The Challengers had their five-game winning streak halted in Game 1 when they dropped a 10-2 decision at Therwil against the first placed Flyers on Saturday, June 26.
The reigning Swiss champion seized control of the opener by scoring five runs on three hits and two Challengers errors in the first frame and they added five more runs in the second, as Roo Richardson belted a grand slam to center field that made it 10-2 in her first game for the Flyers. The Challengers took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, as Alexia Zingg delivered a two-run double, but missed several scoring opportunities in the next couple of frames, as they stranded a total of ten baserunners.
The defense was the difference in Game 2. While the Flyers played flawlessly, the Challengers committed several defensive miscues that allowed the Flyers to pull out a 6-0 victory. The Flyers opened the score in the second inning on an overthrow and a passed ball to make it 2-0 and put things out of reach in the fifth, as they scored four runs on three hits and three errors by the Challengers’ defense.
Jennifer Feret tossed a three-hitter with ten strikeouts and two walks, while Karen Heimgartner allowed six runs – only one earned – and five hits with one walk and eleven strikeouts.
Posts in the Softball category:
Ladies’ five game winning streak halted
Ladies win fifth in a row
The Challengers climbed over .500 for the first time this season, as they posted a 6-4 win over the Zurich Barracudas on Thursday night, June 26.
Vanessa Zulliger broke a sixth-inning tie with an RBI-groundout, as the C’s won their fifth straight. Andrea Wirth hit a two-run double, Simone Zurschmitten finished 2-for-3, while Simona Cellar scored twice for the blue and red.
The Challengers grabbed a 1-0 lead in the opening inning on a RBI-double by Zurschmitten, but the Barracudas answered with a run of their own in the second frame to tie the game at 1-1. And the Barracudas added two more runs in the third inning on three errors by the Challengers defense and a RBI-single by Stephanie Reid.
The C’s regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Back-to-back singles brought Cellar on third base and she crossed the plate on Alexia Zingg’s RBI-single. Then Leandra Simitovic reached on base-on-balls to load the bases for Wirth, who delivered a two-run double to make it 4-3. The Barracudas tied the game again in the fifth, before the C’s took the lead for good in the sixth, as Zulliger drove in Zurschmitten and Ziegylou Wehrli scored on a throwing error by the Barracudas defense that made it 6-4.
Karen Heimgartner allowed four unearned runs and four hits with ten strikeouts for the win, while Corina Grass allowed six runs – five earned – on seven hits and four walks, while also striking out five.
Softball Stadtderby am Donnerstag
Das Softball-Team empfängt den Stadtrivalen Zürich Barracudas am Donnerstag, 24. Juni auf der Klopstockwiese. Nachdem dieselbe Begegnung am vergangenen Donnerstag nach nur 1 Inning wegen Regens abgebrochen werden musste, sind die Wetterprognosen diesmal zumindest günstiger. Die beiden Teams standen sich bereits am Opening Day gegenüber, als die Barracudas das Eröffnungsspiel mit 13-6 gewinnen konnten, während die Challengers in der zweiten Partie mit einem 14-3 Erfolg antworteten.
Softball game called due to rain
The Challengers Softball-Team saw its Thursday night game against the Zurich Barracudas called after the first inning and a 0-4 score due to rain. It was already the third rainout for the C’s in 2010. No make-up date has been announced so far.
The next scheduled game between the two teams will unfold on Thursday, June 24 at 7pm at the Klopstockwiese again.
Ladies extend winning streak to four
The Challengers swept the Bern Cardinals on Sunday, June 13 at Hünenberg Wartstrasse to even their record at 5-5.
Victory seemed far away for the Challengers, as they committed three first-inning errors and found themselves staring at a six-run deficit entering the bottom of the first frame in Game 1. Then the C’s came to life. They scored nine runs in the first two innings to make it 9-7, but lost their lead again in the fourth. But neither the Cardinals nor the rain were able to stop the Challengers in this one, as the C’s rallied for the second time crossing the plate seven times in the bottom of the fourth for a 17-12 lead. And the C’s shut the door in the fifth, as they added four more runs to eventually win 21-14.
