The impressive volte-face by Split culminated last weekend in its first achievement of 2021. The Adriatic club claimed a place in the first round of the Croatian Baseball Championship with sweep of visiting Medvednica. Elsewhere, neither Varaždin nor Zagreb could make up any ground in the standings.
Medvednica at Split (1-14, 8-11)
After opening the 2021 Croatian baseball campaign with three consecutive road series, a return in Week 5 to the friendly confines of the “Old Ground” (Starom Placu) in Split was just what Nada needed. Sitting in last place at 2-4 at the time, the only coastal club in Croatia’s top baseball circuit claimed a thrilling upset of juggernaut Olimpija Karlovac in its home opener. Although it dropped the second contest that weekend (May 9), it has since the last six in-a-row.
That 7-1 run since its first 2021 game at the former stadium of FC Hajduk Split includes last weekend’s triumphs over Medvednica. The Bears have yet to win a game on the road, and Split added to their misery in 14-1 and 11-8 defeats. Medvednica has lost six consecutive games overall to sink to fifth in the table.
Vindija Varaždin at Zagreb (6-7, 4-2)
Zagreb hosted Vindija with the hopes of snapping a seven-game losing streak. Croatia’s capital had not brought its eponymous baseball club any luck this, with four previous defeats at home. Zagreb finally snapped that skid in Game One, squeaking out a nail-biting 7-6 victory. With the two squads both looking to wrap up the third place in the playoffs out of the four available, Varaždin then made up for the loss with a narrowly won game on Sunday, a 4-2 final.
Looking Ahead
With two weeks remaining, Varaždin, Zagreb, and Medvednica all have a shot at the postseason, although the Bears will need to win and receive a little help from Split and Karlovac. League-leading Karlovac has already sewn up home field advantage throughout the playoffs, while Hope will take a week off before attempt to guarantee first round games at Starom Placu.
By: Gabriel Fidler. No box scores available from Week 8.
Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | H | A | RF | RA | +/- | Str. |
| Olimpija Karlovac | 12 | 2 | .857 | 5-1 | 7-1 | 180 | 61 | 119** | W5 | |
| Nada SSM Split | 9 | 5 | .333 | 3 | 5-1 | 4-4 | 114 | 84 | 30 | W6 |
| Vindija Varaždin | 5 | 7 | .417 | 5 | 3-3 | 2-4 | 88 | 96 | -8 | W1 |
| Zagreb | 4 | 8 | .333 | 7 | 1-5 | 3-3 | 73 | 98 | -25** | L1 |
| Medvednica | 2 | 10 | .167 | 10 | 2-6 | 0-4 | 70 | 178 | -108 | L6 |
Number of stars corresponds to the number of games in which the score is unavailable.
Week 8 Results
May 29 Medvednica 1 – Split 14
May 29 Varaždin 6 – Zagreb 7
May 30 Medvednica 8 – Split 11
May 30 Varaždin 4 – Zagreb 2
Week 9 Schedule
June 5 Medvednica – Zagreb
June 5 Varaždin – Karlovac
June 6 Medvednica – Zagreb
June 6 Varaždin – Karlovac
Home team listed second.