Challengers rally for four runs in final inning to earn 12-10 win

NLA rookie Chris Hardy again proved that he belongs to the NLA-squad, going 3-for-4 with the game-tying RBI-single in the final inning in the Challengers' 12-10 come-from-behind victory in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Bern Cardinals.

	Thomas Landis pitched six innings for his sixth win of the season.

Thanks to some timely hitting, the Challenegrs took a quick 7-0 lead through the first 1 1/2 innings against starter Severin Fries.

The Challengers' offense combined for nine hits in the first two innings alone, and also profited from three Cardinal errors.

But the Cards came back against starter Thomas Landis and his shaky defense, scoring five times in the second and third innings.

After shortstop Patrick Zöllig extended his team's lead to 8-5 with an RBI-single in the top of the fourth, the Cards exploded for four runs off Landis (6-1) in the bottom half of the inning.

He hit three batters and also walked one as he slowly started to lose his control on a hot day with temperatures close to 100° F.

The Cards sent seven batters to the plate to take a 9-8 lead after four innings.

They added one more in the fifth frame on a sac fly by Larsen Rodriguez, but that was all the Cards got off Landis.

After a scoreless sixth inning, the Challengers mounted a big comeback in the top of the final frame, scoring four times off Fries.

Anubis Benitez, Hardy and Kurt Kovac each hit RBI-singles, and catcher Marco Haas' fielding error enabled the 12th run to score for the Challengers.

	Patrick Zöllig had only his third multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-4.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Manny Marchant took over on the mound for Landis.

And he again proved that he is on top of his game when it matters most as he faced only four batters to earn his second save of the season, pitching one shutout inning.

The game was a close affair, and the Challengers could have easily lost it, but a solid team effort enabled them to take the game, keeping the team's hope for a Playoff berth alive.

The Challengers again missed important parts of their lineup as Tobias Siegrist, Nick Lehmann and Jose Valdez all missed the game.

Nevertheless, the team will have to step it up if they want to make the Playoffs to defend its national title.

Game notes
Landis' four hit-by-pitches tied the franchise high for a game, last set by Benny Räber on April 16, 2000. He also extended his streak of games with at least one double to 10.