The U12-Juveniles get a win against the SG Ravens/Frogs in the Wild Card tournament of the three second-placed teams, but are defeated by the Rümlang Kobras beforehand. While the Kobras buy the last ticket for the finals, the Challengers will play against the Ravens/Frogs for fifth place next Saturday.
The Kobras made it clear early in the game that they were aiming for the Final Four tournament. The young Challengers team fought back as best they could, but ultimately had too little horsepower to pose a serious threat to the stronger Kobras. The Zürcher Unterländer finally won clearly with 11-4.
Since the Kobras defeated the SG Ravens/Frogs 8-4 in the second game of the day, it was clear even before the last game between the Solothurn-Baselland team and the Challengers that the Final Four tournament was out of reach for both. However, the Zurich team showed another strong performance in the offensive. Despite struggling on defense and pitching, they somehow managed to hold off the fresh-playing Ravens/Frogs and won the game 16-9.
This means that the Challengers are missing out the medals in this age group for the first time since 2015, but in view of the many new players they can be very satisfied with reaching the games for fifth place.
Juveniles play for fifth place
Split for the NLB-Team in Lucerne
The NLB-Team walks away with a split against the Eagles in Lucerne. It could actually have been even more, in the end the Challengers should be happy to have taken at least one win with them. Both games were decided in the sixth inning.
The Challengers will think about Game 1 for a while. The guests had more hits with 11-8, committed fewer errors with 1-3, had more strikeouts with 4-3, and hit a smooth .500 with runners in scoring position. Still, that wasn’t enough to win. And this despite an early 4-0 lead and although Zurich managed to tie it to 7-7 in the fifth inning. In the sixth frame the Eagles scored four runs with four hits and were able to decide the game. The Challengers brought the tying run to the plate again, but it wasn’t enough for more than the 8-11.
David Morroni and Carlos Nepomuceno each had two hits and Nepomuceno and Luis Mateo Jimenez were responsible for two RBI each, while Florin Kampfer and Joseph Stotz put on solid performances from the pitcher’s mound but were poorly rewarded.
Game 2 was also on the brink till the end. The lead went back and forth already in the early innings. The highlight of the starting period came from veteran Thomas Landis, who hit a home run over the fence at right center field to make it 2-2 in the third inning. The decision came again in the sixth inning. At 2-3 Adderly Sarmito hit a 2-run single that brought home Oliver Bernet Garcia and Florin Kampfer and turned the game around. Afterwards, Alex Gordon also scored to make it 5-3, an insurance run that the Challengers later urgently needed. The Eagles made it 4-5 in the sixth inning and blew another hallali in the seventh. After a hit-by-pitch, a single and a walk, they loaded the bases with one out. But Challengers pitcher Luis Mateo Jimenez escaped the Eagles’ final attack with a flyout to left field and a pop fly to himself, securing his colors the win.
In addition to Landis with his home run, Carlos Nepomuceno also impressed with two doubles, while Adderly Sarmiento and Ryan Koley each had two RBI’s.
Cadets back on the winning track
The U15-Cadets wanted to find their way back on the winning track after the two defeats on the last gameday. They managed to do so on Saturday in Embrach, even if the games went very differently than expected.
The Challengers had extreme difficulties against the SG Blackhawks, who have not yet won a game this season. But the Blackhawks played their best game of the season offensively, bringing the Challengers to the brink of a defeat. The C’s just got their heads out of the noose with a walk-off win in the bottom of the fifth inning and celebrated a nerve-wracking 14-13 victory.
In the second game of the day there was revenge against the Hünenberg Unicorns, against whom the Challengers pitched a no-hitter but still lost the game 1-2. However anyone who had expected another tough struggle was completely wrong. The Challengers dominated in all aspects of the game and won easily with 17-1.
NLA faces Wil, U12 plays Wild Card Tournament
A curiosity awaits the NLA-Team next Sunday. The Challengers meet the Wil Pirates three times. Before the actually planned double header on the Heerenschürli takes place, the last inning of a game that has been suspended in April due to rain has to be completed. The game was stoped in the bottom of the seventh inning with one out and a 14-10 lead for the Challengers. There are still two outs to play. The trilogy begins at 10.45 a.m. at the Heerenschürli ballpark.
The NLB-Team travels to Lucerne on Saturday, where they will meet the Lucerne Eagles. In the first meeting of the season in Zurich, they suffered two painful defeats against the central Swiss. The games start at 11 am and 2 pm in Reussbühl Hinterruopigen.
The U15-Cadets are also in action on Saturday. After the two defeats last weekend, a reaction is to be expected. After the opening game against the SG Black Hawks, the C’s will play again against the Hünenberg Unicorns. The games will take place in Embrach PZ Hard and start at 10 am and 3 pm.
The Softball-Team also meets the Luzern Eagles on Sunday, June 11th. In the case of the women’s team, the first comparison this season went in favor of the Challengers. The games start at 11 am and 1.30 pm in Reussbühl Hinterruopigen.
The U12-Juveniles are in action on the Klopstockwiese on Sunday. As runners-up in the Central group, they are contesting the wild card tournament for fourth place at the Final Four tournament on June 18 in Hünenberg. The Challengers Juniors play at 10 am and 3 pm.
