Flyers jump on starter Räber, never look back and win 6-4

Benny Räber struggled in the first inning, and the Therwil Flyers got all the runs they needed early on as they won Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader 6-4.

Räber (2-3) walked the first three batters he faced before player-coach Anthony Bennett hit a two-run double, followed by Roy Allenspach's sac fly that scored Daniel Eichenberger from third. Djibril Traore capped the inning with an RBI-single for a 4-0 lead.

The Challengers managed to score just once off starter Alain Kurz on Jose Vazquez' RBI-single.

The Flyers kept scoring in the second inning, getting two runs on a throwing error by second baseman Chris Palatinus.

Anubis Benitez' RBI-double in the bottom half of the inning cut the lead to 6-2, but Kurz cruised on and kept the Challengers scoreless through the next two innings.

But Räber matched him and kept the Flyers off balance in the third, fourth and fifth innings before being lifted for reliever Manny Marchant in the top of the sixth inning.

The Challengers meanwhile managed to score two more runs off Kurz in the bottom of the fifth frame on Jose Valdez' solo homer to lead off the inning, his first of the season, and a fielding error by center fielder by Karim Traore that scored Tobias Siegrist from second base.

Marchant gave up only a double to Stefan Koller, and struck out three of the six batters he faced in the final two innings.

Although the Challengers outhit the Flyers 11-6, they weren't able to score the runners they had on base off Kurz, and Koller pitched two perfect innings for his first save of the season.

Game notes
Siegrist doubled in his 200th NLA at-bat in the fifth inning. ...Valdez' homer was his 50th with the Challengers. ...Armin Blickenstorfer">Armin Blickenstorfer was activated from the disabled list this week. He went 0-for-2.