First League: The four teams to play Promotion League are now known
The second highest Czech baseball league is also slowly coming to an end. After this weekend we know all four teams that will play Promotion League.
Blesk Jablonec – Klasik Frýdek-Místek 18-2 (5 inn.) and 26-0 (5 inn.)
Jablonec welcomed Frýdek-Místek at home and both games were dominated by them. Players from northern Moravia were unable to compete with the home team. In the second game they produced 9 errors, thanks to which Jablonec increased their winning streak to 11 games and they are very likely to finish the regular season in the first spot.
SaBaT Praha – Olympia Blansko 2-16 and 5-6
If Prague wanted to play in Promotion League, they needed to win the series against Blansko. However, they were shocked in the first inning by a solo homerun from Ladislav Kabeš. Their misery continued in the third inning, where Blansko rotated their lineup and added 6 runs. Home team was unable to recover and Olympia thus took a dominant win.
The second game was much closer and SaBaT was holding the lead until the fifth inning. In the bottom half of the inning Ladislav Kabeš added another, this time two run homerun, and gave Blansko a 3-2 lead. Home team was able to tie the game in the seventh inning, when Štěpán Veleta took advantage over a wild pitch from Aleš Blažek. Blansko was able to get the lead back in the bottom half of the inning, however. First, Vojtěch Pomazal scored in two runs, only to take advantage of a defensive error and get the winning run. Home team tried to fight back in the ninth inning and they made the game more dramatic with two runs, but it wasn’t enough to get them the win. It is now certain we won’t see SaBaT in Promotion League. On the other hand, the wins ensured Blansko will get the chance to compete for their spot in Extraliga for the upcoming season.
Skokani Olomouc – Pelikans Bučovice 18-1 (5 inn.) and 14-11
The second to last team of First League arrived to Hana and they didn’t play well in the first game. Pelikans only managed to keep the pace with the home team for two innings. They were then destroyed in the third inning, where Skokani scored 12 runs. Home starter Marko Vykoukal thus only needed to pitch five innings, allowing one run.
Skokani entered the second game well, rotating the lineup in the first inning and scoring 4 runs. They carried on and improved their lead to 8-0. But the visitors woke up in the second half of the game and they started to chip into the deficit. However, their effort weren’t enough to come closer than 3 runs from Skokani and Bučovice left Olomouce without a win. With two wins, Skokani can start getting ready for Promotion League.
Hippos Brno – Kotlářka Praha 3-12 and 3-14 (7 inn.)
Brno team, same as SaBaT, had a clear goal ahead of them. To win two times. However, Kotlářka showed no remorse for the home team and beat Hippos by a difference of class two times. The first win came thanks no small part to David Komorous, who had three doubles. Pitcher Vít Hrdlička had a good start, where he only allowed 2 runs (1 earned) in five innings.
The second game continued in a similar manner. Prague team was collecting the hits much faster this time and the game finished on mercy rule in the seventh inning. After winning the series, Kotlářka improved their record to 8-3 and ensured their spot in Promotion League.
First League Standings
| W | L | % | GB | BA | OBP | ERA | K | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blesk Jablonec | 11 | 1 | .917 | – | .361 | 0.495 | 3.92 | 85 | 174 : 46 |
| Olympia Blansko | 9 | 3 | .750 | 2 | .308 | 0.395 | 3.53 | 90 | 99 : 56 |
| Kotlářka Praha | 8 | 3 | .727 | 2.5 | .286 | 0.379 | 6.17 | 78 | 105 : 70 |
| Skokani Olomouc | 8 | 4 | .667 | 3 | .298 | 0.396 | 4.91 | 80 | 94 : 75 |
| Hippos Brno | 3 | 8 | .273 | 7.5 | .260 | 0.37 | 4.39 | 54 | 62 : 90 |
| SaBaT Praha | 3 | 9 | .250 | 8 | .246 | 0.36 | 7.88 | 80 | 77 : 131 |
| Pelikans Bučovice | 3 | 9 | .250 | 8 | .266 | 0.363 | 12.3 | 48 | 80 : 159 |
| Klasik Frýdek-Místek | 2 | 10 | .167 | 9 | .230 | 0.316 | 5.87 | 57 | 57 : 121 |
