Challengers overcome late rally and beat Flyers 13-8; take 2-0 Series lead

The Challengers went up 2-0 in this year's best-of-five Swiss Finals Series with a 13-8 victory in Game 2 against the Therwil Flyers.

	The Challengers' offense continued to produce in Game 2 against Flyer starter Alain Kurz.

The Challengers again managed to score first as they collected two runs off Flyer starter Alain Kurz in the bottom of the first inning on Jose Valdez' RBI-single and a wild pitch by Kurz that enabled Valdez to score from third base.

The Challengers extended their lead in the bottom of the third inning as Chris Palatinus hit a grand slam homer off Kurz with one out. It was his third grand slam of the season and seventh overall.

Meanwhile, starter Benny Räber kept the Flyers' offense off balance with a good mix of fastballs and breaking balls. They managed to score their first run in the top of the fifth when Fernando Abril scored on the bottom end of a double steal attempt with Roy Allenspach. Allenspach was caught in a rundown, but couldn't be tagged before Abril came home with the first Flyer run.

	Jose Valdez went 3-for-4, but remained without a homer as he batted in the no. 3 spot for the first time this season.

The Challengers got that one run back on Palatinus' RBI-double for a commanding 7-1 lead after five innings.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the first three batters reached on consecutive singles off Kurz to load the bases before Thomas Landis followed with his second grand slam homer in as many days to give his team an 11-1 lead.

Landis' homer ended Kurz's day. Reliever Reto Siegel took over and managed to hold the Challengers to just two more runs - one of them unearned - in the final two innings.

But the Challengers had the chance to finish the game in the top of the seventh if Räber would had been able to shut down the Flyers. The 10-run mercy rule would had come into effect to end the Flyers' hope, but they refused to lose and scored five times in the top of the seventh.

	Reto Siegel pitched the last three innings, allowing just two more runs to score.

Siegel and Djibril Traore hit back-to-back doubles with one out, and Abril reached on shortstop Joe Cox' fielding error. Räber struck out Allenspach for what could had been the third out of the inning. Instead, catcher Ivano Piaia hit an RBI-double and Kurz followed with a three-run homer to cut the Challengers' lead to 11-6.

Karim Traore's ensuing single finished Räber's day, and he was relieved by Manny Marchant.

He managed to retire Koller on three strikes to end the inning.

	Anubis Benitez was thrown out of the game after landing a punch at Fernando Abril.

Räber picked up his seventh win of the season with his fine performance, striking out 10 and allowing just one earned run on 11 hits and one walk in 6 2-3 innings.

The Flyers made one final effort to come back against Marchant, but managed to score just two additional runs on Piaia's two-run double with two outs in the top of the eighth inning.

Marchant retired the final three batters he faced in the top of the ninth to secure the Challengers' victory.

With that win, the Challengers are now in the driver's seat to repeat their last year's title. They just need one more win, while the Flyers are forced to win the remaining three games if they want to win their first title since 1995, and the first by a team other than from Zurich.

Game Notes: Palatinus' RBI-double in the bottom of the fifth was his 100th at-bat of the season, and his 99th RBI of his NLA-career. ...Landis collected four RBI's and now needs just two more to tie the Challengers' single-season record of 69, set by Adris Linares back in 1993.