DAEGU, South Korea (Interstat) — Park Seung-kyu drove in four runs, including three on a go-ahead triple in a decisive eighth-inning rally, as the Samsung Lions overcame a late deficit to defeat the NC Dinos 8-5 on Friday night at Daegu Samsung Lions Park.

A crowd of 24,000 watched the home team erase a three-run hole with a six-run outburst in the eighth, turning a tight pitchers’ duel into a comfortable victory and snapping NC’s two-game winning streak.

The game’s pivotal moment came in the bottom of the eighth with the Dinos leading 5-2. NC relievers unraveled, loading the bases with one out on two walks and an infield single. Facing a full count against Kim Young-kyu, Park Seung-kyu smashed a line drive into the gap in right-center field, clearing the bases to tie the game and then sprinting into third with a stand-up triple that gave Samsung a 5-2 lead.

Park, who finished 4 for 5, scored moments later on Ryu Ji-hyuk’s double to cap the inning’s scoring. He had earlier homered in the fifth inning.

The rally made a winner of Samsung reliever Lee Seung-hyun, who improved to 2-0. He recorded one out in the top of the eighth but was the pitcher of record when his offense exploded. NC starter-turned-loser Chun Sa-min fell to 0-1. Samsung closer Kim Jae-yoon navigated a two-hit ninth to secure his second save of the season.

The game began as a contrast in early scoring. The Dinos were held scoreless through the first three innings by Samsung starter Ariel Jurado, while the Lions scratched out a first-inning run on Park Seung-kyu’s leadoff triple and a Choi Hyoung-woo groundout.

NC broke through in the fourth when Lee Woo-sung launched a solo home run to left field off Jurado, tying the game 1-1. Samsung responded in the bottom half, taking a 2-1 lead after Lewin Diaz doubled and later scored on an error by NC shortstop Kim Ju-won.

Park Seung-kyu’s solo shot in the fifth extended the Lions’ lead to 2-1, but Koo Ja-wook’s leadoff homer in the sixth was the only other damage against NC starter Koo Chang-mo, who allowed four runs — three earned — over six innings.

The Dinos finally chased Jurado in the seventh, loading the bases with one out, but reliever Miyaji Yura induced an inning-ending flyout to preserve a 2-1 lead. Jurado finished with one earned run allowed on six hits over six innings, striking out four.

NC’s persistence paid off in the eighth. After two were out, the Dinos loaded the bases on an error, a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Park Min-woo then delivered a clutch two-run single to right field off Lee Seung-min, giving NC its first lead at 3-2. Two more runs scored on a passed ball and a wild pitch during the same at-bat, stretching the advantage to 5-2 and setting the stage for Samsung’s dramatic comeback.

The victory improved Samsung’s record to 6-4-1, moving them a half-game ahead of the Dinos, who fell to 6-5. The two teams continue their three-game series on Saturday.

According to pregame projections, the result was a mild upset in one sense but followed the expected trend. Interstat’s ELO system gave Samsung a 56.4% probability to win, and the Lions were installed as 1.5-run favorites. However, the simulator had predicted a 5-4 NC victory. The combined 13 runs went under the posted over/under line of 9.5.

For NC, designated hitter Matthew Davidson went 2 for 4 with an RBI, contributing to the Dinos’ 11-hit attack. Samsung collected 10 hits, with Koo Ja-wook adding a 2-for-4, one RBI performance to complement Park’s big night.

The loss extended a pattern of narrow defeats for NC, which has now dropped three of its five losses by two runs or fewer. Samsung, meanwhile, bounced back from a 15-5 road loss to the Kia Tigers in its previous outing.