The Challengers delivered a strong performance in their home game against the Bern Cardinals on Mother’s Day. With numerous hits and nearly flawless defense, the Zurich team controlled the games at all times and celebrated two commanding home victories, 14-4 and 12-5.
The visitors only briefly had the upper hand at the beginning of the opening game, when the Cardinals got off to a perfect start with four runs in the first inning. But with a ground-rule double from Isabelle Tan and a base-clearing double from Simone Zurschmitten in the bottom half of the first inning the damage was quickly repaired from Zurich’s perspective. And in the second inning, after a run by Lara Müller on a wild pitch, Taylor McCants and Simona Cellar extended the lead to 10-4 with their two-run singles. Although the Cardinals repeatedly caused base traffic, the Challengers’ defense performed commandingly and didn’t allow any more runs. After four innings, the Challengers won 14-4.
Taylor McCants led the offense with two hits and three RBI, while Tamara Ammeter and birthday girl Carmen Lutz-Demetz had two hits each, and Anouchka Michel, Isabelle Tan, Simona Cellar, and Marianne Aellen scored two runs apiece. Simone Zurschmitten was credited with the win with two shutout innings.
The home team immediately took control in the second game as well. Karen Hendren opened the scoring with an RBI in the first inning, before the Challengers extended the lead to 6-0 thanks to Marianne Aellen’s two-run single, Anouchka Michel’s RBI single, Isabelle Tan’s RBI bunt single, and Karen Hendren’s sac bunt. The Cardinals, however, stayed in the game with some solid plays, including a two-run double by Nicole Kühni and an RBI double by Stephanie Mischler. This reduced the Challengers’ lead to 9-5 in the fifth inning. But the Zurich team managed to snag the three runs they needed to win the mercy rule by capitalizing on two errors by the Cards to secure a 12-5 victory.
Carmen Lutz-Demetz, Simone Zurschmitten, and Tamara Ammeter each had two hits, and Ammeter earned her second win of the season in three innings as a relief pitcher. Thanks to the split between last year’s finalists, the Wittenbach Panthers and the Zurich Barracudas, the Challengers, the only undefeated team, currently lead the standings. The next two weekends will reveal where the Zurich team truly stands. They will face the Panthers and the Barracudas one after the other.
Softball Team performs well on Mother’s Day
Juveniles remain unbeaten
The U12-Juveniles remain undefeated after their third gameday. The Challengers defeated the Wil Devils 16-10 in the first game and 7-6 in the second, a very close game.
For the Challengers, pitchers Florian Gränz and Joaquin Nicod shone in the first game, as did Roy Gonzalez, who was credited with the win, and Henry Ruffieux, who recorded the last out for the save in Game 2.
Cadets offense powerless
It almost seemed as if the U15-Cadets had left their bats at home on Saturday. In their losses in Wil against the Rümlang Kobras and the SG Pirates, they ended the day with just four hits and a total of 23 strikeouts.
In the opening game against their cantonal rivals, the Rümlang Kobras, the Challengers’ offense was not at its level. The C’s recorded a total of just three baserunners. That wasn’t something that would give them a chance of winning. At least they were able to keep the score open at the beginning. After a run for the Kobras in the first inning and two more following a costly error by the C’s in the second, the Zurich Unterland team created the decisive difference with five runs in the third inning, making the score 8-0. In the end, the Kobras won decisively 12-0.
In the second game against the hosts, the defense didn’t hold up at the beginning. The SG Pirates opened the game with four runs. The Challengers did manage to score their first run of the day thanks to doubles from Tyler Smith and Fabrizio Bucher. After three innings, however, the Eastern Swiss team already held a decisive 11-2 lead. Fabrice Cadalbert scored runs two and three in the third and fifth innings, but this did nothing to change the 3-13 defeat.
Softball Homegame on Mother’s Day
As always, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May in Switzerland. And the Challengers Softball women’s team hosts a home game against the Bern Cardinals. After a successful start to the season against the SG Frogs/Flyers, the C’s will look to carry the momentum into their duel with the team from the Swiss capital. Games will kick off at 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. at the Klopstockwiese in Zurich-Enge.
The U15 Cadets will be in action on Saturday, aiming for their first win of the season in Wil, St. Gallen. Their opponents will once again be the Rümlang Kobras and the SG Pirates. The games begin at 12:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. at the Wil Lindenhof.
The U12 Juveniles will also travel to Wil on Sunday. The Challengers, undefeated this season, will face the Wil Devils. The games will be played at 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. at the Lindenhof in Wil.
No Happy End for NLB-Team
The NLB-Team traveled to Lausanne on Sunday. For the first time with Tate Stone-Frisina as their new manager. However the Challengers came up empty in western Switzerland.
The Challengers got off to a perfect start under their new coach. All four of their first four batters scored. Dalton Griswold, with a two-run single, and Fabrizio Bucher, with an RBI single, contributed to the 4-0 lead. But the hosts also got off to a strong start offensively. After two innings the Indians were already ahead 5-4 before they went on a tear. In the fourth inning they pulled ahead 13-4. The final score was 16-5.
The second game of the day was much closer. But after a roller coaster end the Indians once again emerged victorious. Lausanne took a 3-0 lead in the third. In the fourth inning Kazuki Sato brought Jasper Freigang home with an RBI groundout and put the Challengers in the game. And the C’s even tied the game in the sixth inning. After an RBI single by Regis Reinhard, Samuel Rodriguez Bautista made it 3-3 with an RBI double. But the home team countered with two runs of their own. This left the Challengers with their backs against the wall going into the final inning. Noam Blickenstorfer, Jordi Bucher and Dalton Griswold immediately created a bases loaded situation with no outs. And the turned things around. After a wild pitch and a 2-run single by Regis Reinhard, the visitors were suddenly ahead 6-5. But the Indians had the final word. After a leadoff single and two stolen bases by Arnaud Droxler, Maxime Fayol tied the game before the latter scored on a bunt single by Yves Rhys to secure a walk-off win for the Indians.
