U-18 Baseball Team Reaches Final with 'Five Straight Wins,' Set for Title Clash with 'Archrival' Japan After Eight Years

[Financial News] South Korea’s U-18 national baseball team advanced to the final of the Asian U-18 Baseball Championship with a dominant five-game winning streak. Its opponent in the title game will be archrival Japan.
South Korea, led by manager Jeong Yun-jin of Duksoo High School, routed the Philippines 6-0 in the second Super Round game of the 18th Asian U-18 Baseball Championship at Taipei Dome in Taipei, Taiwan, on the 12th.
After advancing to the Super Round as the top team in Group B with three straight wins in the group stage, South Korea defeated Japan the previous day and then beat the Philippines, securing a spot in the final with a perfect 5-0 record. South Korea is seeking to reclaim the Asian title for the first time in eight years after winning the 2018 tournament.
Japan, which is seeking its second consecutive championship, will face South Korea in the final. Japan advanced after defeating host Taiwan 2-1 in a Super Round game held the same day. The final between South Korea and Japan will be held at Taipei Dome at 7:30 p.m. on the 13th.
South Korea overwhelmed the Philippines on the strength of a perfect balance between its pitching and offense.
On the mound, right-handed starter Kwak Do-hyeon of Busan Technical High School delivered an outstanding performance. He struck out 11 batters over 42⁄3 innings, allowing just one hit and no runs to completely shut down the Philippine lineup. Yoon Ye-seong of Inchang High School and Han Gyu-min of Daejeon High School followed with a combined 21⁄3 scoreless innings to complete the shutout.
At the plate, No. 8 hitter and third baseman Kang In-gyu of Cheongju High School led the offense, going 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored.
South Korea scored first on Kang In-gyu’s RBI single to right in the bottom of the second. In the third, a wild pitch and a balk by the opposing pitcher brought home one run, followed by Lee Ho-min’s RBI double to center to extend the lead to 3-0. South Korea added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth on an outfield fielding error and Park Bo-seung’s sacrifice fly, effectively securing the victory early.
[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter