Vienna Metrostars vs Traiskirchen

The game opened with a slugfest. Carlos Rubio launched a two-run homer in the top of the first off Metrostars starter Nicholas Schadler, putting Traiskirchen up 2-0 before the home side had recorded an out.

Vienna answered immediately. Richard Alzinger doubled down the left-field line to score two, then Carl Feldmann singled home two more to give the Metrostars a 4-2 lead after one inning.

Both teams traded runs in the second — Liam Vulcano singled home a run for Traiskirchen (4-3), while Benjamin Salzmann stole second and scored on a catcher's throwing error for Vienna (5-3). Rubio hit his second solo homer in the third to pull within one (5-4), but Feldmann answered with a solo shot of his own and Salzmann added an RBI single to stretch the lead to 7-4.

Traiskirchen chipped away. Rubio singled home two runs in the fourth to cut it to 7-6, and the visitors finally caught Vienna in the sixth. Rubio reached on a fielder's choice to tie the game 7-7, and Noam Boes Garrett followed with an RBI fielder's choice to give Traiskirchen its first lead since the first inning at 8-7.

The seventh inning broke the game open. Traiskirchen sent 10 batters to the plate and scored four runs. Niklas Frohlich singled home David Taxacher for the first run, then Tobias Werner delivered the decisive blow — a bases-loaded single to left that scored two and ricocheted past third baseman Jakob Simonsen for a third run to score. Three more runs followed in the ninth, including Rubio's third hit of the day — a single that led to another run on an outfield error, and Boes Garrett driving in the final run.

Vienna added a consolation run in the bottom of the ninth on Simonsen's RBI single, but it was too late.

Carlos Rubio (Traiskirchen) — Player of the Match. Two home runs, a single, and at least five RBIs. Rubio was involved in nearly every big Traiskirchen rally, going 3-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

Tobias Werner (Traiskirchen) — 2-for-5 with a double, two singles and multiple RBIs. His bases-clearing single in the seventh effectively ended the game.

Carl Feldmann (Vienna Metrostars) — 2-for-4 with a home run, a single, 3 RBIs and a stolen base. One of the few Metrostars bats that consistently produced.

Nicholas Schadler (Vienna Metrostars) — Hit hard in his start, allowing 8 hits and 6 runs (3 earned) over 5 innings. Only 1 strikeout.

Benjamin Salzmann (Vienna Metrostars) — Took the loss in relief, allowing 3 runs on 1 hit and 2 walks in 1.0 inning pitched.

The two teams combined for 23 runs on 27 hits, but the underlying story was defence and conversion. Traiskirchen committed just 1 error compared to Vienna's 6 — a staggering margin in a do-or-die game. Of the Grasshoppers' 15 runs, only 8 were earned, meaning Vienna's defensive breakdowns cost them 7 unearned runs. The Metrostars' 2 walks issued by pitchers were low, but defensive miscues — particularly from shortstop Mark Rudolf and the outfield — repeatedly extended innings.

Traiskirchen's pitchers held Vienna scoreless for six consecutive innings from the fourth through the eighth, allowing the offence to mount its comeback. Starter Noam Goldberg struggled early but the bullpen steadied — Tobias Kiefer closed the door with a scoreless ninth.

The Grasshoppers, who finished third in the regular season at 16-8, advance to the Bundesliga final for the first time in club history. They will face the winner of the other semi-final between the top-seeded Wiener Neustadt Diving Ducks and the fourth-seeded Dornbirn Indians — a series that also went to a decisive Game 5 on 30 August.

For the Metrostars, the loss ends a season in which they finished tied with the Ducks for the best regular-season record at 17-7 but missed the top seed on tiebreaker. Their search for a 16th league title — and first since 2020 — continues.

This was a game defined by a single number: six. The Metrostars' six errors turned a winnable ballgame into a blowout, and Traiskirchen's offence — led by Rubio's two-homer day — punished every mistake. The Grasshoppers earned their first final berth by being the cleaner, more opportunistic team when it mattered most.