Recaps: Flyers remain in 2nd Place after Split with Indians

by John Baum

Flyers remain in second place after split with Indians
In the Flyers (6-2) anticipated rematch with the Lausanne Indians (5-4), Therwil saved a split after a tough 7-6 loss in game 1. Facing off against an Indians team responsible for ending the Flyers season last year, Therwil took the second game of the double dip 18-3.

In game one, veteran Flyers ace Stephan Koller (3-1) was handed his first loss of the season. Along the way he struck out seven, and walked none. Koller was victim to a solid Lausanne line up that chipped away one inning at a time. The Indians scored a single run in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 7th. They tacked on two more in the 8th, which wound up being the difference.

Game 2 looked like a completely different Therwil team. They responded quickly after the game one loss, jumping all over the Indians with six runs in the first two frames. The Flyers were aided by some sub standard Indians defense and less than stellar pitching. Therwil drew ten walks in game two, and capitalized on many of them. The top four hitters in the lineup were 7-11 in the contest, scoring 11 runs.

On the mound, Lukas Croton (3-0, 2 saves) set the tone from the get go, striking out two of the first three batters he faced. Crotons‘ five strong innings earned him the win in his first start of the season. Chris Blackbee and Adi Kaufmann each threw a crisp inning in relief. Blackbee and Daniel Eichenberger led the charge on offense. Blackbee: 3-4 2 3B, and 2 runs scored; Eichenberger: 3-4, 1 2B, and his 2nd homerun of the season.

Cards keep slate clean after two lackluster win vs. Eagles
The Bern Cardinals (9-0) played host to the last place Eagles on Sunday at the Allmend, and nearly saw their perfect season end in game one. Chris Beyeler (4-0) tossed eight innings allowing three runs, only one of which was earned. His defense committed big back-to-back errors in the seventh inning, allowing the Eagles to take a 3-2 lead. This was the first time the Cards had trailed this season, but they responded swiftly in the bottom of the inning tying the game on a Fabrizio Pessina RBI single. In the bottom of the next frame, pinch hitter Vitus Huber would lead off with a single, John Baum would then give his team the 5-3 lead as he lifted a homerun to left. The home team would tack on one more run as Ronnie Zimmermann doubled, and scored on a laser to center from Tobias Imboden. In the ninth, Imboden took over for Beyeler on the hill, converting the save, and pushing his team’s record to 8-0.

Game two was a much more one-sided affair, as the Cards jumped out early, and scored often in winning the game 11-4. Imboden would start the game on the bump for the Cards, pitching three quality innings, allowing no hits and no runs. Baum would then go to his bullpen in preparation for the June qualifier tourney in Austria. Zimmermann; one inning, two K’s, no runs: Johnny Perigos; two innings, one run, one hit: and Samuel Paulino; one inning, three runs, two hits. Vitus Huber would complete his perfect day at the plate; overall Vitus was 5-5, one HBP, 4 runs, 3 RBI. Rudy Vargas hit his first homer as a Card in game two, a three-run shot to deep center. Paulino was 3-5 in game two.

Barracudas surprise Challengers…complete much needed sweep
With their season on the line, the ‘Cudas (3-5) stepped up their game and swept their in town rival Challengers (3_5) in the first Zurich derby of the year. Nderim Coma led the way for the Barracudas, going seven strong innings in collecting the win. As Coma left the game, the ‘Cudas nine run lead began to evaporate. By the time coach Mottl made the call to bring in Frank Berchtold, it was a three run game, with runners on second and third and no outs. Berchtold would leave them where they were, and garnering his first save of the season.

In game two, the ‘Cuda offense was sparked by a two run homer off the bat of Kyle Patrick. Berchtold would also end his day in fashion collecting the win in game two. The game ended in controversy as Challengers coach James Sanders was tossed from the game, leaving his team without a substitute to finish the game.

	Time	Home	Visitor	Result
Saturday, May 09 2009
	11:00	Therwil Flyers	Lausanne Indians	06:07
	14:00	Therwil Flyers	Lausanne Indians	15:03
Sunday, May 10 2009
	11:00	Bern Cardinals	Reussbühl Eagles	06:03
	11:00	Zürich Barracudas	Zürich Challengers	14:11
	11:00	Embrach Rainbows	Sissach Frogs	10:04
	14:00	Bern Cardinals	Reussbühl Eagles	11:04
	14:00	Zürich Barracudas	Zürich Challengers	06:03
	14:00	Embrach Rainbows	Sissach Frogs	09:01

Standings

#	Team	W	L	R+	R-	.pct	GB	Streak
1	Therwil Flyers	23	5	218	91	.821	0	W3
2	Lausanne Indians	22	6	247	156	.785	1	W9
3	Bern Cardinals	21	7	251	112	.750	2	L1
4	Zürich Challengers	15	13	266	216	.535	8	L2
5	Embrach Rainbows	13	15	167	171	.464	10	W2
6	Zürich Barracudas	12	16	158	164	.428	11	W2
7	Sissach Frogs	5	23	151	276	.178	18	L2
8	Reussbühl Eagles	1	27	76	348	.035	22	L23

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