The Softball-Team lost twice to the Bern Cardinals on Saturday, July 5 at the Klopstockwiese droping their record to 9-3 and losing first place to the Therwil Flyers and the Wil Devils. In Game 1, the Challengers’ worst performance of the season, the defense committed eight errors that led to eight unearned runs, while Cardinals starter Pamela Kellenberger kept the offense quiet allowing only six hits and two walks, as the C’s lost 6-13. Game 2 saw a pitcher’s duel between Nathalie Brown for the Cards and Karen Heimgartner for the Challengers with an unfortunate finish for the blue and red. The Challengers erased a two-run deficit in the fourth but missed to score the game-winning run in the fourth and seventh frame to eventually lose 3-7 after extra innings. Brown pitched eight strong innings for the Cards, allowing three runs on six hits and striking out sixteen, while Heimgartner ended up with the loss going the distance, giving up seven runs – three earned – on six hits while striking out fourteen. The C’s will face the Reussbühl Eagles on Saturday July, 12 at Reussbühl for their last games of the preeliminary round.

The Softball-Team improved its record to 9-1 after showing its best performance of the season against the strong Rümlang Kobras on Sunday, June 22 at Rümlang with temperatures at 31 degrees above zero. The Challengers broke a 2-2 tie with RBI-singles by Karen Heimgartner, Simone Zurschmitten and Andrea Wirth in the fifth inning and Karin Mittelstädt had two hits and crossed the plate three times, as the Challengers held on for a 10-3 victory in Game 1. Leandra Simitovic went the distance, giving up two earned runs on six hits while striking out a season high eight. Heimgartner led the C’s to a 12-3 win over the Kobras in Game 2, tossing a no-hitter with three runs – none of them earned – one walk and thirteen strikeouts and Flavia Von Meiss had two hits and drove in three runs, while Alexia Zingg, Simona Cellar, Elisabete Vieira and Simitovic scored two runs apiece and the Challengers rolled to their ninth win in ten games. The C’s will face next last year’s semi-final opponent Bern Cardinals at Saturday, July 5 at the Klopstockwiese.

The Softball-Team stays in first place after splitting with the second placed Wil Devils on Sunday, June 15 at the Klopstockwiese. The C’s played their first game since May 4 and the break became noticeable, as their bats remained silent and the defense committed six errors. The Challengers never came into the game, as they had only three hits, while the Devils scored six runs in the first frame and never looked back, as they posted a 11-4 victory in Game 1, their eight win in a row. Sandrine Montandon had the only RBI for the Challengers, as she delivered a single in the fourth inning to make it 3-7. Game 2 was all Challengers then. Simona Cellar and Ziegylou Wehrli had two hits apiece and Cellar, Wehrli and Flavia Von Meiss combined for seven runs, while Simone Zurschmitten belted a RBI-triple, as the Challengers cruised to a 12-0 win over the Devils. Karen Heimgartner tossed a one-hitter with ten strikeouts and one walk, as she recorded her first win of the season. The Challengers have now a 7-1 record and will face next the Rümlang Kobras on Sunday, June 22 at Rümlang.