First League: Three unbeaten teams after the first round
First League also started on Sunday and all we saw the entire first round played in one day.
Kotlářka Praha – Blesk Jablonec 0-6 and 10-8
The first game at Na Markétě was mainly a pitching duel. Home Vít Hrdlička and visiting Jiží Hikl both kept their teams in running for the win, but it was Jablonec starter who got more of an edge when he remained on the mound for 7 innings without allowing any runs scored. Blesk was also helped by the end of their lineup, when their seventh (Lukáš Roubíček) and eighth (Jan Konrád) batters both had 3 hits and 3 RBI. Experienced Filip Šafařík then closed the game for them.
The second game saw the home team to start aggressively, and to take 7-0 lead after four innings. But they lost it in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Blesk kickstarted a 7 run scoring bonanza and tied the game. Wesley Roemer then sent Tomáš Bílek home in the seventh inning for another Kotlářka’s run, however, it was Zdeněk Machačka who tied the game with his second homerun an inning later. Two run homerun from Matěj Vlach in the ninth inning put an end to Jablonec’s hopes and Kotlářka could celebrate the first win of the season.
Skokani Olomouc – Olympia Blansko 5-6 and 2-5 (5 inn.)
Skokani would like to compete for Extraliga this year, but the first series against Blansko didn’t go according to their plans. Blansko was able to flash their bats against Petr Charvát and scored 6 runs in 5 innings. This turned out to be important when Olomouc pulled Vojtěch Papež from their bullpen and he showed why he was once considered one of the biggest Czech talents. He didn’t allow any hits in 4 innings and Olomouc got their chance for a comeback. In the end they came close, but not far enough, as they scored 5 runs. Trio of long-term national players Martin Schneider – Přemek Chroust – Jakub Voják had 6 out of 8 team SO.
Olomouc started the second game much better, when Ondřej Schwarz got 2 RBI in the first inning. However, Blansko was able to turn the table in the second inning, with Ondřej Šebela‚s base clearing triple with bases loaded. Olympia added two more runs in the third inning, helped by an error in the defense. Unfortunately, weather started acting up afterwards and the game was wrapped up after the fifth inning. Home team thus didn’t get a chance to rack up more hits. Olomouc was unable to get any wins at the beginning of their season.
SaBaT Praha – Hippos Brno 7-3 and 5-2
SaBaT started the first game with Kryštof Dupal on the mound. He became a focal man of the game when he threw a complete game, allowing only 3 runs to Hippos. Hippos outhit SaBaT (9-5), but visitors were more efficient in stacking their hits. Duel turned in the sixth inning, when home team errors allowed 5 runs.
The second game saw young Hippos pitchers keep their team’s hopes alive as they only allowed 3 hits in 7 innings. However, Hippos were unproductive again and finished the game with 4 hits and 2 runs. This wasn’t enough to beat SaBaT and Brno team left their home turf with 2 losses.
Pelikans Bučovice – Klasik Frýdek-Místek 2-5 and 4-12
The first game saw young Matyáš Novotný excel on the mound, with 1 run in 6 innings, while striking out 6 batters. The other side kept up the pace with Ondřej Vykoukal who kept Klasik scoreless in 4 innings.
The game changed in the fifth inning when Klasik scored 3 runs. Two came thanks to Marian Harig’s hit. Third came after a defensive error. Bučovice then only scored 2 runs in the remainder of the game, which wasn’t enough to get a win. Jakub Kaplan, as a substitute pitcher, didn’t allow Pelikans much and Frýdek-Místek won the first game 5-2.
The second game was played right away, and Klasik started the best they could. They pressured their opponent and scored 5 runs in two innings.
Bučovice came close to tying the game when they scored 4 runs, however, the second game belonged to Klasik again. Home defense helped Frýdek-Místek with 6 errors. Klasik’s batter were also doing an excellent job, getting 12 hits throughout the game. In the end Klasik scored 12 games and won 12-4.
First League Standings
| # | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BLA Olympia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | |
| 1 | KLA Klasik | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | |
| 1 | SAB SaBaT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | |
| 4 | BLE Blesk | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 1 | |
| 4 | KOT Kotlářka | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 1 | |
| 6 | BUC Pelikans | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 2 | |
| 6 | HIP Hippos | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 2 | |
| 6 | SKO Skokani | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 2 | |
