SEOUL — Ronnie Dawson hit an 11th-inning double to drive in the winning run, leading the Kiwoom Heroes to a 5-4 comeback victory over the Hanwha Eagles on Thursday. The win marked the Heroes' first series victory after the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) All-Star break, despite being in last place with a 37-47 record.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Dawson played with a sore throat and drove in four of the Heroes' five runs. The Eagles initially took a 4-0 lead in the first inning, capitalizing on a rocky start by Heroes' pitcher Ha Yeong-min. However, the Heroes responded with two runs in the third inning, with Dawson contributing a two-run single.
Ha settled down after the first inning, limiting the Eagles to two singles over the next four frames. In the fifth inning, Dawson again played a pivotal role, delivering a key hit that resulted in an unexpected run when the ball struck a ceiling speaker and confused the Eagles' right fielder.
The Heroes tied the game in the seventh inning with a double by Kim Hye-seong, setting the stage for Dawson's walk-off double in the 11th inning. This marked Dawson's second career walk-off hit in the KBO.
Dawson was not available for comment due to losing his voice, but Heroes' manager Hong Won-ki praised his performance. "Not only did he drive in runs to get us going early on, he came through with the winning hit at the end," Hong said. "On the mound, Ha Yeong-min covered six innings after allowing those early runs. Then our relievers did their job by throwing one scoreless inning after another."
The Eagles, who are now 37-46-2, managed only four singles after their first-inning outburst. Eagles' starter Ryu Hyun-jin settled for a no-decision after allowing three runs on six hits in six innings.