The season is over for the Softball-Team. The Challengers had no chance in the semifinals against their cantonal rivals Zurich Barracudas. The long list of names on the DL weighed too heavily.
While the Challengers had won the semifinals against the Barracudas in the past three years – albeit narrowly – this time they were the clear underdogs. All four duels in the qualification went to the Barracudas, while the Challengers had to mobilize the last squad. The names on the DL alone would have made for a very competitive team. Nevertheless the guests got off to a good start in the first game of the best-of-three series. Isabelle Tan scored the first run of the game after a walk and two errors. But the Barracudas also had a solid start with two runs. While the Challengers were stopped on the bases in the following innings with a double play and a pick-off, the Barracudas managed to make the preliminary decision with two runs in the second and three runs in the third inning, making it 7-1. Two hits by Carmen Lutz-Demetz were the only offensive output for the Challengers. Although the Barracudas only recorded five hits and the errors remained at the same level with two versus three and walks with seven each, the Barracudas still won the statistically relatively close game clearly with 9-1. However, softball games can rarely be won with two hits only.
Only a miracle could have extended the Challengers’ season now. Alexandra McCutcheon took over as the pitcher for the Barracudas in Game 2. The American lived up to her advance praise, allowing only three hits, three unearned runs and two walks, while sending 13 opposing batters back to the dugout with strikeouts. On the other hand, the Barracudas put on a gala performance. They recorded 21 hits and 24 runs, which allowed them to qualify for the final for the first time since 2020. For the Challengers, on the other hand, a season ended in the semifinals for the first time in four years. Given the personnel problems however, more was hardly possible. Nevertheless there were also some bright spots for the Challengers. For example, there was the strong debut year of Marianne Aellen or the positive development of Anouchka Michel. And by next spring, one or the other injury will have healed.
Softball Playoff Semifinals Zurich Barracudas vs. Zurich Challengers: Score 2-0 (best-of-three)
