Challengers rally from 5-run deficit, eventually lose 14-10

After completely missing the start of the game, the Challengers regrouped, fought back, even took the lead, but in the end, lost 14-10 to the Therwil Flyers in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader.

In a few minutes, the Flyers had built up a 5-0 lead in the first frame on six hits and one error, and the Challengers already seemed to be done.

But they scored twice against Stefan Koller in the second and third frames, and got a boost in the fourth inning, that was led off by Thomas Blank's solo homer - his first in the NLA.

The next four batters reached on a base-on-balls, a single, a double and an error. But Tom Huston's RBI-single with one out tied the game, and another error by second baseman Matthias Jung on a routine ground ball gave the Challengers an unexpected 7-6 lead.

Thanks to yet another error in the top of the fifth, the Challengers extended their lead to 8-6, with reliever Chris Palatinus holding the Flyers' bats in check.

But an error by first baseman Huston brought the Flyers within one run in the fifth, and a huge misplay by left fielder Jesus Martinez on Sam Fader's sinking line drive drove in the tying run, just to be followed by Koller's single that scored two more unearned runs for a 10-8 lead in favor of the Flyers.

After that, newly-acquired Ueli von Burg relieved Palatinus and struck out Daniel Eichenberger to end the bleeding.

The Challengers wasted no time getting back into action as Tobias Siegrist and Thomas Landis hit back-to-back doubles, that tied the game at 10, and sent Koller to the showers.

Rookie Lucas Croton took over and retired Martinez on a strikeout, and got Huston to fly out to deep center field.

But the Flyers continued to play small ball and put two runners into scoring position on a base-on-balls, a single and a sac bunt.

With two outs, rookie Hideori Oshima singled just past the diving second baseman Carlos Peña for a 12-10 lead.

Croton sent the Challengers down in order in the top of the eighth, while his teammates gave him two more insurance runs on back-to-back doubles by Eichenberger and Carlos Brito.

After walking two more batters, player coach James Sanders summoned Siegrist to take over on the hill, and he promptly got Oshima to hit into an inning-ending grounder to first.

The Challengers had one more shot left, and Bryan Shemley managed to reach on an infield single with one out in the top of the ninth.

But he wasted no time wiping out his team's rally by getting picked off in a rundown between first and second.

Siegrist grounded out to second to end the game.

Game notes
Blank's first career homer came in his 301st at-bat in the NLA. He also collected his 50th RBI in the NLA by hitting a run-scoring ground out in the second inning. ...Siegrist collected his 250th RBI in the NLA when he hit an RBI-double in the fourth inning.