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Sweet revenge

Krč Altron overcomes jitters to hand Draci Brno its first loss

By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
May 30th, 2007 issue

KURT VINION/THE PRAGUE POST
Still undefeated — for a moment: Brno's ace Martin Schneider works against Krč in game one of last weekend's doubleheader.
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Fortunes can turn, goats become heroes. And when those two occur together, Draci Brno can fall.
Line score

Game 1
➤ Draci 011 000 000 02 – 4
➤ Krč 002 000 000 01 – 3
Game 2
➤ Draci 001 001 100 – 3
➤ Krč 020 210 10x – 6

Gambrinus liga standings

➤ Draci Brno 11-1 .917
➤ MZLU Brno 8-4 .667
➤ Arrows Ostrava 7-5 .583
➤ Technika Brno 7-5 .583
➤ Krč Altron 5-6 .455
➤ Skokani Olomouc 5-7 .417
➤ Black Hill Blansko 2-9 .182
➤ Tegola Titans 2-10 .167

As if to atone for a costly throwing error in the first game of May 26’s doubleheader against the undefeated Draci squad, Basilio Hernandez started the nightcap with a vengeance. In the second inning, his two-out single drove home Jakub Koplík and Matěj Hejma. Two innings later, after Lukáš Borecký sacrificed Hejma to second, Hernandez ripped a one-hopper past Draci third baseman Doug Dreher; he then scored on a base hit by Michal Müller.
“Hernandez killed us,” said Draci star Pavel Budský, shaking his head in disgust. “The eighth hitter.”
The runs Hernandez accounted for — three RBI and one run scored — were enough to hand Draci, the powerful squad from Moravia, their first loss of the season, 6–3. But holding on to the lead wasn’t easy.
Krč starter Jan Homolka (3-3, 1.59) was in trouble often, working out of a jam in the third, picking speedster Tomáš Červinka off first base to end a Brno rally in the fourth and surviving the fifth when Hernandez caught Dreher trying to steal. With two men on in the sixth, he was pulled in favor of a younger arm.
Matěj Hušek (1-2, 1.59) entered the game and promptly walked Tomáš Polanský intentionally to load the bases. The young left-hander was celebrating his 20th birthday facing the league’s most potent lineup.
“The coach told me, ‘It’s up to you,’ ” Hušek said. “It was tough, but I was pumped up.”
He fanned Červinka and forced Jan Toman to ground out, ending the threat and later earning his first save of the year.
Tomáš Čása put the game out of reach, doubling in the fifth to start a rally that sent Draci starter Marian Gajdoš (4-1, 1.50) to the showers. In the seventh, Čása stretched an infield error into two bases then broke for third while reliever Matthew Blackmore had his back turned.
“That’s the first rule: Never make two errors on one play,” Budský said. “We were sloppy.”
Altron showed signs of things to come in the first game. After staking Brno to a two-run lead, they broke through in the third against Martin Schneider (4-0, 0.96). Rudolf Pelzl drew a walk and Müller followed with a double. Marek Blajer’s grounder to second scored Pelzl, and Müller came home on a passed ball two pitches later.
Altron botched an opportunity to take the lead the next inning on an ill-advised gamble; Petr Hurník missed a suicide squeeze sign, allowing Homolka to be caught in a rundown. It took 11 innings for Brno to eke out a 4–3 win on two infield errors. But the team threatened several times throughout.  
Krč starting pitcher Vladimír Kůs (0-0, 2.45) shrugged off early-inning difficulties and survived a scare in the eighth.
“He doesn’t have overpowering stuff, but he keeps you off balance,” Budský said.
With the score still locked at 2-2, Kůs walked Michal Břeň and gave up an infield hit to Budský. Then Blackmore smacked a hard grounder toward left. Hernandez cut it off, fired to Blajer at second, to start a double play.
“It’s the pitcher’s best friend,” said Kůs, who worked through the 10th.
Jakub Jonák (1-1, 2.00) took the loss the next inning, as two throwing errors, including one by Hernandez with two outs recorded, allowed runs that cost Krč the game.
Altron travels to Olomouc June 2.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


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