Sejong City youth baseball team, after scoring 7 runs in the final inning with two outs, secured a dramatic comeback victory to win the Korea Cup... MVP selected for "clutch 3-pointer and closing performance" Woo stated, "My role model is Kim Do-young."

*This content was translated by AI.

The Sejong City Youth Baseball Team (Head Coach Jang Jae-hyeok) secured a dramatic comeback victory over the defending champion Seoul Guro-gu Youth Baseball Team (Head Coach Kim Deok-hwan) at the 10th Korea Cup National Youth Baseball Tournament held in cooperation with Seocheon County, claiming the championship trophy.

The tournament, organized by the Korea Youth Baseball Federation (President Lee Sang-geun), was held successfully from the 11th to the 14th at the Sports Park Baseball Stadium in Seochon County, Chungcheongnam-do, with over 3,000 participants, including players and parents from 92 teams. Competitions were conducted in a tournament format across six divisions: New Sprout League (U-9), Dream Team League (U-11), Youth League (U-13), and Junior League (U-16), among others, to determine the champions.

The event was sponsored by Seocheon County, Seocheon COLONY Yukhoe, SOOP, and baseball equipment company Wipan Co., Ltd. (Gold). Notably, two games, including the U-13 Cheongryong League finals, were broadcast live nationwide via SOOP with commentary by So-daesu caster and Commissioner Oh Hyun-taek.

The Sejong City Youth Baseball Team faced the Seoul Guro-gu Youth Baseball Team, which features Kim Geon-ho and Kim Ga-ram, known as the "Youth Baseball Ohtani," in the final of the Blue Dragon League, the top U-13 youth baseball league. In the top of the first inning, Kim Sung-ha hit a double to right-center field, and after consecutive hit-by-pitches created a one-out, bases-loaded situation, Kim Tae-woo's sacrifice fly to right field combined with a defensive error by the opponent allowed Sejong City to take an early 2-0 lead. However, in the bottom of the first, the Guro-gu Youth team rallied, allowing back-to-back two-run doubles to left field by Kim Ga-ram and Kim Geon-ho, tying the score at 2-2.

The Guro District Youth Baseball Team took a 5-2 lead with two runs in the second inning on Kim Geon-ho's sacrifice single and one run in the third inning following Lee Woo-seok's single and a fielding error by the opposing team. However, the Sejong City Youth Baseball Team immediately tied the score at 5-5 with three runs in the top of the fourth inning, scoring on Lee Dan-woo's left-field double, followed by Kim Tae-woo's left-field single, Yoon Chae-hwan's ground ball to second base, Jang Jin-woo's sacrifice single to right field, and Jo Ha-min's left-field sacrifice double.

The Guro-gu Youth Baseball Team took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning with a two-run double by Lee Woo-seok to left field and a single by Kwon Woo-jin to right field, extending their lead to 7-5 and appearing to move closer to the championship. In the top of the sixth inning, the final offensive opportunity for the Sejong City Youth Baseball Team, there were two outs with no runners on base. Jang Jin-woo's hit resulted in a ground ball to third base. However, the Guro-gu Youth Baseball Team's first baseman failed to field the ball properly, allowing the Sejong City Youth Baseball Team to reach base and capitalize on the scoring opportunity.

Subsequently, the Sejong City Youth Baseball Team demonstrated intense focus. Following Park Si-won's hit-by-pitch, Jo Ha-min's two-RBI double to left-center, Kim Jae-yoon's intentional walk, Kim Sung-ha's one-RBI single to left, and Seong Woo-yeon's three-run home run to center, the score shifted completely to 11-7, securing a comeback victory. Then, Yoon Chae-hwan's double to right-center added another run, creating a massive seven-run inning and fully establishing the championship atmosphere.

Closing pitcher Seong Woo successfully held off the final attack of the Guro-gu Youth Baseball Team in the bottom of the sixth inning with a strikeout, completing a dramatic comeback and lifting the championship trophy. It was a precious outcome created by the fighting spirit and focus of the Sejong City Youth Baseball Team players.

After exploding with a three-run home run and then taking the mound as the closer to secure a dramatic comeback victory, Seong Jeong-woo (Sejong City Youth Baseball Team) claimed the tournament Choi U-su-seon (수상)(MVP), while Song Jun-ho (Seoul Guro-gu Youth Baseball Team) and Jo Ha-min (Sejong City Youth Baseball Team) each took Woo Su-seon (수상).

