Saturday was a used day for the NLB-Team. Against the Embrach Mustangs, it once again suffered two high defeats. However the results hide the fact that some things were good on the part of the Challengers as well.
At the beginning everything looked good. After two innings the score was even at 1-1. But then the Challengers lost the thread. The Mustangs scored at least four runs in each subsequent inning and in the fourth frame they even scored eleven runs. However the home team helped a lot. Seven errors, three hit-by-pitches and nine walks were added to the 17 hits of the Zürcher Unterländer, resulting in a huge 24-7 loss in the end.
The Challengers lost Game 2 by a score of 20-8 again. But the story behind the numbers was different than in game 1. The guests from Embrach scored six runs in the first inning. The Challengers had to fear the worst, but the Heerenschürli team fought back into the game. In the third inning, the Challengers reconnected to a 6-7 thanks to an RBI groundout from Joseph Stotz, an RBI double from Florin Kampfer, an RBI single from Denyo Benz and a 2-run double from David Morroni. In the fourth inning, the Mustangs added two runs again, but the Challengers had the opportunity to turn the game around entirely. They managed to load the bases with one out, but they could only cash in two runs with a steal on home by Joseph Stotz and a bases loaded walk by Alex Gordon. It wasn’t enough for more than the 8-9. And suddenly the thread broke again. The Mustangs scored 11 unanswered runs in the remaining innings. Despite ultimately 14-10 hits in favor of the Challengers, it was a big loss. But with nine errors the C’s also stood in their own way.
NLB-Team defeated twice with more than ten runs
Cadets beat Unicorns twice
The U15 Cadets won twice against the Hünenberg Unicorns in Embrach on Saturday. While the first game was a true thriller, game two had only one direction.
In the first game the guests from Central Switzerland got off to a better start. They took a 5-0 lead in the first two innings. The Challengers also clocked in with a little delay and subsequently ensured an exciting course of the game. Philip Louis brought home the first Challengers run in the bottom half of the second inning, scored the second run and turned the game around with a three-run in-the-park home run in the third inning to make it 6-5. Jordi Bucher answered the Unicorns’ equalization in the fourth inning with the go-ahead run and with an RBI double, Fabrizio Bucher brought Noam Müller home to make it 8-6. After that the Unicorns were only able to reduce the lead to 7-8, but couldn’t equalize anymore. Noam Müller got the win, Philip Louis the save.
In the second game the Challengers were in control from the start. After two innings, the scoreboard showed the maximum possible margin of 10-0 according to the rules. In the end the Challengers won 14-2. Philip Louis again led the way with three hits and three runs, while Jasper Freigang and Fabrice Cadalbert each contributed two hits and two RBIs to the win.
Challengers win local derby
The Challengers turn Friday night’s local derby from out of nowhere and win 12-3 against the Zurich Barracudas. So the Challengers travel to the European Federations Cup in Slovakia with a good feeling.
In the first three innings, Livio Bundi’s first-inning solo home run was the only exclamation mark. While the Barracudas added two more runs for a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning, the Challengers managed just one hit in the first half of the game. Seen in this way, the turning point came almost out of nowhere. Patrick Maier opened the sixth inning with a single and launched the big turn. The Zurich team sent no fewer than 16 batters to the plate. Eleven of them scored a run, eight hits, including two doubles by Regis Reinhard and Nick Siemers, mainly made up for it.
With that the game was decided. Even more so while the Challengers pitchers Simon Steffen, who got his third win, and Stefan Haltmeier, who got his third save of the season, pitched very strong.
The Challengers are now packing their baseball bags. They will play from at the European Federation Cup in Bratislava (Slovakia), that will take place from Monday till Saturday next week. A derby victory in your luggage is the best motivation for this.
Three wins on the same day
The Challengers have seen a lot in their more than 40-year history. But three victories for the NLA-Team in one day should also be a new experience for them.
Because before the scheduled double header against the Wil Pirates could take place, a game that had been interrupted in April due to rain in the bottom half of the last inning with one out had to be played to completion. The Challengers took a 14-10 lead into the short final sprint. Pitcher Marco Limacher made short work of it and made the two outs needed to secure the win as quickly as possible.
