Bears use early surge, Logue’s strong start to top Tigers

GWANGJU (Interstat) — Zach Logue pitched six innings, Park Chan-ho and Jung Soo-bin each drove in three runs, and the Doosan Bears defeated the Kia Tigers 10-4 on Friday night at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field.

Doosan seized control with a four-run first inning. After Kim Dae-han was hit by a pitch, An Jae-seok singled and Yang Eui-ji doubled to left, scoring Kim Dae-han and An Jae-seok. Park Chan-ho followed with an infield single that scored Yang Eui-ji, and Jung Soo-bin singled to right to bring home Park Ji-hoon. The Bears sent nine batters to the plate in the inning and led 4-0 before Kia recorded the final out.

Kia answered in the second inning when Na Sung-bum homered, cutting the lead to 4-1. Doosan restored its cushion in the third. Park Ji-hoon reached on a fielder’s choice, and Park Chan-ho doubled down the left-field line to score him. Jung Soo-bin then singled to right, scoring Park Chan-ho and extending the Doosan lead to 6-1.

The Bears added a run in the sixth. Yun Jun-ho reached on an error and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. An Jae-seok singled to left to drive him in, making it 7-1. Kia got that run back in the bottom of the sixth when Kim Ho-ryung homered to right-center, trimming the Doosan lead to 7-2.

Doosan then stretched the margin in the seventh. With Yang Eui-ji and Kim Min-suk on base and Park Ji-hoon walking to load the bases, Park Chan-ho hit a sacrifice fly to center. Jung Soo-bin followed with a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Kim Min-suk, and the Bears led 9-2.

Kia made its strongest push in the bottom of the seventh. Park Jae-hyun singled to center, and Lee Ho-yeon singled to right. After a fly out, Na Sung-bum doubled down the right-field line, scoring Lee Ho-yeon and Kim Seon-bin to make it 9-4. Kia could not get any closer, and Doosan added one final run in the ninth when Park Ji-hoon doubled down the left-field line to score Jo Soo-haeng.

Logue was effective for Doosan, allowing two earned runs on six hits while striking out seven over six innings. Kim Jeong-woo and Lee Yong-chan each pitched a scoreless inning for the Bears, with Lee Yong-chan recording one strikeout. Kim Tae-hyeong pitched four innings for Kia and allowed two earned runs on four hits with two strikeouts. Lee Tae-yang threw one scoreless inning for Kia.

Park Chan-ho finished 3 for 4 with three RBIs, and Jung Soo-bin went 2 for 4 with three RBIs. Yang Eui-ji was 2 for 3 with two RBIs. For Kia, Na Sung-bum went 2 for 4 with a home run, a double and three RBIs. Kim Ho-ryung was 2 for 4 with a home run and one RBI. Harold Castro doubled for Kia, and Kim Tae-gun singled.

Doosan outhit Kia 12-11. The Bears scored in five separate innings, while Kia scored in three. Doosan’s record improved to 55-46-4, and Kia fell to 54-48-4. The attendance was 18,308. The two teams continue their series Saturday at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Kia 5, Doosan 4. Interstat’s ELO system had given Kia a 53.40 percent probability to win. Doosan had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of plus 1.5. The total score of 12 went under the over/under line of 9.5.