Seong Jeong-woo, who received the MVP honor, said, "I was able to win because my friends did not give up and focused until the end, and I think I focused even more in my final at-bat because of them. I believe this award was created by my friends. I am deeply grateful to Coach Jang Jae-hyuk, Coach Nam Jae-woo, and Coach Yang Hee-hyun, who guided me well so I could grow up properly during elementary school, and I would also like to express my gratitude to Sejong Public SC Coach Kim Seung-kwon and Coach Sung Si-heon, who have given me many opportunities to maintain my good form since I entered middle school." He added, "My role model is Kim Do-young. He is a five-tool player who possesses contact, power, speed, and a strong arm, and his dedication to every single play is truly impressive. I will approach training with a proactive and positive attitude to become a great player like Kim Do-young."

Sejong City youth baseball team head coach Jang Jae-hyuk, who won the tournament's head coach award, said, "I am truly honored to receive the head coach award along with the championship at the 10th Korea Cup Youth Baseball Tournament. Above all, I believe this achievement is not the result of my efforts alone but is due to our players who never gave up and competed together until the end. It was possible to reach today's result because we had players who approached training with bright energy and cherished every fundamental skill as they grew." He added, "I have always coached my players with the belief that 'fundamentals are the best technique.' We have trained with a focus on solid foundations rather than flashy skills, and on the process rather than just the results. I feel especially meaningful that this process has led to a positive outcome in this tournament."

He added, "I also offer my deepest gratitude to the parents who have silently cheered for us, trusted us, and entrusted their children to us, as well as to everyone who has worked tirelessly behind the scenes for the team. We will not be satisfied with this championship and the manager award; instead, we will do our utmost to ensure that the children continue to grow significantly through baseball and develop into players with strong character in the future."

The president of the Korea Youth Baseball Federation said, "First, we are grateful to the players who showcased the best moments in youth baseball. We held the third youth baseball tournament in Seochun County, Chungcheongnam-do, which is almost a barren land for baseball. This has greatly contributed to the revitalization of the local economy, and as a result, two dedicated youth baseball stadiums have been completed in Seochun County. We feel a great sense of accomplishment in playing even a small role in expanding and developing the base of youth baseball. We also extend our gratitude to Kim Ki-woong, the mayor of Seochun County, and Oh Se-young, the president of the Sports Association, for creating a wonderful tournament at a great baseball field."

◇ List of Award Recipients for the 10th Korea Cup National Youth Baseball Tournament

● Sprout League (U-9) ▲ Champion = Jeonbuk Wanju County Youth Baseball Team (Manager Kim Byung-cheol) ▲ Runner-up = Gyeonggi Big Dream Youth Baseball Team (Manager Nipert) ▲ Most Valuable Player = Choi Jun-won (Jeonbuk Wanju County Youth Baseball Team)

● Dream Nari League (U-11) Cheongryong ▲ Champion = Gyeonggi Hwimun Academy Youth Baseball Team (Coach Park Young-ju) ▲ Runner-up = Incheon Seo-gu Youth Baseball Team (Coach Kim Jong-cheol) ▲ Most Valuable Player = Hwang Ji-wan (Gyeonggi Hwimun Academy Youth Baseball Team)

● Dream Nari League (U-11) Hyunmu ▲ Champion = Jeonbuk Wanju County Youth Baseball Team (Coach Kim Byung-cheol) ▲ Runner-up = Daejeon Seo-gu Youth Baseball Team (Coach Park Sang-gyu) ▲ Most Valuable Player = Kim Do-jun (Jeonbuk Wanju County Youth Baseball Team)

● Youth League (U-13) Cheongryong ▲ Champion = Sejong City Youth Baseball Team (Head Coach Jang Jae-hyeok) ▲ Runner-up = Seoul Guro-gu Youth Baseball Team (Head Coach Kim Deok-hwan) ▲ Most Valuable Player = Seong Jeong-woo (Sejong City Youth Baseball Team)

● Youth League (U-13) Baekho ▲ Champion = Seoul Dongjak-gu Youth Baseball Team (Coach Shin Hee-gwang) ▲ Runner-up = Seoul Songpa-gu Youth Baseball Team (Coach Yoon Gyu-jin) ▲ Most Valuable Player = Park Min-gyeom (Seoul Dongjak-gu Youth Baseball Team)

● Junior League (U-16) ▲ Champion: Sejong Public SC (Head Coach Kim Seung-kwon) ▲ Runner-up: Sejong Inter-middle Baseball Team (Head Coach Im Dong-jin) ▲ Most Valuable Player: Yoon Gyu-bin (Sejong Public SC)

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.