Challengers blow 6-run lead, nevertheless get 8-6 win

Game 2 of Sunday’s doubleheader saw again one team taking a big lead and getting erased by the opponent.

But this time, it was the Challengers that wasted a 6-run lead against the Sissach Frogs. In the end, though, it was all good for the Zurich team after scoring two more in the final inning for an 8-6 win.

Although the Frogs equaled the Challengers‘ hits total with eight, the Challengers were a bit more efficient in turning them into runs.

The Challengers had four batters with two RBI’s each, and every starter except Ueli von Burg and spot starter Manuel Schretzmann had at least one hit.

The Challengers started strong by getting three runs each in the first two innings. Yonimiler Martinez had a two-run double in the first, and Tobias Siegrist had one in the second inning. Thomas Landis added two sacrifice flies to left which pushed the score to 6-0 after two innings.

This seemed to be enough fort he Challengers who settled down against Peter Rüfenacht.

He walked six batters in the next four innings, but the Challengers couldn’t capitalize.

Instead, the Frogs got to reliever Yonimiler Martinez in the fifth inning, hitting four singles and drawing two walks.

After seven batters, Siegrist took over, but he promptly lost Fink on four balls, forcing in an inherited run. Harry Wischnewski plated another runner two batters later with an RBI-single, but right fielder Yonimiler Martinez threw out Bürgi at the plate trying to score a run.

In the sixth inning, the Frogs managed to tie the game on Markus Schaffner’s RBI-single.

The Challengers started right off the gates in the top of the seventh and final inning as Chris Palatinus doubled, Schretzmann drew a walk, and Jesus Martinez plated both with his second triple of the season.

The Frogs had one more shot in the bottom half of the ninth, but Siegrist retired all three of them on a flyout and two swinging strikeouts for his fifth win of the season.

Game notes
The last Challenger to get two triples in a season was Siegrist when he hit three in 2003.