The U15 Cadets sweep the Rümlang Kobras 2-0 in the best-of-three series for the bronze medal and take third place. After a clear victory in Game 1, the Challengers took Game 2 with a walk-off win in extra innings.
The duel for bronze in the U15 Cadets championship was a repeat of the 2023 final. And just like a year ago the Challengers prevailed in the duel between the cantonal rivals against the Rümlang Kobras. The Zurich team laid the foundation for victory in Game 1 in the second inning. The C’s scored three runs from five hits, including a triple by Yannik Hobi and an RBI double by Noam Müller. One inning later they extended their lead to 6-2, also thanks in part to some errors by the Kobras. This broke their resistance and the Challengers added a few more runs to ultimately secure a 15-3 win.
The second game of the day remained dramatic until the last pitch. The Kobras once again gave everything they had and took a 2-0 lead in the second inning. But the Challengers also saved a few highlights for Game 2. Yannik Hobi opened the bottom half of the second inning with a solo home run and after a single by Jimmy Siemers, Ilai Blickenstorfer followed up with a 2-run home run over the center field fence. The Kobras took the lead again with two runs in the fourth inning to make it 4-3. Before the Challengers’ last attack, the score was still the same. But the Challengers managed to equalize. After singles by Noam Müller and Ben Dickow, Jasper Freigang made it 4-4 with an RBI groundout. In the extra inning pitcher Tyler Smith defused a bases loaded situation with no outs with his defense, giving the Challengers a chance to win it in the bottom half of the extra inning. And the C’s made short work of it. After a wild pitch Tyler Smith scored the winning run and secured the bronze medal for his team.
U15 Cadets series for bronze Zurich Challengers vs. Rümlang Kobras: score 2-0 (best-of-three)
