DAEJEON (Interstat) — The NC Dinos withstood a five-run eighth inning and defeated the Hanwha Eagles 9-8 on Saturday evening at Daejeon Hanbat Baseball Stadium in South Korea. An announced attendance of 17,000 watched the game, which took 3 hours, 39 minutes. NC improved to 62-77-5, while Hanwha fell to 57-80-8. Clevinger earned the win and moved to 1-0. Hwang Jun-seo took the loss and dropped to 1-4. Kim Jae-yeol recorded his first save. The Dinos finished with 11 hits, and the Eagles had nine. The victory gave NC a narrow win in a season series that had already featured several close games.

Lee Woo-sung was NC’s top star, going 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBIs. He delivered a three-run double and later added a solo home run. Kim Whee-jip also powered the Dinos, finishing 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs. His three-run homer in the third and an RBI double in the fourth were among the biggest swings of the night. Choi In-ho was Hanwha’s most productive hitter, going 4-for-6 with a home run and three RBIs. He homered to right field in the first inning and added a two-run single in the fourth. The combined offensive output kept the crowd engaged from the start.

Clevinger started for NC and lasted 5.1 innings. He allowed three earned runs on five hits, walked six and struck out five. Despite the traffic on the bases, he kept Hanwha from a huge early inning. Toda Natsuki followed with 1.2 hitless, scoreless innings and one strikeout. Lee Jun-hyeok worked a scoreless inning and allowed one hit. Lee Yong-jun got one out, walked one and struck out one. Kim Jae-yeol retired the final batter for the save. For Hanwha, Lee Sang-kyu threw a scoreless inning without allowing a hit. Lee Hyeong-beom also worked a scoreless inning, yielding one hit and striking out two. Hwang Jun-seo was charged with the loss.

Hanwha opened the scoring in the first when Choi In-ho homered to right field. Clevinger then worked around walks to Moon Hyun-bin, Kang Baek-ho and Yonathan Perlaza, ending the inning by striking out Kim Tae-yean. NC took control with a three-run third and a five-run fourth. Kim Whee-jip’s three-run blast to left field highlighted the third, and Lee Woo-sung’s three-run double helped break the game open in the fourth. Kim Ju-won added a sacrifice fly, and Kim Whee-jip followed with an RBI double. Hanwha trimmed the lead with two runs in the fourth, but NC answered with a run in the sixth on Lee Woo-sung’s solo homer. Clevinger departed after 5.1 innings, and the bullpen took over.

The early innings had chances for both sides. NC went down in order in the first, with Kim Ju-won flying out to left and Cheon Jae-hwan and Lee Woo-sung striking out. Hanwha’s first began with Choi In-ho’s homer, and walks to Moon Hyun-bin, Kang Baek-ho and Yonathan Perlaza loaded the bases before Clevinger struck out Kim Tae-yean. In the second, Kim Whee-jip singled down the left-field line, but Kim Hyung-jun struck out, Han Jae-hwan walked, and Shin Jae-in popped out. Ko Jun-hwi then fouled out to end the threat. The third brought NC’s first big rally. Cheon Jae-hwan singled, Lee Woo-sung walked, and Kim Whee-jip homered to left. The fourth produced the decisive five-run surge. Han Jae-hwan singled, Shin Jae-in walked, and Ko Jun-hwi flied out. Oh Tae-yang walked to load the bases, and Kim Ju-won’s sacrifice fly scored Han Jae-hwan. Lee Woo-sung then doubled to right-center, clearing the bases. Kim Whee-jip doubled to right-center to drive in another run. Hanwha countered in the bottom of the fourth. Yonathan Perlaza walked, Kim Tae-yean singled, and Sim Woo-jun singled. Choi In-ho’s single plated two runs, cutting the deficit. The middle innings were quieter. Hanwha’s Choi Jae-hoon flied out, Sim Woo-jun popped out, and Lee Do-yun flied out. NC’s Lee Woo-sung homered in the sixth. Hanwha’s Kim Tae-yean walked and Sim Woo-jun walked in the sixth, but Toda Natsuki entered and ended the threat. The seventh was scoreless. The eighth brought Hanwha’s five-run rally, though NC held on. Kim Jae-yeol’s one-out save finished it.

The Dinos’ relief corps was effective. Toda Natsuki entered and retired all five batters he faced, striking out one. Lee Jun-hyeok gave up one hit but no runs. Lee Yong-jun recorded one out with a walk and a strikeout. Kim Jae-yeol needed just one out to finish the save. NC’s defense also helped, turning a few key outs behind the pitchers. Hanwha’s bullpen had some success. Lee Sang-kyu retired the side in order in his inning. Lee Hyeong-beom struck out two in a scoreless inning. But the Eagles could not fully erase the early deficit until the eighth.

Hanwha made the finish tense with five runs in the eighth. The rally turned a comfortable NC lead into a one-run game. Choi In-ho’s four-hit night and three RBIs led the charge, while the Eagles took advantage of late opportunities. NC’s bullpen settled down after the rally, and Kim Jae-yeol closed the door. The final out stranded the tying run and gave the Dinos a much-needed victory. Hanwha finished with nine hits, while NC had 11. The Dinos also drew walks and used timely hitting to build their lead.

The win came after a difficult recent stretch for NC. The Dinos had lost to Kia and Shinsegae in recent games, and Lee Woo-sung had entered the night in a slump. He had gone 0-for-3 against Kia, 1-for-4 at Shinsegae, 2-for-4 with one RBI at LG, and 0-for-4 against Shinsegae before breaking out. Hanwha had shown some offensive promise in recent games, including a 9-2 win over Shinsegae and a 13-6 win over Kiwoom, but the Eagles could not complete the comeback. The season series between the teams had already produced several close games, including NC wins of 3-2 and 8-7 and Hanwha wins of 6-4 and 18-7. This one added another tight finish.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of NC Dinos 8, Hanwha Eagles 7. Interstat’s ELO system gave Hanwha a 55.2 percent probability to win. The actual result saw NC score one more run than projected and Hanwha score one more than projected, leaving the Eagles just short. The Dinos will look to carry the offensive momentum forward, while Hanwha will try to turn its late rally into a full nine-inning effort in its next game.