SEOUL, South Korea (Interstat) — The Kia Tigers erupted for seven runs in a chaotic first inning and rode a dominant start from left-hander Lee Eui-lee to a 7-3 victory over the Doosan Bears on Friday evening at a sold-out Jamsil Stadium.

A crowd of 23,750 watched the visiting Tigers (10-7) batter Doosan starter Brandon Logue and seize immediate control, sending 10 men to the plate in a 34-minute top of the first that effectively decided the contest. The Bears (5-11), despite out-hitting Kia 12-11, stranded 10 baserunners and could not overcome the early deficit.

The game’s most critical sequence unfolded from the first pitch. After Jarryd Dale grounded out, Kim Ho-ryung sparked the rally with an infield single. Kim Sun-bin then reached on a fielder’s choice, erasing Kim Ho-ryung. Logue then walked Kim Do-young, bringing Harold Castro to the plate with two on. Castro, the Kia left fielder, delivered the crushing blow, lacing a double down the right field line to score both runners. The Tigers were not done. Castro then scored on a subsequent single, and after a walk and another single loaded the bases, Kia capitalized on a fielder’s choice and more timely hitting to plate four more runs before the inning finally ended.

That outburst provided more than enough support for Lee Eui-lee. The Kia ace navigated traffic over five shutout innings, scattering six hits and two walks while striking out seven Bears. He consistently worked out of trouble, stranding two runners in both the second and fifth innings. Doosan put at least one runner on base in every inning against Lee but could not deliver the key hit.

The Bears finally broke through in the seventh against the Kia bullpen. Park Chan-ho walked and Park Ji-hoon singled, setting the stage for Park Jun-soon, whose single to left field was misplayed by Castro for an error, allowing Park Chan-ho to score. Yang Eui-ji followed with a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 7-2.

Doosan added another run in the eighth on an RBI double by Jo Soo-haeng, but Kia relievers Lee Tae-yang, Kim Beom-su and closer Cho Sang-woo combined to quiet the late rally. Cho entered with two on in the eighth and recorded the final out of that inning before working a scoreless ninth for the save.

Kia added two insurance runs in the ninth on an RBI double by Kim Do-young and a run-scoring single by Park Jung-woo, sealing the final margin.

Offensively for Kia, Harold Castro drove in two early runs, while Kim Sun-bin went 3-for-5 with a two-run double in the seventh. Kim Do-young scored twice and drove in one. For Doosan, Yang Eui-ji reached base three times with two singles and a walk, and Park Ji-hoon collected three hits, but the team went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

Logue took the loss for Doosan, lasting just one-third of an inning, surrendering seven runs on six hits and two walks. Bears relievers Yun Tae-ho and Yang Jae-hun provided stability, combining for 7 2/3 innings of scoreless relief before Kia tacked on the two ninth-inning runs.

The victory extended Kia’s winning streak to four games and pushed them three games over .500. The Tigers have now won seven of their last nine. For Doosan, the loss was their fourth in five games, deepening their early-season struggles.

The teams are scheduled to meet again at Jamsil Stadium on Saturday and Sunday to complete the three-game series. Kia will send its rotation against the KT Wiz beginning Tuesday, while Doosan will embark on a road trip to face the Lotte Giants starting Tuesday.

Pregame projections by Interstat had forecast a closer contest, giving Kia a 53.3% probability to win and simulating a 6-5 Tigers victory. The combined total of 10 runs went under the betting over/under line of 8.5, while Kia covered the spread of -1.5.