EBI: Apollo won’t defend the title, but they took bronze. Split champions
European Baseball Interleague returned after 2 years off caused by Covid pandemic. Slovak team Apollo Bratislava had a goal of defending the title they won in 2019.
Bratislava finished in the third place in group stage with 6 wind and 4 losses, which guaranteed a spot in Final 4. Furthermore, they would host Final 4 at the home field in Podunajské Biskupice and so they were aiming the title once again.
But they needed to win twice first. However, it was in their first game against Budapest that didn’t go according to Apollo’s plan as they lost 5-15. Hungarian team was driven by Bálint Piros who had 3 HR and 6 RBI.
A day later, Apollo played the game for the bronze medals against Slovenian team from Vojvodina, who lost to Split in semifinals. While their opponent was the first to score, Apollo got the lead in the bottom of the second inning with 2 runs. Bratislava continually increased their lead to the final 11-3. The only homerun of the game came from bat of Alexander Václavík, who scored in 3 runs with a single hit. In the end, Bratislava finished the season with a third place.
Nada Split became the winner of EBI after they beat Budapest 9-4. This was the sixth title for Split, thanks to which they tied Karlovac. Slovak baseball currently has 2 titles. Beside Apollo in 2019, it was Trnava who celebrated in 2012. However, they no longer play Interleague.
