Challengers shut down after good start, lose by one

The Challengers blew a 8-4 lead in game 1 of Sunday's double-header in Hünenberg against the Hünenberg Unicorns, losing their last chance to win a morning game in this year's Preeliminary Round.

	Manuel Schretzmann went 4-for-4 to improve his batting average to .444.

After getting slightly behind in the first inning, the Challengers exploded for five runs in the second. Willy Schaub with a double and Manuel Schretzmann and Roger Burger with walks loaded the bases with one out and Chris Hardy doubled in two.

Two more runs - Hardy and Burger - scored on Orlando Balbuena's grounder that passed Unicons third baseman Balmer on an error.

Finally, Balbuena himself scored to increase the guest team's lead to 7-3 in a first-and-third-situation.

The Unicorns got one back, but the Challengers quickly increased again to a four-run lead after three innings.

Maybe it was not a good sign that the inning ended with no. 5 batter Adrian Kämpfer">Adrian Kämpfer striking out in a bases-loaded situation.

	Willy Schaub took the loss despite allowing only five earned runs in seven innings.

The Challengers managed to record only three more hits the rest of the game, getting just four more base-runners and not being able to score anymore.

All the rest happened in favor of the home team.

Back-to-back doubles with two outs scored two in the fourth.

In the next inning, Challengers' starter Schaub got himself into trouble by loading the bases with two walks and a hit-by-pitch before getting an out.

Schaub walked in a run, but recovered by fanning the next batter.

A perfect bunt-defense play by first baseman Kämpfer to catcher Burger then saved the one-run lead and got the second out.

With the bases still loaded, but only one out to go, the game was decided by a fly ball to the weird Hünenberg left field that popped out of Oliver Marty's glove.

Game notes
Schretzmann had a career-high four hits in his perfect 4-for-4, and improved his batting average to .444. ...For the first time in years, NLA-veteran David Luisi again wore a Challengers uniform. He collected a ground-out and a strike out in his two at-bats. ...Unicorns pitcher Steiger recorded 12 strikeouts, handing the Challengers' offense its worst performance since striking out 13 times in their 9-7 win against the Unicorns on April 13, 2002. Schretzmann and Marty were the only Challengers without a K.