by John Baum
CARDINALS SHUTOUT HIGH POWERED INDIANS…10-0, AND 1-0!
The final weekend of the regular season found the Cardinals back to their old ways completing their first sweep in the last three doubleheaders. Game one featured a wonderful pitching performance from Chris Beyeler, he threw a complete game three-hit shutout against the leagues most powerful offense. For Chris, it ends a personal two-game losing streak, which followed an unprecedented 21-game winning streak!
The Cardinals got on the board in the fourth inning on a triple off the bat of Samuel Paulino, which was the last of three straight two-out hits. The Cards busted the game open in the following inning, three more hits, two errors, and a three-run homerun for John Baum extending the lead to 7-0. The score would stay the same into the eighth inning when the home team finished off the Indians with three more hits, and three runs completing the win by ten-run rule, 10-0.
Game two was an old fashioned pitching duel between John Baum (Cards), and Matthew White (Indians). White pitched six strong innings allowing only two hits, and one run. The lone run of the game coming in the first inning on Vitus Huber’s walk… he would eventually score on a wild pitch.
However, Baum was matching White and then some. He eventually took a perfect game into the seventh and final inning. Baum retired the first batter, but unfortunately gave up a single on the first pitch to player/coach Jay Casimiro to end his bid for a perfect game. Baum retired the next two batters on strikeouts, securing the win and the shutout. He totaled 14 strikeouts in seven innings pitched…
The end of the regular season is here, and the playoffs will begin September 13th as the Bern Cardinals play host to the Zurich Barracudas, and the Therwil Flyers host the Lausanne Indians.
FLYERS WIN FINAL GAME OF SEASON….MOVE RECORD TO 18-2
The Cudas travelled to Therwil to play their last regular season game before the playoffs. Trying to do their part to secure the third place playoff seed, the Barracudas were willing to battle the Flyers for the first win against them this year. They actually outhit their opponent 12-11, but lost the game due to sloppy defense 11-4. The Cards sweep of the Lausanne Indians on Sunday helped the Cudas reach third place nevertheless.
Nderim Coma started for the Cudas on the mound and ran into early trouble when Reto Siegel led off with a single and advanced to third on a perfectly executed hit and run by John Alexander with no outs. Coma managed to retire the next three batters allowing only a RBI fielder’s choice to Blackbee. In the bottom of the inning the Cudas answered with a homerun off the bat of JT Schroeder to tie the game. In the second Coma started off by hitting Brito, but got the next two batters for quick outs. Two errors paired with three singles led to four unearned runs and put the Cudas in a hole from which they wouldn’t escape anymore. The Flyers added another run in the third, which was answered in the bottom half of the inning by Bekkali, who scored on a balk by dominating Flyers pitcher Adrian Kaufmann. Meanwhile the Barracudas, sent Berchtold to the mound in the fourth, who also gave up an unearned run in his first inning of work and another earned one in the fifth, for an 8-2 Flyers lead. In the fifth, the Flyers started to prepare their pitching staff for the playoffs and used three more pitchers for the remainder of the game.
Their strategy seemed to backfire, when the Cudas offense greeted the first reliever Alexander with two runs after he retired the first two batters. However, the rally fell short and the Flyers came back in the sixth with two runs on their own. Offensively the Cudas couldn’t manage to score again for the rest of the game while the Flyers were shut down until the ninth as well, as JT Schroeder took over on the mound. The Flyers would again profit from a defensive miscue in the ninth for the final result of 11-4.
Next week the Barracudas will start the playoffs in Bern against the Cardinals. They will have to elevate their game if they want to upset the reigning champion, but are confident after their regular season split last week.
{mrb-standing:switzerland-2008}