Challengers clinch 1st place for Playoffs by beating Cards 8-3

The Challengers knew that one victory in Saturday's doubleheader against the Bern Cardinals would be sufficient to clinch first place and gain home-field advantage throughout the Playoffs.

	Kurt Kovac had a season-high three hits in three at-bats, and also scored three runs.

But the Cards had other plans and scored first on an RBI-single by backup catcher Javier off starter Roger Brunner.

Javier filled in for catcher Marco Haas who was taken out of the game by a vicious backswing off Manny Marchant's bat. He was hit on the head and had to be hospitalized to stitch up his open wound.

The Challengers were missing their no. 1 and 2 starters, and also both catchers, but their offense tried to make up for that losses.

They took the lead in the bottom of the third on Harry Bregy's second triple of the season, scoring Kurt Kovac, and a perfectly executed squeeze play by Patrick Zöllig that scored Bregy from third.

Brunner kept the Cards at bay in the third and four innings while his offense further extended the lead.

They added three more runs in the fourth inning on Angelo Rodriguez' RBI-single, a passed ball, and Bregy's RBI-single to give them a 5-1 lead.

An RBI-single by Benny Lehmann and a run-scoring ground out by Severin Fries cut the Challengers' lead to 5-3, but they profited from an error in the bottom of the fifth frame to extend their lead once again to 6-3.

Closer Marchant came in to pitch the final two innings.

But he struggled after retiring the first batter, and quickly loaded the bases by giving up a single and two walks.

But his defense helped him to escape the jam by turning a double play on Vitus Huber's line drive to first baseman Bregy that doubled Curtis Volk off second base.

Marchant's offense and a tiring Cardinal defense gave him two more insurance runs in the bottom half of the sixth inning.

A throwing error by reliever Fries, and a bunt single by Zöllig pushed Rodriguez and Kovac over the plate for the score of 8-3.

Marchant closed out the game by retiring the final three batters to earn his team-record fifth save of the season.

The Challengers' 7-0 record clinched the division for the first time since 1998 as they finished 16-4, two games ahead of the Therwil Flyers.

Game notes
Marchant ended his hitting streak at nine games by going 0-for-2 with a walk in three plate appearances. Thomas Landis now runs the longest streak at six games.