It was a turbulent week for the NLB-Team. On Wednesday, the Challengers learned that, due to the Hünenberg Unicorns’ withdrawal, they would inherit their spot in the intermediate round and thus also in the NLB playoffs. However, on Saturday they immediately had to take over the Unicorns’ slot on the field against the Lausanne Indians as well. And ultimately they won both games by one run.
Assembling a team on such short notice, especially during the summer holidays, would have been virtually impossible. But the Swiss Baseball and Softball Federation approved the midweek transfer of three Unicorns players to the Challengers, enabling the games against the Lausanne Indians to take place. The first game of the day featured a pitcher’s duel between Maxime Flayol for the Indians and Ari Lonstein, the Unicorn, who was essentially a guest pitcher for the Challengers. Flayol delivered a strong performance for Lausanne, giving up only five hits and two runs, one earned, with one walk and six strikeouts. However, this wasn’t enough for the victory. Lonstein even topped this performance. He allowed just three hits and one run in seven innings, with four walks and thirteen strikeouts. On offense, Fabrizio Bucher organized the Challengers’ two runs with a single in the first inning and an RBI groundout in the third, while the defense was able to stave off the tie in the top of the seventh inning thanks to an out against the Indians’ batter-runner, who was trying to stretch a single into a double.
The second game was not only a battle between the Indians and the Challengers, but also a battle against the elements. The game had to be called off early in the fifth inning due to heavy rain. And the Challengers once again had the better ending. In the previous inning, Kazuki Sato scored the decisive run on a wild pitch, making the score 7-6. The Zurich team was previously down 2-5, but the Challengers turned the game around with an RBI groundout by Sato in the second inning and runs by Unicorns catcher Marvin Müller, Mike Siemers, and Noam Blickenstorfer in the third.
By advancing to the intermediate round, the Challengers will now play two night games against the Zurich Barracudas Academy at their home ballpark, Heerenschürli, on Monday and Tuesday, August 4 and 5.
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Two unexpected Wins for NLB-Team
Tonight’s local baseball derby canceled
The local derby between the Zurich Barracudas and the Zurich Challengers, scheduled for Saturday evening at 6.30 p.m., has been canceled due to heavy rain. The field at the Heerenschürli ballpark is unplayable under these conditions. The Technical Commission of the Swiss Baseball and Softball Federation rescheduled the game for Tuesday, July 29 at 6.30 p.m.
Continue Reading » Tonight’s local baseball derby canceledBarracudas take first Nightgame
The first of two night games between the Zurich Barracudas and the Zurich Challengers was a clear victory for the Zurich Barracudas. After their 4-9 loss, the Challengers have a chance for revenge tomorrow, Saturday, when the next local derby takes place at 6:30 p.m. at the Heerenschürli ballpark.
The Barracudas, playing as the visiting team this evening, needed no warm-up. Three of their first four batters reached base with singles, and Nicholas Miceli and Camden Vasquez scored the first two runs in the first inning already. Even before the Challengers’ first hitter reached base, the Barracudas had already increased their lead to 4-0. Furthermore, their pitcher, Fabio Bundi, had a brilliant day. He gave up just two hits and recorded ten strikeouts in seven innings. When his workday ended, the scoreboard showed a score of 7-0. Only then did the Challengers clock in. After a hit by pitch to James Sanders and a walk by Simon Steffen, Carsten Zuber’s RBI single and Jordi Bucher’s RBI brought the home team on the scoreboard. And after RBIs from Regis Reinhard and Säntis Zeller made it 4-7, there was a brief glimmer of hope. But the Barracudas put the final touches on the event with two more runs in the ninth inning.
NLB-Team inherits playoff spot
The NLB-Team narrowly missed reaching the intermediate round and thus the playoffs. However, the Challengers can still compete for the NLB crown. The Zurich team inherits the Hünenberg Unicorns’ spot in the intermediate round, who definitively withdrew their team from the championship after two forfeit losses last weekend. The Unicorns club management has taken tough internal disciplinary action and accepts the consequences of an early end to the season due to a lack of remaining players. The Technical Commission of the Swiss Baseball and Softball Federation has now decided that the Challengers, as the fifth-place team, will be allowed to move up.
For the Challengers, this means they must, or rather, will be allowed to, play against the Lausanne Indians tomorrow, Saturday, in Hünenberg. At the beginning of August, there will be two night games against the Zurich Barracudas Academy, followed by a playoff duel with either the Wil Pirates or the Zurich Barracudas’ second team.
Two night games with local derby
The 2025 baseball season has another highlight in store. On Friday and Saturday night the Zurich Challengers and the Zurich Barracudas will face off in a two-game series at the Heerenschürli ballpark.
Since only the top two teams after the intermediate round advance to the playoff finals, the Challengers, currently in third place, are under severe pressure to close the gap to the top pairing of the Barracudas and Therwil Flyers. However, the Challengers were decisively defeated by their cross-town rivals in both of their preliminary round games. The games begin at 6:30 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday.
