BUSAN, South Korea (Interstat) — Na Sung-bum’s two-run homer in the top of the eighth inning broke a 1-1 tie and lifted the Kia Tigers to a 5-2 victory over the Lotte Giants on Thursday evening at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium.

Kia improved to 45-39-2, while Lotte slipped to 38-45 in front of 23,200 fans.

The Tigers snapped a two-game losing streak against the Giants, who had beaten them 11-3 on Wednesday and 10-2 on Tuesday. Kia had entered the series after a stretch of six losses in their previous nine games, while Lotte had won three of their last four.

The game remained scoreless until the top of the second inning when Harold Castro launched a solo home run to right field off Lotte starter Kim Jin-uk, giving Kia a 1-0 lead. Castro finished 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI.

Kia extended its lead in the third inning. Park Jae-hyun led off with a double to center field and scored on a single to center by Kim Do-yeong, making it 2-0. Kim Do-yeong went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs on the night.

Lotte answered in the bottom of the fourth. Han Tae-yang doubled to center-left and Son Ho-young followed with a double down the right-field line, scoring Han to cut the deficit to 2-1. Son’s double was the only extra-base hit for Lotte until the ninth inning.

Kia regained a two-run cushion in the sixth when Kim Do-yeong homered to left field off Kim Jin-uk, pushing the lead to 3-1. Kim Jin-uk left after six innings, having allowed three earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts.

The game turned decisive in the eighth. With one out, Park Jae-hyun singled to left and advanced to second on a passed ball. Na Sung-bum then homered to left field, scoring Park and extending Kia’s lead to 5-1. Na finished 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.

Lotte made a late push in the bottom of the ninth. With Kia closer Cho Sang-woo on the mound, Lotte scored one run to make it 5-2, but Cho recorded the final out to seal the victory.

Kia starter Yang Hyeon-jong turned in a solid outing, pitching five innings and allowing one earned run on five hits with one strikeout. Yang, who had allowed one earned run over five innings in a tie against the Shinsegae Landers on July 1, improved his season record with the quality start.

The Tigers bullpen held Lotte scoreless over the final four innings. Jeon Sang-hyun pitched a perfect seventh inning. Jung Hai-young recorded one out in the eighth and allowed a hit but no runs, striking out one. Kwak Do-gyu threw one and one-third innings, giving up one hit and one earned run with two strikeouts. Cho Sang-woo closed out the ninth, allowing one hit and no earned runs.

Lotte’s bullpen was effective in relief. Iimura Shota pitched the ninth inning, allowing no hits and striking out one, but the damage from the earlier innings proved too much.

The Giants managed eight hits in the game to Kia’s nine. Son Ho-young and Han Tae-yang each had doubles for Lotte. Jeon Min-jae and Son Seong-bin also contributed singles.

The most important sequence of the game came in the top of the eighth inning with the score tied 3-1 but effectively broken open by Na Sung-bum’s home run. With Kia nursing a two-run lead, Na’s blast gave the Tigers a four-run advantage and put the game out of reach.

Kim Do-yeong’s two home runs were the offensive highlight for Kia, as he drove in three runs on the night. Castro’s solo shot in the second inning set the tone for an early Tigers lead that they never relinquished.

The victory was a bounce-back effort for Kia after consecutive lopsided losses to Lotte earlier in the week. The Tigers had been outscored 21-5 in those two games.

Lotte, meanwhile, had been riding a three-game winning streak before Thursday’s loss, including two victories over Kia and a 4-0 shutout of the KT Wiz on July 3.

The game featured a total of 17 hits, six walks and 11 strikeouts. Neither team committed an error.

Kia will travel to face the Shinsegae Landers in a four-game series starting July 16, while Lotte will visit the Samsung Lions for a four-game set beginning the same day.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Kia Tigers 3, Lotte Giants 5. Interstat’s ELO system had given Kia a 52.60 percent probability to win. Lotte was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of plus 1.5. The total score of seven went over the over-under line of 10.5.