After winning nine in a row the softball team lost 9-11 to the Zurich Barracudas on Thursday evening at the Klopstockwiese and had to give up the top spot in the standings to the reigning champions Wittenbach Panthers.
The action went back and forth. The game was characterized by spectacular plays, but also numerous errors, which caused a lot of traffic on the bases. The home team got off to a better start. After two innings the Challengers were ahead 5-2. Solana Lutz immediately reduced the lead to 4-5 with a 2-run single, but the Challengers were able to save the lead with a rundown and a rare double play on first and third base. In the fourth inning however, the Challengers took a timeout. With three errors, among other things, they didn’t make it too difficult for the Barracudas. The guests mercilessly exploited the errors to make it 8-5. But the Challengers fought their way back. Molly Mullens and Anna Zgraggen with an RBI single initially reduced the score to 7-8, before Alexia Zingg made it 8-8 with an RBI in the fifth. The game was tied to start the sixth inning. With doubles from Mariah Jameyson and Nadine Kronenberg as well as a sac bunt from Jody Fischer and an RBI groundout from Ines Dübendorfer the Barracudas took the lead again by three runs. The home team tried everything again, but could not manage more than the 9-11 by Anouk Lkharrazi, which sealed the first Challengers defeat after nine wins in a row.
Anna Zgraggen and Molly Mullens each scored two hits, Alexia Zingg recorded two RBI and Isabelle Tan scored two runs for the Challengers.

A real tough test awaits the Softball-Team on Thursday night with the first Zurich derby of the season. The Challengers, who are currently riding a nine game winning streak, will host the Zurich Barracudas at 7 p.m. on the Klopstockwiese. In the last ten years the advantage has been with 27-15 victories on the part of the Barracudas, although the last playoff semi-final duels were narrowly in favor of the Challengers.

The softball players had a tough time against the Sissach Frogs, but narrowly defeated the Baselbieters twice. This means that the Challengers kept their winning streak alive.
Four weeks ago the Challengers celebrated two easy wins in Sissach. The Baselbieters have since strengthened their team with the addition of 22-year-old American Madison Johnson. She gave her team a lot of stability in defense and proved to be tough to crack in the second game as pitcher. But the home team had a hard time in the first game as well. In the third inning the Challengers took an 8-6 lead and managed to win early with four runs in the fifth inning to make it 14-7 thanks to the mercy rule. Isabelle Tan had two hits and three RBI, Carmen Lutz-Demetz scored two doubles, Leandra Simitovic and birthday girl Molly Mullens each scored two hits, while Tamara Ammeter and Amanda Marxer each contributed two RBI to the win. Ammeter gave up two runs, one hit and three walks in four innings with four strikeouts for the win.
Game two developed into a duel between the two defenses. The Challengers managed the maximum of five runs allowed by rule in the first inning, but then failed to score another run in six innings against Johnson. Carmen Lutz-Demetz and Lara Müller managed two doubles against the American, but ultimately the C’s had just four hits and struck out ten times. The fact that the Challengers still came away as winners was due to their excellent defense. The Frogs shortened the score to 4-5 in the third inning, but the Challengers defense around pitcher Leandra Simitovic prevented them from equalizing several times at the last minute. In the fifth inning, Simitovic and Isabelle Tan put Johnson out at home plate, in the sixth inning Lutz-Demetz and Simona Cellar erased a lead-off triple by Ramona Thommen with a spectacular double play and in the seventh inning center fielder Tamara Ammeter finished the game with a beautiful catch in right center with the tying run on second base, preserving the Challengers’ nine-game unbeaten streak. Leandra Simitovic was credited with the win by allowing just two runs, five hits and three walks in six innings, with three strikeouts.

The Softball-Team won twice on Saturday against the Bern Cardinals. The Challengers made up the difference in the third inning both times. They are now riding a seven game winning streak.
The guests from Bern made a bold appearance on Zurich’s Klopstockwiese, as the Cardinals kept getting nice hits in the gaps of the Zurich defense. However the Challengers were also in a good mood. The C’s had to rely on a number of former regulars due to a long list of injuries, but they fit seamlessly into the collective. The first game of the day was evenly matched until the third inning before the Challengers called it a difference. With six hits and three errors by the Cardinals the home team scored ten runs and turned a two-run deficit into a 16-8 lead and ultimately won 18-11.
Leandra Simitovic got her first win of the season. She gave up seven runs, five of them earned, seven hits and two walks in five innings with five strikeouts. Meanwhile, Carmen Lutz-Demetz led the offense with two doubles and two RBI, Leandra Simitovic and Tamara Ammeter each contributed two hits, while Lara Müller scored three runs and rookie Mrinalika Singh Dev had her first hit for the Challengers.
In Game 2, the Challengers also found themselves behind by a score of 6-8 in the third inning. This time they scored eight runs to make it 14-8 and in the fourth inning they sent the deal with another four runs to make it 18-8. Mia Matas shone with three hits, Tamara Ammeter provided four RBI, Carmen Lutz-Demetz and Anna Zgraggen each scored four runs and Lara Müller scored three again. In two weeks the Challengers will be hosting the Sissach Frogs at the Klopstockwiese.

The Softball-Team collected two more wins against the Frogs in Sissach, so that the Challengers are riding a five game winning streak since the defeat in the opening game against the title holders Wittenbach Panthers. They are in second place in the standings with a 5-1 record.
The Challengers, who were severely weakened, got support from their neighbors Zurich Barracudas. The two talented young players Riona and Solana Lutz supported the Challengers in the Baselbiet. Thanks to strong performances in the pitcher’s circle, they got the two wins. This was also thanks to a solid defense, which played very confidently despite many changes. The C’s were only able to set a few accents on offense, but they remained patient at the plate and often got on base through walks, which they were regularly able to complete with successful runs. Finally the Challengers won 13-8 and 11-1.