The Hanwha Eagles' dynamite lineup was drenched. Struggling as if caught in water, they could not avoid their third consecutive losing series. Even with the league's strongest ace, Cody Ponce, they could not overcome it.

On the 22nd, Ponce faced the NC Dinos in the KBO regular season at the Ulsan Munsoo Stadium, where he pitched 5 innings, allowing 5 hits, 1 walk, and 2 earned runs with 4 strikeouts before leaving the mound. His pitch count was 89. Ultimately, Ponce left the mound after 5 innings for the second time this year after recording 5 innings, 7 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs in the season opener on March 22 against KT.

Furthermore, Ponce could not lead the team to victory. Although it was a no decision, the team lost 3-4 in a comeback defeat. The streak of 7 consecutive wins as a starter was also halted.

On that day, Ponce returned to the mound after 4 days of rest since starting in the first game of the doubleheader against the SSG Landers on the 17th in Daejeon. On that day, Ponce set a new record for the most strikeouts in 9 innings of regular play with 18 strikeouts, pitching an exceptional game with 8 innings, 2 hits, 1 walk, and no earned runs. However, his pitch count was relatively high at 113.

Including that day, Ponce had thrown over 100 pitches in 5 consecutive games, raising concerns about his physical condition as a risk factor in that game. Ultimately, to overcome this risk, the lineup needed to be active and productive.

Before the game, manager Kim Kyung-moon expressed frustration, saying, "For now, we are not scoring. No matter how well Ponce pitches, we need to score to win. From a manager's perspective, 2 runs are not a satisfying score. How long can we go without giving Ponce any support?" He urged the hitters to be aggressive and to actively attack to earn runs, hoping that Hanwha fans could enjoy the game more comfortably.

In an unusual manner for Ponce, he allowed runs starting from the first inning. In the second inning, Chae Eun-seong hit a two-run homer to quickly turn the game around. However, Ponce again allowed a run in the second inning. After one out, he allowed a single to Cheon Jae-hwan and a stolen base to second, and then gave up a timely hit to Park Se-hyuk.

Most notably, perhaps due to the 4 days of rest, the power and control of his pitches were not as they had been before. The maximum velocity of his four-seam fastball, thrown 33 times, reached 155 km/h. He threw a cutter (21 times), a forkball (20 times), a curve (8 times), and a two-seam fastball (2 times). However, he could not easily overcome the concentration of NC's batters. The momentum of Ponce, who had been dominating the innings, somewhat diminished.

The NC batters actively attacked while persistently challenging Ponce. He threw 22 pitches in the first inning and 25 in the second. After just 2 innings, his pitch count ballooned to 47. Although he did not allow any runs from the third to the fifth inning, he had already accumulated too many pitches. By the end of the fifth inning, his total pitch count was 89. The Hanwha bench did not let Ponce approach 100 pitches as before and quickly activated the bullpen.

The problem was that the Hanwha lineup could not capitalize on NC's rookie starter, Kim Nok-won. Kim Nok-won had transitioned from a developmental player to a regular player this year and had only appeared in 3 games before this match.

Aside from Chae Eun-seong's two-run homer in the second inning, Hanwha could not find significant opportunities. They were retired in order in the third inning, and in the fourth, after two outs, Lee Jin-young walked but was retired on a groundout by Ha Ju-suk. In the fifth, they went down in order again. The score remained tied at 2-2.

By the sixth inning, the first batter, Choi In-ho, hit a single, and Roh Si-hwan walked, creating a 1st and 2nd base opportunity, which forced Kim Nok-won off the mound. Following this, Chae Eun-seong's single continued the bases loaded opportunity with one out. However, with a groundout by Lee Jin-young, they added one run to take the lead, but it was not enough. Although the momentum had been dampened by a stellar defensive play by NC's second baseman, Park Min-woo, they failed to create sufficient flow. Ultimately, Lee Jin-young’s groundout that drove in a run was the last scoring play of the day.

As the lineup failed to produce sufficient runs from a bases loaded situation with one out, the bullpen that came in during the sixth inning after Ponce ultimately allowed NC to score again with 2 runs. After two outs, they surrendered four consecutive hits, falling behind 3-4. After that, Hanwha could not create any more opportunities. They went down in order in the seventh, and in the eighth, after one out, Moon Hyun-bin made an amazing bunt single but was thrown out while over-running. There was a poor judgment by the first base coach as well. Ultimately, both the eighth and ninth innings ended with just 3 batters each.

Hanwha suffered a powerless defeat even in an ace's start. Now, Hanwha has fallen into the pit of three consecutive losing series after a 12-game winning streak. They are looking for breakthroughs through changes in the batting order, but without sharp solutions, this is the reality Hanwha faces.

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