Sports Briefs

VOLLEYBALL

Skywalkers beat Hansae to set 18-win V-League record

Regular season champions Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalkers set a new V-League record with 18 consecutive wins as they beat bottom-ranked Seoul Woori Card Hansae on Sunday in their final regular season match.

The Skywalkers defeated the Hansae with the set score of 3 to 0. Moon Sung-min and Oreol Camejo led the Skywalkers with 13 points each, followed by Choi Min-ho and Shin Young-suk who added seven and six points respectively to the board.

As champions of the regular season, Skywalkers will advance to the V-League playoff final without playing in the semi-final. Their first game in the playoff will be on Mar. 18 at their home court in Ryu Gwan-sun Arena, Cheonan.

In addition to the Skywalkers, Ansan OK Savings Bank Rush & Cash, Daejeon Samsung Bluefangs, and Incheon Korean Air Jumbos have also qualified for the playoffs. Because the point difference between the Bluefangs and the Jumbos will be less than three points, after the Bluefangs’ final regular season match today, two teams will meet to play an extra playoff game. ?

BASEBALL

Lee makes debut MLB hit against Angels in Arizona

Seattle Mariners Slugger Lee Dae-ho made his spring league debut with a hit yesterday in a match against the Los Angeles Angels at Peoria Stadium in Arizona.

Lee stepped into the field as first baseman in the seventh inning to replace Adam Lind and stood on the plate in the subsequent inning. During his first at-bat, Lee hit one to center field off the fastball by Angels pitcher A.J. Achter, recording his first MLB hit. Lee was substituted out of the game with runner Benji Gonzalez after his hit.

Lee is currently attending the Mariners spring camp after inking a split contract with the franchise last month. Lee went to the camp earlier than scheduled without a P-1A visa due to the team’s request. ?

Meanwhile, Saint Louis Cardinals reliever Oh Seung-hwan also had a successful MLB debut in the exhibition game against the Miami Marlins yesterday. Oh went onto the mound to pitch in the third inning and did not give out any hits or points.

SKELETON

Skeleton racer Kim takes bronze medal at IBSF event

South Korean skeleton racer Kim Ji-soo grabbed bronze in International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) North American Cup Men’s Skeleton event in Park City, Utah
yesterday.

Kim recorded 50.09 seconds in the first run and 50.27 seconds in the second run to aggregate one minute 40.36 seconds. John Farrow of New Zealand clinched gold with a total time of one minute and 39.99 seconds. Silver went to Andrew Blaser of the United States who timed one minute 40.06 seconds.

Yesterday’s bronze is the first medal that Kim earned in the IBSF North American Cup this season. Kim Jun-hyeon was another South Korean slider who was listed within the top 10 at seventh with the total time of one minute and 40.67 seconds.

By Choi Hyung-jo