Simona Cellar delivered four hits including a triple and a double and scored four runs and Simone Zurschmitten reached base five times, while Leandra Simitovic drove in five runs for the Challengers.
And the Challengers kept their winning streak alive, as they got another strong outing from Karen Heimgartner, as they posted a 6-0 victory in Game 2. Heimgartner tossed a three-hitter with 14 strikeouts to record her first shutout of the season. That bested Cardinals Jennifer Ellenbeck, who allowed just three hits but six runs, while striking out 17.
The blue and red heated up after a 20 minutes rain delay in the bottom of the fourth inning to do the damage. Nancy Plamondon reached on a base-on-balls and two stolen bases and a wild pitch later she opened the score for the C’s. Simone Zurschmitten’s RBI-double added another run before she scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-0. And the C’s added three more runs in the bottom of the sixth on RBI-singles by Simona Cellar and Alexia Zingg to seal the deal.
With their fourth win in a row the C’s moved into fourth place. They will face their cross-town rivals Zurich Barracudas on Thursday, June 17 at 7pm at the Klopstockwiese.
Ladies sweep Devils
The Softball-Team swept the Wil Devils on Saturday, June 5 to improve its record to 3-5. The Challengers scored five runs in the first inning and never looked back, as the C’s posted a 9-2 win in Game 1. The blue and red had a perfect start, as they took advantage of three errors by the Devils’ defense and Andrea Wirth and Brigit Zuber drove in two more runs to make it 5-0. The Devils cut the deficit to three in the bottom of the first inning, but the C’s put this one out of reach for the Devils, adding insurance runs in each of the next three innings, while Leandra Simitovic kept the Devils’ bats silent.
Simitovic pitched five strong innings, as she allowed only two runs on five hits and two walks, while also striking out two to record her first win of the season. Karen Heimgartner went a perfect 3-for-3, while Simone Zurschmitten scored three times and Simona Cellar drove in two runs for the Challengers.
And the Challengers added a dramatic one-run victory in Game 2. It took a tie-break inning before the C’s took a 2-1 lead to win, as Celine Welti scored the game-winning run in the top of the eight inning on an error by the Devils’ defense. The Devils couldn’t cash in on their last opportunity, as Karen Heimgartner struck out Nadja Lehmann to seal the deal.
The Challengers opened the score in the first inning, as Nancy Plamondon scored on a RBI-single by Simone Zurschmitten. Both teams exchanged zeros on the scoreborad till the Devils tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Christina Saenz delivered a RBI-triple that drove in Vanessa Kitor to make it 1-1. The Challengers loaded the bases in the seventh inning, but Claire Rietmann-Grout struck out Welti to end the threat, while another scoreless inning for the Devils sent the game into extra innings.
Heimgartner was credited with her second win of the season, as she tossed a two-hitter with eleven strikeouts, while Rietmann-Grout allowed two runs and five hits with twelve strikeouts.
Ladies edged twice by Eagles
The Softball-Team lost two tight games against the Luzern Eagles on Saturday, May 29 at Reussbühl. The Challengers rallied to tie Game 1 in the fifth, but the Eagles pushed across the game-winning run when starter Simona Cellar walked Jasmin Zihlmann with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, allowing the Eagles to escape with a 7-6 win.
The Challengers opened the score with four runs in the first inning. The Eagles got three runs back in the first two frames before the C’s plated a run in the third, as Celine Welti drove in Simona Cellar to make it 5-3. Three runs in the bottom of the third put the Eagles in front for the first time. Trainilng 6-5, the C’s got a run in the fifth to deadlock the score, as Elisabete Vieira scored Cellar with a RBI-groundout, before the Eagles walked off with the win in the seventh.
Cellar (0-1) allowed seven runs – six of them earned – and four hits, while Simone Zurschmitten had a game-high two hits.
Jasmin Zihlmann’s run-scoring double in the bottom of the sixth inning proved to be enough for Kirsten Rowell and the Eagles, as they held on for 2-0 victory over the Challengers in Game 2.
