Foreign ace Riley of the NC Dinos pitched a stunning game with 15 strikeouts, leading the team to victory. He set a new franchise record for the most strikeouts in a single game.

NC secured a complete victory, winning 7-1 in the regular season match against the Kiwoom Heroes in the '2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League' held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 11th. Although both teams had a 2-2 draw the previous day, NC overwhelmed them, marking their season record at 27 wins, 31 losses, and 4 ties. Kiwoom remained at 20 wins, 47 losses, and 2 ties.

NC's starting lineup included Kwon Hee-dong (left fielder), Kim Joo-won (shortstop), Park Min-woo (second baseman), Davidson (first baseman), Son Ah-seop (right fielder), Oh Young-soo (designated hitter), Kim Hwi-jip (third baseman), Kim Hyung-jun (catcher), and Choi Jeong-won (center fielder). The starting pitcher was Riley Thompson.

For Kiwoom, the starting players were Song Seong-moon (third baseman), Lim Ji-yeol (left fielder), Lee Joo-hyung (center fielder), Choi Joo-hwan (first baseman), Won Sung-jun (designated hitter), Song Ji-hoo (second baseman), Park Joo-hong (right fielder), Kim Keon-hee (catcher), and Eo Jun-seo (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Ha Young-min.

NC took the lead from the first inning. After two outs in the first, Park Min-woo got a lucky infield hit off the first base and stole second base. With Davidson being hit by a pitch, they had runners at first and second with two outs, and Son Ah-seop hit a timely single to left field after an 8-pitch full-count battle to take the lead.

The game continued in a lull afterward. However, NC pulled ahead starting in the top of the fifth. After one out during the fifth, consecutive walks to Kwon Hee-dong and Kim Joo-won created runners on first and second with one out, and Park Min-woo hit a two-run triple that split right center to make it 3-0. With one out and a runner on third, Davidson hit a timely double that went over the center fielder's head, extending the lead to 4-0.

In the top of the sixth, they scored again after two outs. After two outs, Choi Jeong-won got a walk, stole second base, and with a walk to Kwon Hee-dong, set up runners on first and second with two outs, where Kim Joo-won hit a timely single to center to extend the lead to 5-0.

In the meantime, Riley completely overwhelmed the Kiwoom lineup. Riley struck out three batters in the first inning. In the second inning, he faced a brief challenge when he allowed Song Ji-hoo to reach after an error by the shortstop with two outs, but he quickly struck out Park Joo-hong to prevent any further trouble. In the third inning, he struck out Kim Keon-hee, Eo Jun-seo, and Song Seong-moon, all by strikes.

In the fourth inning, he issued a walk to Lee Joo-hyung after one out but retired Choi Joo-hwan and Won Sung-jun without allowing any hits. He continued with a no-hitter pitching, not allowing a single hit until the second out of the sixth inning.

After two outs in the sixth, he faced a crisis when he allowed consecutive hits to Lim Ji-yeol and Lee Joo-hyung, creating runners on first and second with two outs, but he overcame the challenge by getting Choi Joo-hwan to fly out to the right fielder. In the seventh, Riley returned to the mound and struck out Won Sung-jun, Kim Byeong-hwi to fly out to the center fielder, and struck out Park Joo-hong, completing a stunning 15-strikeout game.

Riley pitched powerfully over 7 innings, throwing 104 pitches, allowing only 2 hits, 1 walk, 15 strikeouts, and no runs, completely dominating the Kiwoom lineup.

In the top of the eighth, NC took advantage of a walk by Choi Jeong-won and a stolen base at second, followed by a throwing error by the catcher, creating an opportunity with runners on first and third. Cheon Jae-hwan hit a timely single to center, and with a double by Kim Joo-won and a hit by pitch on Kim Han-byeol, they created a bases-loaded situation with one out and added one more run with a ground ball from substitute Park Geon-woo to make it 7-0, sealing the victory.

Riley's 15 strikeouts that day set a new team record for the most strikeouts in a single game. He previously held the record. On April 10, he had pitched 7 innings with only 1 hit allowed, 1 walk, 1 hit batter, and 14 strikeouts, which he surpassed in just two months.

Along with Riley's astonishing strikeout streak, Kim Joo-won contributed 3 hits in 4 at-bats and 1 RBI, while Park Min-woo added 2 hits in 4 at-bats, 2 RBIs, and 2 runs.

Kiwoom managed to avoid a shutout in the ninth with Choi Joo-hwan's solo home run. Ha Young-min became the losing pitcher after 5 innings, allowing 6 hits, 2 walks, 2 hit batters, 5 strikeouts, and 4 earned runs.

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