Juveniles narrowly defeat Kobras
Due to the poor weather forecast for Sunday, the Kobras and Challengers officials agreed to move the doubleheader to Saturday. This seemed to be the right strategy. Although it wasn’t completely dry on Saturday, both games could still be played.
While the Challengers clearly defeated the Kobras on Opening Day, the two games on Saturday were close affairs. But once again the Challengers prevailed. They beat the Kobras 8-6 and 7-5 in two close games and remain undefeated at the top of the standings.
Juveniles games moved to Saturday at Rümlang
Due to the poor weather forecast for Sunday, the U12-Juveniles games between the Rümlang Kobras and the Challengers have been moved to Saturday, May 3. The games will be played in Rümlang instead.
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The U12-Juveniles will play for the first time this season on Sunday, May 4, at their home field, Klopstockwiese, in Zurich-Enge. They will host their cantonal rivals, the Rümlang Kobras. The Challengers defeated the Zurich Unterländers 14-3 on the first gameday of the season at the beginning of April. The Kobras will be pushing hard to achieve a better result. The games begin at 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
NLB-Team travels to Lausanne
The NLB-Team will play its second gameday of the season next Sunday in Lausanne. After their two victories on Opening Day against the Therwil Flyers, the Challengers will look to carry the momentum. The Lausanne Indians celebrated a walk-off win against the Hünenberg Unicorns in their season opener, but lost the second game despite a 6-1 lead. The games begin at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. at the Terrain de Chavannes.
Continue Reading » NLB-Team travels to LausanneNepomuceno with two Grand Slams, Challengers with two Wins
The NLA-Team also began its championship campaign on Saturday. The Challengers’ home game had to be played at their opponents’ field in Sissach due to construction work at Zurich’s Heerenschürli ballpark. One returning player shone with two grand slams, and a rookie earned his first win.
One player apparently couldn’t wait for the season to start. Carlos Nepomuceno, who missed last season for professional and personal reasons, made his mark on the Challengers’ season opener. In his first at bat as a father, the number four in the lineup hammered the ball over the left-field fence with the bases loaded, giving his team a 4-2 lead that the Zurich team never relinquished. The Frogs, who are now back in the NLA due to the change in format with now seven teams in the NLA, kept the game open for a long time. In the fifth inning they were able to narrow the gap to 3-6 before Nepomuceno stepped up again with the bases loaded in the sixth. And he did it again. Once again, it was a grand slam and four runs for the Challengers. Ultimately the Zurich team won the game 15-3 after seven innings.
In addition to Nepomuceno with his two grand slams and eight RBI, 17-year-old rookie Florin Kämpfer also shone with three hits and three RBI, while Opening Day starter Simon Steffen achieved a complete game win. In seven innings he allowed only four hits, three runs – two earned – and four walks with eight strikeouts.
In the second game of the day the Sissach Frogs also opened the scoring with two runs in the first inning. However, the lead once again only lasted until Carlos Nepomuceno got to work. This time, he tied the game with a two-run double in his first at-bat, before Adderly Sarmiento delivered a two-run single to make it 4-2. In the second inning Ryan Byrne tripled and made it 5-2. One inning later Jack Siemers made it 6-2 before the man of the day added an RBI single to make it 7-3.
Florin Kämpfer earned the first win of his career, giving up just one hit and one run in four innings as a reliever, with three walks and five strikeouts. Nepomuceno again led the Challengers offense with two hits and three RBI, while Ryan Byrne and Samuel Rodriguez Bautista each had two hits.
Two wins for Softball-Team on Opening Day
The softball women’s team won twice on Opening Day against the SG Frogs/Flyers. The rejuvenated team delivered a refreshing performance, impressing both offensively and defensively.
After a four-year absence from the championship, the twelve-time Swiss champion Therwil Flyers will field a team again in 2025. This year the young to very young players will compete in a joint team with neighboring Sissach. The first trip took the SG Frogs/Flyers to Zurich’s Klopstockwiese. The Challengers’ equally rejuvenated team was able to count on several returning players, who were sorely missed, compared to last year’s playoffs. The Zurich team got off to a good start. After two innings they were already leading 10-5. And after just over an hour and a half the Challengers put the game away 17-7 in the fourth inning.
Marianne Allen had two hits, Mia Matas collected three RBI, Tylor McCants and Tamara Ammeter each had two RBI, and Anouchka Michel scored four runs. Michel had even more reason to celebrate. The 17-year-old pitched four innings for the first time and earned her first career win.
The visitors got off to a better start in the second game. The Baselbieter team took a 3-0 and then a 7-3 lead. But the Challengers didn’t let that bother them. They had no reason to. Their offense kept things moving, and their defense made several nice plays. And in the third inning they turned things around. The Zurich team scored seven hits and eleven runs for a seven run lead. They sealed the victory in the fourth inning scoring three more runs and finally winning Game 2 17-7.
Simona Cellar led the strong offense with three hits, two RBI and three runs. Anouchka Michel, Taylor McCants and Karen Hendren, who had a strong debut for the Challengers, each had two hits and three RBI, while Mia Matas and Lara Müller each contributed one hit and two RBI. Tamara Ammeter was credited with the win with a scoreless fourth inning after starter Simone Zurschmitten gave her the ball with a seven run lead.