Hunters 17, Challengers 8

The Thun Hunters rallied to beat the Challengers 17-8 in the opener of the best-of-three Series determining the last team to play in the NLB.

	Thomas Burger again came up short and ended with a no-decision.

The 1.Liga-team Hunters used a huge 10-run eighth inning to put the game out of reach for the Challengers, forcing them to win the next two games in Zurich next weekend to stay in the NLB.

The Hunters were better in every aspect of the game, but it didn't show in the first seven innings.

The Challengers erased a 2-0 deficit by scoring three times in the third inning.

Richi Ammann had an RBI-double - his first extra-base hit of the season -, and pitcher Benny Lehmann's throwing error enabled Ammann and Roger Burger to come around.

But two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings gave the lead back to the Hunters.

Starter Thomas Burger didn't manage to record an out in the fifth inning, ending his second-longest outing of the season.

He ended up having given up four runs on seven hits and four walks while also striking out a career-high eight batters.

Orlando Balbuena relieved, and quickly surrendered a run as nobody could take care of Wenger's sac bunt.

A bases-loaded hit-by-pitch scored another run for the Hunters, before a 1-2-3 double-play finally gave them the first outs.

Balbuena finished the inning with a 6-3 deficit.

But a walk and two hit-by-pitches loaded the bases for the Challengers in the top of the sixth inning.

And a wild pitch, a ground out and a fielder's choice later, the game was tied again.

	Willy Schaub hit his eighth double of the season - one short of his career high.

Both teams scored a run each in the next two half-innings, and then no runs in the following two half-innings.

The two teams went into the bottom half of the eighth inning tied at 7-7.

But the inexperience and the youth of the Challengers' patchwork lineup started to show.

Balbuena and his defense allowed three runs before getting relieved by Willy Schaub.

But Schaub didn't fare better as he had to face four batters before finally getting the second out of the inning.

And three hits and a throwing error later, the Hunters could have already celebrated as they held a comfortable 17-7 lead.

A throwing error in the final inning enabled Ammann to score the final run of the game, but it didn't matter anymore.

Three of the Challengers' nine players played for the first time in the NLB, and it showed that they were simplay overmatched by the Hunters strong hitting, pitching and fielding.