It would not be much of a stretch to say that half of the victories recorded in last weekend’s Austrian baseball circuit were shocking upsets, and the results almost completely rewrote the Bundesliga’s eastern division. The big winners were both Vienna clubs, which swept series from Wiener Neustadt and Austrian baseball-leading Traiskirchen, while a pair of bottom-dwellers split their sets.
Diving Ducks at Vienna Wanderers (7-17, 18-11)
Diving Ducks had five-game winning streak entering its series in Vienna and could have finished the weekend tied for first place in the Austrian baseball circuit. Instead, it ran into Austrian baseball’s second-best offense as the Wanderers opened Week 7 play on Friday by posting 17 runs.
In the second inning of Game One, the hosts pulled away 5-0. In the fourth inning, the Diving Ducks also managed five runs, but a nine-point rally in the fifth made things clear in favor of the Viennese. Dan Kawanishi scored four of the Wanderers’ 17 markers. Thus far, no team has been able to touch Vienna’s perambulating club on their home track, as the Wanderers are now 7-0 at Ballpark Spenadlwiese.
After switching stadia, the Ducks quickly ran into a deficit, with five runs coming across in the first inning of Game Two, four on a grand slam by Felix Zimmerle with no outs. Ferdinand Obed ripped a solo shot to bring back one, and Moritz Scheicher hit a two-run shot later in the bottom of the first.
What followed was an exchange of blows where the Ducks recorded more and more hits. A little later in the game, the dynamic duo of Obed and Scheicher managed to repeat the trick from the first inning. With this pair of home runs and several shorter blows, the Ducks finally took the lead and did not give it up until the end.
Traiskirchen Grasshoppers at Vienna Metrostars (4-5, 5-12)
The talented young Grasshoppers have been the class of Austrian baseball this year, featuring a relentless offense averaging almost 16 runs per game and a pitching staff that led the Bundesliga in ERA. Traiskirchen’s only loss had been a 1-0 setback against the league’s hottest pitcher, Lochlan Southee, but a trip to Vienna changed its fortunes.
In the first game, the Viennese fought their way through a remarkable comeback in extra innings, which they won with a walk-off. Just like two weeks before in the Vienna Derby, the Vienna Metrostars were able to turn a game that they thought had been lost at the last moment in the new final against Traiskirchen Grasshoppers. In a strong rematch between last year’s two finalists, talented young starter Tobias Kiefer was able to hold a shutout for seven innings, while his offense achieved a 4-0 lead, with RBI-doubles from Philip Brenner and Philip Eckel.
But the Viennese did not give up, initially halving the deficit against the ‘Hoppers bullpen, before a two-run single from Benny Salzmann equalized in the ninth inning. In the extra inning, which Metrostars starter and unexpected game winner Jakob Simonsen pitched to the end, there was a walk-off walk, also by Salzmann, for the shock upset. Simonsen (3-0) threw 127 pitches and allowed only one earned run.
Game Two was then a clearer affair for the Viennese. Among other things, an RBI-triple from Dominik Löffler ensured a comfortable lead early on, which the Traiskirchner were only able to shorten once to 5-3, among other things on an RBI-double from Alexander Schiller. The Metrostars kept their nerve and scored their second win in the second game of the day with a score of 12-5 and drew level with the Grasshoppers in the table.
Hard Bulls at Schwechat Blue Bats (20-12, 5-11)
The battle of the cellar-dwellers produced lots of offense and a single win for each. The guests from Vorarlberg prevailed in the first game, 20-12. The high-scoring game was an equal match right from the start. From the fourth inning, however, the Bulls increasingly took command, with eleven runs in the fourth and fifth innings alone. With six hits and four runs, Marcel Winder of the Hard Bulls was the player of the game.
In the second game, the Blue Bats were able to fight back. After four innings the Lower Austrians were already 8-1 in front. Blue Bats starter Tyler Williams (1-1) tossed seven innings without surrendering an earned run and posted twelve strikeouts.
Attnang-Puchheim ASAK Athletics at Feldkirch Cardinals (5-9, 8-5)
The Cardinals broke an 11-game losing streak at home, the site of Feldkirch’s only other victory in 2021. Attnang-Puchheim would ensure the hosts’ winning streak ended at one in the second split of Week 7. In the first game, the team from Vorarlberg had the offense of the Athletics largely under control thanks to good pitching, combined with a faultless defense.
Lukas Bickel (1-0) celebrated his comeback after his shoulder injury, pitching six innings in which he allowed only four hits. Cardinals’ newcomer Zak Johnson made a remarkable debut. In the first game he was on base in every at-bat and scored most of the runs.
In the second game, the Athletics promptly came up with the right answer. The guests started with four runs against Johnson on the mound. After two innings, Johnson switched back to the field and confirmed his performance from the first game, only failing to get on base once. James Jensen (4-2) also entered to toe the rubber in the third, with his substitution for the A’s the difference in the contest as he punched out 11 in seven frames and did not walk a batter. Johnson had three hits and a stolen base in each contest with three doubles in total.
Standings: East
Team | W-L | Div. | Pct. | GB |
Traiskirchen GH | 10-3 | 5-1 | .769 | – |
Vienna MetroStars | 10-3 | 7-2 | .769 | – |
Vienna Wanderers | 8-4 | 1-4 | .667 | 1.5 |
W. Neustadt D. Ducks | 8-5 | 4-5 | .615 | 2 |
Schwechat Blue Bats | 3-10 | 0-7 | .231 | 7 |
Standings: West
Team | W-L | Div. | Pct. | GB |
Dornbirn Indians | 10-3 | 7-0 | .750 | – |
Attnang-Puchheim A’s | 5-8 | 4-3 | .385 | 5 |
Hard Bulls | 2-11 | 1-6 | .154 | 8 |
Feldkirch Cardinals | 2-12 | 1-6 | .143 | 8.5 |
Week 7 Results (May 28-30)
Diving Ducks 7 – Wanderers 17 (7) [Box] (May 28)
Bulls 20 – Blue Bats 12 [Box]
Bulls 5 – Blue Bats 11 [Box]
Diving Ducks 11 – Wanderers 18 [Box]
Athletics 5 – Cardinals 9 [Box] (May 30)
Grasshoppers 4 – MetroStars 5 (10) [Box] (May 30)
Athletics 8 – Cardinals 5 [Box] (May 30)Grasshoppers 5 – MetroStars 12 [Box] (May 30)
Week 8 Schedule (June 3-6)
Wanderers – Grasshoppers (June 3)
Grasshoppers – Wanderers (June 4)
Blue Bats – Diving Ducks (June 4)
Cardinals – Bulls
Cardinals – Bulls
Grasshoppers – Wanderers
Blue Bats – Diving Ducks
Indians – Athletics (June 6)
Indians – Athletics (June 6)
Many thanks to the ABF for providing a weekly recap, portions of which have been translated and adapted herein.