'Baek Min-ju, who has defeated Kim Ga-young twice,' tops the standings; Crown Hite on a winning streak—will they board the postseason train?… Big match against 2nd-place Huons set for the 4th [PBA Team League]

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Top teams in the PBA Team League Round 4 are set to face off. Can Crown Hite Raon, which has yet to secure a postseason berth, seize a favorable position on its path to the championship?

Crown Hite defeated Hana Card Hana Pay by a set score of 4-2 (11-9, 9-1, 15-6, 2-9, 9-11, 9-5) on the fourth day of the 'Welcome Savings Bank PBA Team League 2026-2027 Round 4' tournament, held at the 'Goyang KINTEX PBA Stadium' in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on the 3rd.

Crown Hite, which extended its winning streak in Round 4, maintained its top spot with a record of four wins and no losses (11 points).

Crown Hite took control early against Hana Card, the Round 3 champion. After David Martinez (Spain) and Kim Im-gwon defeated Murat Naci Coklu (Turkey) and Shin Jung-ju 11-9 (4 innings) in the first set, Baek Min-ju and Lim Jeong-sook beat Kim Ga-young and Kim Jin-a 9-1 (5 innings) in the second set to take a 2-0 lead. 'Ace' Martinez then defeated Nguyen Quoc Nguyen (Vietnam) 15-6 (8 innings) in the third set, leaving just one set away from victory.

Hana Card narrowed the gap to 2-3 after Shin Jung-ju and Han Seul-gi beat Kim Jae-geun and Lim Jeong-sook 9-2 (8 innings) in the fourth set, and Coklu defeated Kim Im-gwon 11-9 (6 innings) in the fifth set. However, Baek Min-ju subdued Kim Ga-young 9-5 (4 innings) in the sixth set, securing a final 4-2 victory for Crown Hite. Baek Min-ju's performance was pivotal, as she claimed two wins against Kim Ga-young.

Huons Healthcare Legend also crushed Woori Financial Capital Woori WON Wevs 4-0, holding the second-place spot with a record of three wins and one loss (10 points).

The star of the victory was 'Hulk' Kang Dong-gung. Kang Dong-gung coordinated well with Robinson Morales (Colombia) in the first set to defeat Lee Sang-dae and Eom Sang-pil 11-5 (5 innings). In the third set, he overcame a chase by David Zapata (Spain) to secure a narrow 15-14 (11 innings) win, establishing a 3-0 set lead. Huons closed out the match in the fourth set as Ngo Dinh Nai (Vietnam) and Kim Ye-eun defeated Kang Min-gu and Kim Min-young 9-6 (7 innings).

The two teams leading Round 4 will face each other at 12:00 p.m. on the 4th. Huons leads the head-to-head record this season with two wins and one loss. In their Round 3 matchup, Huons defeated Crown Hite by a set score of 4-2.

Welcome Savings Bank Welcome Phoenix defeated PBA Breakers by a set score of 4-2, extending their winning streak to three games and rising to third place with a record of three wins and one loss (8 points). After taking the first two sets, Welcome Savings Bank dropped the third and fourth sets but rallied in the fifth as Nguyen Chan Thanh Tao (Vietnam) beat Antonio Montes (Spain) 11-1 (7 innings), and in the sixth set as Choi Hye-mi defeated Hwang Min-ji 9-7 (9 innings), driving the team to its third consecutive win.

In other matches held that day, S Builder defeated NH Nonghyup Card NH Pay by a set score of 4-2 to jump into fourth place (two wins, two losses · 7 points), and Harim beat High1 Resort by a set score of 4:2 to move up to sixth place (two wins, two losses · 6 points).

On the fifth day of the tournament, the 4th, the schedule begins with the Crown Hite-Huons match at 12:00 p.m. At 3:00 p.m., Woori Financial Capital-S Builder (PBA Stadium) and Hana Card-NH Nonghyup Card (PBA Lounge) will be played simultaneously. The High1 Resort-Breakers match is scheduled for 6:00 p.m., followed by the Welcome Savings Bank-Harim match at 9:00 p.m.

Unlike Huons, which secured a postseason berth by winning Round 2, Crown Hite is in a situation where advancing to the postseason is urgent. Currently, Crown Hite trails Huons (61 points) in set differential despite having the same number of points in the overall season standings, placing them second. If duplicate champions emerge in Rounds 4 and 5, Crown Hite can aim for postseason entry through the overall rankings. However, if a new champion emerges other than Crown Hite, they may finish first overall yet fail to qualify for the postseason. The most certain path is securing an early postseason berth by winning this round. Consequently, attention is particularly focused on the top-two showdown today, which offers an opportunity to widen the gap.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original