Challengers score early, outlast Barracudas 7-5

Tobias Siegrist threw six strong innings in the Challengers' 7-5 victory over the Zurich Barracudas in Tuesday's night game at the Heerenschürli.

In a reversal of fortunes, the Challengers avenged last week's 14-1 drubbing by scoring in the early innings and then holding on thanks to a solid defense and pitching.

Yanik Probst had his second multi-hit game of the season, Saentis Zeller stole three bases, and Carl Conway, Thomas Blank and Chris Palatinus added two hits apiece in a nine-hit output.

Contrary to last week, when Frank Berchtold dominated the Challengers' lineup and allowed just one run through eight innings, the Challengers gained an early 4-0 lead after three innings.

Three errors in the first inning led to three unearned runs before Berchtold even managed to record an out.

In the third inning, another unearned run scored on a passed ball.

Meanwhile, Siegrist didn't give the Barracudas many opportunities to score, allowing only three hits and one base-on-balls through six innings. The only Barracuda run scored on Manuel Hirtz' sacrifice fly in the fourth inning.

In the top of the seventh, the Challengers chased Berchtold off the mound after he gave up two consecutive walks to start the inning.

Nderim Coma took over, and he was greeted by Palatinus with an RBI-single that extended the Challengers' lead to 5-1.

Thanks to an error on a routine fielder's choice, a bunt single by Blank with the bases loaded, and a successful squeeze bunt by Thomas Burger pushed two more runs across the plate for a commanding 7-1 lead.

Siegrist started to tire in the bottom of the seventh as the first five batters reached on four singles and a hit-by-pitch.

Palatinus took over and struck out Cody Hightower for the first out. Michael Settle grounded into a run-scoring fielder's choice for the second out - cutting the Challengers' lead to 7-5 -, and Coma lined out on the first pitch to third baseman Blank to end the threat.

Both relievers kept the opposition in check over the final two innings, enabling Palatinus to pick up his second save of the season.

Game notes
Zeller stole three bases for a franchise-high eighth time in his career. ...Palatinus' single in the seventh inning was his 650th total base in the NLA. ...The Challengers' .333 team slugging percentage is currently the lowest in franchise history.