Kim Hye-sung (Kiwoom) hit a grand slam against “big pitcher” Yang Hyun-jong (KIA) to help her team snap a four-game losing streak.
Kim Hye-sung’s 5-for-4, five RBI 메이저사이트 performance led Kiwoom to a 9-6 victory over KIA in the 2023 KBO League at KIA Champions Field in Gwangju on Friday. Kiwoom, still in last place (43 wins, 3 draws, 62 losses), snapped a three-game losing streak with a spirited offensive performance. KIA (45 wins, 2 draws, 47 losses) suffered their second straight defeat.
Tied 0-0 in the fourth inning, Kiwoom’s big inning tipped the balance. With two outs, Jeon Byung-woo doubled and Kim Dong-heon drew a walk to load the bases. Kim Jun-wan then battled hard and scored the first run of the game on a push ball.
Then, with the bases loaded, Kim Hye-sung hit a grand slam. She took a two-pitch fastball from Yang Hyun-jong and hit it over the right-center field fence. Kiwoom quickly took a 5-0 lead.
With the bats revitalized, Kiwoom added another run in the top of the sixth inning as Kim Do-heon walked and Kim Jun-wan singled to put runners on second and third. Ronnie Dawson followed with an RBI double to make it 8-0.
KIA began its late-game charge. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Na Sung-bum hit a two-run shot with the bases loaded to narrow the gap to six runs. In the top of the seventh, Choi Won-jun singled with the bases loaded and Park Chan-ho followed with an infield single, and Kim Do-young and Na Sung-beom added RBI singles to bring the score to 6-9. But that was as close as they would get. The game ended with Kiwoom protecting its three-run lead.
Kiwoom’s Ariel Hurtado earned the win with six innings of two-run ball, while KIA’s Yang Hyun-jong took the loss, allowing seven runs in 5.2 innings.
In Changwon, home run leader Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha) hit his 28th home run of the season against NC’s new foreign pitcher Tanner Tully. With two outs in the top of the first inning, Noh pulled a 143-kilometer fastball high on the second pitch over the left field fence. The teams were tied at 3-3.
In Jamsil, KT won 1-0 after a quality pitching battle between William Cuevas (KT) and Raul Alcantara (Doosan). Cuevas threw 100 pitches over seven innings, allowing two hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts, while Alcantara threw 97 pitches over seven innings, allowing four hits, zero walks, and six strikeouts.
In Daegu, Samsung defeated top-ranked LG 6-5, while in Busan, Lotte topped SSG 10-6.