EXL: Draci lost third time in a row. Arrows dominant win against Jablonec

Saturday games shook the standings at the top of Extraliga. The only team currently outside of TOP 6 to win was Tempo.

After a loss on Friday, Jablonec hoped they could do better. Their new player, A.J. Fell, was there to help them. But Arrows showed, they have their momentum at bat and in the first three innings, they basically destroyed their opponent, after they scored 16 runs. Tyler Smith, Brett Holtz and Matěj Menšík had three hits each. Home team also scored three homeruns. In the end, the game finished after 5 innings on mercy rule.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Arrows Ostrava	4	4	8	2	0						18	20	0
Blesk Jablonec	0	0	0	0	0						0	2	1

Olympia played the second game in the series against Hluboká, at home. Visitors won the first game and were they to win another, the would return home knowing the series was theirs. The win started to go their way in the third inning, when Hluboká opened the score with two runs. Home team responded in the fourth inning, after they scored three runs on William Parsons. The score didn’t change till the eight inning, in which visitors exploaded offensively and scored six runs. Blansko tried to get the game back, but two runs they scored weren’t enough. Hluboká won despite five errors.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Sokol Hluboká	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	6	0		8	9	5
Olympia Blansko	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	2		5	6	0

Prague derby between Eagles and Kotlářka continued with the second game. This time the series moved from Krč to Vypich. At the beginning, the game was in the hands of both starters. Neither Carson Goldsmith, nor Jiří Vavruša let their opponent get any momentum. First run came in the fourth inning, when Andrew Cosgrove got his first HR in Extraliga. Visitors then added two more runs. Little anyone knew these would be the last runs in the game. The pitchers didn’t let many runners on bases. Albert Pražák, only fifteen year old pitcher, caught our interest on the Eagles mound, after he threw 3 great innings. With peformance like this he is putting his name forward for Rookie of the Year nomination. Also thanks to his performance Eagles won 3-0. They currently sit in the second place in the Extraliga standings. On the other hand Kotlářka is starting to loose the touch with TOP 6.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Eagles Praha	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0		3	6	1
Kotlářka Praha	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	4	1

A doubleheader between Nuclears and Hroši Brno took place in Třebíč on Saturday. Visitors started Lukáš Hlouch, who played for Třebíč last year. The game against his former teammates, however, didn’t go his way and he had to be substituted in the fourth inning, when Nuclears led 4-1. The substitution seemed to have awaken Hroši bats, though, who scored five runs in two innings and in the end took the win in the game.

But the lose have pumped up the home team. In the second game they started Ryan Johannes Johnson, who showed another great performance. He didn’t allow a run and was at the heart of the win for his team. He also added two hits. After his teammates hopped on the board, Nuclears were able to get a 12-0 win. The winner of the series will be decided on Sunday in Brno.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Cardion Hroši Brno	0	0	0	1	3	2	0	0	1		7	12	0
Třebíč Nuclears	1	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	0		4	8	2

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Cardion Hroši Brno	0	0	0	0	0	0	0				0	5	2
Třebíč Nuclears	4	0	1	0	0	7	–				12	12	1

Draci Brno lost against Tempo at home on Friday, which was the second loss in a row for the reigning Extraliga champions. On Saturday, they had their work cut out for them when they travelled to Prague. Tempo started Joey Wagman, who didn’t allow more than two runs in any of his previous starts. And this trend continued against Draci too. Visitors couldn’t find a way around Isreali pitcher, who didn’t allow a run in five innings pitched. Home team opened the score in the fifth inning, after they scored three runs. Draci responded with substitution, when Jan Nebenführ stepped on the mound against Filip Čapka. New pitcher didn’t allow any more runs.

However, Draci struggled offensively. They were able to get on bases, but were then unable to put together hits to send their runners home. In the nineth inning, they pressed Ondřej Vank and got first two batters on base. Home team reacted with a substitution, sending Marek Minařík on the mound. In the end, he was able to hold the visitors, and Tempo took another win against Draci. On the other hand, Draci lost third time in a row and if they were to loss on Sunday, they will have four losses in a row, which they didn’t do since 2012. Currently they hold the sixth place in Extraliga standings.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Draci Brno	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1		1	8	4
Tempo Praha	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	–		3	5	1