The Softball-Team lost two tight games against the Luzern Eagles on Saturday, May 29 at Reussbühl. The Challengers rallied to tie Game 1 in the fifth, but the Eagles pushed across the game-winning run when starter Simona Cellar walked Jasmin Zihlmann with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, allowing the Eagles to escape with a 7-6 win.
The Challengers opened the score with four runs in the first inning. The Eagles got three runs back in the first two frames before the C’s plated a run in the third, as Celine Welti drove in Simona Cellar to make it 5-3. Three runs in the bottom of the third put the Eagles in front for the first time. Trainilng 6-5, the C’s got a run in the fifth to deadlock the score, as Elisabete Vieira scored Cellar with a RBI-groundout, before the Eagles walked off with the win in the seventh.
Cellar (0-1) allowed seven runs – six of them earned – and four hits, while Simone Zurschmitten had a game-high two hits.
Jasmin Zihlmann’s run-scoring double in the bottom of the sixth inning proved to be enough for Kirsten Rowell and the Eagles, as they held on for 2-0 victory over the Challengers in Game 2.
Rowell tossed a one-hitter with 13 strikeouts, while Karen Heimgartner (1-2) was the hard-luck loser for allowing two unearned runs on four hits in 6 innings of work, as she struck out eight with no walks.
The games against the Therwil Flyers scheduled for Sunday, May 30 have been canceled due to heavy rain. No make-up date has been announced so far.
The Challengers are now in sixth place with a 1-5 record. They will face next the Wil Devils on Saturday, June 5 at Wil.
Ladies edged twice by Eagles
NLB-Team celebrates first victory
The NLB-Team won its first game since returning to the national league B on Sunday, May 30 at Sissach against the Therwil Flyers. In the first game of the day the Flyers kept the Challangers’ bats silent, as they posted a 3-0 shutout win over the C’s. But the blue and red answered powerful in Game 2, as they cruised to a 20-1 victory over the Flyers.
Continue Reading » NLB-Team celebrates first victoryChallengers remain at .500
The Challengers stay at .500 after a split with the second placed Embrach Mustangs on Saturday, May 29. The Mustangs posted a 9-4 win over the C’s in Game 1, while the blue and red answered with a 7-3 victory in Game 2.
Continue Reading » Challengers remain at .500Cadets zweimal geschlagen
Die U15 Cadets verloren ihre beiden Spiele am Samstag, 29. Mai in Wil. Im ersten Spiel des Tages unterlagen die Challengers der Spielgemeischaft Cardinals/Hunters mit 1-14 deutlich. In der zweiten Partie gegen die Wil Devils hielten die Blauroten gut mit, zogen aber letztlich mit 8-12 dennoch den Kürzeren.
Continue Reading » Cadets zweimal geschlagenVon Burg announces retirement
Challengers shortstop Ueli von Burg officially announced his retirement with immediate effect on Thursday due to personal and job-related reasons.
Von Burg, 33, appeared in 6 games with the C’s this season batting .421 with 8 hits, 6 RBI’s and 8 runs scored. Von Burg scored also the new Heerenschürli ballpark’s very first run on April 17 on Tobias Siegrist’s RBI-single in the first inning.
Von Burg started his career with the Challengers. After a short stint with the Richterswil Athletics he played more than ten seasons for the Zurich Barracudas before returning to the C’s for the 2009 season. The Challengers wish him all the best for his future.
Challengers auf Reisen
Die Challengers treffen am Samstag, 29. Mai in Embrach auf die Mustangs. Die Unterländer liegen derzeit auf Rang zwei und gewannen ihre letzten fünf Spiele allesamt, während die Challengers mit drei Siegen und drei Niederlagen einen ausgeglichenen Rekord haben. Die Spiele beginnen um 11.00 Uhr und 14.00 Uhr in Embrach PZ Hard.
Das Softball-Team ist gleich doppelt im Einsatz. Am Samstag, 29. Mai reisen die Challengers nach Luzern, um die Nachholspiele gegen die drittplatzierten Eagles auszutragen. Die Spiele beginnen um 11.00 Uhr und 13.30 Uhr in Reussbühl Hinterruopigen. Am Sonntag, 30. Mai empfangen die Softballerinnen auf der Klopstockwiese den amtierenden Schweizer Meister Therwil Flyers. Die Spiele beginnen um 11.00 und 13.30 Uhr.
