Baseball Queen Loses 6-4 – Game Confirmed

The Black Queens of ‘Baseball Queen’ lost 6:4 after a persistent chase in the 7th game against Quality Start.

In the 12th episode of Channel A’s ‘Baseball Queen’ broadcast on the 10th, ‘Legend Election’ Kim Min-ji, Kim Bo-reum, Kim Seong-yeon, Kim On-ah, Park Bo-ram, Park Ha-yan, Song Ah, Shin So-jung, Shin Soo-ji, Ayaka, Lee Soo-yeon, Jang Soo-young, Jeong Yu-in, Joo Su-jin and Choi Hyun-mi, the 50th women’s baseball team in Korea, Black Queens, took on the ‘super-strong team’, Quality Start, made up of national team players. The scene of the seventh official match was revealed. After a close game, the Black Queens were unable to overcome the gap of 6 runs in the top of the second inning and unfortunately lost. As a result, the Black Queens, who recorded a total of 4 wins and 3 losses, confirmed the release of members according to the ‘3 losses’ rule, and strengthened their resolve for the final game.

While the score was tightly tied at 0:0 until the bottom of the first inning of Game 7, the Black Queens struggled with the ‘strategic baseball’ of the quality start in the top of the second inning. Jang Soo-young, shaken by two consecutive surprise bunts, stolen bases, and squeeze plays, allowed a run to push through consecutive walks. Afterwards, a timely hit with the bases loaded gave up two more runs, and the opponent’s skillful base running and hit to the right led to a whopping six runs.

Despite the ‘great chaos’, Jang Soo-young broke the flow by collaborating with Ayaka for the first check in Black Queens history, and managed to end the inning by striking out the last runner. In the bottom of the second inning, which started by saying, “Let’s score 10 points!”, all three batters were blocked by the impeccable infield defense, and the inning ended with a three-way strike.

The Black Queens, who reorganized their defense with the addition of starting second baseman Kim On-ah, quickly changed innings in the top of the third inning, as Jang Soo-young regained control and struck out the first and third runners, and first baseman Park Ha-yan safely handled the ball. In the bottom of the 3rd inning, Ha-Yan Park got on base after a full count game, and then advanced to 3rd base without missing a wild pitch, creating a chance for runners on 1st and 3rd base with no outs.

Ayaka’s timely hit made up one point, but Minji Kim, who had reached second base, was left out while aiming for third base while the ball was missing, leaving a regret. Afterwards, Ayaka and Shin So-jung succeeded in stealing third and second base, respectively, due to the opponent’s successive wild pitches, and Song-ah added two points with a long hit that passed the right fielder’s height. As Song-Ah gained momentum and stole third base, Quality Start replaced the pitcher with Bae Bom-i, a member of the national team reserve team, and Jang Soo-young and Kim On-ah failed to score additional runs as they struck out in succession.

In the top of the 4th inning, Jang Soo-young struck out the leadoff hitter, then struck out 4th hitter Shin Nuri with a fastball with 2 outs and 1st and 2nd bases, recording his 7th strikeout. In the bottom of the 4th inning, after Kim Seong-yeon was 1 out due to an infield fly ball, Lee Soo-yeon was ruled safe after a video review and succeeded in getting on base. Immediately after, Ha-Yan Park reached base with a walk and filled the first and second bases, and Ayaka recorded her first multi-hit in her career, and Soo-Yeon Lee hit home to make it 6-4. However, with 2 outs and runners on 2nd and 3rd base, Shin So-jeong struck out and the momentum was interrupted for a moment.

Jang Soo-young, who stayed on the mound in the top of the 5th inning, struck out a pinch hitter in a situation where a ‘three-way strike’ was desperately needed. Afterwards, Park Ha-yan caught a difficult hit in foul territory and got 2 outs, and Kim Seong-yeon clotheslined the ball that rolled to third base to first base, ending the inning with a three-way throw. In the bottom of the 5th inning, the pitcher was replaced by center fielder Shin Nuri, a former national university graduate, and Song-ah and Jang Soo-young’s batted balls were blocked by the impenetrable defense, resulting in 2 outs in an instant, and Kim Seong-yeon struck out and the offense and defense quickly changed.

Jang Soo-young, who appeared as a pitcher in the final 6th inning, recorded 9 strikeouts with ‘odd-even pitching’ between fastballs and curves. After that, he threw 128 pitches, far exceeding his highest pitch count of 106, and ended the inning with 10 strikeouts and no runs. Jang Soo-young’s fighting spirit, who pitched 6 complete innings, was met with admiration from the opposing team, saying, “He’s good at baseball!” In the final attack, which started with the pledge, “We have to win now!”, Kim Hae-ri, who threw the fastest ball in the quality start, took the mound as the closing pitcher, and Lee Soo-yeon, Park Ha-yan, and Kim Min-ji retired with a three-way throw, ending the game at 6:4.

At the post-game meeting, Jang Soo-young, who achieved a ‘big achievement’, blamed herself, saying, “I could have done it if I hadn’t given up 6 runs in the second inning…” Song-ah also expressed regret, saying, “I couldn’t hit a single foul ball…” With the atmosphere calming down as the player’s release was confirmed due to his third loss in his career, General Manager Pak Se-ri reassured the players, saying, “We will decide on the player to be released after all games are over, so let’s do our best until the last game.”

Coach Choo Shin-soo said, “It was a game where the opponent’s baseball strategy was behind us, and we had one more hit,” and encouraged, “Even though we lost, it was a game with a lot to learn, and I realized how much the Black Queens had grown and saw great potential.” In addition, he announced, “There is only one game left,” and “We will begin camp training as we must win the last game,” raising expectations for the Black Queens’ final journey.

The scene of the Black Queens’ ‘Hell Training Camp’, which began ahead of the final game, can be seen in episode 13 of Channel A’s ‘Baseball Queen’, which airs on Tuesday the 17th.

Reporter Seo Jeong-min
Report news to bntnews entertainment team star@bntnews.co.kr