CHANGWON (Interstat) — An Joong-yeol homered twice and drove in four runs, including a tiebreaking three-run shot in the seventh inning, as the NC Dinos outlasted the KT Wiz 6-5 on Thursday night at Masan Baseball Stadium.

The Dinos overcame a four-run deficit and won for the second time in three games against the Wiz, improving to 45-51-1. KT fell to 60-38-2, missing a chance to extend its lead atop the standings.

An capped the decisive rally with his second long ball of the night, launched to left field with two runners aboard, turning a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 NC lead. The Dinos added an insurance run in the eighth on a solo homer by Kim Ju-won, his first of the season, to make it 6-5. That proved necessary after KT had scratched across a run in the top of the eighth to tie the game, only to leave the bases loaded.

KT seized control early. In the top of the first, Ahn Hyun-min doubled to center and Sam Hilliard followed with a home run to push the Wiz ahead 2-0. Hilliard’s blast, his 20th of the year, came after Choi Won-joon flied out and Kim Hyeon-su grounded out, but the quick start gave KT starter Daniel Davis a comfortable margin.

Kwon Dong-jin made it 3-0 in the third with a solo homer to right, his 11th, and the Wiz stretched the lead in the fourth. Sam Hilliard walked, Kim Min-hyeok singled, and Ryu Hyun-in delivered a single down the right-field line that scored Hilliard from third. The throw home was late, and the Wiz led 4-0.

Davis, a right-hander, worked five efficient innings, allowing just two hits and two earned runs with five strikeouts. The only blemishes came in the middle innings. Kim Ju-won walked to open the fourth, moved to second on a single by Choi Jeong-won, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Kim Whee-jip. In the fifth, An Joong-yeol connected for his first homer of the night, a solo shot to left, pulling the Dinos within 4-2.

NC had threatened in the third when Kwon Hui-dong walked with one out, but An grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Dinos also stranded a runner in the sixth after Kim Ju-won struck out.

KT’s own missed opportunities in the middle innings kept the game within reach for NC. The Wiz loaded the bases in the top of the fourth but Oh Yoon-suk fouled out and Han Seung-taek struck out. In the fifth, leading off, Kwon Dong-jin struck out, and Choi Won-joon grounded out. Kim Hyeon-su lined out to short, and the Wiz went quietly.

Meanwhile, NC’s bullpen and starter Curtis Taylor kept the game from slipping away. Taylor, a right-hander, allowed four earned runs on five hits over seven innings while striking out six. He retired 10 of the final 12 batters he faced before handing off to the relief corps.

The decisive seventh inning began with Kim Whee-jip drawing a walk. Park Kun-woo flied out, but Crim Blaine singled to center, moving Kim to second. Kwon Hui-dong struck out for the second time, bringing An to the plate. An, a catcher who had already gone deep once, deposited a 1-0 pitch over the left-field wall, scoring Kim and Blaine ahead of him. Park Si-won followed with a single to center-left, but the inning ended on a groundout by Kim Ju-won.

KT refused to go quietly in the eighth. Kim Hyeon-su singled to left, and after Choi Won-joon struck out, Ahn Hyun-min walked. Sam Hilliard walked to load the bases, and Jang Jin-hyuk walked to force in Kim Hyeon-su, tying the score at 5. Ryu Hyun-in then grounded out to short, ending the inning with the bases still jammed.

The tie lasted only moments. In the bottom of the eighth, Kim Ju-won launched a solo homer to right, his first of the season, putting NC ahead for good. Choi Jeong-won bunted to the catcher and struck out, and Kim Whee-jip grounded out to third, but the damage was done.

NC’s bullpen handled the rest. Lim Ji-min retired the only hitter he faced in the eighth, and Lee Yong-jun worked around a single in the ninth to earn his second save of the season. Shin Yeong-woo also appeared and recorded no outs, but the Dinos held on.

KT finished with seven hits, while NC collected six. An Joong-yeol’s performance was the difference; he finished 2 for 3 with two homers and four RBIs. Kim Ju-won added a 1-for-3 night with the go-ahead homer and an RBI. For KT, Hilliard went 1 for 2 with a homer, two RBIs and two walks, and Kwon Dong-jin also homered. Davis took a no-decision despite his solid start, as the KT bullpen could not hold the lead. Jeon Yong-ju pitched a scoreless inning, and Bae Je-seong also recorded an out.

The crowd of 5,822 at the ballpark saw a game that swung dramatically in the late innings. NC’s comeback marked the second time in the series they had beaten KT, after dropping the opener 3-7 and winning the middle game 3-0.

The victory was NC’s fifth in their last nine games, while KT’s loss snapped a modest winning streak. The Wiz remain well ahead in the standings, but the Dinos showed resilience, overcoming a four-run hole against a team with the league’s best record.

The loss also stopped a trend of lopsided results in the season series. The teams had combined for double-digit run totals in five of their previous six meetings, including three consecutive games in late July where KT scored 10 runs. Thursday’s contest was decided by one run, with the outcome in doubt until the final out.

For KT, the missed opportunity in the eighth will linger. The Wiz loaded the bases with no one out after Jang Jin-hyuk’s walk forced in the tying run, but Ryu Hyun-in grounded to short, and the inning ended without further scoring. An inning later, Kim Ju-won’s blast made KT pay for that squandered chance.

NC’s victory was built on timely hitting and a bullpen that bent but did not break. Lee Yong-jun entered in relief and allowed one hit but escaped unscathed. The Dinos also received a scoreless inning from Lim Ji-min, who struck out one.

The game went over the pregame over-under of 10.5, as the teams combined for 11 runs. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 7-2 KT win, and the ELO system gave the Wiz a 54.9 percent probability of victory. KT had been installed as a 1.5-run favorite in the pregame spread.