Die U15 Cadets treffen am Samstag, 29. Mai in Wil auf die Spielgemeinschaft der Cardinals/Hunters und auf die einheimischen Wil Devils. Die Spiele beginnen um 10.00 und 14.00 Uhr in Wil Lindenhof.
Und am Sonntag, 30. Mai trifft das NLB-Team in Sissach auf die Therwil Flyers. Beide Teams sind in dieser Saison noch ohne Vollerfolg und streben den ersten Saisonsieg an. Die Spiele beginnen um 11.00 Uhr und 14.00 Uhr in Sissach Tannbrunn.
U18 EM Aufgebot bekannt
Die Schweizer U18 Baseball Nationalmannschaft nimmt diesen Sommer am Qualifier European Championship Juniors Turnier teil. Das EM-Turnier wird vom 3. bis 8. August im österreichischen Attnag-Puchheim ausgetragen. Die Schweiz trifft dabei auf Belgien, Bulgarien, Grossbritannien, Rumänien und Gastgeber Österreich. Der Coaching Staff um Headcoach Seppi Zwyer berief dabei die Challengers Spieler Yanik Probst und Gabe Staub ins 18-köpfige EM-Kader. Ebenfalls aufgeboten wurde der ehemalige Challengers Spieler Ryan Engesser, der mittlerweile in San Diego, Kalifornien spielt.
Weitere Informationen: Spielplan Kader Schweiz
Swiss Baseball und Softball Academy
Die Swiss Baseball and Softball Federation (SBSF) lanciert die Swiss Baseball und Softball Academy. Die Academy ist ein neues Programm zur Förderung des Nachwuchses im Schweizer Baseball und Softball. An drei regionalen Leistungszentren (Bern, Zürich, Wil) werden jeweils am ersten Mittwoch jeden Monats Academy-Trainings abgehalten. Für die Aufnahme in die Academy veranstaltet der Schweizer Verband am Mittwoch, 19. Mai von 15.00 bis 18.00 Uhr ein Try-out für 11- 18-jährige.
Die Try-outs im Stadion Heerenschürli stehen den Junioren der Barracudas, Challengers, Eighters und Lions offen.
NLB-Team cannot top Devils
The NLB-Team is still seeking for the first victory of the season, after losing twice to the Wil Devils on Sunday, May 16.
The Devils scored four runs in the first inning, but the C’s answered by four runs of their own. After exchanging zeros in the next two frames, four errors from the Challengers’ defense enabled the Devils to make it 8-4. And the Devils scored three insurance runs on another costly error in the seventh to make it 11-5. The C’s cut the deficit to three, but the Devils eventually posted an 11-8 win.
Roger Burger, Bryan Shemley and Yanik Probst delivered two hits apiece, while Dean Scherbaum was given the loss, as he allowed six runs – only one earned – six hits and six walks and two strikeouts in six innings.
In Game 2 the two teams were head-to-head again. Patrick Maier tossed six magnificient innings for the Challengers, as he allowed only one unearned run and three hits with one walk and thirteen strikeouts. But it was not enough, as the C’s stranded a total of eleven runners and the Devils held on for a 3-1 win over the C’s, who have now a dismal 0-4 record, despite four good performances so far.
Ladies lost twice to Eagles
The Softball-Team was swept by the Luzern Eagles on Saturday, May 15 at the Klopstockwiese. The Challengers pitchers struggled with the constant rain and the low temperatures, as the Eagles posted a 13-3 victory over the C’s in Game 1.
Starter Andrea Wirth was credited with the loss after allowing five runs in the first inning. Simone Zurschmitten took control for the next couple of innings, as the C’s cut the deficit to three runs after three innings, but the only error by the Challengers defense and six consecutive walks in the fourth increased the gap to ten runs.
Nadja Critelli led the Challengers offense with two hits, one RBI and a run scored, Alexia Zingg delivered her second double of the season and Celine Welti and Zurschmitten had a hit and scored a run each, while Nancy Plamondon made her debut in blue and red.
Game 2 saw a pitcher’s duel between Karen Heimgartner and Kirsten Rowell. Heimgartner gave up six hits and two earned runs, while stirking out ten in what was another quality start, but her effort was not enough, as the C’s lost to the Eagles 0-4.
Rowell pitched a complete game shutout against the C’s, as she surrendered just three hits on thirteen strikeouts.