by John Baum
Challengers defeat Cardinals for first time in ten tries, end the perfect start of the defending champs
On the windiest day we have ever played ball at the Allmend, the Zurich Challengers (6-8) kept it together longer than the Bern Cardinals (14-1) in winning game one, 12-7. Things started out poorly in the first for the home team as a two out, two run throwing error from player/coach John Baum put the visitors on the board. The Cards, on Vitus Huber and Samuel Paulino singles, cut into the lead with one run in the bottom half of the inning. Three consecutive walks from Cards starter Chris Beyeler to start the second inning would result in only one run as a diving stop from Paulino would start a 6-4-2 inning ending double play! Beyeler would then find his groove, working the next three innings scoreless, before leaving the mound in the sixth inning. Once again in the bottom half, the Cardinals responded. A one out walk to Ronnie Zimmermann, followed by a Tobias Imboden double, and ultimately an Alex Cruz Tifa single knotted the game at three. The home team took their first lead of the day in the fourth when Imboden would leave the yard with a man on base for his first homerun of the season, making the score 5-3. Imboden took over for Beyeler on the hill in the sixth, but ran into all kinds of trouble in the seventh where he gave up six run on two walks and five hits, including a big two run double from Y. Martinez. The Cards made it a two run game in the eighth when two consecutive hits and an error allowed two runs to cross the plate, leaving it at 9-7. Unfortunately for Bern, the Challengers took advantage of three Cards errors in the ninth, to stretch the lead to 12-7, where the game and the Cards bid for perfection would end.
John Baum was not his usual self ones again on the mound in game two for the Cardinals, as he would give up two hits and two runs including an RBI double from Thomas Landis in the first inning. The Cards though had an even better start to the game at the plate against A. Maduro, as the first seven batters would reach base, and eventually score to give the home team a seemingly unreachable lead of 7-2. Singles from Paulino, Baum, Rudy Vargas, and Ronnie Zimmermann doing the brunt of the damage. In the second, once again the Challengers were able to get to Baum, as singles from J. Martinez and A. Maduro to start the inning, and a sac bunt from U. Von Burg put runners in scoring position with only one out. C. Pena would plate the first run on a sacrifice fly, and a J. Sanders single would score the second, closing the gap to 7-4. From there both Baum, and Challengers reliever Y. Martinez would cruise, Martinez allowing only one run to score, and Baum, two in the next five innings. The Challengers did manage to put the tying runs on base in the final inning, thanks to a fielding error and a hit to start the inning, but Baum would put the fire out, and finish off the Challengers with an 8-6 win. The Cardinals will have one week of practice left before travelling to Attnang, Austria to represent Switzerland in the Euro Cup Qualifier. Stay tuned for a preview of, and updates from this international baseball competition.
Indians win two more games 14-4 and 15-11, against the Eagles and stay in second place behind the Cardinals.
In game one, Nic Jaquemet and the Lausanne Indians (11-4) had to wait until the fourth inning before they pulled away from the Reussbuehl Eagles (1-13). The Eagles in fact took the lead in the 3rd inning, scoring three times. A throwing error to first base by the pitcher allowing two runs to cross the plate.
The Indians were quick to respond to the threat posed by the visiting Eagles, scoring four runs in the bottom half, taking a 4-3 lead. A solo shot from Jimenez, doubles from De Freites and Ramirez, and a long home run from Colon causing the damage. But the Eagles weren’t dead at this point, and eventually tied the game at four in the fourth inning. But this run would be the last of the game as Jaquemet got stronger late in the contest. In the complete game, he just allowed three hits, and retired eight by strikeout!
Jimenez had a monster game for the Indians, launching three home runs, in a game featuring sixteen hits from the Indians, he was the star. The final score in game one was 14-4, ending in a mercy rule win in eight innings.
In game two, David Marte took the mound for the first time this season. He started the game in style, sitting down the first two hitters with strikeouts. But he needed to “K” another batter; his defense fell apart, allowing four consecutive errors, but only one run scored. In the bottom of the first, another Indian homerun, this time off the bat of Ramirez, brought in three runs. The Indians added two more in that inning, taking a 5-1 lead into the third.
But the Eagles continued to fight, scraping together three runs on back to back doubles from Veras and J. Mueller, along with two errors. The Indians managed to pull one run back after a double, and a sac fly, leaving the score after two innings played at 6-4.
But the Eagles again showed determination, taking the lead in the fifth inning, hits and more defensive blunders allowing them to have an 11-10 advantage. But the Indians were able to bat around in the sixth, ultimately scoring five times, to take a 15-11 lead into the top of the last inning. This is where the game would end, completing the sweep, and moving their win streak to six in a row.
The Therwil Flyers (10-4) swept the Embrach Rainbows (5-9) this weekend.
Two solid performances from the Flyers pitching staff, backed up with crisp and clean defense and timely offense, allowed Therwil to walk away with two wins on the road, 8-1 and 3-0.
In game one, Stefan Koller (5-1) had an outstanding outing. He went the distance, allowing only three hits and one walk over nine innings, in his strongest game of the season. He struck out thirteen on the day, including fanning the side in the second inning, on only nine pitches.
Koller was locked in a pitchers duel with Rainbow starter Savoldelli, as both hurlers put up goose eggs for four innings. Embrach broke through in the 5th, as Walser came around to score after his leadoff walk. Albrecht knocked him in with a two-out infield single. Trailing 1-0 in the 7th, Emanuel Raouzeos started things off for the Flyers with a beautiful bunt single down the 3rd baseline. Raouzeos stole second, advanced to third on a Taka Oshima sacrifice, and scored on a Michael LaTorre RBI single. The Flyers scored five runs in the inning, two of them coming in when the Rainbows’ right fielder misplayed a line drive off the bat of Sebastian Zwyer. Daniel Eichenberger and Sam Faeder added RBI hits to close out the rally. Therwil held the lead, going on to win 8-1.
In game two, another pitchers duel emerged between Embrach starter Byrnes and Flyer Adi Kaufmann. Kaufmann (1-0), making his first start since the first weekend of the season, went the distance. He scattered six hits over seven shutout innings to pick up his first win, and the first complete game shutout for the Flyer staff. Keeping the rainbows off balance all day, Kaufmann looked superb.
Once again locked in a 0-0 game, the Flyers broke through in the 4th. After a leadoff single and stolen base from Faeder, Mattias Jung sacrificed him to third. Oshima knocked in the winning run with an RBI single. Therwil would add two more in the 6th to go on to win 3-0.
On the day, Faeder led the Flyer offense with four hits, scoring three runs and stealing three bases. Jung and LaTorre added three hits each, while Oshima came up with two hits and two RBI. Koller also knocked his first homerun of the season.
{mrb-result:2009-06-06|2009-06-07|CH}
{mrb-standing:switzerland-2009}