by John Baum
(1-1) Therwil Flyers – Zurich Challengers 10-2, 5-9
Flyers split opening weekend playoff series with Challengers
The Therwil Flyers and Zurich Challengers opened the semi-finals of the NLA playoffs this weekend. The Flyers (24-6) took the first game at home on Saturday while Zurich (16-14) answered back behind a strong pitching performance from player/manager James Sanders.
Game one featured Flyers 19 year old righty Lukas Croton (6-0, 3 saves, 1.98) against Zurich veteran Tobias Siegrist. Croton, in his NLA playoff debut, sparkled for seven innings, holding the 1st ranked Zurich offense to only two runs. Croton held the Challengers off the board for the first six innings, allowing the Flyer offense to go to work.
Therwil grabbed the lead in the 3rd inning on a two out, RBI single from Stefan Koller. Koller ripped a fastball from Siegrist into the gap to score shortstop Taka Oshima, who had walked and stole a base. In the 4th, the Flyers would add four more to jump out to the lead for good. After lead off hits from Reto Siegel and Chris Blackbee, Oshima came up with the big hit to bring in two runs. Blackbee and Seppi Zwyer also drove in runs in the frame.
Zurich would score their runs in the 7th, but the Flyers answered right back. With Faeder and Blackbee on base after singles to start the inning, an error from catcher Sanders on a double steal allowed Faeder to score. Blackbee came around two batters later on a wild pitch.
The Flyers would get three more runs in the 8th but would not need it, as they called on Adrian Kaufmann (3-0, 2 saves, 0.32) to finish the game. Kaufmann, who continues to have an excellent season on the mound, made quick work of Zurich to secure the game one victory in the best-of-5 series.
James Sanders dominated the Therwil Flyers over eight innings in Game two of the Playoff Semifinals en route to a 9-5 victory.
The Challengers celebrate their victory in Game two. Needing to win this game to avoid an 0-2 deficit in the Best-of-five series, the Challengers showed their best side, outhitting the Flyers 13-10 to back up Sanders‘ performance. He threw eight innings, giving up only two runs – one of them unearned – on eight hits, also striking out six. Tobias Siegrist came through with three hits, three RBI’s and two runs after an 0-for-4 performance in Game one. Jesus Martinez hit two doubles, and Sanders added two singles in four trips to the plate to help his own cause. Just like in Game one, the two teams exchanged zeros through the first two innings. The Flyers struck first, again, as Reto Siegel’s single plated Daniel Eichenberger from second with an unearned run.
The Challengers responded with three runs of their own. Sanders and Siegrist hit back-to-back RBI-singles, and a wild pitch by Chris Blackbee gave the Challengers a 3-1 lead after three frames. In the fourth, the Flyers got one run back on Seppi Zwyer’s RBI-single, but that was all the Flyers managed to put together against Sanders.
The score remained 3-2 until the seventh, before the Challengers got to Blackbee and chased him off the mound after five consecutive batters reached on two singles, two doubles and a walk.
Stefan Koller, eventually held out because of a sore shoulder, took over with the bases loaded, and managed to retire Carlos Peña on a 1-2 comebacker to the mound before striking out Angel Maduro to end the threat. But the damage was done by then, with the Challengers holding on to a 9-2 lead. Yonimiler Martinez took over on the mound to close out the game, but it didn’t happen that easily.
Leadoff batter Michel LaTorre reached on shortstop Ueli von Burg’s throwing error and with one out, Zwyer was issued a walk, and Koller’s RBI-single plated LaTorre. Slugger Eichenberger grounded out for the second out, but heavy-hitting player coach Sam Faeder ripped a two-run single up the middle to bring his team within four runs. But Martinez ended the game in big fashion, striking out veteran Siegel.
The Series has now become a Best-of-3 affair, and it already has the making of another classic Challengers-Flyers Playoff match-up.
