TOUGH START
GEELONG-KOREA’S WINLESS OPENING
GEELONG-KOREA endured a rocky start to its first Australian Baseball League season, crashing to a series sweep at the hands of Sydney yesterday.
The Blue Sox took the fourth and final game of the season-opening round 5-0 at Blacktown.
GK starter Sang-Hak Lee worked three tidy innings be- fore hitting trouble in the fourth as Sydney broke a deadlock.
Lee gave up a leadoff double to Trent D’Antonio before a hit by pitch and back-to-back singles combined with an error allowed the Sox to plate two runs.
Byeong-Geun Kim replaced Lee and recorded the vital third out to leave the bases loaded.
But back-to-back errors in the sixth inning allowed Syd- ney to add a third run, before they made it 5-0 in the seventh.
Geelong-Korea could not muster the offence it required to overturn the deficit and secure a maiden ABL win.
Kwang-Min Kwon, SeungHan Kim, Yong-Wook Lee and Na-On Gil accounted for GK’s four base hits.
Sydney set up its shot at a series sweep with a 4-1 win on Saturday night.
GK starter Na-On Gil worked into the eighth inning but lacked run support.
Gil allowed four runs on seven hits and five walks.
Catcher Tae-Joon Lim drove in Geelong Korea’s sole run of the contest, while Seung-Han Kim recorded three hits.
GK struggled offensively across the four-game series in Sydney.
The expansion team managed 27 hits and were outscored 24-4 by the Blue Sox.
Geelong-Korea struck out an ABL record 21 times in game one on Thursday night and punched out a total of 46 times across the four contests.
Manager Dae-Sung Koo was ejected in game two of a frustrating series for the newcomers.
GK returns to Geelong for its historic first home series against the Perth Heat.
Game one is Thursday night at Geelong Baseball Centre.