Veteran wins dramatic game for Challengers with walkoff-homerun

The player's number 44 has been retired within the Challengers organization for several years until last spring, when it was activated again for its original owner, co-founder of the club Enrico Zingg.

	Willy Schaub picked up his third win of the season, and his first since July 5.

It was rather meant to be a coaching number, but this September Zingg took it to the field already in the NLB-double-header against the Hünenberg Unicorns and had two hits in a 13-5 win.

This Saturday, 44-year-old Zingg topped that comeback by slugging a game-ending two-run homer in the 11th inning of the NLB-team's most exciting game of the season.

The Challengers were hosting the Thun Hunters for the second game in a best-of-three Playout Series.

The game developed extremely dramatically and had it all: hard-hit balls, great defense, running and bunting plays, bloopers and blunders and in the end, well, the big hit.

The Hunters relied on their good offense and indeed outhit their opponents 19-11, while their pitchers struck out 20 of the home team's batters.

But as a coach, Zingg let the Challengers play little ball, always going deep into the count, forcing a total of 17 vs. 7 walks and stealing a total of 12 vs. 1 bases.

The Challengers turned a two-run deficit in the first inning into a lead with RBI-singles by Orlando Balbuena and Adrian Kämpfer">Adrian Kämpfer, and the help of Hunters' starting pitcher Lehmann, who walked in two runs with the bases loaded, lasting only 0.1 innings.

Gregory Zingg's bobble in the next inning enabled the Hunters to tie the game with two unearned runs off starter Thomas Burger.

Burger and his defense shut down the opposition for three innings, and so did Grossenbacher, who relieved Lehmann, with his team.

	Oliver Marty had a career-high three hits - all of them doubles - and five RBI's.

In the fifth inning, Gerry Obeng scored the go-ahead run from second on a run-and-bunt-play and Corsin Jost's sacrifice.

But Sammet's sacrifice fly tied the game again only moments later, and then the home team almost fell apart after an arguable umpire's decision.

The Hunters scored another five unearned runs for a clear lead.

Grossenbacher was relieved by rookie Wyss, but to no avail.

After getting two quick outs, Wyss walked Kämpfer and Willy Schaub and gave up a single to Richi Ammann to load the bases.

Enter Oliver MartyOliver Marty, who missed the start of the game because he had lessons at school.

Marty delivered a double and reanimated his team's resistance.

In the seventh, the Hunters rebuilt their five-run-lead, but again the C's bounced back.

Wyss opened the inning with two walks and then left the mound to Grossenbacher again.

Grossenbacher recorded an out, but then loaded the bases with another walk.

Kämpfer and Schaub followed with a 2-run-RBI-double and an RBI-single, and after Ammann recorded his third strike out of the day, Marty equalized the score with another 2-out 2-run double.

The next inning ended Burger's longest outing ever in the NLB with two outs and men on second and third.

Burger was relieved by Schaub, who couldn't prevent the inherited runners from scoring, but then quickly got out of the inning.

Backed up by his outfield, he also stayed clean in the ninth and kept the hopes alive.

And Schaub himself got on with his fifth walk of the day, followed by Ammann, who was helped by an error.

And again Marty drove in Schaub with a double, putting the winning run at second.

And with two outs, Enrico Zingg stepped up to pinch-hit and popped up over the infield.

But the game-ending ball was dropped in a conflict between the Hunters' shortstop and third baseman, allowing Ammann to score and take the game into extra-innings.

Both pitchers got into jams in the tenth inning.

Schaub had runners on second and third with no outs, when Wyss hit a grounder to first.

Kämpfer stepped on the bag and threw immediately to catcher Roger Burger.

The throw was a little high, but Burger blocked the plate well and prevented the oncoming runner from scoring.

On the other hand, Grossenbacher got himself out of a bases-loaded situation by striking out Ammann for the third out.

Flawless defense in the eleventh was then the base for the game-ending home run, sealing a 17-15 victory for the Challengers.

After over four hours of game time, and without the officially scheduled umpires, the two teams agreed to shift their last and decisive duel to next Saturday at the same location.