(1-1) Lausanne Indians – Bern Cardinals 11-10, 1-13
Game 1:
Game one of the best of five series between the Cards and Indians couldn’t have started better for the visiting team from Bern. The Cardinals sent 10 men to the plate in the top of the first inn, scoring six times in all, while recording five hits. The highlight of the inning coming off the bat of Johnny Perigos as his three-run homerun sparked the offense. The Indians however didn’t roll over, and responded with four of their own runs in the bottom of the inning. A three-run shot off the bat of Martinez cutting into the visitors lead.
The Cardinal bats would go silent for four innings after the first inning onslaught, as Indians starting pitcher, Nic Jaquemet, continually coaxed the hard-hitting offense of the Cards to send helpless fly balls into the mitts of his defenders. Chris Beyeler would also settle down after the rough first, allowing a single run in the third and fourth innings. These two runs tied the game for the home team, completing a great comeback from six runs down.
The Indians wouldn’t settle for just getting back into the game, they took the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning when a bases loaded double gave them two runs, and a 9-6 advantage. The Cards would get one back in the sixth, but the Indians answered right back in the bottom, keeping the three run lead at 10-7.
Down three runs in the eighth inning with two outs, Alex Cruz Tifa knocked a single that started a two-run rally capped by a ground rule triple from Angelo Rodriguez, and Vitus Huber’s second two out RBI. Chris Beyeler stopped the bleeding in the late innings, working out of trouble in the last three, allowing no more Indians to score, and leaving the score at 10-9 going to the ninth inning.
John Baum, who struggled all game, led off the ninth with a single that was misplayed by the centerfielder, allowing Baum to advance to second with no outs. After a big strikeout from Jaquemet, Rudy Vargas laced a hit to left to tie the game, but he was thrown out trying to advance to second. Vargas‘ hit, after a scoreless ninth for the Indians pushed the game to extra innings for his team.
After several missed chances, the Indians finally capitalized on a lead off, 11th inning double. Martinez, who had the big hit would eventually score the winning run on a no-out, wild pitch, giving the Indians a game one win by the score of 11-10!
The loss for the Indians snapped a winning streak of 20 consecutive playoff games won dating back to 2005!
Game 2:
After suffering a tough loss on Saturday against the Indians, John Baum took the ball for his team with the attempt to keep them in the best of five series. Baum was matched up against American, Matt White, for the Indians. Baum started a bit rocky, walking the speedy leadoff hitter De Freites before retiring both him and number-two hitter Casimiro on a 1-6-3 double play. White was also the recipient of some good defense, as Casimiro took a sure hit away from Baum, and doubled off Raphael Hanzi after catching the line drive from Baum on a hit-and-run to end the first.
The Cards were the first to get on the board, as Perigos led off with a double, and scored on Vargas‘ RBI single. Baum however conceded the run back to the Indians in the top of the third, as two walks and a passed ball third strike allowed Marte to score the tying run. Baum escaped more trouble as he executed a third to first step off move that resulted in a caught stealing for the runner at third base. This would end up being the lone run of the day for the Indians as Baum would settle in, scattering four hits over seven innings for the win.
The Cardinal offense was far from finished though! They broke the game open in the third inning, batting around, scoring five times on four hits. A one-out hit by pitch for Vitus Huber starting the rally. Hanzi followed with a crisp double to left, and Baum scored him with a single. After advancing to second on a passed ball, Perigo scored him with his second hit of the game. Perigo would eventually score from second on a dropped third strike, showing he can also run the bases a bit, not just hit! Ronnie Zimmermann added a single, and scored thanks to some sloppy Indian defense, giving the home team a 6-1 edge.
The Cards went quietly in the fourth and fifth, but erupted for seven runs on seven hits in the bottom of the sixth. A one out walk to Cruz Tifa, singles from Huber, Hanzi, Baum, Perigos, Samuel Paulino, Angelo Rodriguez, and Zimmermann; all back to back…putting the game far out of reach! The preliminary final score being 13-1!
The game was prematurely called due to ten-run rule, which does not apply in the postseason, and may have to be made up Saturday in Lausanne, before game three of the series.
The win, if conceded, evens the series at one game apiece, with the all important game three played Saturday at 14:00 in Lausanne.
