By Mark Maloney | McClatchy Newspapers

BEIJING - South Korea escaped a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth inning to edge Cuba 3-2 Saturday in the gold-medal game at Wukesong Olympic Baseball Field.

The game marked the end of Olympic baseball, at least for now. Baseball and softball both will be dropped from the Olympic program for the 2012 London Games.

Korean left-hander Ryal Hun-jin held Cuba to four hits through eight innings. But a leadoff single by Hector Olivera and back-to-back one-out walks loaded the bases.

The second walk so incensed catcher Kang Min-ho that he immediately protested to plate umpire Carlos Rey Cotto and was ejected.

Kim Kyung-moon, the Korean manager, summoned a new battery: Jin Kab-yong to catch, right-handed submarine-baller Chong Tae-hyon to pitch

Tae-hyon needed only three pitches to Yulieski Gourriel to end the game.

After firing two strikes, Tae-hyon got Gourriel to ground into a game-ending 6-4-3 double play.

Earlier, the United States tripped up Japan 8-4 in the bronze-medal game.

South Korea defeated Cuba 7-4 Tuesday, during the round-robin portion of the tournament.

The Koreans finished 8-0, becoming the third gold-medal team to go undefeated. Cuba went undefeated in 1992 and 1996.

Korea medaled in Olympic baseball only one other time, collecting bronze in the 2000 Sydney Games, behind the United States and Cuba.

Defending champion Cuba (6-2) won three of the previous four Olympic tournaments, in 1992, 1996 and 2004. The United States upset the Cubans in the 2000 gold-medal game at Sydney.

A pitcher's duel - each team getting only four hits - was highlighted by timely home runs.

Lee Seung-yeop's two-run bomb in the top of the first gave the Koreans a 2-0 lead.

Cuba's Michel Enriquez countered with a homer in the bottom of the first, but it came with nobody on base.

Then it became a battle of left-handed starters, Cuba's Norbert Gonzalez against Korea's Ryal Hyun-jin.

Gonzalez allowed only two more baserunners - via an error and a walk - before being relieved with two outs in the sixth.

Hyun-jin retired 12 in a row before Alfred Despaigne doubled with two outs in the fifth.

The Koreans added a run in the seventh, rallying against Pedro Luis Lazo after two were out.

Park Jin-man singled to right. Lee Jong-wook walked and Lee Yong-kyu drove a run-scoring double to the right-field corner for a 3-1 lead.

Again Cuba answered in the same inning, and again with a home run. Alexei Bell crashed a shot into the stands in left-center.

Baseball is religion in Cuba. Lazo notched his fourth Olympic medal Saturday, to go with two golds (1996, 2004) and a silver (2000). Eduardo Paret also won gold in 1996 and 2004. And Yuliesky Gourriel is the son of 1992 gold-medalist Lourdes Gourriel.

In the bronze-medal game, Team USA rallied for four runs in the fifth inning, highlighted by Jason Donald's two-run homer.

The Americans' first four runs also came on long balls.

Matt LaPorta's solo shot in the second tied the score at one.

Matt Brown's three-run bomb in the third tied the game at 4.

Brown, Donald and LaPorta each had two of Team USA's nine hits.

The U.S. also won bronze in 1996, followed by gold in 2000. The Americans did not qualify for the Athens Olympics.

Brett Anderson picked up the win, striking out six and walking three over seven innings. Kevin Jepsen closed with two shutout innings.