NLA Game 5, May 28, 16
CHA
18| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Challengers | 5 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 14 | 1 |
| Bandits | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 7 |
| W: Kovac, K. L: Nussbaum, R. | |||||||||
BAN
2Challengers overcome Bandits 18-2
The Challengers jumped off the gates against the promoted Jona Bandits, winning 18-2 in game 1 of Saturday’s doubleheader.Kurt Kovac earned his first career win in the NLA, Jesus Martinez hit his team-leading third homer of the season and six of the Challengers starters had two hits.
Kovac pitched three innings in relief of starter Tobias Siegrist, allowing two runs on four hits, while also striking out two.
The game was called after six innings due to the 15-run mercy rule, giving the Challengers their third win in a row. They also profited from a shaky Bandit defense that committed seven errors, leading to seven unearned runs.
Game notes
Carlos Nepomuceno hit his first homer in the NLA, connecting off Rafael Nussbaum in the third inning, following Martinez’ drive. It marked the first time the Challengers hit back-to-back homers since Siegrist and Chris Palatinus did it against the Bern Cardinals’ Severin Fries on September 22, 2007.