The Korean national under-15 baseball team, participating in the 11th Asian Youth Baseball Championship (under 15 years old), won 9-1 in the 메이저놀이터 3rd match against the Philippines held at Weihai Baseball Field in China on August 22 and advanced to the Super Round. It was confirmed.
In the third game, which took a break from the second game against Taiwan due to rain the previous day, Korea put forward Park Ji-hoo as the starting pitcher, Jae-Hwi So (left fielder, Bucheon Middle School 3)-Kim Dong-Young (shortstop, Sekwang Middle School 3)-Lee Hyeon-Min (center fielder, Gyeongsang Middle School 3)- Eom Jun-sang (3rd baseman, Jayang Middle School 3) – Kim Ji-woo (1st baseman, Gangnam Middle School 3) – Ha Hyun-seung (DH, Centum Middle School 3) – Seol Jae-min (catcher, Deoksoo 3rd) – Bae Jong-yoon (right fielder, Hwasun Middle School 3) – Choi Woo-jun (2nd baseman, Gyeongsangjung 3) formed the lineup.
Due to the rain that had fallen until the morning, both teams were seldom able to attack like an attack until the beginning of the game due to the condition of the stadium that was not completely drained. Park Ki-won (Sekwang Middle School 3), who got on the mound after one out in the third inning, gave the opponent a hit in front of the left fielder. Korea caught the follow-up hitter with a second baseman grounder, but after a wild pitch in the third batter’s at-bat, he was hit in front of the center fielder and dedicated the first run to the Philippines. Fortunately, Park Ki-won, who got the zero point, finished the third inning by catching the next hitter with a fly to left field.
The Korean batting line also exploded in the third inning. At the end of the third inning, lead batter Sohjahwi hit in front of the right fielder, and while the right fielder fumbled the ball, he advanced to second base. So Jae-hwi, who immediately tried to steal third base, dashed home to tie the score when the third baseman failed to properly catch the catcher’s throw. In the continued attack, Korea penetrated the weak points of the opponent’s defense, and hitters 2 and 3 succeeded in reaching base in a row, and run away with a timely hit in front of left fielder Eom Jun-sang in 4th. The national team took the lead by scoring 7 runs in the third inning.
Even in the attack at the end of the 4th inning, Korea added 2 points with timely hits by Ha Hyun-seung and Bae Jong-yoon. It was shaken by giving up one run in the third inning, but Park Ki-won blocked the remaining four innings with a perfect score, including four strikeouts, and finished the game.
Head coach Song Yong-joo, who leads the national team, said, “The Taiwan match was postponed the previous day, and the players would have had difficulties adjusting their condition, but I am proud that they overcame it well. He expressed his feelings, saying, “I will put all my effort into the last match of the preliminary round to create a favorable result for the super round.”
On the other hand, Korea, who won 2 wins in the preliminary round, will play the final match of the preliminary round with Taiwan, tied for first place in Group B, at 3:00 pm on the 23rd.
