Challengers beat Cards 15-8, finish regular season in 2nd place

The Challengers beat the Bern Cardinals in the regular-season finale 15-8 to finish in 2nd place and securing home-field advantage through the first round of the Playoff semifinals.

	Joe Cox finally broke out of his slump and collected two hits.

It was the Challengers' fifth win in a row after beating the Cards last weekend and getting two important wins yesterday against the Embrach Rainbows.

The Challengers took an early lead as Anubis Benitez led off with a double, Nick Lehmann followed with an RBI-single, and Thomas Landis plated him with a 2-run homer, his 51st career homer.

After scoring two more runs in the next inning for a 5-1 lead, the Cardinals put together four hits against starter Benny Räber.

	Benny Räber Pitcher Benny Räber
	1999 SEASON STATISTICS IP W L SV SO ERA 44.1 5 3 0 61 5.28

But the Challengers scored three more runs of their own in the bottom of the third inning for a comfortable 8-3 lead.

All three runs were unearned as shortstop Will Scheidegger's throwing error with two outs enabled two runners to cross the plate.

Joe Cox' 2-run double, Bryan Shemley's RBI-single and a wild pitch increased the Challengers' lead to 12-4 after just four innings.

	Severin Fries allowed 15 runs - nine of them earned - on 15 hits and suffered the first loss of the season against the Challengers.

Räber (5-3) was relieved in the top of the sixth by Shemley. He worked five innings for his fifth win of the season, allowing five runs - two of them unearned - on seven hits, and no walks while striking out nine.

Shemley lasted just one inning, giving up three runs - one off them unearned - on two hits and hitting three batters with a pitch.

Manny Marchant came in and pitched the final inning, striking out all three batters he faced.

Game Notes: Benitez broke the Challengers' single-season record for most at-bats as he singled in the second inning.