighted the second and third inning respectively to make it 10-13. And the C’s tied the game in the bottom of the fifth, as Simitovic took control of the Eagles bats and Plamondon delivered a 2-run triple. But two more errors by the C’s defense combined with two base-running errors in the sixth and seventh innings enabled the Eagles to score two more runs, while the tying run for the C’s stranded on second base for a 16-15 victory for the Eagles.
Nadja Critelli and Nancy Plamondon had a triple and a double with 5 RBI’s and 4 RBI’s respectively, Andrea Wirth delivered two hits and Ziegylou Wehrli drove in two runs for the Challengers, while Corina Casparis, Flavia Crameri, Sarah Winkler and Jessica Spring delivered two hits apiece for the Eagles and Irene Späni (1-0) was credited with the win.
Game 2 was all Eagles, as they rolled to a massive 26-2 victory over the Challengers. Julia Gloukhoff (1-0) kept the Challengers’ bats quiet, tossing a one-hitter with three walks and one strikeout. Gloukhoff, Celine Demarmels and Jessica Spring had two hits and four RBI’s each for the Eagles.
The Challengers will travel to Bern on Sunday, April 17, where they will face the Bern Cardinals (2-0).
 

Am Wochenende vom 2. & 3. April fand bei herrlichen äusseren Bedingungen und grosser Zuschauerkulisse im Baseballstadion Heerenschürli das Season Opening Weekend der Swiss Baseball & Softball Federation statt. Erstmals ging der vom Baseball & Softball Verband der Stadt Zürich organisierte Saisoneröffnungsanlass der Schweizer Meisterschaft im Heerenschürli in Zürich-Schwamendingen über die Bühne.
Eröffnet wurde der Anlass am Samstag mit einem Promispiel, bei welchem eine Auswahl bekannter Schweizer Sportlerinnen und Sportler auf eine Softball Auswahl der Stadtzürcher Vereine traf. Dabei bewiesen Nöldi Forrer, Beat Hefti, Fabienne Suter, Dani Hubmann, Linda Züblin & Co., dass sie auch Abseits von Sägemehlring, Bobbahn oder Skipiste eine gute Figur machen.

Die Softballerinnen reisen anlässlich ihrer vierten Europacup Teilnahme an den B-Europacup der Cupsieger ins französische Lyon. Die Challengers treffen dabei vom 15. bis 20. August auf die Riching Park Penguins aus Grossbritannien, Ballerup United aus Dänemark, Söder aus Schweden sowie die Französinnen von Bron St. Priest.