by Michal Hanus
On Sunday four quarterfinal games were schedule, which defined the participants of the Czech Cup Final Four, which takes place on the last weekend in August, with a location yet not decided.
Unfortunately we need wait for the last participants, as the game between SKOKANI OLOMOUC and AVG DRACI BRNO was cancelled and postponed due to heavy rain.
In the last three scheduled games, there was one big surprise. After winning against KRC ALTRON in round three, the PATRIOTS LIBEREC eliminated another Extraleague team with Black Hill Blansko 10-6 and clinched the Final Four as the first team from the second division since the SB RYCHORY reached the finals against DRACI in 2000. About 3000 people were in attendance, when BRNO won the game 3-1.
The matchup between MZLU EXPRESS BRNO and ARROWS OSTRAVA was played in Brno stadium. Although the ARROWS was better this season then MZLU EXPRESS, which fell down to seventh position in Extraleague, MZLU defeated OSTRAVA 5-2 and got also a ticket to the Final Four tournament. MZLU started with Kubat on the mound (six innings) and Gajdos closed the game for MZLU. The ARROWS began with Vasicek and Gal ended it.
The last, but the most thrilling game was played also in Brno, at the home field of TECHNIKA BRNO. TECHNIKA hosted the TEGOLA TITANS and won 2-1, when in Jon Dobyns hit a walk off homerun in the ninth. Michal Koci threw a three-hitter, retiring 15 straight at one point.
The Final Four in August with the known participants MZLU EXPRESS BRNO, TECHNIKA BRNO and the PATRIOTS LIBEREC will be broadcast by the national sports channel CT4, which is going to show selected games and the finals live.