SEOUL, South Korea (Interstat) — The Kiwoom Heroes, defying pregame projections and capitalizing on early control, defeated the Doosan Bears five to two on Tuesday evening at a damp Jamsil Stadium, snapping a two-game skid and handing the struggling Bears their fifth loss in six games.

A crowd of 14,435 watched as the visiting Heroes, installed as significant underdogs by sportsbooks, immediately seized the initiative against Doosan starter Hun Yang Jae. The right-hander’s command eluded him from the outset, as he walked Aaron Brooks and An Chi-hong to open the game. After a flyout and a strikeout, Choi Joo-hwan delivered the game’s first critical hit, a sharp single to center field that scored Brooks. Hun escaped further damage with another strikeout, but the tone was set. The Interstat game simulator had projected a 3-1 Doosan victory, giving the Bears a 62.1% probability to win, assumptions the Heroes rendered obsolete by the third batter of the game.

Kiwoom starter Bae Dong-hyun, building on a strong outing five days prior, was the story for the Heroes. The right-hander worked efficiently with the early lead, needing just 10 pitches to retire the Bears in order in the bottom of the first, finishing the inning with a strikeout of An Jae-seok. His offense provided a cushion in the second without a hit, as Lee Hyung-jong singled, advanced on a flyout, and then raced home on a passed ball during Eo Joon-seo’s strikeout, making it two to nothing.

Doosan halved the deficit in the third. Kim Min-seok led off with a booming triple to center field and scored easily on Lee Yu-chan’s sacrifice fly to right. The Bears threatened more seriously in the fourth, mounting a rally that defined the game’s middle innings. Consecutive singles by An Jae-seok and Yang Eui-ji, followed by a walk to Park Chan-ho, loaded the bases with one out. Yang Suk-hwan then lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring An Jae-seok to cut the Heroes’ lead to 2-1. With the tying run on second and the go-ahead run at first, Bae Dong-hyun bore down, getting Kim Min-seok to ground out to second to end the threat and preserve the slim lead.

That escape proved pivotal. Hun Yang Jae was relieved by Choi Seung-yong, who provided stability with five strong innings of one-run ball, but the Heroes finally broke through against him in the seventh to secure the win. The rally started with back-to-back singles by Eo Joon-seo and Brooks. An Chi-hong then loaded the bases with a single to right. Lee Joo-hyung followed with a fielder’s choice grounder, which resulted in a force out at second but allowed Eo Joon-seo to cross the plate. After a walk re-loaded the bases, Choi Joo-hwan delivered his second run-scoring hit of the night, a sacrifice fly to center that brought home Brooks, extending the lead to 4-1.

Bae Dong-hyun departed with one out in the sixth after allowing a double to Daz Cameron, having yielded two runs on five hits while striking out four. He earned the win, improving to 2-0. The Heroes’ bullpen, a quartet of Yuto Kanakubo, Park Jeong-hun, Kim Seong-jin, and Kim Jae-woong, was flawless over the final 3 2/3 innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out four. Kim Jae-woong worked a perfect ninth for his second save.

The victory improved Kiwoom’s record to 3-6, while Doosan fell to 2-6. The two teams are scheduled to meet again Wednesday evening at Jamsil to continue their three-game series. For the Bears, the search for consistency continues after a promising 8-0 win on Sunday gave way to another offensively quiet night. For the Heroes, the formula of early offense and stout pitching from Bae Dong-hyun provided a needed road victory against the odds.