Doosan broke free from a three-game losing streak with the strong performance of starting pitcher Choi Seung-yong and a one-man show by Cave.

The Doosan Bears of the Korean Professional Baseball League won 7-3 against the NC Dinos in the ninth matchup of the season on 29th at Changwon NC Park.

Ninth-ranked Doosan ended its three-game losing streak, recording 31 wins, 3 draws, and 45 losses this season. In contrast, eighth-ranked NC, which had its three-game winning streak halted, recorded 35 wins, 4 draws, and 37 losses. The weekend series concluded with a winning series.

On the road, Doosan faced NC's starting pitcher Kim Nok-won and fielded a starting lineup consisting of Jeong Soo-bin (center fielder), Lee Yoo-chan (shortstop), Jake Cave (right fielder), Kim Jae-hwan (designated hitter), Oh Myung-jin (second baseman), Park Jun-soon (third baseman), Kim Dong-jun (left fielder), Ryu Hyun-jun (catcher), and Kim Min-seok (first baseman). Starting catcher Yang Eui-ji was excluded due to pain in his right calf.

NC submitted a roster against Doosan's left-handed starting pitcher Choi Seung-yong, including Kim Joo-won (shortstop), Kwon Hee-dong (left fielder), Park Min-woo (second baseman), Matt Davidson (first baseman), Park Gun-woo (designated hitter), Kim Hwi-jip (third baseman), Son Ah-seop (right fielder), Kim Hyung-jun (catcher), and Oh Tae-yang (center fielder).

In the first inning, Doosan faced a 2-out, 2nd base opportunity with Cave's double but failed to score as Kim Jae-hwan struck out looking on the third pitch. The second inning was different. Lead-off hitter Oh Myung-jin hit a double on the first pitch, and Park Jun-soon followed with a single to center, creating an opportunity with no outs on 1st and 3rd bases, after which Kim Dong-jun broke the scoreless tie with an RBI single. Later, Ryu Hyun-jun's bunt turned into a fielder's choice, but Kim Min-seok's advancing groundout allowed Jeong Soo-bin to deliver a 2-run single to right field.

Doosan's Jeong Soo-bin stole second base and reached third base due to a wild pitch from the opponent, but Lee Yoo-chan, who was at bat, could only manage a foul fly to first base, missing the chance to add more runs.

In the top of the fourth inning, lead-off hitter Park Jun-soon extended the lead with a solo home run. Rookie infielder Park Jun-soon hit a low forkball (122 km) from NC's left-handed pitcher Choi Seung-young on the third pitch of a 1B-1S count, driving a 120m home run to left field. This was his second homer of the season, coming just two games after his debut home run against NC on 27th.

By the fourth inning, NC was held hitless with no hits and 1 walk against Choi Seung-yong. In the fifth inning, lead-off batter Park Gun-woo recorded the first hit with a triple to left-center. However, Kim Hwi-jip went down on a short fly to right field, Son Ah-seop popped out to second on the first pitch, and Kim Hyung-jun grounded out to first, ending the inning without any runs.

In the sixth inning, trailing 0-4, NC began to fight back. After one out, Kim Joo-won hit a double to left-center, sparking a rally, followed by a 1-RBI double from Cheon Jae-hwan and a 1-RBI single from Park Min-woo, closing the gap to 2-4. However, after Park Min-woo stole second base, the continued threat on two outs at second fell short as pinch hitter Oh Young-soo struck out swinging.

NC's batting lineup showed resilience again in the seventh inning. Lead-off batter Kim Hwi-jip hit a single to left, Ahn Jung-yeol walked, and Oh Tae-yang added a single to center, loading the bases with one out. Kim Joo-won then hit a sacrifice fly against the changed pitcher Go Hyo-jun.

Doosan, allowing a one-run deficit, widened the gap again in the top of the eighth inning. Lead-off batter Cave hit a solo home run off the changed pitcher Bae Jae-hwan. Cave connected on a 130m homer to center field after hitting a fastball (147 km) from Bae Jae-hwan on the third pitch of a 1B-1S count. This was his sixth home run of the season, coming just two games after his previous one against NC on 27th.

In the top of the ninth inning, after one out, Doosan had another scoring opportunity with consecutive hits from Yang Eui-ji and Kang Seung-ho, putting runners on first and second. Then, Jeong Soo-bin, who reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second base, and Lee Yoo-chan walked to load the bases, leading to Cave facing the changed left-handed pitcher Lim Jeong-ho and hitting a 2-RBI double. If it had been a triple, he could have achieved a cycle, but he was satisfied with his four-hit performance.

Doosan's starting pitcher Choi Seung-yong achieved a solid performance with 5⅓ innings, giving up 4 hits, 1 walk, striking out 4 batters, and allowing 2 runs on 77 pitches, marking his 5th win of the season (5 losses). After enduring a nightmare of 9 runs in just 2⅓ innings against the LG Twins on 22nd, a scene of him covering his face with a towel in frustration was captured on the broadcast, but a six-day rest proved beneficial.

Following him were Park Chi-guk (1 inning, 1 run), Go Hyo-jun (⅓ inning, no runs), Lee Young-ha (1 inning, no runs), and Kim Taek-yeon (1⅓ innings, no runs).

In the batting lineup, Cave had 4 hits in 5 at-bats (1 home run), 3 RBIs, and 1 run, while Park Jun-soon contributed 3 hits in 4 at-bats (1 home run), 1 RBI, and 1 run, and Jeong Soo-bin achieved 1 hit in 4 at-bats, 2 RBIs, 1 walk, and 1 run, leading the team to snap the losing streak. Cave had a strong performance but missed a triple from a potential cycle.

On the other hand, NC's starting pitcher Kim Nok-won experienced difficulties, allowing 5 hits, 3 runs, with 1 strikeout in 2 innings and suffering his 2nd loss of the season (no wins).

Doosan will face the Samsung Lions at home for a midweek three-game series starting July 1 following a day of rest. NC will move to Daejeon to meet the Hanwha Eagles.

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