South Korea's U-13 Little League team advances to the World Series without its ace, achieving a triumph by defeating Puerto Rico to win the Intermedia International title

*This content was translated by AI.

Led by Kim Seung-woo (57), president of the Korea Little League Association, the South Korean under-13 Little League representative team advanced to the World Series without its ace pitcher.

On the 8th, South Korea defeated Puerto Rico 13-8 at Max Baer Park Field in Livermore, near San Francisco, USA, during the World Little League Intermedia International Championship, powered by an explosive lineup.

This victory allows the South Korean U-13 representative team to aim for the Intermedia World Series title for the first time in three years. According to the Korea Little League Association, ace pitcher Kim Seo-ha is expected to start in the World Series. The World Little League Intermedia World Championship final will be held at 10 a.m. on the 10th.

It was a match where predicting the outcome was difficult. Puerto Rico, the opposing team, had two days of rest and could deploy all its pitchers, while South Korea faced difficulties with Kim Seo-ha and Kim Hyun-jin being unable to pitch. Fortunately, the lineup broke through from the first inning. Despite frequent defensive errors, the team scored in every inning, accumulating 13 runs.

In the lineup, batters from first to fifth all contributed hits, fully adapting to Puerto Rico's fast pitches. Kim Seo-ha recorded two hits, Jo Young-in went 4-for-4, Kim Kang-min was 2-for-3, and Kim Hyun-jin went 3-for-4, leading the team to dominate the game.

The pitching duties were handled by Jo Young-in and Lee Ji-han in succession. In a critical situation with bases loaded and two outs while tied 6-6, Kim Jeong-am held the line without allowing any runs, effectively halting Puerto Rico's momentum. Shin Ji-hun appeared as the final pitcher, securing South Korea's advancement to the World Championship final.

Below is the roster of the South Korean U-13 Intermedia representative team.

Team Manager: Kim Seung-woo (President, Korea Little League Association)

Chief Coach: Ma Hae-young (Head of General Affairs, Korea Little League Association)

Manager: Lee Il-nam (Hwaseong City Little League Team)

Coaches: Kim Jin-su (Hwaseong Seobu Little League Team), Lee Woong-han (Seopyeongtaek Little League Team)

Players: Jo Young-in, Moon Sung-hyun (Incheon Namdong-gu), Kim Seo-ha, Kim Hyun-jin (Bucheon Sosa), Kim Min-su, Lee Ji-han, Choi Seo-joon (Seoul Gangseo Magok),

Shin Ji-hun (Incheon Seogu), Kim Kang-min (Hwaseong Seobu), Kim Jeong-am (Hwaseong City), Kim Kang-yul (Suwon Yeongtong-gu), Kim Seung-hoo (Seopyeongtaek)

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*This content was translated by AI.