In a likely preview of the Swiss Baseball finals, the Zurich Challengers knocked off the Bern Cardinals 6-2 last Sunday at Kanelmatt 1 baseball field in Therwil to win the 2007 Swiss Cup Championship.
Thomas BURGER tossed a complete game four-hitter to nail the win and the Challengers overcame 10 strikeouts by Cardinals’ pitchers to earn their first Swiss Cup title since 2004. Christoph BEYELER took the loss after surrendering four runs on five hits in three innings on the mound.
Bern’s offensive woes and shaky defense were glaringly evident, again. The two-time defending champions boasts the league’s deepest pitching staff and remain the team to beat. But recent weeks have exposed deep cracks in the Cardinals invincibility.
Hard-hitting Thomas BLANK went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and RBI’s for the Challengers who will enter the playoffs this year as legitimate contenders. Chris PALATINUS scored a couple of runs and had an RBI for a veteran squad who have their sights sets on another Swiss title.
A good omen for the Challengers was that the victory over the Cardinals came in a contest in which the talented trio of shortstop Saentis ZELLER, outfielder Thomas LANDIS, and catcher Tobias SIEGRIST finished with just one hit apiece. The title hopes of the Zurich squad rests on the shoulders of the Big 3 who must combat the Cardinals pitching advantage in a long series.
A bad omen for the Challengers was the performance of Bern player/coach John Baum on the mound. The American import pitched four scoreless innings while fanning four hitters and might be on the mound in Game 1 of an expected Cardinals-Challengers finals matchup.