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)
Sunday, September 8, 11:00 a.m., Rümlang Rümelbach: Zürich Challengers vs. Rümlang Kobras 15-3
Sunday, September 8, 1:30 p.m., Rümlang Rümelbach: Rümlang Kobras vs. Zürich Challengers 4-5 (6 inn.)

After narrowly losing the semi-final series against the Therwil Flyers, the U15-Cadets are now playing a series for third place. The Challengers will face the Rümlang Kobras in a repeat of last year’s U15 final.
In the preliminary round the Challengers won three of four games against the Kobras. The best-of-three series begins on Sunday with a doubleheader in Rümlang. If necessary, a third and decisive game would take place on September 14.
U15-Cadets Bronze Series Zurich Challengers vs. Rümlang Kobras: Score 0-0 (best-of-three)
Sunday, September 8th, 11:00 a.m., Rümlang Rümelbach: Zurich Challengers vs. Rümlang Kobras
Sunday, September 8th, 1:30 p.m., Rümlang Rümelbach: Rümlang Kobras vs. Zurich Challengers
Saturday, September 14th, 11:00 a.m., tbd (if necessary): Rümlang Kobras vs. Zurich Challengers

The U15-Cadets’ mission to defend their title was abruptly halted on Sunday in the third and decisive semi-final game. The Therwil Flyers turned the game around in the fourth inning and ultimately won 8-6 to qualify for the finals.
After both teams won one game each last weekend, the third game of the best-of-three series had to determine the second finalist alongside the Geneva Dragons. The Flyers shocked the Challengers with a lightning start. Emanuel Reyes Concepcion with an RBI triple and André Hefti Batista with an inside-the-park home run made it 3-0 in the first inning. The Zurich team organized two runs of their own thanks to a steal on home by Noam Müller and an RBI double by Tyler Smith, but immediately gave them up again in the second round with two errors. After Len Blickenstorfer was able to score on a wild pitch, Fabrizio Bucher shortened the lead to 4-5 with an RBI double. In the third inning the Basel defense also made a few mistakes. Jimmy Siemers on an error and Ilai Blickenstorfer on a wild pitch brought home two more runs for the Challengers, who took the lead for the first time with 6-5. But the Leimentalers scored two more runs in the fourth inning, giving them the lead again with 7-6. The Challengers had their backs against the wall, but the offense that had been so strong so far this season fell silent at the most inopportune moment. The last seven batters went down in order. The Flyers dethroned the Zurich team with 8-6.
The Flyers will face the Geneva Dragons in the final, while the Challengers will play for third place with last year’s final opponents, the Rümlang Kobras.
U15-Cadets Playoff Semifinals Zurich Challengers vs. Therwil Flyers: Score 1-2 (best-of-three)
Saturday, August 24th, 11:00 a.m., Therwil Känelmatt: Therwil Flyers vs. Zürich Challengers 8-9
Saturday, August 24th, 1:30 p.m., Therwil Känelmatt: Zurich Challengers vs. Therwil Flyers 14-18
Sunday, September 1st, 11:00 a.m., Therwil Känelmatt: Therwil Flyers vs. Zurich Challengers 8-6

