Balbuena drives in 8, but blows save as Challengers lose 15-12 to Helvetics in the 7th

Good times, bad times.

Orlando Balbuena had them both in the Challengers' defeat against the Uzwil Helvetics. Good times at the plate, bad times on the mound.

When Balbuena relieved starting pitcher Oliver Labhart in the bottom of the seventh with one out and the bases loaded, his team was still ahead 10-8.

After a disastrous start in which they almost fell apart - with four errors in the first three innings -, the Challengers slowly got back to their opponents and exploded in the fourth for a six-run-rally.

The crucial turning point seemed to be when Labhart got Helvetics' ace Sonam Sopa caught stealing at first, and big Sopa jumped at Challengers' skinny first baseman Thomas Burger for a hard tag.

Sopa, who also knocked down lightweighted catcher Manuel Schretzmann earlier in the game attempting to steal home, had to be calmed by umpires and other players.

In their offense, the Challengers scored six runs on six hits and three errors and took the lead.

Burger contributed a double down the right foul line and Balbuena, after hitting two ground rule doubles in his previous at-bats, drove in three with a shot into the center field trees.

In the fifth, Schretzmann had a slash bunt double over the right field fence, but stranded together with Adrian Kämpfer">Adrian Kämpfer and Labhart, who reached base on a single and a walk, when both Hardy and Balbuena popped out.

Uzwil scored two in the next inning, and so the Challengers were only three outs away from their first season win, but Balbuena's bad times started.

First, he blundered Labhart's throw to second in a double play situation.

Then, when the bases were loaded and Labhart done after another single, Balbuena walked in his first batter, but struck out the second one.

Still bases loaded, he faced Sopa. After a foul fly caught by Kämpfer just inches out of play, Sopa hit a hard grounder between first and second, but Balbuena couldn't make it in time to cover the base. Two runners crossed the plate and Balbuena blew his save.

But Balbuena's misery was not over yet. The next batter hit a short grounder to the pitcher, which he bobbled for an error.

And with two runners on, he finally gave up a home run to Uzwil's number five batter and left the mound again after only one out pitched.

After this performance, it wasn't enough for the Challengers and Balbuena to drive in another two runs, again by the dominican with a double for his seventh and eighth RBI's of the game.

The Helvetics kept a three-run-lead and took the game.