The LG Twins used a two-hitter to beat the Lotte Giants and snap a two-game losing streak. A complete game shutout by starter Detrick Enns and a focused batting lineup led to the victory.
LG won the first game of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League against Lotte 7-2 on Saturday at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. The victory bounced back from a doubleheader sweep at the hands of the Jamsil rival Doosan Bears on March 13-14.
LG was led by a strong performance from starter Enns. Enns effectively shut down the Lotte bats with six innings of four-hit ball, one home run, two walks, five strikeouts, and one run. She picked up her third win of the season and proved to be the team’s ace.
LG’s bats responded to Enns’ performance with plenty of offensive support. Hong Chang-ki went 1-for-4 with a run scored, Moon Sung-joo went 1-for-3 with a run scored, Kim Hyun-soo went 1-for-4 with a run scored, Austin Dean went 1-for-4 with a run scored, Moon Bo-kyung went 1-for-3 with a run scored, Park Dong-won went 1-for-4 with a run scored, Koo Bon-hyuk went 1-for-4 with a run scored, Park Hae-min went 1-for-3 with a run scored, Shin Min-jae went 1-for-3 with a run scored, Shin Min-jae went 1-for-3 with a run scored, and Shin Hae-min went 1-for-3 with a run scored.
With a 4-1 lead and two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, pinch-hitter Kim Bum-seok hit a two-out RBI double off Lotte’s Choi Yi-joon to put the game out of reach.
“Enns pitched well in the first inning, and when we needed the lead, our bottom of the order, Koo Bon-hyuk and Shin Min-jae, were able to get RBIs to bring the game to a close,” LG manager Yoon Kyung-yup said after the game.
“After scoring three runs in the second inning, we were in a bit of a slump because we didn’t score any runs in the middle, but Shin Min-jae added an RBI in the 토토사이트 seventh inning,” he said, adding, “We were able to control the game as pinch-hitter Kim Bum-seok gave 100%.”
Yoon also praised the pitching of left-hander Lee Woo-chan, who saved the team from a 3-1 lead in the top of the seventh inning. Lee took the mound with runners on first and second in the top of the seventh and struck out Kim Min-seok on a wild pitch and Yoon Dong-hee on a groundout to end Lotte’s hopes of a comeback.
“I think the most important point of the victory was Lee Woo-chan’s two strikeouts to stop the flow in a situation that could have been a crisis in the middle innings,” said manager Yoon Kyung-yup, adding, “I’m grateful to the fans who came out in large numbers even though it was a weekday, so we were able to break the losing streak and win.”
Meanwhile, LG will send veteran right-hander Lim Chan-kyu to the mound for the second game of the season against Lotte at the same venue on April 17. Lim is winless in four appearances since the start of the 2024 season with a 3-3 record and a 7.32 ERA.
Lotte, which has lost seven straight games, will start right-hander Lee In-bok. Lee is winless in three starts this season with one loss and a 3.38 ERA.