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| Kim Hyeong-jun / Photo=DB |
[Sports Today reporter Shin Seo-young] The NC Dinos avenged their loss to the Samsung Lions from the previous day.
NC defeated Samsung 6-4 on March 20 in a 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League exhibition game at Changwon NC Park.
The win moved NC to 4-1-3 in the spring exhibition slate after bouncing back from a 4-9 loss the day before. Samsung fell to 4-4.
NC starter Kim Nok-won threw 2 2/3 innings, allowing six hits (one home run), striking out one and yielding one run. Reliever Bae Jae-hwan picked up the victory with a scoreless inning out of the bullpen.
Offensively, Kim Hyeong-jun was the big story with a grand slam. Lee Woo-seong and Seo Ho-chul each recorded multi-hit games to support the offense.
Samsung starter Oraklin completed his first exhibition outing with two scoreless innings, surrendering one hit and one walk while striking out three. Kim Tae-hoon took the loss after recording 0.1 innings, giving up three hits, two walks and five runs.
Samsung struck first. In the top of the first, leadoff hitter Kim Young-woong jumped on Kim Nok-won’s fourth pitch — a 144 km/h fastball (89.5 mph) — and sent it over the right-field wall for a solo homer. Later in the inning, Diaz and Lee Jae-hyun recorded back-to-back hits to create a two-out, runners-on-1st-and-2nd chance, but Samsung couldn’t extend the lead.
NC’s bats were quiet through the fifth inning but woke up in the sixth. In the bottom of the sixth, with one out, Park Geon-woo drew a walk and Oh Young-soo followed with a run-scoring double into the shallow gap to tie the game at 1-1.
NC kept the pressure on. Kim Hwi-jip drew a walk and Lee Woo-seong reached on an infield hit to load the bases with one out, then Seo Ho-chul delivered an RBI single to right to put NC ahead.
Samsung replaced Kim Tae-hoon with Jang Chan-hee, but with the bases still loaded, Kim Hyeong-jun drove Jang’s third pitch — a 147 km/h fastball (91.3 mph) — into left field for a grand slam. NC scored six runs in the sixth inning and opened up a 6-1 lead.
Samsung fought back in the seventh. In the top of the seventh, Ryu Ji-hyuk and Kim Heon-gon each drew walks off reliever Lim Ji-min. Yun Jeong-bin flew out to left, but Kim Young-woong ripped an RBI double to cut the deficit. With two outs and runners on second and third, Koo Ja-wook smoked a two-run RBI double to pull Samsung within 6-4.
That was as far as the rally went. NC brought in closer Ryu Jin-wook to work the top of the ninth and protect the two-run lead. Ryu allowed a double to Han Su-ho and issued a walk to Jeon Byung-woo, but he escaped the jam without allowing a run and preserved NC’s 6-4 victory.
[Sports Today reporter Shin Seo-young sports@stoo.com]
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