Challengers 12, Barracudas 11

This was something scripted in Hollywood...only one more believable.

When the Barracudas held a 10-3 lead after 6 1/2 innings, the Challengers on the field thought their chances of winnig Game 1 were over.

Thomas Landis>

Thomas Landis held on for his 10th win of the season.

But they came back in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the ninth with two outs to rally for a 12-11 victory.

The Barracudas went ahead in the first inning on a bases-loaded walk to Stefan Suter given up by Thomas Landis.

The Barracudas then threatened again in the second and third, but stranded two baserunners in scoring position.

The Barracudas then added three runs in the top of the fourth on former Challenger Ueli Von Burg's three-run homer to give his team a 4-1 lead.

Jose Valdez>

Jose Valdez awaits a pitch from Farid Bekkali. He finished with a two-run homer in four at-bats.

But the Challengers came right back and led off the bottom half of the fourth with three extra-base hits. Landis and Anubis Benitez hit back-to-back doubles and Jose Valdez followed with a two-run shot, his sixth of the season.

No team was able to score in the fifth inning, and in the sixth, the Barracudas put three more runs on the board on Manuel Hirtz's two-run homer, his second of the year, and an error by shortstop Saentis Zeller that allowed Von Burg to score from second on a fielder's choice grounder by Sandro Giambonini.

And the defending Champions didn't stop there.

In the seventh, they profited from three Challenger errors to score three runs - two of them unearned - for a 10-3 lead.

Last year's Finals MVP Farid Bekkali got the loss by allowing 12 runs - nine earned - on 15 hits and 2 walks.

In the meantime, Farid Bekkali retired the last nine batters in order and started the seventh by striking out catcher Bryan Shemley and retiring Gary Kochlefl on a ground out to second.

But then he lost it and Saentis Zeller doubled, Nick Lehmann singled and Landis plated both runners with his eighth homer of the season.

The Barracudas scored their last run in the top of the eighth inning on Marc Riva's solo homer for an 11-6 lead.

From then on, the Challengers took care of business and scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth on Shemley's two-run homer and Zeller's solo shot two batters later.

The Barracudas were able to retire the first two batters in the bottom of the ninth on a lineout and a ground out, and they were one out away from sealing the victory.

Andreas Mathis appears in his 6th consecutive Finals.

But third baseman Nderim Coma, who came in for veteran Giambonini in the bottom of the seventh as a defensive replacement, misplayed Valdez' hard grounder for his second error of the game.

Armin Blickenstorfer">Armin Blickenstorfer singled to left field for his game-high third hit, and Andreas Mathis followed with an RBI-double to put the winning run in scoring position.

Shemley then hit a high pop-up to straight center that looked like the sure third and final out.

Manager Marvin Moore walked away from the coach's box as soon as the ball left Shemley's bat, and already congratulated Barracudas' manager Dave Sekac for winning the game. But center fielder Hirtz lost the ball in the sun, and it dropped three feet in front of him to allow both baserunners to score for a 12-11 win for the Challengers.

It marked the first win for a Challenger team in the Finals in 12 years. Back in 1986, the Challengers won their third and last Swiss Title.

Landis (10-2) got his league-leading 10th win of the season by allowing eight runs - one of them unearned - on 13 hits and seven walks while striking out nine.

For Bekkali (4-2), it was the first loss in the Finals after getting five straight victories in '96 and '97.