Needing a sweep to keep their Master Round hopes fully in their own hands, the Challengers split a double-header against the Zürich Lions — winning the opener 11-5 before falling 11-13 in ten innings on a Lions walk-off.
Game one was comfortable: Säntis Zeller and Leonel Hernandez Reyes each collected three hits, Carsten Zuber drove in three, and Simon Steffen added a triple among his three runs scored, while Ari Lonstein struck out ten over five innings to earn the win and Jasper Freigang closed it out with a save. Game two slipped away late — Fabrizio Bucher and Shadir Mora Soler each hit two-run doubles to keep the Challengers in it, but the Lions walked it off in extras. With the split, Zürich will need a small miracle elsewhere in the standings to stay alive for the Master Round.