It’s a long way from South Korea to South Forsyth, but Jae Hwang looked right at home Thursday night.

Hwang settled down after a shaky start to strike out 12 Redan batters in five innings, and also delivered a big two-run hit as South started the season with a 9-4 comeback win at a frigid War Eagle field.

“It feels great [to win]. I was kind of worried at first, but my teammates picked me up and I feel great,” said
Hwang, a junior right-hander who spent 10 years in the Korean Republic as a young boy, then moved up and down the Atlantic seaboard with his family before settling locally last year.

Russ Bayer, in his first year as War Eagle head coach, said Hwang has established himself as a leader in the offseason. He joined the South program toward the end of last season, but injury kept him from playing much.

Hwang gave up four runs on four hits in the first three innings, as South fell behind 4-1, but found his composure from there. Redan didn’t have a hit past the third inning.

“The big thing was he was falling behind in the count, especially early on, and when that happened he gave their guys a good opportunity with pitches to hit because they were ahead in the count,” Bayer said.

“The big thing is once ... he settled in, he got to be a lot more aggressive, got ahead in the count, and once he was ahead in the count, he was in control of those hitters and made a big difference for us tonight.”

South (1-0) narrowed the Redan lead to 4-2 in the third, when Zach Alvord — one of the few starters back from a state runner-up team last season — led off with a double to left-center field.

Alvord moved over on a sac bunt from Patrick Olvaney — another returning starter — with runners at first and second, then scored on a wild pitch from Raiders starter Patrick Smith.

The fourth inning was the big frame for South, as the War Eagles came up with five runs on three two-out hits and took the lead for good.

After Smith struck out the first two batters, Matt Corbin kept hope alive for the inning with a single to shallow left.

Then the floodgates opened. A Salem Collins walk was followed by a hit-by-pitch to Alvord, loading the bases for Hwang.

The pitcher delivered with a hard hit double to the left field wall, scoring two runs and tying the game 4-4.

“I’m having a great season with the hitting right now,” Hwang said.

“My first scrimmage I went 4-for-4 with two home runs and it’s my first game tonight and I went 2-for-2, so I’m having a really good time hitting-wise.”

Hwang also recorded a single in the first inning, on which he later scored, and walked twice.

With the game tied and two men on, Smith walked the next two batters, putting South on top 5-4. Drew Litras (2-for-3, hit by pitch, double, 2 RBI) made it a 7-4 game with an arcing single down the left field line, plating two more runs.

Olvaney (2-for-3, sacrifice, walk, home run, 3 RBI) followed up an RBI single in the first with a two-run shot over the left-center wall in the sixth, leading to the 9-4 final.

Bayer said winning the first game means a lot for a team that experienced major changes in the offseason due to graduation and migration to the new program at Lambert.

“Like anything else, we still have a long way to go. We are young in terms of experience ... but one of the good things that [former] coach [Jamie] Corr did in the past was [be successful]. Winning is one of those things that you can’t teach, and they’re used to doing it and it’s an intangible that they have. These boys know how to go out there
and compete, and they know how to win,” Bayer said.

“When you go out there and compete, you always have a chance. They never let up. We fell behind, they kept the intensity and the tempo up, we went out there and kept battling, took control of the game and never looked back from there.”

Gary Mele (2-for-2, walk, double, 3 RBI) had a good night at the plate for Redan.

Derek Duffey recorded two scoreless innings in relief for South, striking out three.

South plays four games in four days this week, starting with home dates against Walton Wednesday and East Coweta Thursday.