Cards push Challengers to edge with 13-3 win, lead Series 2-0

The Cards put themselves one win away from capturing their second title in five seaons with a convincing 13-3 win over the Challengers.

One big inning was all she wrote: The Cards strung together six hits in the second inning off rookie starter Thomas Burger, putting nine runs on the board to put the game away early.

Only four of those runs were earned as two errors by shortstop Patrick Zöllig and a misplayed line drive by left fielder Oliver Labhart prolonged the inning.

After Labhart's blunder, coach Anthony Bennett gave Burger (2-2) the hook, and put Labhart on the mound to extinguish the fire, and he just did that over the next 5 2-3 innings.

But it took the Challengers more than three innings to get on the board against starter John Baum and reliever Severin Fries.

Chris Palatinus doubled to lead off the fourth inning, and two batters later, Labhart plated him with a line drive double to left center field for the first run.

Not much more happedned after that in the fifth and six innings.

Then, Christoph Beyeler took the mound for the first time in the Series, and he promptly gave up a single and a base-on-balls before getting Saentis Zeller to pop out to left field.

But after backt-to-back walks to Tobias Siegrist and Anubis Benitez, coach Baum put himself on the mound to stop the Challengers' rally.

But Thomas Landis greeted him with a bases-loaded RBI-single to opposite field to cut the Cards' lead to 9-3.

Unfortunately, Palatinus grounded into a double play to end the scare.

The Cards then finally got to Labhart as Baum led off with a solo homer to straightaway center field, and Ron Zimmermann followed with a sharp single to left.

That made the day for Labhart, and Bennett put himself on the mound to close things out.

But Raphael Hänzi greeted him with a double, and both Fries and Sandro Negro followed with run-scoring ground outs to restore the Cards' lead at nine runs.

The Cards even added one more insurance run in the top of the ninth on Baum's RBI-single, giving him a game-high three RBI's for the game.

On the other hand, the Challengers were frustated by Fries who was on the mound for a second stint, pitching the final two innings.

He retired all six batters he faced in order to push the Challengers to the brink of elimination.

Game notes
The ten run difference was the highest loss for a Challenger team in the Playoffs since a 16-5 defeat on September 1, 2001, also against the Cardinals. ...The six errors by the Challengers are the most in a Playoff game since committing nine on September 14, 2002 in a 12-3 loss against the Therwil Flyers.