On Saturday the Challengers Softball-Team will host the Lucerne Eagles at the Klopstockwiese for a home game as well. While the Challengers are in third place and firmly on course for a playoff spot, the Central Swiss team is still locked in a long-distance battle with the Bern Cardinals for fourth place. Both teams won one game each of the doubleheader in Lucerne, promising an exciting matchup. Games begin at 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. at the Klopstockwiese in Zurich-Enge.
Challengers unlucky
The Challengers were unlucky on Saturday. They lost Game 1 to the Lucerne Eagles 5-7 and in the second game of the day, they blew an 8-3 lead just as the game was called off due to rain.
The Central Swiss team made it to the second round, somewhat surprisingly, at the expense of the Wil Pirates. On Saturday at the Heerenschürli they proved that this was well deserved. The visitors scored three runs in each of the first two innings and ultimately held on to their 6-2 lead. The Challengers scored two runs in the first inning after a bases-loaded walk by Leonel Sosa Marte and an RBI groundout by James Sanders. An RBI groundout by Florin Kämpfer made it 3-6 in the second inning, and they came within one run in the fifth. After a double by Kämpfer and a single by Säntis Zeller, the home team pulled within 5-6 with an RBI groundout by Ryan Byrne and a wild pitch. However, the Challengers were unable to score against relief pitcher Fernando Baez Aybar, resulting in a 5-7 loss. This realistically puts a spot in the playoff finals far out of reach.
Things fared better for the Zurich team in the afternoon game. They quickly took a 5-0 lead and maintained a comfortable 8-3 advantage going into the final inning. However, the Eagles managed to tie the game in the nick of time. Instead of allowing the Challengers to pursue a walk-off victory in the bottom half of the seventh inning, the heavens opened, forcing the game to be called without a score.
Challengers split with Flyers
The Challengers remain within striking distance of the top two teams in the Baseball NLA. After a decisive loss in the first game, the Zurich team responded strongly in the second, earning a deserved 10-5 split.
The Zurich team got off to a poor start. While the Flyers offense quickly got going, the visitors struggled to find their footing and delivered just three hits in total. That was by far not enough. The game ended early with a 12-0 win for the home team. After the break, the Challengers checked in as well. Led by pitcher Tate Stone-Frisina, who gave up just four hits and one run in five innings, with one walk and eleven strikeouts, the visitors took control early. Carlos Nepomuceno opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first inning. The C’s made the decisive difference in the fourth inning. A single by Ryan Byrne made it 3-0, Carlos Nepomuceno followed with a two-run double, before James Sanders’ RBI double, Leonel Sosa Marte’s RBI single, and Noam Blickenstorfer’s RBI double gave Zurich an 8-0 lead.
Nepomuceno had three hits and four RBI, James Sanders also had three hits and two RBI, while Ryan Byrne, Säntis Zeller, and Leonel Sosa Marte each had two hits.
First placed Panthers too strong for Challengers
After recent strong performances, the Challengers Softball-Team was devastated by league leaders Wittenbach Panthers. The Eastern Swiss team allowed virtually nothing and walked away with two wins from Zurich.
In the morning game both teams showed several spectacular defensive plays. Both pitchers, Felicitas Schatton for the Panthers and Anouchka Michel for the Challengers, had a good day too. This prevented their offenses from flourishing. Overall, however, the visitors from Eastern Switzerland had a slight advantage, resulting in a well-deserved 7-0 victory.
In the second game of the day, the Panthers took a 1-0 lead again. But the Challengers also had their moments on offense this time. Marianne Aellen brought home Karen Hendren and Simone Zuschnitten with a two-run double, turning the game around. After three innings, the score was tied 2-2. But then the Challengers came to a standstill. The league leader scored eight runs off six hits and two errors, clinching the game. The Challengers’ offense lacked the necessary punch on Saturday, resulting in another decisive 4-15 defeat.
Cadets swept by Kobras
The U15-Cadets played another local derby at the end of the preliminary round in Rümlang. The Challengers were unable to win either game against the Rümlang Kobras.
The first game was already fairly one-sided. The Challengers repeatedly failed to get out of the innings on defense, but were unable to generate enough offensive pressure, producing only four hits. The final result was a decisive 8-19 defeat. The lone highlight was Fabrizio Bucher’s grand slam in the fourth inning. The second game of the day was a similar story. The Kobras again cruised to an easy 13-2 victory.
Softball-Team hosts Leader
The Challengers and the Wittenbach Panthers will face off in a softball duel on Saturday at the Klopstockwiese in Zurich-Enge. The first placed Panthers have only lost one game to date, defeating the Challengers twice in the first doubleheader of the season in mid-May. However, the Zurich team kept the first game open for a long time, losing only narrowly 7-9. The games will take place at 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
The U15 Cadets will also be in action on Saturday. The Challengers will face the Rümlang Kobras in a local derby. The games will take place at 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in Rümlang Rümelbach.
In the Baseball NLA the Challengers will travel to the leader on Sunday. The Zurich team will face the reigning champions, the Therwil Flyers, in Therwil. The Challengers have already secured their place in the intermediate round. For them, it’s all about keeping pace with the two top teams, Therwil and Zurich Barracudas. After the intermediate round, only the top two teams advance directly to the playoff final. The games are at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. in Therwil Känelmatt.