Challengers' bats remain silent in 7-2 loss,au

Just like one week ago against the very same opponent, the Challengers couldn't get anything going in the second contest of the doubleheader as they lost 7-2 to Christian Klarer and the Frogs.

The Frogs outhit the Challengers 12-6 with both Stefan Wick and Mario Cuevas leading the pack with 2-for-4 performances, while Carlos Brito and Thomas Fink also had two hits apiece.

Klarer allowed only two runs - one of them unearned - in a complete game effort, scattering six hits and walking none, but also striking out none.

Fabio Aimi took the loss as he went 4 1-3 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits, no walks and three strikeouts.

The two teams played to a 2-2 tie through four innings. The Challengers got their two runs on a sac fly by Carl Conway and Saentis Zeller's RBI-single in the fourth, while the Frogs got an RBI-single by Wick and scored another run on Adam Patterson's ground out to second.

But in the fifth inning, a botched play on a rundown between home and third spelled trouble for the Challengers. First, Patterson singled and reached third on Aimi's wide throw to first on a pickoff attempt. Aimi then fielded Mike Klee's weakly hit grounder and got Patterson hung up between third and home. His throw to third hit Patterson in the back, enabling him to get back safely, putting runners on the corner with no outs.

Aimi got Alessandro Traina to ground into a 6-2 fielder's choice, but Mario Cuevas followed with an RBI-double, and Ramon Gil Santos' single put the Frogs ahead 4-2.

That sent Aimi to the showers, and Chris Palatinus was summoned to stop the bleeding.

He got Wick to ground to shortstop Yanik Probst, but first baseman Bryan Shemley dropped his throw to push one more run across the plate.

Klarer followed with an RBI-single just past first baseman Shemley, and Brito's sacrifice fly gave the Frogs a five-run lead.

That was all the Frogs needed as the Challengers couldn't figure out Klarer, and also ran themselves out of chances as Thomas Blank was thrown out at home plate trying to score on Patrick Maier's single to shallow right field.

After that, the last eight Challengers went down in order, leaving them with a negative record of 7-8, half a game ahead of the Frogs who own a 7-9 record.