Red Barons 14, Challengers 13

The Red Barons from Spreitenbach won a tough game against the Challengers' NLB-team on an RBI-single by Pennisi with no outs in the bottom of the ninth.

Stefan Eisenring>

Rookie Stefan Eisenring collected three hits to give him a .276 batting average.

It was the second game of this year's relegation round that determines which team goes down to the 1.Liga. Since the Barracudas have beaten the Unicorns earlier in the day, it will be the Unicorns who will play in the lower league next year. Both the Red Barons and the Challengers stay in the NLB.

Rookie Oliver Labhart was starting for the Challengers, but he was roughed up early as the Red Barons scored three times in the first inning and added five more in the third and fourth innings to take a 8-3 lead after four.

Harry Bregy (2-8) then relieved Labhart and his team was able to tie the game at 8 by scoring four runs in the top of the sixth.

But Bregy couldn't keep the Barons in check and allowed them to pull away in the eight inning and the score was 13-8 for the Red Barons in the top of the ninth.

The Challengers started a miraculous rally and put together three hits and scored five times to knot it up at 13.

But the Red Barons led off their half of the ninth with two walks and Pennisi delievered the game-winning RBI that gave the Red Barons a tough but well-earned victory in the Challengers' final game of 1997.