Challengers 18, Cardinals 6

Thomas Landis pitched a complete game four-hitter and his offense rocked the Cardinals' pitchers for 15 hits as the Challengers' NLA-team beat the Bern Cardinals 18-6 in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader at the Heerenschürli.

Thomas Landis gave up four earned runs on four hits and three walks in Sunday's 18-6 victory over the Cards.

The Cardinals were able to score only in one inning, but they did it six times in the second.

The first five batters reached on two walks, two singles and a throwing error by second baseman Joe Cox. Leadoff batter Rodriguez then retired on a groundout to shortstop Saentis Zeller, but Killias followed with a two-run ground-rule double to put the Cards ahead 5-1.

Killias eventually scored on a dropped fly ball by left fielder Bryan Shemley, but nobody would have thought that this was the Cards' last run.

Landis (2-0) retired 15 batters in a row after that error in the second inning before loading the bases with two outs in the top of the ninth.

Cardinals batters were able to put together just 4 hits.

The Challengers' offense meanwhile had trouble against Cardinals' starter Severin Fries' (1-2) fine pitching and they were still trailing 6-5 after four innings.

But Fries suddenly lost it and allowed the first eight batters of the fifth inning to reach base safely on five singles, a double and two walks.

The first seven runners scored and it could have been even more if Zeller wouldn't have forgotten how many outs there were. He was on second base with one out and Landis hit a grounder back to the mound for the second out. Zeller, believing it was the third and final out of the inning, went from third base straight towards the pitcher to the dugout. Reliever Killias got the ball back from his first baseman and Zeller was promptly caught in a rundown that ended with catcher Haas applying the tag on Zeller.

Severin Fries started strong but was tagged for seven runs in the fifth inning.

The Challengers then scored six more in the sixth inning as Anubis Benitez hit his first homer of the season, a two-run shot that scored Jose Valdez.

The following five batters reached base, as well, before Killias managed to retire the last three batters on three flyouts.

Zeller went 5-for-5, including a double and his first homer of the season, with seven RBI's to raise his batting average to .524, just 2 points behind Nick Lehmann, who dropped to .526 with an 0-for-4 performance, and Benitez, also at .526.