The Flame Fighters achieved their fifth consecutive victory, thanks to the outstanding performance of starting pitcher Lee Dae-eun.
On the 30th, the official YouTube channel of Studio C1 released the 9th episode of the baseball variety show 'Flame Baseball.' In this episode, the Flame Fighters triumphed over Incheon High School with a 4-2 victory after a thrilling pitcher's duel.
The game remained tight until the third inning. Incheon High's starting pitcher Lee Tae-yang effectively shut down the Fighters' lineup with bold pitching. Despite facing a crisis in the top of the second inning with consecutive hits by Lee Dae-ho and Jung Eui-yoon, Lee Tae-yang calmly collected outs to end the inning without conceding a run.
Despite battling a cold, Lee Dae-eun took the mound for the Flame Fighters. Even with his condition not at its best, he delivered powerful pitches to dominate the Incheon High lineup, showcasing his ace potential by achieving consecutive three-up-three-down innings early in the game.
Incheon High scored the first run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Lee Dae-eun allowed a walk to the leadoff batter, followed by a hit that created a no-out situation with runners on first and third. Although he managed to induce a double play from the fourth batter, Park Kyum, the runner on third scored, giving Incheon High the lead.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Fighters launched a counterattack. Lee Taek-geun hit a solo home run on the first pitch, tying the game at 1-1. Incheon High contested the call, claiming it was a foul, but after a video review, the home run was confirmed. Following a walk by Park Jae-wook and a hit by Kim Jae-ho, the Fighters had runners on first and second with one out. Incheon High quickly changed pitchers, but Choi Soo-hyun hit a go-ahead single, turning the game around to 3-1.
The Fighters also excelled defensively against Incheon High. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Incheon High's fourth batter, Park Kyum, hit a large fly ball between the center and right field, but Lee Taek-geun made a diving catch. Third baseman Park Chan-hyung then fielded a fast grounder from the next batter, assisting Lee Dae-eun.
The Fighters extended their lead in the top of the eighth inning. Jung Geun-woo drew a walk against the new pitcher, Jung Hyun-woo, and recorded his first steal of the season. Choi Soo-hyun reached base on a strikeout not caught, creating a no-out situation with runners on first and third. Jung Eui-yoon hit a ground ball that seemed destined for a double play, but the Incheon High shortstop opted to get the batter out, allowing Jung Geun-woo to score from third.
Yoo Hee-kwan, who struggled in the first game against Incheon High with six innings and four runs allowed, came in as the second pitcher for the Fighters. He used his slow pitches to secure a scoreless eighth inning. In the bottom of the ninth, an unexpected incident occurred when Incheon High's leadoff batter hit a tricky ball that led to a collision between left fielder Jung Eui-yoon and shortstop Kim Jae-ho. While the two players struggled to get up, the Incheon High batter advanced to third base.
The Fighters' dugout became busy, and manager Kim Sung-geun ordered a major defensive shift. Although Incheon High's next batter hit a timely single, making the score 4-2, Yoo Hee-kwan struck out the final batter to end the game.
Reporter Se-yoon Jung, TenAsia yoon@tenasia.co.kr