Challengers 7, Rainbows 4

The Challengers hung on for a close 7-4 victory over the Embrach Rainbows in Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader.

Thomas Landis>

Challengers ace Thomas Landis turned in another fine performance.

Starter Thomas Landis (3-0) was his usual self as he pitched 6 2-3 effective innings, striking out six and allowing four earned runs on six hits and four walks for his third win of the season and 40th of his seven-year career in the NLA.

The Rainbows scored their first run in the bottom of the first on newly acquired Francisco-Robles' RBI-double.

Francisco-Robles played with the Barracudas and won two Championship trophies there before joining the 'Bows some days ago.

After no runs scored in the second inning, the Challengers put their first runs on the board in the third inning on Gary Kochlefl's hit to left field that Roger Savoldelli dropped for an error, Anubis Benitez' RBI-double and Landis' two-run shot over the left centerfield fence.

The Rainbows' offense managed to score only four runs on six hits.

The Challengers scored two more in the fourth inning on Andreas Mathis' double and two errors by third baseman Stuber for a commanding 6-1 lead.

The Rainbows were able to tighten the gap in the bottom of the fourth as they scored three times on Nick Lehmann's only passed ball of the game and Bruno Hubler's two-run double that made it 6-4 for the Challengers.

Catcher Lehmann, still hampered by a nagging viral infection, had to leave the game after that and was replaced by Bryan Shemley.

Starter Steve Height lasted only three innings, giving up four runs - all unearned - on four hits and no walks.

The Challengers were able to add one more run in the top of the fifth on Jose Valdez' solo homer to left field, but Rainbows reliever Savoldelli allowed no more runs after that.

But so did Landis, who worked his way out of several jams in the final three innings before being relieved by closer Valdez with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Valdez got Peter Schittenhelm to ground into a game-ending fielder's choice for his second save of the season.

Lehmann went 1-for-2 and has now a .500 batting average, second only to Saentis Zeller's .520.