The Challengers and the Zurich Barracudas Academy faced off on Sunday in a decisive doubleheader for fourth place in the standings. After a blowout in Game 1, which the Barracudas won early 22-2, the Challengers rallied to win 12-11 with seven runs in the sixth inning in Game 2.
The Challengers’ opening game was not going well at all. They lacked many of the things they had done so well in recent games. In particular, the pitchers had immense trouble finding the strike zone, so the 18 walks issued largely explain the final score of 2-22. Jasper Freigang and Patrick Zöllig each had two hits for the Challengers.
Game 2 also looked like a loss for the Challengers for a long time. The Academy was already leading 11-5 in the sixth inning before the home team pulled off a miracle. With four hits, two walks with the bases loaded, and aggressive baserunning, the Challengers turned the game around and took a 12-11 lead. The Barracudas had one more inning to tie the game, but pitcher Jack Siemers threw two strikeouts before catcher Fabrizio Bucher caught stealing the opposing baserunner, ending the game.
With this last-minute win, the Challengers temporarily moved into the fourth place and overtook the Lausanne Indians, who lost both games against the Zurich Lions. However, the Lausanne team will face the last placed Therwil Flyers in a week and have a chance to knock the Challengers out of the top four.
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NLB-Team saves a Win
Cadets with two Losses
The U15 Cadets faced the SG Pirates on Saturday in Hünenberg. The Challengers had nothing to gain against the Eastern Swiss team, losing both games decisively.
The first runs of the day went to the Zurich team. Fabrizio Bucher and Len Blickenstorfer delibvered RBI singles to make it 2-0. But after just two innings, the Blues were already trailing 2-7. The final score was 6-14. Although the Zurich team managed eight hits on offense, they had nothing to gain. On the one hand, they struggled with the Pirates’ aggressive baserunning, but on the other, the Pirates didn’t leave a single run on the bases, thus making the most of their opportunities. Fabrizio Bucher and Olin Davison each had two hits for the Challengers.
Game 2 also got off to a good start for the Challengers. Although the SG Pirates initially took a 3-0 lead, the Challengers responded with five runs. Fabrizio Bucher cut the score to 2-3 with a home run, Len Blickenstorfer and Moor Müller followed with RBI singles, and after an error, the score was 5-3 for the Zurich team. The Eastern Swiss team, however, was undeterred. They kept up the pace while the Challengers had largely used up their energy. Thus, the second game was also a decisive affair, with a 20-7 victory for the Pirates. Fabrizio Bucher went 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs, while Moor Müller had two hits and two RBI.
Zurich Softball-Teams split again
The Zurich Barracudas and Zurich Challengers softball teams shared the wins again in Saturday’s second doubleheader in Rümlang. The Challengers won a rollercoaster Game 1, while the Barracudas turned Game 2 around.
Due to the heat first pitch was moved up an hour. However both teams showed their readiness. The first game of the day was back-and-forth. The Challengers immediately pulled ahead 5-0. The Barracudas recovered this deficit by the third inning. The home team also had an answer to the Challengers’ 6-5 lead that came thanks to a solo home run by Alexia Zingg. And with the Challengers leading again at 7-6, Andrea Brändli hit an RBI triple before giving her team the lead for the first time after a wild pitch. But the visitors had the final word. Janina Liechti tied the game with an RBI single, and Simone Zuschnitten made it 9-8. The Challengers extended their lead to 11-8 in the final inning following an error by the home team.
Isabelle Tan had three hits, Alexia Zingg had two hits with a home run and scored three runs, Taylor McCants and Karen Hendren each had two hits, while Simone Zuschnitten had one hit and three RBI. Karen Heimgartner earned the win, as she gave up five hits and three runs in 4.2 innings, with four walks and six strikeouts.
The Challengers were close to snatching a second win from Rümlang. They took a 6-2 lead with five runs in the third inning and were still ahead 9-6 in the fifth. But then the defense couldn’t get out of the inning, while the Barracudas scored no fewer than nine runs and were able to turn the game around. The Challengers couldn’t add more than two runs to make it 11-15. Although they were clearly ahead 15-10 in hits, the ten walks given up ultimately cost them the win.
