Challengers rally from 6 runs down in 14-10 win

The Challengers came back from 6-0 and 8-6 deficits to outlast the Embrach Rainbows 14-10 in the first contest of Sunday's doubleheader at the Klinik Hard in Embrach.

Tobias Siegrist picked up his team-leading fourth win of the season by tossing seven strong innings in relief of struggling starter Chris Palatinus who didn't survive the second inning.

Siegrist allowed only four runs on 10 hits and one base-on-balls, while also striking out three.

His offense did the rest with a 20-hit attack off Roger Savoldelli, who managed to keep the Challengers at bay only for the first three innings.

Seven of the nine Challenger starters had at least two hits, with player coach James Sanders leading the pack with a 4-for-5 performance, also scoring three runs. He boosted his average to .466 in the process.

The Rainbows broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the second frame against Palatinus, who had already given up three hit-by-pitches and a base-on-balls by then.

Three errors in that inning alone sent him to the showers, making way for Siegrist.

While the Challengers scored four runs each in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings, the Rainbows' offense sputtered and managed only four more runs the rest of the way.

Ueli von Burg pitched the final inning to close out the game.

Game notes
Palatinus' first homer of the season in the seventh inning increased his career total for total bases to 585, moving him past Anubis Benitez into second place, just 542 TBs behind leader Thomas Landis. ...Blank set a new-career high for runs scored in a season with 14.