Challengers win Zurich derby 5-3

The Challengers wrapped up their season series with the Zurich Barracudas with a 5-3 victory, winning the series 3-1.

Robert Sedin went the distance and struck out 15 batters while allowing three runs on eight hits, six walks and one hit-by-pitch.

He outdueled Barracudas ace Dan Rogers, who settled for his first defeat of the season, although striking out 13 batters and walking just one.

But five errors led to three unearned runs that proved to be the difference in the end.

Saentis Zeller had three hits for the third time this season, raising his average to .373, Sedin also contributed three hits, and Fabio Aimi went 2-for-5 with a career-high three RBIs.

All of the Challengers' 12 hits were singles while the Barracudas had a double and a triple amongst their eight hits.

The Challengers built up a 2-0 lead after four innings on two infield errors in the third, and Bryan Shemley's RBI-single in the fourth inning, and added one more in the sixth on Aimi's RBI-single.

The Barracudas got one run back in the bottom of the fifth when Andy Rüesch scored from second base on Ueli Von Burg's single. Rüesch was only the second baserunner up to that point to reach second base.

A leadoff double by Dan Rogers in the sixth, followed by Marc Oboussier's RBI-single three batters later cut the Challengers' lead to 3-2.

The Challengers added two unearned run in the seventh after shortstop Von Burg booted Tobias Siegrist's grounder with two outs. Sedin singled and Kurt Kovac walked to load the bases, and Aimi followed with a bloop two-run single over the infield for a 5-2 lead.

The Barracudas snuffed out a little rally all by themselves as Hasson Rogers was picked off third base by catcher Siegrist. Von Burg followed and Chico Colindres hit a single that would have scored Hasson Rogers from third. But Dan Rogers popped out out to pitcher Sedin to end the inning.

Sedin then killed another Barracuda rally in the eighth as he picked off Rüesch at first base in a 1st-and-3rd situation.

Game notes
The Challengers won the regular season series against the Zurich Barracudas for the first time since 2002. The two teams are 8-8 over the last four seasons. ...Sedin's 15 strikeouts equal the game record by a single pitcher, set by Benny Räber on August 8, 1999 against the Sissach Frogs. ...Harry Bregy tied Werner Zingg for 11th on the alltime list with his 82nd stolen base.