The Zurich Challengers also end the third gameday of the 2024 season with a split. In the first game of the day they erased a six-run deficit to finally celebrate a 11-7 win, but lost game 2 to the Wil Pirates 1-2.
The initial phase of the encounter with the Eastern Swiss was a complete failure. The Pirates took a 7-1 lead also thanks to five runs in the second inning. Ryan Byrne got the initial spark for the Challengers in the third inning. He opened the frame with a successful bunt single and scored on a mistake by the Wil defense. The Zurich team cut the deficit to 4-7 thanks to runs from Säntis Zeller and Regis Reinhard and an RBI single from Carsten Zuber in his first game with the Challengers. Now the home team was in the game as well. The Challengers finally took control in the sixth inning. Simon Steffen with an RBI single, Ryan Byrne with a 2-run double, Regis Reinhard with a sac fly and last but not least Robert Sedin with a home run over the wall in left field gave the C’s a 10-7 lead. The relief pitchers James Sanders and Regis Reinhard brought the game to the finish line. The latter delivered another RBI-single to make it 11-7.
Ryan Byrne led the offense with three hits and two RBI, Regis Reinhard had two hits and two RBI, while Robert Sedin, Carsten Zuber and Patrick Maier all contributed two hits in the win.
Game 2 developed into a pitcher’s duel between ex-Challengers pitcher Andrea Girasole for the Pirates and left-hander Ryan Byrne on the Challengers’ side. In the first inning, no one could have guessed that the Pirates’ two runs would be enough to win. The guests scored two runs with one hit as they made maximum use of the Zurich defense’s inaccuracies with stolen bases, a wild pitch, a passed ball and an error. Byrne did not allow any further damage to occur. He gave up just three hits in seven innings with two runs, one earned, two walks and an incredible 15 strikeouts. The fact that this wasn’t enough to win was due to the opponent. Girasole kept Zurich’s offense in check throughout the entire game. He went through seven innings throwing just 84 pitches, giving up eight hits and just one run, an RBI single from Patrick Maier in the second inning, with four strikeouts and no walks. So after six games and a record of 3-3, the Challengers remain at .500.
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Challengers stay at .500
NLB-Team loses twice to Unicorns
The NLB-Team keeps up well with the strong Hünenberg Unicorns, but has a bad third inning in both games, the burden of which is too heavy.
The Central Swiss team is launching a new NLB-Team in the 2024 season. The Unicorns added a lot of quality so that they should be able to finish in the upper half of the standings. Nevertheless the Challengers held up well for long stretches. The reason for the two defeats was the third inning on both occasions. In the first game, the Unicorns erupted for nine runs for a 12-0 lead. But the home team showed good fighting spirit and scored six unanswered runs to make it 6-12. In the second game the Unicorns again pulled ahead in the third with seven runs to 10-2. Ultimately they won 13-3. The Challengers undoubtedly have room for improvement on offense. In both games they only managed a total of four hits.
Challengers with split against Flyers
Normally, games between the arch-rivals Zurich Challengers and Therwil Flyers offer material for drama. However on Saturday there were two one-sided games with one win for both teams each.
The early start of the season and the recent difficult training conditions due to the weather did not contribute to an increase in quality. Compared to the final series of 2023 a lot of things were still fragmented and the error rate – in the area of so-called mental errors as well – was relatively high. Game one was decided in the fourth inning. The Flyers opened the gap to 9-1 with seven runs and the Baselbieters almost immediately countered a rally by the Challengers. In the end the guests won 16-6. The man of the game was undoubtedly Sven Leemann, who was largely responsible for the difference with four hits, four RBI and a three-run home run in the sixth inning. On the Zurich side, Regis Reinhard stood out with three hits, while Leonel Sosa Marte and Rob Sedin each delivered two hits.