And the native of Lucerne stayed in the lead role. With an outstanding seven innings, in which he gave up just five hits and an unearned run with four walks and a strikeout, he made his mark on the first game of the doubleheader. The three runs that his offense had put forward in innings two to four were enough for the Challengers to win the game 4-1. Nationalteam player Hayden Jung-Goldberg scored two hits on his debut for the Challengers.
In the last game of the day, the Challengers picked up their third win with a result of 10-5. With six hits and the support of two errors by the Pirates, the Zurich team scored eight runs in the fourth inning, which ultimately decided the game. Säntis Zeller and again Hayden Jung-Goldberg led the offense with two hits each, while Stefan Haltmeier allowed five hits and two runs in four innings for his first win of the season.
Softball-Team defeats Eagles twice
The Softball-Team had an extremely difficult time with the Eagles in the first game day in Zurich. The re-match in Lucerne was surprisingly one-sided, although the Challengers started with a handicap.
They lacked a U22 age group pitcher, who has to pitch the first two innings of a game. This is punished with ten so-called penalty runs. The fact that it was still enough to secure two victories was due to a disciplined performance by the Challengers offense, which relentlessly exploited the weaknesses of the opposing pitching.
In the first game the C’s scored no less than 26 runs for a 26-10 win. Taylor McCants had three hits and five RBI, Molly Mullens had two hits and four RBI, and Carmen Lutz-Demetz and Leandra Simitovic had two hits and three RBI each.
Game 2 was much tighter. Against the American pitcher Rio Sanchez, the Challengers needed until the sixth inning to compensate for the 10-run deficit and a Leandra Simitovic, who was able to calm the opposing bats. She gave up just three hits but no runs in five innings with two walks and five strikeouts for her second win of the season. In the offense Carmen Lutz-Demetz and Leandra Simitovic were again among the driving forces with three hits and four RBI each, while Tamara Ammeter scored three runs. Thanks to three runs in the seventh inning this resulted in a 16-13 win.
Juveniles play for fifth place
The U12-Juveniles get a win against the SG Ravens/Frogs in the Wild Card tournament of the three second-placed teams, but are defeated by the Rümlang Kobras beforehand. While the Kobras buy the last ticket for the finals, the Challengers will play against the Ravens/Frogs for fifth place next Saturday.
The Kobras made it clear early in the game that they were aiming for the Final Four tournament. The young Challengers team fought back as best they could, but ultimately had too little horsepower to pose a serious threat to the stronger Kobras. The Zürcher Unterländer finally won clearly with 11-4.
Since the Kobras defeated the SG Ravens/Frogs 8-4 in the second game of the day, it was clear even before the last game between the Solothurn-Baselland team and the Challengers that the Final Four tournament was out of reach for both. However, the Zurich team showed another strong performance in the offensive. Despite struggling on defense and pitching, they somehow managed to hold off the fresh-playing Ravens/Frogs and won the game 16-9.
This means that the Challengers are missing out the medals in this age group for the first time since 2015, but in view of the many new players they can be very satisfied with reaching the games for fifth place.
Split for the NLB-Team in Lucerne
The NLB-Team walks away with a split against the Eagles in Lucerne. It could actually have been even more, in the end the Challengers should be happy to have taken at least one win with them. Both games were decided in the sixth inning.
The Challengers will think about Game 1 for a while. The guests had more hits with 11-8, committed fewer errors with 1-3, had more strikeouts with 4-3, and hit a smooth .500 with runners in scoring position. Still, that wasn’t enough to win. And this despite an early 4-0 lead and although Zurich managed to tie it to 7-7 in the fifth inning. In the sixth frame the Eagles scored four runs with four hits and were able to decide the game. The Challengers brought the tying run to the plate again, but it wasn’t enough for more than the 8-11.
David Morroni and Carlos Nepomuceno each had two hits and Nepomuceno and Luis Mateo Jimenez were responsible for two RBI each, while Florin Kampfer and Joseph Stotz put on solid performances from the pitcher’s mound but were poorly rewarded.
