SEOUL, South Korea (Interstat) — An Woo-jin tossed seven scoreless innings and Seo Geon-chang drove in two runs with a tie-breaking single in the seventh, lifting the Kiwoom Heroes to a 3-1 victory over the Kia Tigers on Saturday evening at Gocheok Sky Dome.

An Woo-jin scattered four hits and struck out six over seven innings, leaving with the lead after the Heroes broke through with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh. He was the top performer in a game that saw Kiwoom snap a three-game losing streak and even the weekend series after Kia had won Friday’s opener 11-1.

The Heroes struck first in the third inning. Park Ju-hong doubled to the left-center gap, and Seo Geon-chang followed with a single to center-right that brought him home. That gave Kiwoom a 1-0 edge against Kia starter Adam Oller, who otherwise worked efficiently. Oller allowed one earned run on four hits over six innings, striking out seven while walking none.

Kia’s best early chance came in the fifth inning, when Ha Ju-suk singled and Kim Tae-gun followed with a single to center-left to put runners at first and second with one out. But Kim Ho-ryung popped out to second to end the threat. The Tigers again threatened in the seventh when Kim Sun-bin singled with one out, but Ha Ju-suk grounded into a double play to erase the inning.

The decisive rally came in the bottom of the seventh. Kim Gun-hee singled to center-right, and Gwon Hyuk-bin sacrificed him to second. Eo Joon-seo was hit by a pitch to put two runners on. Park Ju-hong then flied out to left for the second out. Seo Geon-chang followed with a single to right-center, and the ball was misplayed by the center fielder. Seo Geon-chang advanced to second on the error, while both Kim Gun-hee and pinch runner Kim Woong-bin came around to score. The play gave Kiwoom a 3-0 lead and proved to be the difference.

Kia scored its only run in the ninth inning off Kiwoom reliever Kanakubo Yuto. The Tigers loaded the bases? Actually no detailed play-by-play for the ninth was provided, but the run crossed against Kanakubo, who allowed three hits and one earned run while striking out two in his one inning of work. Won Jong-hyan had pitched a scoreless eighth, allowing one hit and striking out one, to bridge the game to the ninth.

Kia’s bullpen also worked without major damage. Jung Hai-young pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts, and Cho Sang-woo allowed one earned run on two hits in his inning of work. The Tigers finished with eight hits, while Kiwoom collected seven.

Kim Gun-hee went 2-for-4 with a double and a single, providing a consistent presence at the top of the Kiwoom order. Seo Geon-chang finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a walk. Park Chan-hyeok went 1-for-4 for the Heroes. An Chi-hong, the Kiwoom first baseman, went 0-for-4 as the Heroes managed to score without much production from the middle of their lineup.

For Kia, the loss dropped the Tigers to 60-49-2 on the season. Kiwoom improved to 41-72-2. The attendance at Gocheok Sky Dome was announced as 16,000.

The Tigers had entered the game on a strong run, having won six of their previous seven games. They had hammered the Heroes 11-1 on Friday, and before that swept three games from Hanwha, outscoring the Eagles 20-12. Kia also had taken two of three from Doosan the previous weekend. The loss Saturday was just the Tigers’ second in their last eight games.

Kiwoom, meanwhile, had been struggling. The Heroes had lost four straight before Saturday, including a 7-1 defeat to Lotte on Thursday and a 15-10 loss to Lotte on Tuesday. Saturday’s victory gave Kiwoom a much-needed boost as it continues to play out the season near the bottom of the standings.

The game also featured a notable pitching duel in the early innings. Oller and An Woo-jin matched zeroes through the first two frames. Kiwoom’s third-inning run came on two hits, but Oller settled in after that, retiring the side in order in the fourth and fifth innings. He struck out Matthew Davidson twice, and also fanned An Chi-hong and Park Chan-hyeok in the sixth during a stretch of three straight strikeouts.

An Woo-jin was just as effective. He retired the side in order in the first, second, and fourth innings. Kia managed only two hits against him through six innings, and he faced trouble only in the fifth. After Ha Ju-suk and Kim Tae-gun singled with one out, An Woo-jin induced a popout from Kim Ho-ryung to escape. He also worked around a hit-by-pitch in the fourth, striking out Harold Castro to end that inning.

Kia’s best hitter on the night was difficult to single out, as no Tiger had more than one hit. The Tigers scattered singles across the lineup but could not string together rallies against An Woo-jin or the Kiwoom bullpen. Kia’s only run in the ninth came too late to change the outcome.

Seo Geon-chang’s two-run single was the most important hit of the game. It turned a tight pitchers’ duel into a comfortable lead for Kiwoom and gave the Heroes enough cushion to withstand Kia’s late run. The error in center field on the same play allowed both runners to score, and it was the kind of defensive lapse that has plagued the Tigers at times this season.

The series concludes Sunday with an afternoon game at Gocheok Sky Dome. Kia will look to bounce back and take the series, while Kiwoom will aim for its second straight win after Saturday’s strong performance.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Kia Tigers 6, Kiwoom Heroes 2. Interstatl’s ELO system gave Kia a 66.10 percent probability to win. Kia was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of plus-1.5. The teams combined for four runs, which went under the over/under line of 7.5.