High school baseball powerhouse Deoksugo started and ended the season with a win.
Deoksugo defeated Gangneung 4-0 in the Under-18 baseball final of the 104th National Sports Games (NGN) at Palma Stadium in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, on April 19. It was their third national championship, after winning in 2008 and 2019.
After dominating the first national tournament of the season, the Shinsegae E-Mart Varsity in April, Duksugo started and ended with a victory as they also took the top spot at the final stage, the National Championships. Coincidentally, his opponent in the final of the Shinsegae E-Mart Varsity was also Gangneung-go. Gangneung-go featured players who were selected in the 2024 KBO Rookie Draft held last month, including Cho Dae-hyun and Yuk Cheong-myeong, but their bats were silenced.
The hero of the game was first-year left-handed pitcher Lee Ji-seung. Lee pitched 10 and one-third scoreless innings over the four games of the tournament. In the final game, she pitched five innings, throwing 73 pitches, allowing one hit, one walk and striking out eight.
Sophomore right-hander Kim Tae-hyung followed with four innings of one-hit ball, one walk and six strikeouts.
With Lee and Kim on the mound, the offense didn’t waste any chances. In the bottom of the third inning, with runners on first and second, Jung Min-seo singled to left and Park Jun-soon doubled to center. In the eighth inning, with runners on first and second, Park Jun-soon hit another RBI single to left field.
In a call on the 20th, Deoksugo head coach Jung Yoon-jin said, “I’m really happy that we started the season with a win and ended it with a win. All the players did their part to get us back to the top of the national tournament,” he said.토스카지노 주소
“We were missing a few starters, and freshman Lee Ji-seung really stepped up and played like an MVP. Despite his inexperience, he kept pitching until the final game and helped us win the title. Also, center fielder Lee Sun-woo, who was selected by the Lotte Giants in the rookie draft last month, led the offense as a leadoff hitter.”
Duksugo saw the growth of first- and second-year players such as Lee Ji-seung and Kim Tae-hyung at the national tournament. The team is optimistic about their prospects for next year.
“In this tournament, the third-year players played as seniors and handled the juniors well. I hope that winning the national championship will be a great graduation gift.” “I hope that the first- and second-year players, who have gained a lot of experience through this championship, will perform well next year. We will drive this momentum and aim to reach the top of the national championship again.”
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