Challengers improve to 9-1 with 11-4 win

Tobias Siegrist hit his first career grand-slam in the NLA and helped his team win 11-4 against the Bern Cardinals in Game 2 of Sunday's doubleheader.

	Tobias Siegrist connects for his second homer of the season and his first career grand-slam.

The game featured two fine pitching performances by both Cardinals starter Yourth and Oli Christen. Yourth left the game after three innings, having given up two runs on six hits and one walk and striking out one.

Christen outlasted him and left after four innings. He gave up only one run on two hits and three walks and also striking out one.

By that time, the Challengers hung on to a slim 3-1 lead. All three Challenger runs came off RBI-singles by Manny Marchant, Chris Palatinus and Joe Cox.

	Anubis Benitez hit three doubles but was picked off second base and caught stealing third base.

The Cardinals' only run came off Rodriguez' solo shot in the top of the fourth.

Christen was relieved by Thomas Landis who pitched the final three innings for his first save of the season. He gave up three earned runs on five hits and two walks and striking out five, and lowered his ERA to 11.11.

The Cards managed to close the gap to 3-2 on Volk's RBI-single off Landis in the top of the fifth before the Challengers again exploded for seven runs in the bottom half of the inning.

Siegrist led the charge with his grand-slam, and Jose Valdez and Marchant contributed with RBI-singles, and one more run scored when Armin Blickenstorfer">Armin Blickenstorfer reached on an error by shortstop Yourth.

	The Cards were held to seven hits - only one of them for extra-bases.

The Cards were able to score two more runs off Landis in the top of the seventh on RBI-singles by Marco Haas and Chuck Vail Jr. for the final score of 11-4.

It was the Challengers' sixth win in a row to remain in a tie for first place with the Therwil Flyers (8-0) while the Cards remained winless at 0-6.

Game notes: Blickenstorfer was the last regular on the Challengers' roster to hit a homer. ...Every Challenger had at least one hit. ...Christen gave up just a single run, but his ERA rose from 0.99 to 1.37. He nevertheless earned his third win of the season.