For the second time this week the Zurich Barracudas Academy and the Zurich Challengers faced each other on Saturday. night. The C’s won 15-5 on Wednesday, but initially lacked everything on Saturday that had characterized them winning three days ago. In the sixth inning, however, they turned the game around spectacularly, only to ultimately leave the field as losers, 13-14.
At first only the Academy played. Toxic in every at bat and rock solid on defense, the young Barracudas held an 8-0 lead well into the fourth inning. The Challengers then also signed up for the game with an RBI single from Andreas Rüdisühli and a bases loaded walk from Patrick Zöllig. In the sixth inning the Challengers finally reached operating temperature. They made nine runs from no less than ten hits and suddenly found themselves leading 12-11.
Noam Blickenstorfer opened the rally with a single, followed by a single by Adderly Sarmiento, before Tobias Siegrist brought home the first runs with a 2-run single. Thomas Landis with a double, Florin Kampfer with a 2-run single, Kurt Kovac with an RBI single and Jacob Stotz with a 2-run single continued to gain ground before Adderly Sarmiento with another 2-run single put the Challengers ahead with a score of 12-11.
In line with this crazy course of play, the Barracudas came back again. With two errors, the Challengers defense helped the Academy to regain a 2-run lead. In the end, this was enough. Closer Seiya Eigenheer gave up a lead-off double and a run against Thomas Landis, but ended the game with two strikeouts to walk away with a 14-13 win for the Barracudas.

The NLB-Team wins the derby against the Zurich Barracudas Academy on Wednesday night. With seven runs in the first inning, they pave the way early to a safe 15-5 win.
Against the young team of the Academy, the veterans of the Challengers showed themselves to be in charge. Patrick Zöllig and Thomas Landis each had three hits, Thomas Blank, Adderly Sarmiento and Ryan Koley contributed two hits each, and Juan Francisco Robles allowed just five hits, one run and one walk in four innings with three strikeouts for the win.

In the NLB there are two night games planned this week between the Zurich Barracudas Academy and the Challengers. The first meeting will take place on Wednesday, May 31st at 7 p.m. at the Heerenschürli ball park. Game 2 will take place on Saturday, June 3rd at 6 p.m.

The NLB night game scheduled for Tuesday evening between the Zurich Barracudas Academy and the Challengers had to be canceled due to the rain and the unplayable field.
The game was originally scheduled for April 2nd as a season opener and has now had to be canceled and rescheduled for the second time.

The NLB team opens its season with two home defeats against offensively strong Lucerne Eagles. However, the results belie the much tighter gameplay.
It took the Challengers a bit to get stamped in the 2023 season. When Patrick Zöllig, Thomas Blank and Florin Kampfer scored the first runs for the Challengers in the third inning, the guests from Central Switzerland led already by five runs. The Eagles also knew how to respond to Zurich’s comeback. In the fifth inning Marcell Pena Reyes delivered a two-run double to make it 7-3 and they answered Thomas Blank’s sac fly with two more runs to make it 9-4. In the last inning the father-son combination was successful. Adrian Kampfer brought home his son Florin with an RBI single for a final score of 5-9. The most successful batter of the Challengers was Andreas Rüdisühli with two hits, while Patrick Zöllig and Florin Kampfer scored two runs each.
The second game began much like the opener. The Eagles were productive from the start, so their seven runs in the fourth inning were offset by an RBI-single from Adrian Kampfer only. However, the Challengers got back into the game again. A two-run single by Adderly Sarmiento brought home Noam Blickenstorfer and Ryan Koley, and in the fifth inning Denyo Benz, Ryan Koley and Adrian Kampfer, after a sac fly by Kurt Kovac, made it 6-8. But the guests had a final bouquet ready. With four hits and two errors by the Challengers, they managed five runs in the sixth inning before things fell apart in the Challengers defense in the last round and the Eagles eventually won 26-11 with an incredible 13 runs in the last frame.

Due to the Dulliken Ravens’ last-minute withdrawal from this year’s NLB Championship, the schedule is undergoing some changes. After the opening day of the second Challengers team on April 2nd was canceled due to rain, the second planned game day on April 16th in Dulliken is now canceled as well. So the season for the Challengers will now start on April 29th with a double header at the Heerenschürli ballpark against the Luzern Eagles. Since the home games against the Ravens on May 21st are also canceled, the Challengers will play in the Heerenschürli for the second time on Wednesday, May 31st. Opponent in a night game will be the Barracudas Academy.