Taylor McCants exploded for four hits and three runs, Isabelle Tan again had three hits and three RBI, while Simona Cellar, Carmen Lutz-Demetz and Karen Heimgartner all had two hits apiece.
NLB Showdown on Sunday
On Sunday, the decisive clash for a spot in the NLB playoffs will take place at the Heerenschürli ballpark between the Zurich Challengers and the Zurich Barracudas Academy. The two teams are currently tied for fourth place with five wins and five losses each. After the preliminary round the standings will be split based on fourth place. The top four teams will then compete in the intermediate round and then, with the NLA teams ranked fifth through seventh, the playoffs for the NLB championship title. The NLB teams ranked fifth through seventh will continue to play placement games. The games begin at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
The same battle will take place on Saturday in softball between the Zurich Barracudas and the Zurich Challengers. The two cantonal rivals will meet in Rümlang for a doubleheader. Games begin at 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. in Rümlang Rümelbach.
The U15 Cadets will also be in action on Saturday. Following their first two wins of the season last weekend, the Challengers will face the SG Pirates. The games will take place at 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. at Hünenberg Rony.
Tough Losses for the NLB-Team
Poor payoff for the NLB-team on Sunday. In the small Zurich derby against the Zurich Lions the Challengers suffered two unnecessary losses. They could have won in both games.
The subjunctive is rarely a good advisor in sports. However, the Challengers lacked solid arguments on Sunday at the new Heerenschürli ballpark. They dominated Game 1 against the Zurich Lions with 12-7 hits, committed fewer errors, were more efficient with runners in scoring position, led 8-4 at one point, and lost the game 9-13.
So Jordi Bucher’s three hits remained a pattern of no value. Florin Kämpfer and Thomas Landis each had two hits, Jasper Freigang collected three RBI, and Noam Blickenstorfer added another two.
After Game 2 there were only long faces on the Challengers side. Again they controlled the game, leading 8-1 and still trailing 9-5 going into the final half inning, they were one strike away from victory at 9-7, and once again lost 9-10. Noam Blickenstorfer shone with three hits and three RBI, while Florin Kämpfer and Fabrizio Bucher had two hits apiece.
While the Lions took the lead with their two wins, the Challengers now are in a tie for fourth place with the Zurich Barracudas Academy. They will also be their next opponent next Sunday in a head-to-head matchup for a playoff spot.
Win and Loss for the Juveniles
The U12-Juveniles hosted their closest rivals, the Luzern Eagles, and the Bern Cardinals at the Klopstockwiese to conclude their 2025 preliminary round. The three teams enjoyed a fantastic day of baseball in perfect conditions.
On a purely sporting level, the results were not quite as positive. Against the second-placed Luzern Eagles, the Challengers had no chance in a game for the first time this season. Consequently they suffered their second defeat of the season with a score of 6-13. However the hosts improved again against the Bern Cardinals, winning the second game of the day 12-9. The Challengers finished the preliminary round at the top of the Competitive group East with an impressive record of twelve wins and only two losses.
Barracudas too strong, again
The Challengers were defeated again in the second night game of the weekend by their cross-town rivals. The Barracudas celebrated their 40th anniversary in style with a 5-0 victory.
The game was characterized by numerous strikeouts. Barracudas starter Nicholas Miceli recorded ten strikeouts and gave up only four hits and no walks in seven innings. Tate Stone-Frisina’s twelve strikeouts were of no use. In eight innings, he gave up a total of three hits, three runs, two of which were unearned, and two walks. The Challengers made costly errors at the wrong time in this close game, but also failed to make headway with the opposing pitches on offense. No fewer than fourteen of their 29 batters were struck out. Thus, the Barracudas secured their second derby victory in 24 hours with relative ease.
Cadets arrive in Win column
The U15-Cadets secured their first two wins of the season after eight consecutive losses. They defeated the Geneva Dragons 2 in two nerve-wracking games in Bulle, 19-17 and 10-9.
