22.08.2026
After two clear wins against the Bern Cardinals a week earlier, the Challengers went into the wild card series against the same opponent as favorites. The Zurich side confirmed their fourth-place finish from the regular season in the matchup with the fifth-placed Cardinals, winning clearly once again on both occasions.
The visitors needed a moment to get going. But with five runs in the second inning to make it 7-1, they set the course for victory early. After four innings, the scoreboard on the Bern Allmend showed a 17-2 win for the Challengers. Kirsten Schmidt shone with a total of two triples and two doubles, four RBIs and three runs, while Simona Cellar, Carmen Lutz-Demetz, Karen Hendren and Leandra Simitovic each contributed two hits to the clear win.
Even after the break between the two games, the Zurich women picked up right where they left off. Again it was decisively 7-0 early on, and although the Cardinals also showed some good offensive plays, game 2 also went safely to the Challengers, 22-9. Kirsten Schmidt recorded three hits, including a 2-run homer in the fifth inning, four RBIs and three runs; Carmen Lutz-Demetz contributed two hits, five RBIs and three runs; Leandra Simitovic collected two hits, three RBIs and four runs; and Karen Hendren, Simone Zurschmitten and Ciara Giles-Doran also delivered multi-hit games.
With these two wins, the Challengers ended the best-of-three wild card series in the fastest possible way. As a reward, they now face the playoff semifinal, again in the same format, against defending champions Wittenbach Panthers. Not only did the Panthers finish the regular season in first place, but they also celebrated the tournament win at the Women's Softball European Cup at home this week, with four wins from five games. In the final, they beat Kyiv Softball Club 4-0 in a strong performance.
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