The Softball-Team lost their first night game of the season on Thursday, June 23 at the Klopstockwiese against their cross-town rivals Zurich Barracudas. The Barracudas opened the score with four runs in the third inning and held on for a 6-4 victory.
Christina Klemme, Giulia Oswald and Christine Garcia opened the inning with back-to-back-to-back hits and the Challengers’ defense added three errors in the same inning that enabled the Barracudas to take a 4-0 lead. Brittany Howell put the C’s on the scoreboard, as she belted a solo homer over the center field fence to make it 1-4. But the C’s didn’t gain the momentum, as Jessica Rölli and Ines Dübendorfer drove in two more runs for the Barracudas to extend the lead to 6-1.
With their backs against the wall the C’s cut the deficit to three runs in the sixth frame, as Taylor Mc Cants scored on a passed ball and Simona Cellar drove in Brittany Howell and they added another run, as Andrea Wirth crossed the plate to make it 4-6 with two outs in the seventh inning, but the Barracudas managed to end the threat with the tying run on second base to eventually win 6-4.
Corina Grass outdueled Leandra Simitovic, as she allowed four runs – three earned – and eight hits with three walks, while striking out two for the win, while Simitovic allowed six runs – five earned – nine hits and four walks. Taylor Mc Cants and Brittany Howell led the C’s offense with three hits apiece.
The C’s remain in fifth place with a 6-7 record.
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Barracudas hold off C’s rally for win
Cellar, Simitovic und Wirth im Softball EM-Kader
Die Challengers Spielerinnen Simona Cellar, Leandra Simitovic und Andrea Wirth wurden ins 13-köpfige Kader des Schweizer Nationalteams für die diesjährige Softball B-Europameisterschaft berufen, welche vom 31. Juli bis 6. August in Ronchi dei Legionari (Italien) stattfindet. Die Schweiz trifft in der Gruppenphase auf Bulgarien, Österreich, Russland und die Slowakei.
Weitere Informationen: www.echw2011.eu
Softball Night Game am Donnerstag
Das Softball-Team empfängt im Kampf um Platz vier den Stadtrivalen Zürich Barracudas am Donnerstag Abend, 23. Juni auf der Klopstockwiese. Die Challengers verbesserten sich mit zuletzt vier Siegen auf den fünften Tabellenrang, während die Barracudas den vierten Platz belegen. Mit einem Sieg könnten die Challengers mit den Barracudas gleichziehen. Spielbeginn ist um 18.30 Uhr.
Continue Reading » Softball Night Game am DonnerstagRegen stoppt Challengers
Die Softballspiele zwischen den Challengers und den Wil Devils mussten wegen Regens abgesagt werden. Nachdem das Batting Practice und das Pregame noch unter Nieselregen stattfand, öffnete der Himmel pünktlich zu Spielbeginn seine Schleusen. Die beiden Partien werden Ende August oder Anfang September nachgeholt, wenn die Challengers vom Europacupturnier im französischen Lyon zurück sind.
Die Softballerinnen empfangen am Donnerstag, 23. Juni die Zürich Barracudas auf der Klopstockwiese. Spielbeginn ist um 18.30 Uhr.
Die U15-Cadets konnten dagegen immerhin eines ihrer beiden für Samstag geplanten Spiele austragen. Dabei unterlagen die Challengers/TruckStar den Rümlang Kobras mit 8-13. Das zweite Spiel musste ebenfalls wegen Regens abgesagt werden.
Softballerinnen reisen nach Wil
Das Softball-Team reist am Samstag, 18. Juni nach Wil, wo es einen Doubleheader gegen die Wil Devils bestreitet. Für beide Teams sind dies wegweisende Partien im Hinblick auf die Playoffqualifikation. Liegen die Challengers (6-6) derzeit im fünften Rang, haben die Devils (4-6) den sechsten Rang inne. Die Spiele beginnen um 11.00 und 13.30 Uhr in Wil Lindenhof.
Continue Reading » Softballerinnen reisen nach WilLadies back in title race, sweep Flyers
The Softball-Team swept the first-placed Therwil Flyers on Sunday, May 29 at Therwil to even its record at 6-6. The Challengers used a late-inning rally to take Game 1, as they posted a 6-2 victory over the Flyers, who saw their perfect 8-0 record ruined, by an almost perfect Challengers defense.
The Flyers opened the score with two runs in the first inning. Then the two teams exchanged zeros on the scoreboard for the next four innings, before the C’s started their rally. Leandra Simitovic led off the sixth inning with a double, followed by an RBI-single from Nancy Plamondon, an RBI-single by Simone Zurschmitten and a two-run double from Simona Cellar to make it 4-2. And the C’s added two insurance runs in the seventh frame to eventually win 6-2.
Brittany Howell and Simone Zurschmitten had three hits apiece, while Leandra Simitovic allowed two runs – none earned – and seven hits with three walks while also striking out two for her third win of the season.
And the C’s added another win, as Brittany Howell tossed a two-hitter with ten strikeouts and the C’s outhit the Flyers 11-2 in the second game for a 5-1 victory. Brigit Zuber and Taylor Mc Cants scored one run in the first and second inning for a 2-0 Challengers lead. The Flyers cut the deficit to one run in the bottom of the second, but the C’s answered with three runs of their own in the fourth frame. And that was all Howell and her strong defense needed. Simone Zurschmitten drove in Brittany Howell with an RBI-triple before scoring on an error by the Flyers defense and Leandra Simitovic drove in Ziegylou Wehrli to make it 5-1.
Brigit Zuber led the offense with three hits, while Brittany Howell delivered two doubles and Taylor Mc Cants had a double and a single.
The Ladies are now tied for fourth place with the Zürich Barracudas and will face next the Wil Devils on June 18.
Ladies bring home two wins
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.
Howell arrived in Zurich
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.
Flyers top Ladies twice
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.
Ladies split with Cardinals – again
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.