The U15-Cadets twice squandered a clear lead, but at least managed to avoid a defeat in Game 1 with a walk-off win. So the best-of-three semi-final series against the Therwil Flyers is tied at 1-1 and goes to the decider.
The eagerly awaited duel between the two arch rivals went back and forth. The lead changed several times already in Game 1. Here, the Challengers still came out on top. While the Flyers had scored the first run of the series in the first inning, Yannik Hobi gave the Zurich team their first lead with a 2-run single. They even extended their lead to 4-1. The Basel team made up the deficit by the fourth inning. They equalized in a particularly dramatic way with a triple steal with the bases loaded. Noam Müller, however, put his team back in the lead with an RBI single. But the Flyers turned the game around again in their last inning with four runs to make it 8-5. The Challengers now had one last chance to avert the impending defeat. After a walk by Ben Dickow and a hit-by-pitch by Tyler Smith, Yannik Hobi made it 6-8 with an RBI single. And Ilai Blickenstorfer did manage to tie the game again with a 2-run single. But things got even better for the Zurich team. Noam Müller’s walk-off single put the finishing touches to this dramatic game.
The Challengers also got off to a good start in Game 2. Fabrizio Bucher put the Zurich team on the scoreboard with an RBI single. And after two more runs on wild pitches with runners on third base, Fabrice Cadalbert increased the lead to 4-0 with another RBI single. After two runs by the Flyers, Yannik Hobi made it 5-2 with an RBI double in the third inning, but the Leimental team scored five runs in the second half of the third inning and took the lead. Things weren’t going well for the Challengers pitchers. In the third and fourth innings they allowed their opponents no fewer than 14 walks or hit-by-pitches, which the Flyers combined with seven hits to score 16 runs. This burden was too heavy. The Zurich team did manage to score eight more runs, including a 3-run homer from Ben Dickow, but they couldn’t manage more than 14-18.
The deciding game for a place in the final against the Geneva Dragons will take place next Saturday at 11 a.m. on the Therwiler Känelmatt.
U15-Cadets Playoff Semifinals Zurich Challengers vs. Therwil Flyers: Score 1-1 (best-of-three)
Saturday, August 24th, 11:00 a.m., Therwil Känelmatt: Therwil Flyers vs. Zürich Challengers 8-9
Saturday, August 24th, 1:30 p.m., Therwil Känelmatt: Zurich Challengers vs. Therwil Flyers 14-18
Saturday, August 31st, 11:00 a.m., Therwil Känelmatt: Therwil Flyers vs. Zurich Challengers

48 hours after winning the night game against the SG Unicorns/Eagles, the U15 Cadets met the SG Pirates in Embrach. After a clear 18-2 and a no-hitter in the first game, they lost 8-9 in the second game. And this after an 8-0 lead.
The opening game was a one-sided affair. The Challengers scored at least four runs in each inning, while pitchers Jasper Freigang and Ben Dickow combined for a no-hitter. Fabrizio Bucher shone with a double and a triple as well as four RBI, Tyler Smith contributed two hits to the win and Noam Müller scored four runs.
The second game started in a similar vein. The Challengers quickly took an 8-0 lead. But suddenly the thread broke. The SG Pirates first shortened the lead to 3-8 and while the Challengers suddenly no longer succeeded offensively, the Eastern Swiss team scored run after run. The game was tied at 8-8 going into the last inning. Despite having runners on second and third base with no outs, the Challengers were unable to take the lead. Meanwhile, they allowed their opponents to score the decisive run with a hit-by-pitch, an error and two wild pitches, making it 9-8. Despite their second loss the Challengers remain at the top of the standings with a 9-2 record.

The U15 Cadets won the make-up game on Thursday evening in Hünenberg with 14-8. The result is a little misleading, as the game was completely even for four innings.
The Challengers seemed to have benefited from the unusually late start time. In the make-up game for the doubleheader against the SG Unicorns/Eagles, which was canceled last Saturday due to rain, they landed no fewer than twenty hits and remained errorless in defense. Nevertheless it was a neck-and-neck race with the Central Swiss team for a long time. The guests took 1-0, 3-1 and 6-3 leads, but the SG Unicorns/Eagles immediately equalized each time. In the fourth inning, Yannik Hobi and Ilai Blickenstorfer brought the Challengers back into the lead by two runs with back-to-back doubles. This time the home team was no longer able to keep the pace. And the later the evening, the better the Zurich team became. With seven hits, including two doubles from Ben Dickow and Fabrizio Bucher, they scored six runs in the fifth inning. The Central Swiss team had no answer to that.
Noam Müller, Ben Dickow, Tyler Smith and Ilai Blickenstorfer each delivered three hits, while Fabrizio Bucher, Yannik Hobi and Jimmy Siemers had two hits each. Ben Dickow was credited with the win, while Tyler Smith, who came to the mound with the score at 8-7 in the fourth inning, recorded the save.

The U15 Cadets are taking advantage of the soccer-free evening and are playing a make-up game against the SG Unicorns/Eagles in Hünenberg this Thursday evening. The game of the first-placed Challengers against the Central Swiss team was canceled last Saturday due to rain. The game starts at 7 p.m. in Hünenberg Rony.