Played at the Armin-Wolf-Arena in Regensburg, the victory allowed the hosts to fend off a championship matchball and narrow Bonn’s series lead to 2:1 in the best-of-five matchup.
Legionäre Keep Title Hopes Alive With Late Surge in Regensburg
Entering Sunday’s contest trailing 2:0 in the series following a 4:2 defeat on Saturday, the Regensburg side faced elimination on home turf. The match swung wildly in the second half. According to local reporting, Alex Schmidt opened the scoring with an early lead for the hosts before Bonn responded in the second frame via a solo home run. Starting pitchers Christian Pedrol and Titus von Kapff traded scoreless frames through the middle innings before the bullpens were put to the test.
In the fifth stanza, Nino Sacasa ignited the home crowd with a two-run home run, followed immediately by an RBI double from Elias von Garßen that extended Regensburg’s advantage. The Capitals answered in kind, manufacturing two runs—including a home run by Daniel Lamb-Hunt—to claw within 4:3. Bonn then jumped ahead 5:4 in the eighth inning against relief pitcher Nico Antoine.
Trailing late, Regensburg mounted a decisive five-run rally in the bottom of the eighth to flip the score permanently. Relief pitcher Quentin Moulin shut down the visitors in the final frame to secure the 9:5 win. “Diese Mannschaft hört nie auf, mich zu überraschen. Jetzt haben wir das Momentum auf unsere Seiten und fahren zuversichtlich nach Bonn,” Legionäre head coach Matt Vance stated after the final out, as reported by local media.
Early Weekend Battles Set Up High-Stakes Trip to the Rhine
The weekend series began Saturday with a tightly contested pitching duel. Former Regensburg hurler Niklas Rimmel toiled for the Bonn Capitals against Legionäre starter Leeroy Tavarez. The hosts broke a scoreless deadlock in the third inning when Norwin Staps hit a triple and scored on an RBI groundout by Alex Schmidt. Bonn broke through in the sixth when McCoy Pearce doubled home Maurice Bendrien, prior to Daniel Lamb-Hunt launching a three-run home run over the outfield fence.
Tavarez exited after yielding three hits, two walks, and striking out six batters. While Schmidt added a solo home run in the eighth inning for Regensburg, former Major League pitcher Dovydas Neverauskas shut the door in relief of Rimmel to secure Saturday’s 4:2 victory for the Rheinlanders.
What Comes Next in the DBL Finals
With Bonn leading the series 2:1, the championship battle moves back to North Rhine-Westphalia for the remainder of the weekend. Game four is scheduled for Saturday at 14:00 local time (12:00 UTC) at the Capitals’ home ground. If the Guggenberger Legionäre secure a victory on Saturday to level the series at two games apiece, a decisive game five will be played immediately on Sunday at the same venue.
Worth a look
