DAEJEON, South Korea (Interstat) — The Kia Tigers, defying pregame projections and capitalizing on a dominant offensive performance from catcher Han Jun-su, routed the Hanwha Eagles 9-3 on Sunday afternoon at Daejeon Hanbat Baseball Stadium to claim a crucial three-game series sweep.

A crowd of 17,000 watched as the visiting Tigers, installed as underdogs by both betting lines and statistical models, systematically dismantled the Eagles, outhitting them 13-8. The victory leveled both teams’ records at 6-7 in the young Korea Baseball Organization season.

The most important sequence of the game arrived in the top of the seventh inning, transforming a manageable 4-2 contest into a decisive Tigers advantage. With two outs and Harold Castro standing on second after a double, Han Jun-su stepped in. The Tigers’ backstop, already having a strong day, laced a double to left-center field, scoring both Castro and Na Sung-bum, who had walked. Han Jun-su then raced home himself on a follow-up single by Kim Kyu-sung, capping a three-run outburst that extended the Kia lead to 7-2 and effectively sealed the outcome.

Han Jun-su was the unequivocal star, finishing a triple shy of the cycle in a 4-for-5 masterpiece that included three RBIs and three runs scored. He singled in the fourth, delivered the pivotal two-run double in the seventh, and punctuated his day with a solo home run to right field in the ninth inning. This performance continued a recent surge for the catcher, who is now 8-for-15 over his last four games.

The Tigers set the tone early against Hanwha starter John Cushing. Leadoff hitter Jarryd Dale singled and later scored on Kim Do-young’s first-inning double for a quick 1-0 lead. Kia added three more in the fourth via an RBI single from Na Sung-bum, a run-scoring single from Park Jae-hyun and a sacrifice fly from Dale.

That provided ample support for Kia winning pitcher Adam Oller, who improved to 3-0. Oller worked five innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits while striking out seven. His only trouble came in the third and fifth innings when the Eagles scratched across single runs. In the third, Sim Woo-jun scored on Yonathan Perlaza’s RBI single. In the fifth, Sim Woo-jun scored again, this time on a single by Lee Won-seok.

After Oller’s departure, the Kia bullpen combined for four innings of one-run relief. Lee Tae-yang, Han Jae-seung and Cho Sang-woo each contributed a scoreless frame. The lone blemish was an unearned run in the eighth, when Kang Baek-ho doubled, advanced to third on an error and scored on a single by Ha Ju-suk.

Hanwha’s Cushing took the loss, falling to 0-1 after surrendering four earned runs on seven hits over four innings. The Eagles’ bullpen, including scoreless outings from Lee Min-woo, Lee Sang-kyu and Kim Jong-soo, was ultimately undermined by the team’s defensive lapses and inability to contain Han Jun-su and the heart of the Kia order.

The result was a stark reversal of pregame expectations. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 4-3 Hanwha victory, and its ELO system gave the Eagles a 56.6% probability to win. The Tigers, however, outperformed the spread, which had Hanwha as a +1.5 favorite, and the total score of 12 went under the over/under line of 9.5.

The sweep marks a significant momentum shift for Kia, which had lost two of three to the Samsung Lions earlier in the week before arriving in Daejeon. For Hanwha, the three consecutive one-run losses to the Tigers over the weekend represent a missed opportunity after a promising series win over the Shinsegae Landers prior to this set.

Kia returns home to Gwangju to begin a three-game series against the Kiwoom Heroes on Tuesday. The Hanwha Eagles will remain at Daejeon Hanbat Baseball Stadium to host the Samsung Lions for a three-game set starting the same day.