Challengers rally for 6-4 win vs Cardinals

At first it looked like there would be no baseball game at all since the rain was already soaking up the field when the Challengers arrived in Bern for a doubleheader against the Bern Cardinals. But the game got started, eventually, and the Challengers did so with a blast.

The first batter Cardinal starter Tobias Imboden faced was red hot Robert Sedin and he went yard and helped the C's with an early 1-0 lead.

But the Cards recovered quickly and got on the board, as well, in the bottom of the first on a run-scoring ground out by John Baum who came out of retirement.

The Cardinals even got on top in the third inning by scoring two runs off Perigo's 2-out single to center field. Both runs were unearned for starter Tobias SIegrist as second baseman Thomas Blank threw away the ball with two outs to prolong the inning.

The Challengers got one run back in the fourth on Francisco Colindres' run-scoring ground out. They even sent eight batters to the plate in the fifth inning, scoring four times for a 6-3 lead.

That was all the Challengers needed as they drove home a 6-4 win.

Siegrist went seven strong innings, giving up four runs - two of them unearned -, while also striking out seven.

Ryan Byrne pitched the final two innings, striking out five of the eight batters he faced for his league-leading third save this season.

Game notes
Sedin had his third consecutive game with three hits. ...Eidrys Reyes tied the franchise record for triples in a season with three as he tripled off Imboden in the fifth inning. ...Siegrist completed 402 innings pitched and surpassed Benny Räber for second on the Challengers' all-time list. He is 639 IP behind Thomas Landis for first place.