Masango explodes in the first inning.
Masango defeated Deoksugo 11-4 in seven innings with a cold-game victory at the 78th Cheongnyonggi National High School Baseball Championship and Weekend League Wangjungwang (co-hosted by Chosun Ilbo, Sports Chosun, and the Korea Baseball Softball Association) at Mokdong Stadium in Seoul on Tuesday.
Deoksugo was considered the “favorite” to win the tournament after winning the E-Mart Bae in April. Masango, on the other hand, has consistently produced professional players in the past, but its recent performance has been inferior to Deoksugo’s.
Down 0-3, Masango scored in the second and fourth innings to tie the game.
They gave up a single run in the fifth, but scored three in the sixth and five in the seventh to take an 11-4 lead.
In the meantime, starter Lee Seung-hwan cut the tape with 2⅓ innings of three runs (unearned), followed by Ok Jin-yul (4⅓ innings, one run, unearned) and Kim Yoon-ha (⅓ innings, no runs).
After the game, Masango head coach Ko Yoon-sung said, “The weather was hot, so we emphasized the mental part rather than the physical part. Our players had a stronger desire to win, and I think it paid off.”
He also said, “They played well all around, but the bottom of the order did a good job. The players hit when they needed to hit, and Ok Jin-yul was a first-time robot umpire, but she didn’t panic and threw well, which made the game easier for us.”
After defeating Deoksugo, Masango will meet Busan Go in the second round. The team won the Golden Lion in 2023. After beating a strong team, a strong team again. But Ko was smiling instead. The reason was clear. He saw it as a foundation for growth. 안전놀이터
“Our next game is against the Golden Lion winners, Busan Go. “I think it will be a good experience for our team to meet such a strong team,” he said. “We are capable of playing a great game. I asked them to play a good game, and they did a good job. We will prepare well for the Busan High game so that we can play a good game.”
“I want to tell our players that if other teams see us as easy, we can see them as a little tricky. If we play against strong teams, we can be among the strong teams. I think it’s time for us to do that,” he said, ready for the next match.