KT rode a strong pitching performance from starter Wes Benjamin and a batting lineup that pounded out 13 hits to defeat David Buchanan’s Samseong 5-2 in Daegu on Sunday. It was KT’s fourth straight win and first four-game sweep of the season, and its first since April 24 against Suwon Kiwoom.
Benjamin gave up a run-scoring home run (his sixth of the season) to Samsung’s Kang Min-ho in the bottom of the second inning, but went five innings, allowing two runs on four hits (one homer) with two walks and three strikeouts to earn his sixth win of the season.
The bats have also been coming alive lately.
Kim Sang-soo, a free agent acquisition from Samsung, went 3-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored, while Park Byung-ho, Jang Sung-woo and Oh Yoon-seok all had multi-hit games and Kang Baek-ho, who came in as a pinch-hitter in the third inning, drove in a run with a double to left-center to put runners on second and third.
Samsung, on the other hand, suffered its third straight loss as ace Buchanan was hit hard early on, allowing five runs on 11 hits with 스포츠토토 one walk and three strikeouts in four innings.
KT opened the scoring in the top of the second inning with runners on second and third on a squeeze bunt by Kim Min-hyuk and then scored two runs on an RBI single by Kim Sang-soo to take a comfortable lead.
Samsung responded in the bottom of the second with Kang Min-ho’s sixth home run of the season, a solo shot, but lost momentum in the third inning with four consecutive errors.
KT took a one-run lead in the top of the third when pinch-hitter Kang Baek-ho doubled with runners on second and third, and added a run in the fourth on Park Byung-ho’s RBI single.
Samsung had a chance for a big inning in the fifth when Lee Tae-hoon walked, Lee Jae-hyun singled to left, and Kim Hyun-joon singled to left-center with the bases loaded, but Yoon Jung-bin’s pushing grounder to short ended the inning.