Eagles upset Challengers 9-5

The Challengers surprisingly lost Game 2 of Sunday's doubleheader against the Luzern Eagles.

Instead of extending their winning streak to eight games, the Challengers' pitching wasn't as sharp as expected, and the defense imploded at the worst possible of times.

Starter Patrick Maier went 5 2-3 innings, struggling all day with his control, giving up nine runs - three of them unearned - on seven hits and five walks, while striking out three.

The Challengers tagged Eagles starter Ronal Veras for three runs in the top of the third on Thomas Landis' RBI-double, a muffed throw by third baseman Stefan Haltmeier on a pickoff throw by catcher Marco Limacher which would have led to a sure out, and a sac fly byYonimiler Martinez.

The Eagles got all three runs back in the bottom half of the inning on a run-scoring ground out by René Plüss, and a two-run single by Tom Enz. Two of the three runners that scored were put on by walks.

The Challengers got the lead back in the next inning as Chris Palatinus led off with a solo homer, his first of the season.

The scored remained at 4-3 until the bottom of the fifth. But Plüss put the Eagles ahead with one swing of the bat as he cleared the center field fence with a two-run four-bagger.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Eagles scored three unearned runs on two throwing errors by second baseman Thomas Blank and shortstop Yanik Probst.

A passed ball by catcher Tobias Siegrist and a sac fly by Rudi Vargas extended the Eagles' lead to 9-4, with the Challengers having just one more inning left to react.

Last week, the Challengers managed to overturn a 2-run deficit in the final inning against the Embrach Mustangs, but came up empty this time.

Brian Hipps' RBI-single pushed one run across for the Challengers, but that was all they could muster against Veras.

Game notes
Rookie Probst hit his first NLA triple in the third inning.