SUWON, South Korea (Interstat) — The Samsung Lions built an early eight-run lead and withstood a furious rally to defeat the KT Wiz 8-6 on Saturday afternoon at a sold-out Suwon Baseball Stadium.

Lewin Diaz provided the early fireworks, launching a two-run homer in the first inning as part of a 14-hit attack for the Lions. Kang Min-ho drove in four runs, including two on a key single in the eighth.

The Wiz, favored pregame, answered with five runs in the second inning, highlighted by Kim Hyun-soo’s two-run double. Ahn Hyun-min added a solo homer in the seventh, but the comeback fell short before 18,700 fans. Samsung improved to 4-2-1, while KT fell to 5-2. The teams conclude their series Sunday.