Challengers romp Devils 26-1

The Challengers scored 26 times and allowed just one unearned run to beat the Wil Devils 26-1 in game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader.

	Benny Räber earned his first win of the season with a strong performance.

The Challengers quickly went ahead on two sac flies by Thomas Landis and Anubis Benitez in the first inning off starter Isenring. But that was only the beginning what would come later.

Isenring himself scored the only Devils' run in the second inning on Thomas Beier's RBI-double.

The Challengers pulled away 5-1 in the third inning on RBI-doubles by Jose Valdez and Bryan Shemley, plus an RBI-single by Roger Brunner.

They scored four more times in the next inning before scoring six times in the fifth on three homers by Chris Palatinus, Thomas Landis and Valdez.

	Jose Valdez hit three homers and a collected a season-high eight RBI's.

But it got even better in the sixth inning as they sent 11 batters to the plate to score eight more times for 23-1 lead. Benitez hit a three-run homer, Landis added an RBI-single and Valdez and Armin Blickenstorfer">Armin Blickenstorfer followed with two two-run homers each.

Starter Benny Räber finally earned his first win of the season after losing in his previous three starts. He pitched five innings, gave up one unearned run on three hits and three walks, and struck out six.

Palatinus relieved him in the bottom of the sixth, and pitched the final two innings without giving up a run. It was Palatinus' first appearance on the mound since game 2 against the Cardinals on August 31, 1997.

	Benny Räber Pitcher Benny Räber
	1999 SEASON STATISTICS AB R H RBI HR AVG 3 0 0 0 0 .000 IP W L SV SO ERA 19.1 1 3 0 24 8.32

Valdez closed out the scoring for the Challengers in the top of the seventh with his 15th homer of the season, a three-run shot for the final score of 26-1.

Game Notes: Valdez' 15 homers already rank 3rd on the Challengers' single season record list, only behind Adris Linares' 22 in 1994 and 16 in 1993. ...Palatinus was hit by a pitch in the sixth innning. It was only his second hit by pitch since he was hit by a pitch in his rookie NLA season in 1995.