Challengers prevail 7-5 in season opener

The Swiss Champions Challengers were finally able to open their '99 campaign.

	Thomas Landis worked seven strong innings.

They did so by beating the promoted Romanshorn Submarines 7-5 in a close game on Sunday.

Starter Thomas Landis picked up his first victory of the season by going the distance in his 28th complete game of his career. He allowed five runs - three of them unearned - on 10 hits and two walks while striking out five.

But the Challengers weren't able to jump on starter Schiavo of the Submarines, and managed just a single run through the first three innings.

	Jose Valdez First Baseman, Pitcher Jose Valdez
	1999 SEASON STATISTICS AB R H RBI HR AVG 4 1 2 2 1 .500

The Subs managed to keep the Challengers' bats quiet and tied the game in the bottom of the third inning on Von Moos' RBI-single.

The Challengers answered with Jose Valdez' first homer of the season, a solo-shot to deep center field.

They added two more in the next inning on Landis' two-run shot, also his first round-tripper of the seaon.

Defensively, Landis allowed just one run to the Subs from the fourth through sixth inning to stay ahead 4-2 before the start of the seventh and final inning.

	Center fielder Chris Palatinus singles for his only hit of the weekend.

The Challengers scored three times on Manny Marchant's two-run homer and a run-scoring fielding error by third baseman Hingston.

The Submarines finally came alive in the bottom of the seventh by scoring three runs themselves, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Challengers' seven runs.