by John Baum
CARDINALS SWEEP THROUGH INDIANS TO COMPLETE 4-PEAT!
For just the second time in Swiss baseball history the Bern Cardinals won their fourth consecutive domestic championship by defeating the Lausanne Indians 7-4! The game, played in front of around 200 people on a beautiful sunny day, saw the Cards jump out to an early 5-0 lead. They sent eleven batters to the plate in the first inning, scoring five times with two out. Raphael Hanzi’s ground-rule-double starting the two-out rally! A leadoff triple for John Baum the following inning would help extend the lead to 6-0.
The score remained this way until the fifth inning, as once again Severin Fries kept the Indian bats quiet. They did manage to get a run on two hits in that fifth inning on Ares Javier’s two-out single. With the score at 6-1, the Cards scored an insurance run in the sixth, a hit-by-pitch for Vitus Huber (his third for the game), and a Samuel Paulino double pushed the lead to 7-1. The Indians tried to mount a comeback in the seventh, when two hits, a walk and a hit-by-pitch cut the lead to 7-4. The big hit coming once again off the bat of Javier. Fries would settle down in the last two innings, allowing no more base runners, and securing his second win of the finals!
The Cardinals conclude the most successful season in club history, completing a historic double championship! The victory in the CEB qualifier, and their fourth consecutive championship, along with a Swiss Cup final rounded up the year.
Results:
Lausanne Indians – Bern Cardinals 5-15
Bern Cardinals – Lausanne Indians 10-9
Recap Games One and Two
Bern Cardinals – Lausanne Indians 7-4
(Bern wins series 3-0)
The Cardinals would like to congratulate the Indians on a hard fought final! The Cards also thank everyone for coming out and making it such a great atmosphere for baseball last Sunday! With the season finished, we wish everyone a safe and happy winter, and look forward to getting back on the field in the spring for more good baseball!