The NLB-Team lost twice to their cross-town rivals Zurich Barracudas on Sunday, June 6 at the Heerenschürli ballpark. The Challengers rallied for seven runs, but the Barracudas built a nine run lead again to eventually win 18-13 after 3 hours and 20 minutes in Game 1. Adrian Kämpfer led the Challengers’ offense with two hits, while Roger Burger and Daiki Sato scored three runs apiece.
Ralph Vonderschmitt outdueled the Challengers’ pitching staff, but the Barracudas needed Marcel Spring’s RBI-triple in the top of the seventh inning to knock off the Challengers in Game 2. The Barracudas opened the score in the third inning, while Lukas Krautter tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning at 1-1. Challengers starter Jarrod Baker allowed one run and two hits with two walks and four strikeouts in three innings on his birthday, before handing over the ball to his bullpen. While Vonderschmitt kept the Challengers’ bats under control, the Barracudas scored the game-winning run on the only hit they had over the last three innings. Korey Kovac was given the loss after allowing two unearned runs and one hit with one walk and one strikeout in 2.1 innings of relief.
The Challengers are now in seventh place with a 1-7 record. They will face the Thun Hunters on Sunday, June 13 at Thun.
NLB-Team loses Zurich derby
Challengers verlieren gegen Sissach Frogs
Die Challengers verlieren beide Spiele des Doubleheaders vom Samstag. Thomas Burger liess im ersten Spiel früh zu viele Runs zu und die Defensive der Challengers war wiederum nicht auf der Höhe des Geschehens und verlor schliesslich 9-6. Im zweiten Spiel versuchte Patrick Maier sine gute Vorstellung von letzter Woche zu wiederholen, doch nach drei Innings war sein Arbeitstag bereits beendet. Am Schluss verloren die Challengers auch das zweite Spiel mit 14-11.
Continue Reading » Challengers verlieren gegen Sissach FrogsLadies sweep Devils
The Softball-Team swept the Wil Devils on Saturday, June 5 to improve its record to 3-5. The Challengers scored five runs in the first inning and never looked back, as the C’s posted a 9-2 win in Game 1. The blue and red had a perfect start, as they took advantage of three errors by the Devils’ defense and Andrea Wirth and Brigit Zuber drove in two more runs to make it 5-0. The Devils cut the deficit to three in the bottom of the first inning, but the C’s put this one out of reach for the Devils, adding insurance runs in each of the next three innings, while Leandra Simitovic kept the Devils’ bats silent.
Simitovic pitched five strong innings, as she allowed only two runs on five hits and two walks, while also striking out two to record her first win of the season. Karen Heimgartner went a perfect 3-for-3, while Simone Zurschmitten scored three times and Simona Cellar drove in two runs for the Challengers.
And the Challengers added a dramatic one-run victory in Game 2. It took a tie-break inning before the C’s took a 2-1 lead to win, as Celine Welti scored the game-winning run in the top of the eight inning on an error by the Devils’ defense. The Devils couldn’t cash in on their last opportunity, as Karen Heimgartner struck out Nadja Lehmann to seal the deal.
The Challengers opened the score in the first inning, as Nancy Plamondon scored on a RBI-single by Simone Zurschmitten. Both teams exchanged zeros on the scoreborad till the Devils tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Christina Saenz delivered a RBI-triple that drove in Vanessa Kitor to make it 1-1. The Challengers loaded the bases in the seventh inning, but Claire Rietmann-Grout struck out Welti to end the threat, while another scoreless inning for the Devils sent the game into extra innings.
Heimgartner was credited with her second win of the season, as she tossed a two-hitter with eleven strikeouts, while Rietmann-Grout allowed two runs and five hits with twelve strikeouts.
Ladies edged twice by Eagles
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.
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