As on the opening weekend against city rivals Zurich Barracudas the Challengers also managed an impressive response against the Flyers. Pitcher Ryan Byrne delivered a two-hitter, allowing just two runs – one earned – with four walks and six strikeouts. Meanwhile, the Challengers showed more patience at the plate than in other games. With thirteen walks and well-timed hits they produced 17 runs and finished the game after five innings with a 17-2 victory. Leonel Sosa Marte and Säntis Zeller each contributed two hits, Rob Sedin collected three RBI, while Ryan Byrne, Regis Reinhard and Tobias Siegrist scored three runs each.
Ladies with strong offense
The Softball-Team wins its two home games against the Luzern Eagles. The Challengers know how to impress with their big roster depth, especially on offense.
It was hardly noticeable that several key players were not available for the Challengers. The experienced players gave the team stability and successfully guided the younger players through the game day. Coach Janni Micic was forced to make various changes. However the Challengers’ solutions proved to be successful. Carmen Lutz-Demetz acted as emergency pitcher and did not allow the guests’ offense to develop, while the Challengers themselves collected run after run on offense. The first game was therefore over after the minimum of three innings thanks to the mercy rule with the score of 20-5. Lutz-Demetz and Mia Matas each had two hits, Isabelle Tan, Lutz-Demetz and Molly Mullens added three RBI each, while Simone Zurschmitten and Amanda Marxer each contributed two RBI in the win.
In game two the home team had to fight more. The young Eagles team provided fierce resistance even after being in a 6-18 hole. In addition to that the Challengers defense no longer acted with the same security as in the first game of the day. Ultimately the home team prevailed 25-16 in five innings. Offensively the Zurich team was cruising. Six players collected two hits each, with Isabelle Tan, Carmen Lutz-Demetz and newcomer Lara Müller each delivering a triple. Tan amassed five RBI, Müller drove in four runs, Alexia Zingg and Amanda Marxer added three RBI each and Larissa Balsamo got on base twice with two walks and scored two runs in her first career plate appearances.
The Challengers showed a fine team performance and surprise with a great roster depth, which offers the coach alternatives and gives the team the certainty that they are extremely competitive even without a few key players. This is a nice development for the Challengers.
Three homegames next weekend
Three Challengers teams will compete in a doubleheader on home soil the upcoming weekend. The Softball-Team and the NLA-Team play on Saturday, the NLB-Team does work on Sunday.
The women will welcome the Lucerne Eagles on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on the Klopstockwiese in Zurich-Enge. After the split against the reigning champions Wittenbach on Opening Day, the Challengers are clearly favorites against the young Eagles team.
Also on Saturday there will be a reprise of the last two finals of the Swiss Baseball Championship between the two arch-rivals Zurich Challengers and Therwil Flyers at the Heerenschürli ballpark in Zurich-Schwamendingen. The game starts at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. No duel has been played more often in Swiss baseball. In the last 30 years, the two teams have met 164 times, with the Flyers clearly ahead with 101 to 63 wins. On the other hand there is no team in the league that has won against the Flyers as often as the Challengers.
The NLB-Team meets the Hünenberg Unicorns on Sunday. The games start at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Heerenschürli ballpark. While the Zurich team won Game 1 in a split in the local derby on Opening Day, the Unicorns are still waiting for their first win of the season after two home defeats against the Lucerne Eagles.
Swiss Cup games postponed
The Swiss Cup game between the Zurich Challengers and the second team from the Therwil Flyers scheduled for today at 2 p.m. has been canceled due to an unplayable field because of heavy rain. No make-up date has been announced so far.
The game between the Challengers NLB-Team and the Zurich Barracudas Academy scheduled for Sunday at Embrach Klink Hard will not be played.
Sunday’s 1st League home games canceled
The 1st league games scheduled for Sunday, April 21st at the Heerenschürli ballpark have already been canceled on Friday. Due to the constant rain and the weather forecast for the weekend, which promises even more wet weather, the stadium management canceled the games already to protect the field. For the games between the third team of the Challengers, the Zurich Barracudas and the SG Wil Pirates / Zurich Lions no make-up date has been announced so far.