The first game was characterized by numerous walks. Accordingly, the game lacked momentum. However, the game began with a bang. As the second batter in the lineup, Ian Zürcher immediately sent the ball over the right-field fence to make it 1-0. Although the Challengers set the tone, leading 15-9 after three innings, Geneva fought back to within one run. The visitors gained some breathing room in the fifth with four much needed insurance runs, but ultimately needed a double play to secure their first victory.
Fabrice Cadalbert and Fabrizio Bucher each had two hits, Bucher scored four runs, while Ian Zürcher and Elias Lüthi each drove in three runs.
In the second game of the day, the Challengers also had the upper hand throughout the entire encounter. However, things turned dramatic again at the end. The Zurich team led 5-1 and later 10-3 before the Dragons, with their backs against the wall, mounted a comeback in the final inning. Closer Len Blickenstorfer secured a 10-9 victory for his team with a strikeout with the bases loaded.
On offense, Elias Lüthi made a statement with three hits, three RBI, and three runs scored, while Ian Zürcher, Fabrizio Bucher, Alexander Maron, and Len Blickenstorfer had two hits apiece.
Two wins for the Softball-Team
The Softball-Team swept the SG Sissach Frogs/Therwil Flyers. The Challengers were challenged little on their way to their 16-0 and 19-9 victories.
The visitors got off to a very focused start in Therwil. A bases-loaded walk by Isabelle Tan made it 1-0, a two-run double by Alexia Zingg made it 3-0, and a wild pitch and another walk with the bases loaded by Vianne Benz made it 5-0. This was enough for the win, as 17-year-old guest pitcher Janina Liechti from the Panthers once again delivered a strong performance as a pitcher. She allowed only two hits in four innings, with zero walks, one hit-by-pitch, and eight strikeouts for a shutout win. Meanwhile, the offense kept its foot on the gas and the game ended 16-0 after four innings. Carmen Lutz-Demetz had two hits and three RBI, Simona Cellar had two hits and two RBI and Alexia Zingg had three RBI.
The second game initially continued in the same vein. The Challengers took a 14-0 lead before the home team managed to at least slightly narrow the gap. However, this did nothing to change the Zurich team’s 19-9 victory.
Simona Cellar had an in-the-park home run and two hits with two RBI, Carmen Lutz-Demetz and Alexia Zingg each delivered two hits and three RBI, Larissa D’Hondt belted two doubles, Simone Zusrschmitten had two hits and Mrinalika Singh Dev and Amanda Marxer contributed two RBI each.
Barracudas take first Nightgame
The first major Zurich baseball derby was also the first night game at the Heerenschürli ballpark, which had been upgraded with a new backstop. What initially seemed like a clear win for the Challengers ultimately became a clear victory for the Zurich Barracudas.
The Challengers got off to the better start. The visitors scored two runs in their first inning. Leonel Sosa Marte opened the scoring with an RBI single before Carlo Nepomuceno made it 2-0 on a wild pitch. In the third inning, the pendulum swung even more decisively in the Challengers’ favor. Nepomuceno increased the lead to 4-1 with a two-run single before Nick Siemers blasted the ball over the wall in left center field to make it 6-1.
Anyone who thought the game was over isn’t familiar with the Zurich baseball derby history. It has had some crazy twists and turns in store, and that was no different on this Friday night. While the Challengers offense shut down, the Barracudas clocked in. In the fourth frame the home team made up the deficit thanks to a 2-run double by Nick Fischer and an error by the Challengers, tying the score at 6-6. Then, in the sixth inning, all hell broke loose. Even with two pitching changes, the Challengers could not extinguish the wildfire ignited by no fewer than 16 batters from the Barracudas, who were wearing their City Connect uniforms tonight. The damage to the Challengers was severe. Eleven runs, making the score 17-6, brought the game to an early end. It’s a good thing the next opportunity awaits tomorrow, Saturday evening, also at 6:30 p.m. Their opponents are once again the Zurich Barracudas.