Challengers 5, Lions 2

The Challengers won Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader against the Zurich Lions 5-2.

Oli Christen>

Oli Christen gave up 11 walks in 6 2-3 innings, but only two of them scored.

Challengers starter Oli Christen survived several jams in almost every inning, and the Lions ended up stranding 15 baserunners, 11 of them in scoring position and 8 of them with less than two outs.

Christen (2-0) finished the day by working 6 2-3 innings, giving up two runs on just three hits but 11 walks, while striking out a season-high nine.

His offense let him down though in the early innings as no team was able to put any runs on the board in the first three innings.

The Lions started it with Köstinger's RBI-double that scored Pietscher who got on with a base-on-balls.

This first run came after the Lions loaded the bases in the first and second innings and also stranded two runners in the third.

Harry Bregy>

Harry Bregy scored the Challengers' go-ahead run in the fourth inning and had two stolen bases to give him a team-leading 31.

The Challengers responded in the bottom of the fifth inning with three runs of their own. All three of those runs were unearned as Cameron Minns, Harry Bregy and Stefan Eisenring all reached on defensive errors by the Lions.

The Challengers added two more in the next inning, this time on Minns' RBI-double and Räber's RBI-single for a 5-1 lead.

Christen had already given up 10 walks through the first six innings, but only two hits, so manager Johnny Müller decided to stick with his starter. He responded by retiring the first batter of the inning, but then issued a walk to Conde, hit Sterchi with a pitch, and Von Arb punished him with an RBI-double.

Christen then retired Escher on strikes for the second out before giving up his 11th walk to leadoff-hitter Pietscher.

Bregy came in to relieve him and promptly induced Kölliker to hit into a game-ending grounder to the mound. With this performance, Bregy earned his first save of the season.