Rowell tossed a one-hitter with 13 strikeouts, while Karen Heimgartner (1-2) was the hard-luck loser for allowing two unearned runs on four hits in 6 innings of work, as she struck out eight with no walks.
The games against the Therwil Flyers scheduled for Sunday, May 30 have been canceled due to heavy rain. No make-up date has been announced so far.
The Challengers are now in sixth place with a 1-5 record. They will face next the Wil Devils on Saturday, June 5 at Wil.
Ladies lost twice to Eagles
The Softball-Team was swept by the Luzern Eagles on Saturday, May 15 at the Klopstockwiese. The Challengers pitchers struggled with the constant rain and the low temperatures, as the Eagles posted a 13-3 victory over the C’s in Game 1.
Starter Andrea Wirth was credited with the loss after allowing five runs in the first inning. Simone Zurschmitten took control for the next couple of innings, as the C’s cut the deficit to three runs after three innings, but the only error by the Challengers defense and six consecutive walks in the fourth increased the gap to ten runs.
Nadja Critelli led the Challengers offense with two hits, one RBI and a run scored, Alexia Zingg delivered her second double of the season and Celine Welti and Zurschmitten had a hit and scored a run each, while Nancy Plamondon made her debut in blue and red.
Game 2 saw a pitcher’s duel between Karen Heimgartner and Kirsten Rowell. Heimgartner gave up six hits and two earned runs, while stirking out ten in what was another quality start, but her effort was not enough, as the C’s lost to the Eagles 0-4.
Rowell pitched a complete game shutout against the C’s, as she surrendered just three hits on thirteen strikeouts.
Ladies split with Barracudas
The Softball-Team opened its campaign with a split against their cross-town rivals Zurich Barracudas on Sunday, April 18 at Rümlang. In Game 1 the Challengers outslugged the Barracudas 12-9 and were leading for most of the game, but after Barracudas outfielder Stephanie Reid made a spectacular diving catch to end the fifth, the Barracudas scored nine unanswered runs in the fifth and sixth innings to eventually win 13-6. It was the first loss in a season opener for the C’s since rebuilding the team in 2004.
Simona Cellar led the Challengers offense with three hits including a double and Simone Zurschmitten delivered three hits, while Alexia Zingg went 2-for-3 with a double. Leandra Simitovic allowed 13 runs – only six of them earned – on nine hits and six base on balls, while also striking out three.
Karen Heimgartner tossed a complete game to earn her first win of the season, as the Challengers posted a 14-3 triumph over the Barracudas in Game 2. The C’s built a 3-run lead till the fourth inning, as Sandrine Montandon delivered a RBI-double in the fourth and was driven in by Flavia Von Meiss to make it 4-1, before the C’s put things out of reach for the Barracudas with a 10-run sixth inning. Von Meiss went 2-for-3 with a double, while Heimgartner allowe three runs – two earned – and four hits with one walk and fifteen strikeouts.
Winter practice 2010
The winter practice for the Zurich Challengers Softball Team takes place every TUESDAY from 6pm till 8pm at the Turnhalle Lavater at the Schulhausstrasse 1 in Zurich-Enge (tram 7 to Museum Rietberg), every WEDNESDAY from 6.15pm till 8pm and every THURSDAY from 7pm till 9.40pm at the Turnhalle Rämibüel at the Rämistrasse 80 right across the Zurich University (Tram 5 & 9 to Kantonsschule).
Das Wintertraining für das Zürich Challengers Softball Team findet jeden DIENSTAG von 18.00-20.00 Uhr in der Turnhalle Lavater an der Schulhausstr. 1 in Zürich-Enge statt (Tram 7 bis Museum Rietberg) sowie jeden MITTWOCH von 18.15-20.00 Uhr und jeden DONNERSTAG von 19.00-21.40 Uhr in der Turnhalle Rämibüel an der Rämistrasse 80 vis-à-vis der Uni Zürich statt (Tram 5 & 9 bis Kantonsschule).