Baseball
Baseball
Hilliard Powers KT to Sixth Straight Win, Closes Gap on LG
KT Wiz continued their undefeated run, extending their winning streak to six games with an 8-2 victory over the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on August 18th. This win brought KT's record to 50 wins and 1 tie against 35 losses, narrowing the gap to second-place LG to a mere half-game. The Twins, meanwhile, find themselves in a four-game losing streak, their first since July of last year.
The turning point came in the fifth inning after LG had taken a 2-1 lead. KT’s offense exploded for four runs, starting with a double from Choi Won-jun, an RBI single from Kim Hyun-soo to tie the game, and a hit-by-pitch to Ahn Hyun-min. Sam Hilliard then delivered a crucial left-field single off LG starter Im Chan-gyu, putting KT ahead 3-2. Heo Kyung-min added another RBI single off reliever Axel Rios, and a sacrifice fly from Han Seung-taek capped off the big inning.
Hilliard, who started at cleanup and center field, had a stellar day, going 3-for-6 with a home run and three RBIs. His two-run shot in the eighth inning off Kim Jin-soo further solidified KT’s lead. This performance followed a two-homer, six-RBI effort in the previous day’s game, bringing his season total to 23 home runs, tying for third in the league, and 79 RBIs, just five behind LG’s Austin Dean. Dean, in contrast, went hitless in four at-bats.
KT initially scored in the second inning but surrendered the lead in the bottom half. However, they never relinquished control after their fifth-inning surge. The team’s undefeated streak has been a significant factor in their climb up the standings, putting immense pressure on the struggling LG Twins.
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