Challengers drop Game 2 5-2 to Barracudas

The Challengers didn't find a recipe against starter Nderim Coma and closer James Sanders, losing Game 2 of the Playoff Semifinals 5-2 to the Zürich Barracudas.

Thanks to starters Roger Brunner and Coma, the game was a close contest throughout.

The Barracudas scored in the first inning on Farid Bekkali's RBI-ground-rule double, but that was all both teams managed to manufacture in the first three innings.

Coma made a mistake in the bottom of the fourth inning as he let a pitch high up in the zone, enabling Tobias Siegrist to connect for his first homer of the season.

It gave the Challengers a 2-1 lead, and a little boost of confidence.

But after a scoreless fifth inning, the Barracudas just did what they had to do to work their usual strategy to perfection: Take the lead before the sixth inning, and give the ball to closer James Sanders.

They needed two runs, though, to accomplish that, but Coma helped his own cause and lifted a liner over the center field fences for a two-run homer and a temporary 3-2 Barracudas lead.

The Challengers couldn't recover after that, and Sanders' fastballs blew away most of the hitters that came to the plate.

He gave up only three hits in his four innings of work, and also struck out five.

Manuel Hirtz' single added two more runs in the seventh inning for the final score of 5-2 in favor of the Barracudas.

It was the Barracudas' first win against a Challengers team ever in a Playoff game.

Overall, the Challengers and Barracudas have split all of their six games this season.

Harry Bregy came on and pitched the final 2 1-3 innings, giving up only a single to Bekkali while also striking out two batters.

The best-of-five Series is now tied at one game apiece, and will resume with Game 3 at the Heerenschürli on September 18.

Game notes
Anubis Benitez struck out in his 700th at-bat of his career in the ninth inning. ...Chris Palatinus' game-ending popup was his 800th career at-bat.