Game 2 was also on the brink till the end. The lead went back and forth already in the early innings. The highlight of the starting period came from veteran Thomas Landis, who hit a home run over the fence at right center field to make it 2-2 in the third inning. The decision came again in the sixth inning. At 2-3 Adderly Sarmito hit a 2-run single that brought home Oliver Bernet Garcia and Florin Kampfer and turned the game around. Afterwards, Alex Gordon also scored to make it 5-3, an insurance run that the Challengers later urgently needed. The Eagles made it 4-5 in the sixth inning and blew another hallali in the seventh. After a hit-by-pitch, a single and a walk, they loaded the bases with one out. But Challengers pitcher Luis Mateo Jimenez escaped the Eagles’ final attack with a flyout to left field and a pop fly to himself, securing his colors the win.
In addition to Landis with his home run, Carlos Nepomuceno also impressed with two doubles, while Adderly Sarmiento and Ryan Koley each had two RBI’s.
Cadets back on the winning track
The U15-Cadets wanted to find their way back on the winning track after the two defeats on the last gameday. They managed to do so on Saturday in Embrach, even if the games went very differently than expected.
The Challengers had extreme difficulties against the SG Blackhawks, who have not yet won a game this season. But the Blackhawks played their best game of the season offensively, bringing the Challengers to the brink of a defeat. The C’s just got their heads out of the noose with a walk-off win in the bottom of the fifth inning and celebrated a nerve-wracking 14-13 victory.
In the second game of the day there was revenge against the Hünenberg Unicorns, against whom the Challengers pitched a no-hitter but still lost the game 1-2. However anyone who had expected another tough struggle was completely wrong. The Challengers dominated in all aspects of the game and won easily with 17-1.
NLA faces Wil, U12 plays Wild Card Tournament
A curiosity awaits the NLA-Team next Sunday. The Challengers meet the Wil Pirates three times. Before the actually planned double header on the Heerenschürli takes place, the last inning of a game that has been suspended in April due to rain has to be completed. The game was stoped in the bottom of the seventh inning with one out and a 14-10 lead for the Challengers. There are still two outs to play. The trilogy begins at 10.45 a.m. at the Heerenschürli ballpark.
The NLB-Team travels to Lucerne on Saturday, where they will meet the Lucerne Eagles. In the first meeting of the season in Zurich, they suffered two painful defeats against the central Swiss. The games start at 11 am and 2 pm in Reussbühl Hinterruopigen.
The U15-Cadets are also in action on Saturday. After the two defeats last weekend, a reaction is to be expected. After the opening game against the SG Black Hawks, the C’s will play again against the Hünenberg Unicorns. The games will take place in Embrach PZ Hard and start at 10 am and 3 pm.
The Softball-Team also meets the Luzern Eagles on Sunday, June 11th. In the case of the women’s team, the first comparison this season went in favor of the Challengers. The games start at 11 am and 1.30 pm in Reussbühl Hinterruopigen.
The U12-Juveniles are in action on the Klopstockwiese on Sunday. As runners-up in the Central group, they are contesting the wild card tournament for fourth place at the Final Four tournament on June 18 in Hünenberg. The Challengers Juniors play at 10 am and 3 pm.
Fine performance from 1st League-Team
After the Challengers had lost all of their games on Saturday, three times with one run, it was up to the 1st League-Team to get into the W column. And they did so impressively with a 7-2 win against the Zurich Eighters.
In the second inning the Challengers put up five runs, enough for pitcher Joseph Stotz to take home the win. He gave up six hits and two runs, one earned, with two walks and eight strikeouts. Oliver Bernet and Noam Müller opened the inning with two singles before Jacob Stotz loaded the bases after a hit-by-pitch. A passed ball, a double from Jasper Freigang, an error from the Eighters defense and an RBI groundout from Philip Louis made it 5-0. Two more runs in the fifth inning led to the final score of 7-2.
In the second game of the day, the Challengers faced the SG Wittenbach-Romanshorn/Wil Devils. At the last meeting the C’s have been rolled over with a 0-20. The offense of the eastern Swiss was again extremely productive at the beginning and after two innings they already had a 11-3 lead. But the Challengers caught themselves and initially stopped the flood of runs with good defense before they scored five runs themselves in the fifth inning to make it 8-14.