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.