Results Austrian Bundesliga Week 1: Pschorr Makes History; Prospects Kiefer, Werner Start Strong
Austria’s Bundesliga began play this weekend with a game under the lights in Traiskirchen and history made in Dornbirn on the Saturday. Meanwhile, the Vienna Metrostars produced a dominant performance on Sunday to begin its defence of the Austrian title. Only the far west matchup of Feldkirch and Hard resulted in a split. A total of 15 balls left the yard over the eight games.
Bundesliga West
Dornbirn Indians vs. ASAK Athletics Attnang-Puchheim
Marin Pschorr made history on Saturday as she became the first female head coach in the Austrian league. Her Indians club staked her to a good start, taking both ends of a doubleheader in Dornbirn. Ryan Rupp dominated the Athletics in the opener, whiffing 10 in 6.1 innings and allowing only one run on three hits in a 4-1 win [Box]. Jochen Pfister was 3-for-4 and Marcel Jäger had a pair of two-baggers to back up Rupp. Omar Luis Duenas was solid for Attnang-Puchheim, striking eight and allowing three earned runs in six.
The second game featured one of the best pitching duels in Europe. Lochlan Southee (7IP, 3H, 1ER, 2BB, 8K) and James Jensen (8IP, 6H, 3ER, 0BB, 11K) traded zeroes in all but the sixth frame, when the A’s plated one and Pschorr’s side scored three, with Chris Squires’ two-run double the difference. Squires then punched out three in two scoreless for the save [Box].
Feldkirch Cardinals vs. Hard Bulls
While the Hard Bulls were able to score a clear 12-2 win in the first game of the Derby double header, the Feldkirch Cardinals promptly got their revenge through good pitching and strong defensive work. A three-run homer by Marcel Winder in the sixth and longballs from Erwin Eduardo Vals Frias (3 RBI) and Clayton Carson (2 RBI) in the seventh secured the victory. Pascal Campregher permitted only one earned run and two hits through five, walking five, but racking up 10 Ks [Box].
Paul Astl came in to pitch for the Cardinals in the top of the fourth in Game 2 in a 5-5 game. This proved a pivotal moment as, after a rough greeting, the veteran right-hander finished the game on the mound, sending down 11 on strikes in six innings. In the seventh, he mashed a four-bagger over the left-field wall and from there the home side wrapped up a 13-9 victory [Box].
Bundesliga East
Wiener Neustadt Diving Ducks vs. Traiskirchen Grasshoppers
Top Austrian prospects Tobias Kiefer and Tobias Werner both had three hits in two games for the Grasshoppers. Werner ripped three-baggers in both contests and Kiefer earned the 17-1 win on Opening Day with four shutout innings, sending down seven on strikes in the league’s only Friday matchup [Box]. Traiskirchern recorded 11 hits and 14 walks, with Phillip Brenner stroking four singles to lead the charge.
Brenner turned up the power in Game 2, blasting a two-run jack in the fourth and a solo shot in the seventh. Despite his heroics, the Grasshoppers still needed a five-run ninth to walk off with the 10-9 victory in the back-and-forth affair [Box].
Vienna MetroStars vs. Schwechat Blue Bats
Last season’s champions didn’t have much trouble in the first game of the season against the promoted Blue Bats. Sammy Hackl, almost certainly the first Austrian to earn a university scholarship in the U.S., had a huge performance, ripping a three-run dinger in his first at bat and collecting a double and two singles as part of a six-RBI day. Domink Löffler was 3-for-4 with five RBI and also went yard as Nico Schadler earned the win [Box].
The Stars jumped out to a 7-0 lead through two in the nightcap, but the debutant Blue Bats posted three runs in the third to make the game interesting. The clubs traded big innings the rest of the way en route to an 18-8 victory for Vienna [Box]. Richard Alzinger blasted a pair of round-trippers as one of six MetroStars with two hits.
The Vienna Wanderers were inactive this weekend with nine clubs in the Bundesliga.
Standings: West
Team W-L Pct. GB Home Road RF RA +/- Streak
Dornbirn 2-0 1.000 – 2-0 0-0 7 2 +5 W2
Hard 1-1 .500 1 0-0 1-1 21 15 +6 L1
Feldkirch 1-1 .500 1 1-1 0-0 15 21 -6 W1
Attnang-Puchheim 0-2 .000 2 0-0 0-2 2 7 -5 L2
Standings: East
Team W-L Pct. GB Home Road RF RA +/- Streak
Traiskirchen 2-0 1.000 – 0-0 2-0 27 10 +17 W2
Vienna MetroStars 2-0 1.000 – 2-0 0-0 34 9 +25 W2
Vienna Wanderers 0-0 1.000 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 –
Wiener Neustadt 0-2 .000 2 0-2 0-0 10 27 -17 L2
Schwechat 0-2 .000 2 0-0 0-2 9 34 -25 L2
Week 1 Results
April 9 Diving Ducks 1 – Grasshoppers 17 (7) [Box]
April 10 Grasshoppers 10 – Diving Ducks 9 [Box]
April 10 Indians 4 – Athletics 1 [Box]
April 10 Indians 3 – Athletics 1 [Box]
April 11 Cardinals 2 – Bulls 12 (7) [Box]
April 11 Cardinals 13 – Bulls 9 [Box]
April 11 Metrostars 16 – Blue Bats 2 (7) [Box]
April 11 Metrostars 18 – Blue Bats 7 (7) [Box]
Week 2 Schedule
April 16 Diving Ducks – Wanderers [Box]
April 17 Indians – Blue Bats [Box]
April 17 Indians – Blue Bats [Box]
April 17 Metrostars – Athletics [Box]
April 17 Metrostars – Athletics [Box]
April 18 Grasshoppers – Cardinals [Box]
April 18 Grasshoppers – Cardinals [Box]
April 16 Wanderers – Diving Ducks [Box]