The SUPERFUND WANDERERS face the SCHWAZ TIGERS in the Austrian Baseball Finals, which start this weekend with the first two games of the best-of-five series in Schwaz.
The WANDERERS hope for their first championship since 1990 after having won the regular season with a 23-5 record. In the semi-finals they eliminated the UNION KUFSTEIN VIKINGS with an easy three-game sweep, outscoring their opponents 28-7. The TIGERS, which won the Austrian championship in 1995 and 1998, defeated last year’s champion MOSQUITO ATHLETICS in five games in the semi-finals to reach the finals.
SCHWAZ will rely on Nick Zambrotta and Paul Astl as starting pitchers. VIENNA will counter with Johannes Pernkopf and Clemens Cichocki. Offensive wise Zambrotta, Peter Nagiller, Franz Haisjackl and Jochen Koechl are supposed to provide the bulk of runs for the TIGERS. WANDERERS’ manager Hiro Sakanashi, who is likely again come from the bench, hopes that Cichocki, Nick DeForest, Owen Reid and Matus Kuzma will produce for his team.
Schedule:
Austrian Championship Series:
Saturday, October 3:
13:00 Schwaz Tigers – SUPERFUND Wanderers
15:30 Schwaz Tigers – SUPERFUND Wanderers
Saturday, October 10:
14:00 SUPERFUND Wanderers – Schwaz Tigers
16:30 SUPERFUND Wanderers – Schwaz Tigers*
Sunday, October 11:
12:00 SUPERFUND Wanderers – Schwaz Tigers*
*if necessary
For third place:
Saturday, October 3:
13:00 Union Kufstein Vikings – Mosquito Athletics Attnang-Puchheim
Saturday, October 10:
13:00 Mosquito Athletics Attnang-Puchheim – Union Kufstein Vikings
15:30 Mosquito Athletics Attnang-Puchheim – Union Kufstein Vikings*
*if necessary
