INCHEON, South Korea (Interstat) — A towering first-inning blast from Kang Baek-ho and a resilient pitching performance from Moon Dong-ju propelled the Hanwha Eagles to a 4-3 victory over the Shinsegae Landers on Wednesday evening at Munhak Baseball Stadium, defying pregame projections and tightening the early-season standings.

Interstat’s game simulator had heavily favored the home team, projecting a 7-4 Shinsegae win and giving the Landers a 52.3% probability of victory. Instead, the Eagles (6-4) secured their second consecutive win in the series, while the Landers (7-3) dropped their second straight after a strong start to the season.

The game’s decisive, and most chaotic, sequence unfolded in the top of the third inning, transforming a scoreless pitcher’s duel into a sudden four-run Hanwha advantage. With two outs and the bases empty, the Eagles’ offense ignited from an unlikely spark. Oh Jae-won reached on an error by Shinsegae second baseman Cho Hyeong-woo. Yonathan Perlaza then popped out, but Moon Hyun-bin kept the inning alive with a single to left-center, moving Oh to third. Roh Si-hwan worked a walk to load the bases for designated hitter Kang Baek-ho.

Facing Landers starter Choi Min-jun, the inning then unraveled in spectacular fashion for the home side. Choi was called for a balk, allowing Oh Jae-won to trot home with the game’s first run. With the count at 2-1 on Kang, Choi committed another balk, forcing home Moon Hyun-bin and moving Roh Si-hwan to third. The very next pitch, Kang unleashed his revenge, demolishing a three-run homer to deep center field to clear the bases. The four-run outburst, catalyzed by defensive miscues and command issues, proved insurmountable.

Hanwha starter Moon Dong-ju, who struggled in his previous outing against the KT Wiz on April 2, was the beneficiary of the sudden lead and made it stand up. He worked five solid innings, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out four to earn his first win of the season against one loss. He navigated traffic effectively, stranding runners after Guillermo Heredia’s solo home run in the third and an RBI double from Choi Jeong in the fifth.

The Landers’ bullpen, a strength this season, kept the game within reach after Choi Min-jun’s early exit. Relievers Kim Min, Lee Ro-un and Jo Byeong-hyeon combined for 3 2/3 innings of scoreless, one-hit relief, striking out five. Their work allowed Shinsegae’s offense to chip away.

After Heredia’s homer and Choi Jeong’s run-scoring double made it 4-2, the Landers threatened again in the eighth against the Hanwha bullpen. Heredia led off with a single and, after two strikeouts, came around to score on a double by Ko Myeong-jun, slicing the deficit to one run. The Landers then loaded the bases, but Hanwha reliever Park Sang-won struck out Cho Hyeong-woo to end the threat.

Hanwha closer Kim Seo-hyeon entered in the ninth to protect the one-run lead. He allowed a one-out single but secured the final two outs, including a game-ending strikeout, to nail down his first save of the season.

Choi Min-jun took the loss for Shinsegae, falling to 1-1. Despite the messy third inning, his final line showed four innings pitched, four hits and four runs, though none were earned due to the critical error behind him. He struck out two.

Offensively, the Landers out-hit the Eagles 9-5 but went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base. Heredia led Shinsegae, going 2-for-5 with the home run and two runs scored. For Hanwha, Kang Baek-ho’s three-run homer represented the team’s biggest hit, accounting for three of their four RBIs.

The victory gives Hanwha a chance to sweep the brief two-game set when the teams conclude their series Thursday evening at Munhak Stadium. The Eagles will then return home to Daejeon to host the Kia Tigers for a three-game weekend series, while the Landers hit the road to face the LG Twins in Seoul.