GWANGJU (Interstat) — Kang Min-ho homered and drove in four runs, and the Samsung Lions scored twice in the ninth inning to beat the Kia Tigers 9-8 on Thursday night at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field.

Samsung trailed 8-7 entering the ninth. Ryu Ji-hyuk doubled to score Koo Ja-wook, and Kang’s sacrifice fly brought home Lewin Diaz with the go-ahead run. Diaz had two hits, including a three-run homer in the seventh. Ryu finished with three hits and two RBIs.

Kia took control with a four-run fifth, taking a 5-1 lead, and later led 8-7 after Kim Tae-gun’s RBI single in the seventh. Kim Sun-bin had three hits and three RBIs for Kia. Starter Shirakawa Keisho allowed one run on four hits over five innings.

Kim Jae-yoon pitched 1⅔ scoreless innings in relief, and Jang Chan-hee added a scoreless inning for Samsung. The Lions improved to 60-41-2, while the Tigers dropped to 54-47-3. Samsung had 10 hits; Kia had 13.