GWANGJU, South Korea (Interstat) — The Kia Tigers scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to rally past the Shinsegae Landers 8-7 on Thursday evening at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field, extending their winning streak to two games in front of 14,485 fans.

The Landers took a 7-5 lead in the top of the ninth on a two-run homer by Kim Seong-uk, but the Tigers answered immediately with a three-run outburst in the bottom half to snatch the victory. Kia improved to 44-35-2, while Shinsegae fell to 30-47-3.

Shinsegae seized control early, plating four runs in the third inning. Park Seong-han singled home Cho Hyeong-woo to open the scoring, and Guillermo Heredia followed with a three-run homer to left field, his fourth home run of the season. Heredia finished 3-for-5 with four RBIs and also added an RBI single in the fifth inning.

The Tigers chipped away with solo homers. Kim Do-yeong led off the fifth with his 12th home run of the year, cutting the deficit to 5-2. Han Jun-su homered to right field in the sixth, making it 5-3. In the seventh, Harold Castro singled to right to score Kim Seon-bin, pulling Kia within 5-4.

Kia tied the game in the eighth. Pinch-hitter Kim Kyu-sung doubled to left-center, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on Park Jae-hyun’s single to left. Shinsegae starter Anthony Veneziano worked five innings, allowing seven hits and two earned runs with three strikeouts, but the Landers bullpen could not hold the lead.

In the top of the ninth, the Landers regained the advantage. With one out, Cho Won-taei Jeong doubled to center. Kim Seong-uk then crushed a 1-0 pitch over the left-field wall for a two-run homer, his seventh of the season, giving Shinsegae a 7-5 edge.

But Kia rallied in the bottom of the ninth. Na Sung-bum, who went 4-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs, led off with a single. After a sacrifice bunt, Han Jun-su reached on an infield single. Byun Woo-hyuk walked to load the bases. Park Min grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring Na. Castro then delivered a two-run single to cap the comeback. Lee Hyeong-beom pitched two scoreless innings of relief for Kia, allowing one hit and striking out one.

Heredia was the top offensive performer for Shinsegae, driving in four runs and finishing with three hits. Veneziano turned in a solid start, but the Landers have now lost six of their last seven games. Kia’s Jung Hai-young worked a perfect ninth inning to earn the save.

The Tigers outhit the Landers 16-12. Kia’s Han Jun-su also had three hits, including a home run. Na Sung-bum’s four-hit night raised his batting average to .312. Kim Do-yeong added two hits and a homer. For Shinsegae, Kim Seong-uk went 1-for-2 with a homer and two RBIs.

The game was the second of a three-game series between the teams. Shinsegae had tied Kia 6-6 in 11 innings on Wednesday, and the Tigers won 10-3 on Tuesday. The two clubs will meet again Thursday through Sunday in mid-July at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field. Shinsegae returns home Friday to host the Samsung Lions, while Kia hosts the NC Dinos.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Kia Tigers 5, Shinsegae Landers 2, and its ELO system gave Kia a 63.10 percent probability to win. Shinsegae was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of 10 went under the over-under line of 8.5.