The Softball-Team won twice against the second team of the Luzern Eagles on Saturday, July 9 at the Klopstockwiese to improve their record to 11-7. Leandra Simitovic tossed a one-hitter, as the Challengers cruised to a 15-0 shutout win in Game 1. The C’s built a 3-0 lead in the first inning, as Simona Cellar drove in Brigit Zuber and Rookie Sarah Lechmann delivered a two-run single.
The game was decided in the second frame, as the C’s sent 17 batters to the plate and scored 11 runs, highlighted by a two-run single from Celine Welti, to make it 14-0. Sophie Töpel opened the third inning with a single and later crossed the plate for a 15-0 mercy-rule win.
Sarah Lechmann had a game-high three RBI’s, while Leandra Simitovic, Brittany Howell, Simona Cellar and Celine Welti drove in two runs apiece.
The C’s extended their winning streak to five games, as they posted a 17-6 victory over the Eagles 2 in Game 2. The Eagles had the better start, scoring six runs in the first frame, as starter Andrea Wirth had problems finding the zone, but the Challengers’ bats took control, as they exploded for 11 hits, scoring 17 unanswered runs in three innings.
After cutting the deficit to two runs in the bottom of the first inning, as Simona Cellar hit a RBI-double and Sophie Töpel had a run-scoring single, Leandra Simitovic and Brittany Howell hit back-to-back doubles and Sarah Lechmann added a two-run single in the second to make it 7-6, before Nadja Critelli and Andrea Wirth had a RBI-single each.
But the C’s saved the best for last, as Leandra Simitovic belted a two-run homer over the left field fence in the third inning for a 17-6 win.
Simitovic recorded her sixth win of the season, as she pitched 3.1 hitless innings of relief, while Brigit Zuber, Simitovic and Howell scored three runs each.
Posts in the Softball category:
Ladies add two more to the win column
Softball-Team defeats Barracudas 7-3
The Softball-Team won its third game in three days. Brittany Howell broke a 2-2 tie with no outs in the third inning, as she belted the go-ahead two-run homer to make it 4-2 and the Challengers defense turned two crucial double plays, as the C’s posted a 7-3 victory over the Zurich Barracudas on Tuesday, June 28.
Leandra Simitovic opened the score in the first frame, but the Barracudas answered with two runs of their own. Chris Garcia scored on a passed ball and the plate umpire called an illegal pitch with a runner on third, that enabled the Barracudas to take a 2-1 lead. Simona Cellar tied the game again in the second frame, as she opened the inning with a base hit and scored later on a passed ball.
After Howell’s homerun the C’s increased their lead to 6-2 in the fifth inning, as Nancy Plamondon crossed the plate and Simona Cellar drove in another run, before Jackie Mottl scored the third run for the Barracudas in the bottom of the frame. The C’s added one more in the sixth to eventually win 7-3.
Brittany Howell tossed a three-hitter with fourteen strikeouts and Nancy Plamondon scored three times, while Leandra Simitovic and Simona Cellar had two hits apiece.
The C’s stay in fifth place with a 9-7 record, but closed the gap to the fourth placed Barracudas (8-6). They will host the second team from the Luzern Eagles on Saturday, July 9 at the Klopstockwiese.
Ladies move over .500, sweep Jets
The Softball-Team won twice in Geneva on Sunday, June 26 to move over .500 for the first time this season. Game 1 was a tough battle that lasted over two and a half hours, before the Challengers overcame the Geneva Jets 14-11. The C’s took the lead from the beginning but the Jets managed to come within one run three times till the sixth inning. The C’s then finally broke it open in the seventh, as they scored five runs for a 14-8 lead to seal the deal.
Brittany Howell went 4-for-5 with three RBI’s for the C’s, while Leandra Simitovic had two hits and scored four runs and Jennifer Probst crossed the plate three times.
Brittany Howell set the pace in Game 2, as she allowed two unearned runs and four hits while striking out a season high 15 batters to lead the Challengers to a 10-2 victory over the Jets. The C’s made it 2-0 in the first frame, as Ziegylou Wehrli drove in Nancy Plamondon and scored later on a passed ball. And the C’s added three more runs in the third inning, as Simona Cellar delivered a run-scoring double and Celine Welti had an RBI-single to make it 5-1.
The C’s remain in fifth place with a 8-7 record. They will face the fourth-placed Zurich Barracudas on Tuesday, June 28 for their second night game within a week at Rümlang. The game starts at 6.30pm at Rümlang Rümelbach.
Barracudas hold off C’s rally for win
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.
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.