Cards blast Challengers 19-5

The two best teams in the country got together in Sunday’s doubleheader at the Heerenschürli, but it looked more like a game between the first- and the last-placed team.

The Bern Cardinals overran the Challengers 19-5 in the first contest, outhitting them 21-7.

The Cards jumped on starter Harry Bregy in the first inning, scoring nine runs off him.

After allowing four of the first five batters to reach safely in the top of the third inning, coach Anthony Bennett gave him the hook.

It was the lefty’s shortest outing as a starter since lasting only 1 1-3 innings on August 9, 2003, also against the Cardinals.

Bregy’s lifetime ERA against the Cardinals is 14.77, the worst against any opponent.

The Cards sent 15 batters to the plate before even taking the field for the first time.

Another five runs in the third inning off Bregy and reliever Guillermo Castro, and five more in the fifth inning blew things out of proportion.

Every Cardinal starter had at least one hit. Seven of the 21 hits were doubles, and Christoph Beyeler even added a rare Heerenschürli-triple in the top of the seventh inning off reliever Tobias Siegrist.

Severin Fries had the biggest offensive output of them all, going 4-for-5 with a double, three runs scored and three RBI’s.

Raphael Hänzi had also four hits, and Ron Zimmermann added three more.

On the other hand, Nick Lehmann and Bennett were the only Challengers with more than one hit each.

Ironically, the Challengers had more doubles (4) than singles (3) in the game.

They managed to score only five runs off Fries and Beyeler, while also committing six errors that led to five unearned runs.

Game notes
Saentis Zeller had to be replaced after the top of the first inning because of back spasms. Backup infielder Patrick Zöllig jumped in and went 1-for-3 in Zeller’s place. …Game 2 starter Oliver Labhart was hit in the face by a grounder in pregame practice. The ball hit his nose and blood run out of it, but luckily no severe damage was diagnosed.