Challengers clinch final Playoff spot with 9-3 win over Flyers

The Challengers made sure that they would not rely on some other team's failure to make the postseason, winning 9-3 against the Therwil Flyers in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader.

With that win, the Challengers finish the regular season 17-11. The fifth-placed Zurich Barracudas still have two games left next weekend against the Flyers and could tie the Challengers' record, but the tie breaker goes to the Challengers as they have a better run-differential in the direct encounters between the two teams (season series tied at 2-2).

Sedin set a new single-season record for strikeouts with 119, breaking Thomas Landis' mark of 118 set in 1997.

Eidrys Reyes extended his hitting streak to 15 games, going 4-for-6 and pushing his team-leading batting average to .487.

As league-leading Josh Tamba went hitless for the first time in a game this season, Tamba and Reyes are tied atop the standings with 55 hits each.

Sedin and Tamba got locked in a fine pitching duel for seven innings. Tamba started slowly and had full counts on each of the first six batters, but managed to escape any damage.

On the other hand, Sedin started by striking out five of the first eight batters he faced.

His offense then provided him with the lead in the top of the fifth as Harry Bregy reached on Tamba's errant throw to first base. Reyes then singled and both runners advanced on Tamba's wild pitch.

Bregy scored on Saentis Zeller's 3-1 ground out, but that was all the Challengers got.

But the lead would hold up as Sedin mowed down the Flyers batters. After Sven Leemann's single to lead of the fifth inning, Sedin retired the next nine batters in order, four of them on third strikes.

In the top of the eighth, Tamba started to feel the ill effect by throwing too many pitches early on as the first four batters reached safely on two hits, a walk and an error, extending the Challengers' lead to 3-0.

Sedin also showed some signs of fatigue in the bottom half of the inning as he walked Emanuel Raouzeus and Seppi Zwyer to lead off the inning, and both eventually scored on Ianis Bouteloup's RBI-double and Hide Oshima's RBI-single three batters later.

Sedin then got Stefan Koller to ground into a 4-2 play with the bases loaded for the second out, and Tamba killed the rally by getting picked off at third base by catcher Tobias Siegrist.

In the top of the ninth and the Challengers holding on to a 3-2 lead, coach Andy Fleischacker sent Koller to the mound.

The move didn't pay off as Koller surrendered two doubles and four singles, and recorded the third out only after six Challengers had crossed the plate for a commanding 9-2 lead.

Siegrist took over from Sedin in the bottom of the ninth and surrendered just one more run, ending the game and securing his team a spot in the Playoffs.

Game notes
Landis set his mark in 107 innings back in 1997, Sedin needed only 86 to match that mark. He struck out pinch-hitter Javier Rodriguez to end the game and setting the new mark at 119. ...Reyes' 55 hits are the most in a season for a Challenger since Anubis Benitez set the record with 74 in 2000.