Fine performance from 1st League-Team
After the Challengers had lost all of their games on Saturday, three times with one run, it was up to the 1st League-Team to get into the W column. And they did so impressively with a 7-2 win against the Zurich Eighters.
In the second inning the Challengers put up five runs, enough for pitcher Joseph Stotz to take home the win. He gave up six hits and two runs, one earned, with two walks and eight strikeouts. Oliver Bernet and Noam Müller opened the inning with two singles before Jacob Stotz loaded the bases after a hit-by-pitch. A passed ball, a double from Jasper Freigang, an error from the Eighters defense and an RBI groundout from Philip Louis made it 5-0. Two more runs in the fifth inning led to the final score of 7-2.
In the second game of the day, the Challengers faced the SG Wittenbach-Romanshorn/Wil Devils. At the last meeting the C’s have been rolled over with a 0-20. The offense of the eastern Swiss was again extremely productive at the beginning and after two innings they already had a 11-3 lead. But the Challengers caught themselves and initially stopped the flood of runs with good defense before they scored five runs themselves in the fifth inning to make it 8-14.
NLB-Team with huge rally, but still on the losing end
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.
Softball-Team goes away empty-handed
When the Zurich Barracudas and Zurich Challengers softball teams face off, two things are usually certain. It’s exciting. And it lasts long. Same this time, with the better ending for the Barracudas.
The home team organized a reassuring cushion in the third inning with seven runs for a 10-3 lead. They thrived on that for a long time, and after six innings they still had a five-run advantage with a 14-9 lead. But with these derbies only after the last out there is really certainty about the outcome. So also this Saturday. The Challengers turned things around with eight runs in the seventh inning, but quickly gave up their lead again in the bottom half of the inning. The game went into the extra innings, where the Barracudas managed to score the decisive run to make it 18-17 after three hours and 38 minutes.
Molly Mullens had three hits, two RBI and two runs, Leandra Simitovic had two hits and four RBI and Isabelle Tan added two hits, two RBI and four runs, just falling short of the win.
Game two then went straight to the Barracudas. Although the Challengers opened the score with four runs in the first frame. From then on practically only the Barracudas played, winning after four innings with Mercy Rule 16-6. Taylor McCants, Leandra Simitovic and Molly Mullens had the only three hits for the Challengers, who now have a .500 record after four game days with four wins and four losses.
Cadets pitch no-hitter, but still lose
The winning streak of the U15-Cadets has come to an abrupt halt. The so far undefeated Challengers leave the field twice as losers. Although they manage a rare no-hitter against the Hünenberg Unicorns, they still lose the game 1-2. After that, they get off track and lose again against the Rümlang Kobras.
Fabrizio Bucher and Philip Louis managed the rare feat of a combined no-hitter in the game against hosts Hünenberg Unicorns. The fact that even this wasn’t enough to win was on the one hand due to too many walks given up, nine in total, and on the other hand due to a weak offense, in which Maor Müller had the only two hits of the game. Ben Dickow tied the game at 1-1 in the second inning after a walk and three stolen bases including a steal at home. This was the Challengers’ only run, so a bases-loaded walk in the third inning brought the decision in favor of the Unicorns. The Zurich team brought the tying run to third base in the fifth inning, but did not manage to tie the game again.
The game against the Rümlang Kobras initially continued in a similar style. After two innings it was only 1-1. But then the Kobras were the first to untie the knot. With four runs in the third and three runs in the fourth inning, they pulled away 8-1. Although Fabrizio Bucher made it 2-8 and Noam Müller made it 3-8 with an RBI single, the Kobras responded with three more runs on their part. The Challengers’ four runs in the last inning were useless. Jimmy Siemers after a wild pitch, Ben Dickow and Fabrizio Bucher each with an RBI single and Bucher with a steal on home were only able to reduce to 7-11, which did not prevent the second loss of the day.
Nick Siemers at the MLB European Development Tournament
Challengers homegrown Nick Siemers has been selected by MLB to compete in the prestigious MLB European Development Tournament as part of the 2023 MLB London Series. The 19-year-old Swiss national team player takes part from June 19 till 25 with the best European baseball talents at the London tournament.
Siemers plans to transfer to a US college in the fall to take the next step in his career.
Softball Derby in Rümlang
On Saturday, the first Zurich Softball derby of the season will take place in Rümlang between the Zurich Barracudas and the Zurich Challengers. It is also the duel behind the reigning champion Wittenbach. The Challengers are in third place with four wins and two losses, while the Barracudas are still clean sheets after four games played. The games will take place at 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in Rümlang Rümelbach.
The U15-Cadets will also be in action on Saturday. They will meet the Hünenberg Unicorns and the Rümlang Kobras in Hünenberg. The Challengers will look to maintain their unbeaten run this season. The games start at 10 a.m. and 12.30 p.m. in Hünenberg Rony.
On Saturday evening there will also be a rematch of the NLB Zurich derby between the Zurich Barracudas Academy and the Zurich Challengers in the Heerenschürli ballpark. The game starts at 6 p.m.
The 1st League-Team concludes the game day. The third team of the Challengers welcomes the Zurich Eighters and the SG Wittenbach-Romanshorn/Wil Devils to the Heerenschürli ballpark on Sunday, June 4th. Games start at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.