Sanders throws gem in 2-1 victory

James Sanders and reliever Brent Nichols delivered a classic pitching duel, ending in favor of Sanders and the Challengers in a 2-1 win.

While Sanders went the distance, Nichols threw four perfect innings in relief of struggling Frank Berchtold. He struck out eight in a sensational but futile performance.

Sanders allowed only one unearned run on six hits, while also striking out five. He lowered his ERA to 1.93 in the process.

The Challengers got their only two runs on Thomas Landis' two-run double in the first inning.

The Barracudas got one run back in the top of the second as Manuel Hirtz lined an RBI-double to center field.

But who would have thought that this would be enough?

Sanders ran into trouble in the fifth inning as Chico Colindres' double put two runners into scoring position, but Nichols' 5-2 fielder's choice, and Nderim Coma's 4-3 ground out ended the threat.

In the final inning, the Barracudas again had a runner in scoring position with just one out, but Miguel Conde grounded out to shortstop, and Colindres softly lined out to first to end the game.

Game notes
Landis' game-winning two-run single was his 1'500th at bat in the NLA. ...Sanders' single in the third inning was the 6'666th hit in Challengers history. ...The Barracudas were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, while the Challengers were 1-for-8 through the first three innings. ...The last time the Challengers won a game by scoring only two runs came in a 2-1 win against the Bern Cardinal on September 2, 2006. ...The Challengers' 7-1 record this month is the best in a single month since going 7-1 in May 2003.