Challengers 8, Cardinals 7

The Challengers are a slow-starting team and this fact proved right again on Saturday. They fell behind 5-0 after 2 1/2 innings against the Cardinals from Bern.

Patrick Bosshard>

Rookie Patrick Bosshard pitched three effective innings and went 2-for-2 at the plate and collected the game-winning RBI.

The Cards jumped on starter Patrick Bosshard, who pitched his first game in the highest Swiss league. He didn't pitch bad, but his defense let him down early as the first two runs were both unearned. The Cardinals scored two more in the second inning on two doubles and a single. The Challengers defense allowed one more unearned run in the top of the third, and the Cards were suddenly up 5-0.

In the bottom of the third, the Challenger batters got more patient and let Cardinal pitcher Fries throw strikes to them. But Fries struggled and gave up four walks and allowed all four runners to score on two wild pitches, a passed ball and several stolen bases, one of them a steal home by shortstop Saentis Zeller.

Benny Räber took over the mound from Bosshard in the fourth inning and quickly allowed two solo shots that put the Cards up 7-4. But Räber (3-1) never looked back after that and allowed just four of the next 14 batters to reach base. At one point, he retired seven opposing batters in a row.

The Challengers got their last chance in the bottom of the seventh with the score at 7-6 for the Cardinals. Zeller led off the inning with a double and Chris Palatinus drew a base-on-balls. Zeller hustled to third base on a wild pitch and tied the score on the next play thanks to a balk by relief pitcher Ron Zimmermann.

Center fielder Thomas Landis struck out, but Armin Blickenstorfer">Armin Blickenstorfer got a free pass and Palatinus stole third to put the winning run 60 feet away from home. Rookie Bosshard, playing third base after being relieved by Räber, collected his second hit of the game as Palatinus raced home with the winning run.