EXL: Plenty of runs seen in Brno. Arrows have their first win
After a rainy Friday, fans had a lot of Extraliga baseball to look forward to on Saturday, as all 8 of the planned games went through. And they certainly didn’t lack interesting moments.
Hroši Brno – Arrows Ostrava 0-1 and 16-6 (8 inn.)
The first game between Brno and Ostrava teams brought a fantastic pitching matchup. In the end, it was Ondřej Satoria who came on top with a complete game shutout. Home team saw another great game by Jon Kennedy who only allowed 2 hits in seven innings and dished out 6 strikeouts. A single run decided the winner and that one came in the eight inning. After a dropped third strike it was Lukáš Hurta who rushed home.
The second game was much more action packed. Home team took 2-0 lead in the first inning and managed to slowly increase it. Arrows had troubles with their pitching and most of the game ended up being thrown by Aleš Navrátil. Arrows defense also didn’t help with 5 errors and so Hroši took a comfortable 16-6 win. The winner of the series will thus be decided on Sunday at Arrows Park.
Tempo Praha – Třebíč Nuclears 5-1 and 5-1
Pitchers were in charge of the first game between Tempo and Nuclears for a long time. Visiting starter Lukáš Pacal remained on the mound until the fourth inning and he dealt 7 strikeouts without allowing any runs. Jake Rabinowitz started for the home team and he once again showed his iron arm when he threw 7 innings. And it was in the seventh inning when the score changed for the first time, when visitors took the lead after a defensive error.
However, Tempo managed to come back in the bottom of the eighth inning. Ryan Johnson started to have troubles on the mound and Tempo loaded the bases against him. After a series of good runs and defensive error home team scored 5 runs. Visitors had only on half of the inning to get their lead back, which they were unable to achieve and Nuclears took the loss.
The second game also saw a good performance from a young pitcher from Třebíč Lukáš Smejkal. Their offense, however, wasn’t up to par, despite getting Skuija out after five innings, they were unable to score any runs in the first eight innings. They were close in the fourth, when Nuclears loaded the bases. Jaylyn Williams also had a long at bat against Skuija, however, he left the batting box with a strikeout after 15 pitches. Nuclears scored in the ninth inning, however Tempo was already 5 runs ahead at the time. Furthermore, home team didn’t make as many errors as they did in the first week and thanks to that they have the first series win of the season. The wins also improve their chances for TOP 6 spot.
Draci Brno – Sokol Hluboká 8-0 (7 inn.) and 15-4 (7 inn.)
Saturday doubleheader in YD Baseball Arena offered two quick games, both dominated by the home team who beat Hluboká by a difference of class. And both time Draci managed to have one decisive inning. The first one came in the third inning of the first game where they scored 8 runs. Draci pitcher Filip Čapka threw 7 innings and allowed no runs.
In the second game it was Hluboká who scored first after they managed to get three runs on Wernet. On the other hand, Draci had trouble to get hits on Petr Vojta. However, in the bottom half of the third inning it was the home team that found their offensive prowess and tied the game. The big moment came in the same inning with the bases loaded when Martin Kalábek‚s grand slam gave Draci 7-3 lead.
GRAND SLAM!
— Milujeme Baseball (@MilujemeBasebal) April 9, 2022
Martin Kalábek v zápase proti Hluboké poslal tímto grand slam homerunem Draky Brno do vedení. pic.twitter.com/LdQ2407rWQ
That was not all. In the sixth inning Draci striked again when they added 8 more runs. They entered the bottom half of the inning with 4 doubles, for Martin Kalábek to score his second homerun of the game. Draci then sent their new pitcher Ramon Aquiar on the mound for the last inning. It took him a bit to find his composure as he allowed three walks to first three Hluboká’s batters, but once he got the strikezone right he closed the game. Draci continue in good start of the season and are currently undefeated.
Technika Brno – Eagles Praha 6-16 (8 inn.) and 0-19 (5 inn.)
The games at Properity Park at Kraví Hora didn’t see 9 innings either as visitors managed to defeat Technika by a difference of a class. In the first game it was Filip Kubíček who had a great start to his Extraliga career when he turned his first at-bat into a homerun.
The second game was even shorter and ended after five innings. Home team wasn’t able to score against Albert Pražák. On the other hand, visitors from Prague scored 19 runs and won their third game of the series. Martin Červenka was 4 for 4 in the game and he also added a walk.
Standings
| W | L | |
|---|---|---|
| Draci Brno | 5 | 0 |
| Tempo Praha | 3 | 0 |
| Cardion Hroši Brno | 3 | 1 |
| Eagles Praha | 3 | 3 |
| Arrows Ostrava | 1 | 2 |
| Sokol Hluboká | 2 | 3 |
| Třebíč Nuclears | 0 | 3 |
| Technika Brno | 1 | 5 |
