Ace Lee Yoon-sung Dominates With 4.1 Scoreless Innings and 7 Ks as Masan High School Beats Gyeongnam High School to Reach Final [2026 Elite High School Baseball Tournament]

[The Financial News] Powered by a dominant outing from ace third-year pitcher Lee Yoon-sung, Masan High School defeated Gyeongnam High School in the semifinals to book its place in the championship game. Taking the mound with two outs in the third inning, Lee threw 41⁄3 scoreless innings through the seventh, delivering a flawless relief performance.
Masan High School advanced to the final of the 2026 Elite High School Baseball Tournament by beating Gyeongnam High School 6–0 in the semifinal, held at 10:30 a.m. on the 4th at the natural grass field of Gijang Hyundai Motor Dream Ballpark in Busan Metropolitan City.
The starting pitchers were third-year Jung Sung-uk for Masan High School and third-year Park Ji-hu for Gyeongnam High School.
Masan High School struck first in the bottom of the first inning by attacking starter Park Ji-hu early. With one out, No. 2 hitter and third-year Jung Young-ro reached on a clean single to center, and No. 3 hitter and third-year Choi Gi-yun followed with a towering RBI triple over the center fielder’s head to bring in the opening run.
While Gyeongnam High School failed to solve Masan High School starter Jung Sung-uk and its offense stalled, Masan High School added on in the third. In the bottom of the third, No. 2 hitter Jung Young-ro reached after being hit by a pitch, and cleanup hitter and third-year Ko Geon-woo was also hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second. Fifth batter and third-year Kim Ki-beom then stayed locked in and drove a ball over the right fielder’s head for a two-run triple, extending the lead with back-to-back extra-base hits. The score moved to 3–0.

As Masan High School’s hitters maintained their focus, the pitching staff firmly protected the mound. With two outs in the top of the third, reliever Lee Yoon-sung took over from starter Jung Sung-uk and calmly fielded a grounder hit by Gyeongnam High School’s No. 3 hitter and third-year Park Bo-seung, throwing to first to end the inning.
From the fourth through the seventh inning, Lee continued to dominate, shutting out Gyeongnam High School and completely silencing its lineup. His slider moved in and out on hitters, and he struck out two in the fourth, two in the fifth, two in the sixth, and one in the seventh for a total of seven strikeouts. His fastball topped out at 148 km/h (about 92 mph).
Masan High School then pounded the Gyeongnam High School pitching staff with insurance runs in the sixth and seventh innings. In the sixth, with two outs and a runner on second, a costly decision by the Gyeongnam High School catcher led to an errant pickoff throw to second, allowing the runner to come home.
They kept the pressure on in the seventh. After No. 5 hitter Kim Ki-beom and No. 7 hitter and third-year Lee Tae-gang drew back-to-back walks, No. 8 hitter and second-year Park Jun-young ripped a sharp grounder through the hole between third and short for a timely two-run double, stretching the lead to 6–0.
Gyeongnam High School mounted a final rally in the ninth inning. No. 3 hitter Park Bo-seung drew a walk, and No. 4 hitter Lee Ho-min was hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second with no outs. However, a grounder to second followed by a double play ended the threat and sealed their disappointment.
lich0929@fnnews.com Byun Ok-hwan Reporter