SEOUL, South Korea (Interstat) — The KT Wiz pounded out 17 hits and defeated the LG Twins 8-2 on Saturday night at Jamsil Stadium, extending their winning streak over their rivals to three games and tightening the race in the Korea Baseball Organization standings.

The Wiz improved to 50-35-1, while the Twins fell to 52-36-2. Attendance was 21,042, and the game lasted 3 hours 10 minutes.

KT seized control early but had to withstand a brief surge from the Twins. The Wiz struck first in the top of the second inning. Kim Sang-su singled to left field, and Han Seung-taek followed with a single to right, moving Kim to second. Kwon Dong-jin then delivered a single to center-right, scoring Kim for a 1-0 lead. The rally ended when Choi Won-joon fouled out.

LG answered immediately in the bottom of the second. Oh Ji-hwan walked, and Moon Jeong-bin crushed a home run to center field, driving in both runners and giving the Twins a 2-1 lead. The blast was the only extra-base hit LG managed all night, as the Wiz’s pitching staff held the Twins to just six hits.

The game settled into a pitchers’ duel over the next two innings. KT failed to capitalize on a pair of singles in the third, and LG could not add to its lead despite a Shin Min-jae single in the third and an Oh Ji-hwan single in the fourth.

That changed in the top of the fifth. Choi Won-joon led off with a double to left field. Kim Hyun-su singled to right, scoring Choi and tying the game 2-2. Ahn Hyun-min was hit by a pitch, putting runners at first and second. Sam Hilliard then ripped a single to left-center, driving in Kim and moving Ahn to third. Heo Kyoung-min followed with a single to left, scoring Ahn and sending Hilliard to second. Kim Min-hyuck singled to left-center to load the bases. Kim Sang-su struck out, but Han Seung-taek hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Hilliard and making it 5-2. Kwon Dong-jin walked to reload the bases, but Choi flied out to end the inning. The four-run outburst gave the Wiz a lead they never relinquished.

KT’s pitching held the Twins scoreless over the next four innings. LG threatened in the bottom of the fifth when Shin Min-jae singled and Hong Chang-ki was hit by a pitch, but Park Hae-min and Austin Dean flied out to end the inning. In the sixth, Song Chan-eui singled but was erased on a fielder’s choice.

The Wiz added an insurance run in the seventh. Heo Kyoung-min singled, and after two outs, Han Seung-taek singled to put runners at first and second. Kwon Dong-jin walked to load the bases, and Choi Won-joon walked to force in Heo, extending the lead to 6-2.

The decisive blow came in the top of the eighth. Ahn Hyun-min beat out an infield single, and Sam Hilliard crushed a home run to right field, scoring Ahn and giving the Wiz a 7-2 advantage. The solo shot was Hilliard’s second hit of the game and provided a comfortable cushion. KT added another run in the ninth on a walk to Choi and a subsequent error, but the final margin remained 8-2.

KT’s offensive attack was relentless. Kim Hyun-su finished with three hits and an RBI. Heo Kyoung-min collected three singles and scored two runs. Han Seung-taek added two hits and a sacrifice fly. The Wiz’s 17-hit barrage was spread across nine different players.

LG’s only offense came on Moon Jeong-bin’s two-run homer in the second. The Twins managed just five other singles, with Shin Min-jae and Song Chan-eui each tallying two hits.

The game marked the third consecutive victory for KT after it took the first two games of the series, 6-1 on Friday and 4-3 on Thursday. The Wiz now have won five of their six most recent meetings with LG dating to a June 3 matchup.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of LG Twins 4, KT Wiz 3. Interstat’s ELO system awarded the Twins a 59.70 percent win probability. KT was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5, and the total of eight runs went over the over-under line of 9.5.