EXL: Arrows lost a well started game. Eagles have 2 more wins
The weather continues to change the schedule of Extraliga this year. That’s why the first game of the third round didn’t get to be played until Saturday. And in the end we could only see three games.
Hroši Brno – Arrows Ostrava 16-6 (F/7)
Fans mood had to be rollercoaster in the first third of the game. Ostrava team entered it well, when they scored 6 runs in 3 innings against Lukáš Ercoli.
Alexandr Šín kept home batters scoreless for two innings, however, in the third home lineup faced him for the second time and this time it was batters who took the advantage. All started with a 2 run homerun from Jan Pospíšil, followed by a series of hits, walks, and defensive errors. Hroši had a big inning when they grabbed the lead with 9 runs.
The new Czech passport holder Willie Escala had his best game of the season, finishing with 2 hits and 2 walks.
We could also see Ondřej Satoria on the mound for the first time this season, who was able, for a moment anyway, to stop Hroši landslide. But once he was substituted, home team once again grabbed the opportunity and scored 6 runs in the sixth inning. Michal Pokorný added the last run an inning later and the game finished on mercy rule.
The series will continue with a second game on Sunday in Brno. The third game of the series should be played on Monday in Ostrava.
Eagles Praha – Technika Brno 19-6 and 15-1 (F/7)
But we had even bigger rollercoaster in the first game played at Krč. Home Eagles scored 6 runs in the first inning, but Technika was quick to tie the game.
However, Jan Výbora then gave Eagles the lead in the third inning again, and he became the best home batter with 3 hits and 5 RBI. He was followed by a 2 run homerun from Šimon Blažek in the fourth inning, for Eagles to score 6 more runs in the following inning. Technika regulated the score at the end, but it was only enough for them to lose 9-16. Matěj Menšík also became the first Technika player of the season, to hit a homerun. This happened in their 5th game, which is an unusual draught for their team.
The second game looked much more balanced for the first 4 inning. Jose Balaguera, especially, showed his best outing since coming to Eagles, as he only allowed 1 run in 7 innings. And even that wasn’t earned. On the other hand, Daulton Barry kept Technika close for 4 innings. However, Prague players started to hit his pitches in the 5th and Barry’s teammates didn’t help him. Substitute Brandon Smith was unable to halt Eagles either, as he needed 27 pitches for 1 out. The inning had to be finished by Radek Burian, but that was enough for Eagles to get a big inning with 11 runs scored.
In the end, Eagles won the game by a difference after 7 innings, despite outhitting their opponent only 9-6. Technika made 6 errors and their pitchers walked 13 batters. Brno team now knows they can’t win the series, but they will try to get at least a win on Sunday in Prague. Eagles now have 5 wins in 7 games and they keep themselves in the forefront of Extraliga table. Technika is currently last with 1 win and 4 losses.
