Arrows Ostrava entered Champions Cup with a win against Bonn

7.6.2023 Zuzana Ferková 2 min read

If fans were worried about Arrows in Champions Cup this year, they can more than relax after the first game as Arrows managed to win against German champions.

Ostrava built on a good pitching. Starter Ondřej Satoria returned with his national team performance and he only allowed 1 run in seven innings he pitched. Even that came after a defensive error, when Radim Novotný couldn’t catch a fly ball while running in right outfield. Bonn this took 1-0 lead in the sixth inning.

Germans could rely on good pitching from Jordan Lucas, despite allowing Ostrava’s leadoff to reach the base several times. Arrows were unable to get the runners into scoring positions, however. This changed in the eighth inning when Rory Graf-Brennen hit a triple. He then reached the home base after a hit from Matyáš Kozel. Bonn tried to change the momentum with a pitching change, but the new pitcher seemed to fit to Arrows strategy as they scored 3 runs in the inning.

Ostrava sent Jiří Hikl to pitch in the eighth. He only faced three batters after he allowed a runner on base, a flyout and a single. Young Jan Kozel came into the game in this tough situation. Player, who started his craft in Klasik Frýdek-Místek, handled the tough task well, as he didn’t allow any hits for the remainder of the game and earned a Save.

National team’s head coach Pavel Chadim and ČBA chairman Petr Ditrich both watched the win from the stands. The main man of Czech baseball didn’t hide his excitment. „It was a great showcase of the starting pitcher, with Jan Kozel coming as a closer. The defense was solid. Ostrava was the better team, despite not being the favorite against the first Bundesliga Division North team. It was a great start to the tournament,“ said Petr Ditrich after the game.

Ostrava entered the tournament with 3-1 win and they might get a chance to fight for top spots. But they will need to win at least once more in the following games.