After the almost complete cancellation of the first match day of the 2022 season in the 1st Baseball Bundesliga, the weather forecast did not bode well for the second match day either. But with a few transfers over the weekend, six of the seven scheduled matings could be carried out. The fans in the ball parks saw exciting games and double victories for the Bonn Capitals and Tübingen Hawks.
In the north, last year’s runners-up Bonn Capitals had a successful start to the season. Head coach Max Schmitz’s team won against the Hamburg Stealers 12:1 and 4:0. On Saturday it was up-and-coming talent Noah Lindt and on Sunday US import Zack Dodson who set the tone with strong performances as starting pitchers. Former major league player Dovydas Neverauskas also celebrated a flawless inning on his Bundesliga debut, in which he scored nine pitches, nine strikes and three strikeouts.
On the other hand, there was pure excitement in the capital. There the Berlin Flamingos and the Dohren Wild Farmers exchanged blows on Sunday. In game one, the Wild Farmers triumphed 5-4 after 14 guilds and almost five hours of play. The second encounter was also on the razor’s edge for a long time until the Wild Farmers overturned a 4:6 deficit in the ninth inning. Then came darkness and the Berlin floodlight curfew, which did not allow a continuation after 9:30 p.m. With the score of 10:6 for Dohren, the game must now be continued at a later point in the season. The double header planned for Saturday between the Untouchables Paderborn and Cologne Cardinals had to be canceled and is to be made up for later in the season.
In the south only the Tübingen Hawks could celebrate a double victory. They prevailed 14:9 and 12:2 at the IT sure Falcons Ulm. Game one was an exciting exchange of blows until the last inning, where Tübingen made everything clear with six runs. In the second encounter, it was six runs in the third period that brought about the preliminary decision. In the other two duels on Saturday, meanwhile, there were divisions of victory.
The reigning German baseball champion Heidenheim Heideköpfe had to settle for a split against the Mainz Athletics. In game one, Mitch Franke celebrated a brilliant return to the Bundesliga with two home runs and celebrated a 7-2 win with his new club from Heidenheim. In the second encounter, the Athletics caught up and won 9:5. The Munich-Haar Disciples also defied the Guggenberger Legionnaires Regensburg with a division of victory. In game one, the Disciples turned a 2-4 win into a 5-4 win and won their opening game. In the second game, the Guggenberger Legionnaires clearly won 11:4.
On Sunday, Mannheim Tornados and Stuttgart Reds faced each other in the south. Originally planned for Saturday, snowfall caused it to be postponed to the following day. In game one, the Reds won 5-3 thanks to a five-run rally in the seventh period. The second encounter was abandoned by the umpires after seven innings with the Tornados tied 3-2 due to darkness and must be resumed at a later date with the score.
On the Easter weekend, the 2022 season in the 1st Baseball Bundesliga will continue with the third day of play. In the north, the Dortmund Wanderers meet the Berlin Flamingos, the Untouchables Paderborn travel to the Dohren Wild Farmers and there is a Rhine derby between the Bonn Capitals and Cologne Cardinals. In the south, the Tübingen Hawks host the Mannheim Tornados, the Guggenberger Legionnaires Regensburg travel to the IT sure Falcons Ulm, the Stuttgart Reds play against the Heidenheim Heideköpfe and the Munich-Haar Disciples have to play for the Mainz Athletics.
All information, schedules, results and statistics for the 1st Baseball Bundesliga can be found at www.baseball-bundesliga.de.
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