The U15-Cadets met the SG Eagles/Unicorns on Saturday. The Central Swiss team proved to be a stubborn opponent, but the Challengers found a way to win both games. In the end the slightly greater depth in pitching was decisive.
It wasn’t the first time the Zurich team got off to a cold start this season. When the SG Eagles/Unicorns took a 3-0 lead in the third inning, the Challengers had only managed one hit but had already committed four errors. At least Ben Dickow cut the score to 1-3 with a sac fly that Jimmy Siemers scored on in the second half of the third inning. Now the wind changed. In the fourth frame, the Challengers were able to take the lead with four runs. Yannik Hobi scored on a wild pitch, Fabrice Cadalbert scored on an error by the guests and finally Fabrizio Bucher gave his colors a 5-3 lead with a 2-run single. Ben Dickow pitched the final two innings without allowing a run, securing the Challengers a hard-fought victory.
In the second game, the Challengers got going quicker. Although their early 8-2 lead was briefly threatened again when the SG Eagles/Unicorns scored the maximum of five runs in the second inning, the Zurich team responded immediately with five runs of their own to make it 13-7. They brought this lead to the finish. The defending champions ultimately won 14-10. Jasper Freigang and Fabrizio Bucher each delivered two hits and two RBI, Ben Dickow scored three runs, while Jimmy Siemers and Alex Maron each contributed two runs to the triumph.

The U15 Cadets shine in game 1 with a no-hitter and a 16-0 win. The second game is much more competitive, but ends with another success for the Challengers with the score of 9-7.
Jasper Freigang and Ilai Blickenstorfer managed a rare no-hitter in the first game of the day. They faced the minimum of 15 batters as the Challengers defense came out the Pirates’ only two baserunners by caught stealings. The Zurich offense needed a moment to get up to speed. After one run in the first inning, the Challengers made the paved the way with five runs in the second. In the end, they scored a total of 16 runs. Ilai Blickenstorfer had three hits and one RBI, Noam Müller delivered two hits and three RBI, while Jasper Freigang, Fabrizio Bucher and Jimmy Siemers each contributed two hits.
The second game was a lot tighter. The Pirates initially took a 2-0 lead and then cut the deficit to 5-7 in the fourth inning. But the Challengers always had an answer. Five runs in the first inning created a cushion and they immediately increased the lead to 9-5 in the second half of the fourth inning. The home team loaded the bases in the last inning and got within 7-9 thanks to two walks, but the Challengers were able to end the threat with a somewhat fortunate double play.

The U15 Cadets split with the Kobras in the reprise of last year’s U15 final in Rümlang. While game 1 was clearly in favor of the Challengers, game 2 just as clearly went to the Zurich Unterländer.
The mission of defending the title is a lot more difficult to achieve in the junior classes than with the adults. And there, too, this is quite difficult. What makes things even more difficult for the juniors is that some team members will no longer be available in the new season due to their age. However there are still a few champions in the Challengers’ lineup. For example Jasper Freigang and Ben Dickow, who pitched a two-hitter with seven strikeouts in the season opener and paved the way for the first win of the season. The offense contributed twelve hits and eight runs to the comfortable 8-0 start. Jasper Freigang and Fabrizio Bucher delivered three hits each, while Noam Müller, Ben Dickow and newcomer Tyler Smith each had two hits.
As in last year’s final, game 2 went in the opposite direction. The first three Challengers pitchers couldn’t find the strike zone at all, so the Kobras went out of the second inning with ten runs on the board. This proved to be a big enough lead because the Challengers didn’t do much on offense either, so game two went to the home team with a score of 10-2.