Continue Reading » Sunday’s 1st League home games canceledRevival of the Swiss Cup and Season Opener for 1st League-Team
Next weekend the Swiss Cup will celebrate its revival with a completely new mode. And the 1st League-Team is the last team in the Challengers organization to start the 2024 season with a home game on Sunday.
After a break of over 10 years, a Swiss Cup will be held again for the first time in 2024. The mode has been completely overhauled. In the first part of the competition there is now a group phase in which the 16 NLA- and NLB-Teams have been divided into four groups of four and everyone plays a single game against each other on three game days. The top two teams in each group qualify for the knockout round, in which the Swiss Cup winner is determined in the quarterfinals, semifinals and final. The winner of the competition will take part in the European Federations Cup 2025. The Challengers NLA-Team will meet the second team of the Therwil Flyers on the first game day of the group phase in Therwil. The game will take place on Saturday, April 20th at 2 p.m. at Therwil Känelmatt. The second team will play the Zurich Barracudas Academy on Sunday, April 21 at 11 a.m. at Embrach PZ Hard in a duel of two NLB teams.
On Sunday, April 21st, also the 1st League-Team will open the new season as the last team in the Challengers organization. The Challengers’ third team welcomes the Zurich Barracudas and the SG Wil Pirates / Zurich Lions at the Heerenschürli ballpark. The games start at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Successful start for NLB-Team
A lot is new in the Challengers NLB-Team. With Farid Bekkali and Martin Strzodka two new skippers took over. Their main task is to introduce more young players to adult baseball and to give young players more responsibility. After all these are the future pillars of the first team.
Special about the start of the season was that Bekkali and Strzodka met their old club, the Zurich Barracudas, on Opening Day. There, however, they were responsible for the 1st league team. The philosophy of supporting young players was also evident in the lineup. The coaches gave the ball to pitcher Florin Kämpfer, who made his first Opening Day start for the NLB team. He was a bit wild with seven walks in three innings, but Kämpfer only gave up one hit and three runs, two of them earned, and handed the game to the bullpen with a 5-3 lead. Patrick Zöllig provided the first Challengers run of the season, Honey Gigato Romero, who joined the Challengers from the Zurich Eighters, celebrated a successful debut with an RBI single and Oliver Bernet made it 5-3 with a 2-run double. The Challengers defended this lead and ultimately won 8-4. Patrick Zöllig got the save with the last two outs of the game.
In Game 2 Joseph Stotz was given the start for the Challengers on the pitcher’s mound. The Barracudas had their sights sharpened in the break between the two games, scoring four runs on four hits in the first inning. In contrast, the Challengers’ yield remained low with an RBI single from Jack Siemers. Stotz did his job well and left the mound after three innings with five hits, five runs, four earned, two walks and one strikeout. But then came the fourth inning in which all the dams broke. From seven hits, seven walks, four hit batters and two errors the Barracudas scored 18 runs, meaning the fair was over. The Barracudas celebrated a 23-2 win.
Cadets with split in Rümlang
The U15 Cadets split with the Kobras in the reprise of last year’s U15 final in Rümlang. While game 1 was clearly in favor of the Challengers, game 2 just as clearly went to the Zurich Unterländer.
The mission of defending the title is a lot more difficult to achieve in the junior classes than with the adults. And there, too, this is quite difficult. What makes things even more difficult for the juniors is that some team members will no longer be available in the new season due to their age. However there are still a few champions in the Challengers’ lineup. For example Jasper Freigang and Ben Dickow, who pitched a two-hitter with seven strikeouts in the season opener and paved the way for the first win of the season. The offense contributed twelve hits and eight runs to the comfortable 8-0 start. Jasper Freigang and Fabrizio Bucher delivered three hits each, while Noam Müller, Ben Dickow and newcomer Tyler Smith each had two hits.
As in last year’s final, game 2 went in the opposite direction. The first three Challengers pitchers couldn’t find the strike zone at all, so the Kobras went out of the second inning with ten runs on the board. This proved to be a big enough lead because the Challengers didn’t do much on offense either, so game two went to the home team with a score of 10-2.