Mustangs win season opener 6-4

The Challengers' season opener saw a matchup of National Team pitchers as Andrea Girasole faced off with Roger Savoldelli.

Savoldelli ended up as the winning pitcher as he pitched a complete-game 3-hitter, giving up four runs - three of them unearned, walking none and striking out four batters.

Girasole lasted 6 1-3 innings in which he allowed six runs on six hits and four walks, while also striking out four.

The Challengers went 3-for-32 at the plate, and had just one hit in eight at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Josh Crouse and Bruno Albrecht of the Embrach Mustangs both had two hits and scored twice, and Chris Hutchinson collected a game-high three RBI's.

With two outs in the first inning, Hutchinson hit a two-run double to put his team up 3-0.

The Challengers got two runs back in the third inning on an error by right fielder Tim Jones and a squeeze bunt by Stephan Pribitzer.

Girasole continued to shut down the Mustangs, and his offense tied the game up in the top of the seventh on Bryan Shemley's run-scoring ground out.

But the Mustangs came right back and scored three runs in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI-single by Bruno Albrecht, a bases-loaded walk by reliever Thomas Burger, and an error in the infield by second baseman Thomas Blank.

The Challengers managed to score one more run in the top of the ninth after loading the bases on a single, a walk and an error, but that was all she wrote as Kurt Kovac struck out with runners on second and third.

Game notes
The three hits were the lowest total since getting three hits against the Therwil Flyers on August 22, 2010. ...After three consecutive wins, this year's loss marks the first time the Challengers have dropped their season opener since 2008.