SEOUL, South Korea (Interstat) — The Doosan Bears, powered by a dominant start from right-hander Choi Min-seok and timely hitting, defeated the Kiwoom Heroes 7-3 on Wednesday evening at a damp Jamsil Stadium to even their midweek series.

The victory improved the Bears’ record to 3-6, while the Heroes fell to 3-7 in the early stages of the Korea Baseball Organization season. The game’s total of 9 runs fell under the pregame over/under line of 8.5, despite the final score defying a Interstat game simulator projection of a 4-1 Doosan win. The Bears, who entered as underdogs with a -1.5 spread, were given a 61 percent probability to win by the same outlet’s ELO system.

The most critical phase of the contest came not in a single inning, but across the middle frames where Doosan starter Choi Min-seok seized control after a shaky beginning. The Heroes struck first in the opening inning, though not via their bats. Three consecutive batters—Aaron Brooks, An Chi-hong and Lee Joo-hyung—were retired in order, but two walks and a hit batter issued by Doosan opener Lee Byeong-heon forced in three runs before a ball left the infield. Lee was pulled after recording just one out, forcing the Bears to rely on their bullpen early.

Choi Min-seok answered the call. Entering with one out in the first and the bases loaded, the right-hander induced an inning-ending groundout from An Chi-hong. He then proceeded to stifle the Heroes’ offense for the next five innings. Over 5.2 innings of masterful relief, Choi allowed only three hits and no earned runs, striking out six. His performance built on a stellar outing his last time out on April 2, where he threw six scoreless innings in a no-decision against Samsung.

While Choi silenced Kiwoom’s bats, the Bears’ offense chipped away at the early deficit. They responded with two runs in the bottom of the first against Kiwoom starter Chung Se-young. Park Chan-ho singled, was bunted to second, and scored on Park Jun-soon’s single to right. Yang Eui-ji then doubled down the left field line to plate Park Jun-soon, cutting the lead to 3-2.

Doosan took the lead for good in the fourth, capitalizing on Kiwoom defensive miscues. Kim Min-seok reached on an error by the shortstop and later scored when Kang Seung-ho singled and advanced to third on an error by the center fielder. Yun Jun-ho’s sacrifice fly brought Kang home, giving the Bears a 4-3 advantage.

They added single runs in the fifth and seventh innings to extend the lead. In the fifth, a walk and a sacrifice fly by Yang Eui-ji, his second RBI of the night, made it 5-3. In the seventh, a double by Park Jun-soon and a key pinch-hit single by Kim Min-seok off reliever Jung Da-hun pushed the lead to 6-3.

Kiwoom mounted a brief threat in the eighth against Doosan reliever Kim Taek-yeon. Lee Joo-hyung led off with a triple and scored on Choi Joo-hwan’s single to center, trimming the deficit to 6-4. Choi Joo-hwan finished 2-for-3 with an RBI. Pinch-hitter Lee Hyung-jong then delivered a dramatic two-run home run to left field, suddenly pulling the Heroes within a run at 6-5 and bringing the tying run to the plate. Kim Taek-yeon recovered to strike out the next batter, and Lee Byeong-heon returned to get the final out of the inning, stranding the potential tying run.

Doosan provided crucial insurance in the bottom of the eighth against Kiwoom’s Oh Seok-joo. A single, a walk and a hit batter loaded the bases with no outs. Kim Min-seok delivered again, singling to left to score one run. Oh limited the damage from there, but the Bears took a 7-5 lead into the ninth.

Kiwoom went quietly in the final frame. Doosan’s Lee Byeong-heon, who recorded the first out of the game and the last, worked a perfect ninth to secure the series-tying victory.

For the Heroes, the loss wasted a strong night from their bullpen after Chung Se-young lasted four innings, allowing four runs, three earned, on four hits. Relievers Jung Da-hun, Lee Jun-woo and Oh Seok-joo combined for four innings of one-run ball, with Oh’s two-inning, one-hit outing standing out.

The two teams conclude their three-game series on Thursday at Jamsil Stadium. Kiwoom will then return home to host the Lotte Giants for a three-game set starting Friday. Doosan embarks on a six-game road trip, beginning with three games against the KT Wiz in Suwon starting Friday.