Rainbows sweep Challengers 7-6

The Challengers also lost game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Embrach Rainbows, going down 7-6.

	Joe Cox had a game-high three hits and also scored two runs.

The start was similar to game 1 as the Rainbows again managed to score twice in the first inning, once on a throwing error by Bryan Shemley and once on a sac fly by Takehara off starter Oli Christen.

While the Rainbows scored another run on former Challenger Adris Linares' RBI-single in the second inning, the Challengers were kept scoreless through the first three innings by starter Roger Savoldelli.

They managed to put their first runs on the board in the fourth inning on a fielding error by second baseman Mark Imhof, and Roger Brunner's run-scoring fielder's choice.

	Roger Savoldelli dominated the Challengers over five innings and allowed just a single earned run.

The Rainbows extended their lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth on Linares' RBI-double off reliever Thomas Landis.

The Challengers got that run back as Jose Valdez barely missed to clear the fences in right field for what would have been his league-leading 18th homer of the season. He instead had to settle for a sac fly that scored Joe Cox from third base.

The Challengers even managed to load the bases with two outs later in the inning, but Anubis Benitez grounded out weakly to third base for the third out.

	Starter Oli Christen had his shortest outing of his career as he managed to retire only two batters in the first inning.

The Rainbows then led off the sixth with a solo homer by Linares, getting his game-high third RBI of the game, and went on to score two more unearned runs on Francisco-Robles' two-run double with two outs.

The Challengers had one final shot at at least tying the game in the top of the seventh when the first four batters reached safely on three hits - two singles by Cox and Landis, and a two-run double by Valdez - and a walk issued to Armin Blickenstorfer">Armin Blickenstorfer by reliever Takehara.

Shemley, who represented the winning run, grounded into a double play - the first DP the whole day - to move Valdez to third base with two outs.

	Joel Cox Shortstop Joel Cox
	1999 SEASON STATISTICS AB R H RBI HR AVG 49 20 21 11 1 .429

Valdez went on to score on Brunner's RBI-single to get within one run of the Rainbows, but Takehara ended the threat by getting Manny Marchant to ground out to third for the final out.

Game Notes: Chris Palatinus' single in the sixth inning was his 100th career hit in the NLA. ...Coupled with the two losses by the Barracudas against the Wil Devils earlier in the day, the Rainbows have moved into fourth place and pushed the Barracudas out of the playoffs with just three more weekends until the end of the regular season.