Challengers win Series opener 9-6

The Challengers were outhit by the Therwil Flyers 13-7 in Game 1 of the Swiss Finals, but came out as 9-6 winners thanks to timelier hitting and by committing fewer and less important errors.

	Roger Brunner picked up his third win of the season by pitching six solid innings.

Roger Brunner did his part by pitching six plus excellent innings, in which he allowed only three runs by scattering 10 hits and allowing four walks, while also striking out three.

His offense did the usual by scoring early and then profiting from that lead throughout the entire game.

The Challengers scored three runs in the first inning off Stefan Koller.

He didn’t find his control and gave up two walks and two hits, while third baseman Seppi Zwyer also committed an error on a ground ball that cost the Flyers a run.

Harry Bregy’s run-scoring fielder’s choice pushed a third run across the plate before right fielder LaTorre’s diving catch off Chris Palatinus’ line drive with two runners in scoring position ended the inning and prevented further damage.

The Flyers had two runners in scoring position in the first frame but couldn’t cash in.

The first Flyer came around in the bottom of the third inning on Anthony Bennett’s double play grounder.

In the next inning, the Challengers came out firing on all cylinders.

	Saentis Zeller had a team-high two hits and also scored twice.

Bregy led off with a walk, followed by Brunner’s ground out.

Palatinus smashed another line drive into right field, but this time the ball fell in for an RBI-triple.

Patrick Zöllig plated Palatinus with a single, and Thomas Landis’ RBI-single scored him three batters later.

Tobias Siegrist then hit a grounder to first baseman Daniel Eichenberger with the bases loaded. Eichenberger picked up the ball and let go a weak throw to catcher Bennett. He couldn’t handle the throw, enabling both Nick Lehmann and Landis to score two more unearned runs.

By that time, the Challengers had a comfortable 8-1 lead, but they knew all too well that no lead is safe.

The Flyers tried to come back, but a single and a double was all they could produce in the fourth and fifth innings.

Reto Siegel replaced Koller on the mound to start the fifth inning, and he allowed one more run in the sixth inning on Siegrist’s ground out.

Lehmann killed the small rally as he misplayed a passed ball and tried to score. But the ball bounced from the backstop right back into catcher Bennett’s glove who was able to apply the easy tag.

The Flyers mounted a threat in the bottom half of the inning as Cuevas reached on a single and LaTorre followed with a walk.

	Harry Bregy picked up his second save in as many days.

Catcher Siegrist’s throwing error enabled Cuevas to score the second run for the Flyers.

After Stefan Sprenger struck out for the second out, Brunner issued Jung a walk to put two runners aboard.

Siegel lined a single into right field, but not deep enough to score LaTorre from second.

Nonetheless, LaTorre was sent racing home, and Landis’ throw beat him to the plate by a couple of steps for the third out.

The Challengers’ offense remained teethless against Siegel in the last three innings, so they were forced to play solid defense in order to protect their seemingly safe 9-2 lead.

But Brunner started to tire in the bottom of the seventh inning, and the first three batters reached safely to load the bases with no outs.

Oliver Labhart was summoned from the bullpen to bring some relief, but first he just added to the pain.

He walked Koller on four straight pitches to force in a run, and also started with two balls against Cuevas.

	Landis had two hits and also scored his team-leading 27th run of the season.

But he managed to retire him on a lazy pop up to right, and even got LaTorre watching a third strike sail by.

Rookie pinch-hitter Lukas Zwyer came to the plate with the bases still loaded, and he looked at three straight balls from Labhart.

He then gave the Challengers a huge break by swinging at the next pitch and grounding out to third for the final out of the inning.

In the next inning, the Flyers continued to put the pressure on Labhart.

Jung took a base-on-balls and Siegel followed with yet another single.

Seppi Zwyer struck out swinging after fouling off half a dozen of pitches, but Eichenberger wasted no time and drilled the second pitch over the center field fences for a three-run homer, trimming the Challengers’ lead to 9-6.

Soon after that, Bregy was called on to relieve, and he did just that by allowing only one hit and one walk in the final 1 1-3 innings.

He was credited with his second save of the season, just one day after getting his first against the Zürich Barracudas in Game 5 of the Playoff Semifinals.

Game notes
Palatinus has three career triples, second on the Challengers alltime list behind Saentis Zeller. …Bregy’s two saves in two days were his first in his NLA-career. …Siegel and Eichenberger combined for eight hits – one more than the entire Challenger team. ...Landis has scored his 450th run in the NLA as he crossed the plate in the first inning.