DAEJEON (Interstat) — Ko Young-pyo pitched six scoreless innings, and KT Wiz routed Hanwha Eagles 13-3 on Tuesday night at Daejeon Hanbat Baseball Stadium. KT collected 16 hits and hit four home runs. Hanwha finished with seven hits. The game drew 10,287 fans and lasted 2 hours, 54 minutes. Ko earned the win and improved to 11-6. Hanwha starter Wang Yan-cheng took the loss and dropped to 10-5. KT improved to 71-45-4. Hanwha fell to 52-62-7.

Ko allowed four hits, struck out eight and did not surrender an earned run over his six innings. He struck out two batters in the first, escaped after hitting Yonathan Perlaza, and retired the side in order in the fourth with a strikeout of Kang Baek-ho and two groundouts. Ko also struck out two in the fifth and worked around a two-out single in the sixth. Kim Jeong-woon followed with a scoreless inning and two strikeouts. Mon Yong-ik added a scoreless inning with one strikeout. Hanwha’s Kim Jong-soo also tossed a scoreless inning with one strikeout.

KT opened the scoring in the first. Choi Won-jun walked, Kim Min-hyuck was hit by a pitch, and Ahn Hyun-min flied out to center for the first out. Sam Hilliard walked to load the bases, and Kim Hyun-soo singled to right-center to score Choi. Heo Kyoung-min then singled to left field, bringing home Kim Min-hyuck for a 2-0 lead. Ko struck out Sim Woo-jun and Choi In-ho in the bottom half. After Perlaza was hit by a pitch, Kang Baek-ho flied out to left to end the inning.

KT added two more in the third. Ahn homered to right-center to start the inning. Kim Sang-su singled to left, Heo walked, and Han Seung-taek doubled over the center fielder’s head to drive in Heo and Kim Sang-su. The Wiz led 5-0. Hanwha got a two-out single from Choi In-ho in the bottom of the third, but Perlaza grounded out to third. In the fourth, Ko struck out Kang, got Heo In-seo to ground out to short and struck out Han Ji-youn. KT threatened in the fourth when Ahn doubled down the left field line, but Hilliard flied out to left.

Hanwha’s first hit came in the second when Heo In-seo singled to center. Han Ji-youn struck out, Yu Min struck out and Park Jung-hyun lined out to short. In the third, Hwang Young-mook grounded out to second and Sim Woo-jun struck out before Choi In-ho singled down the right field line. Perlaza then grounded out to third. KT’s Choi Won-jun dropped a third strike in the fourth, and Kim Min-hyuck struck out before Ahn doubled down the left field line.

KT stretched the lead in the fifth. Kim Hyun-soo doubled over the left fielder’s head and moved to third on Kim Sang-su’s sacrifice bunt to third. Heo then homered to left field, scoring Kim Hyun-soo and making it 7-0. Han Seung-taek struck out and Jang Jun-won flied out to center to end the inning. Ko kept Hanwha quiet in the bottom of the fifth, working around a two-out single by Park Jung-hyun. Hwang Young-mook flied out to left, and Sim Woo-jun struck out on a dropped third strike.

The Wiz broke the game open in the sixth. Choi tripled to right-center and scored on Kim Min-hyuck’s single to center. Hilliard followed with a two-run homer to right field that also scored Kim Min-hyuck. Kim Sang-su doubled to right, and Heo singled down the left field line to score Kim Sang-su. Han Seung-taek lined out to center to end the inning. KT led 11-0. Hanwha got an infield single from Choi In-ho in the bottom half, but Perlaza grounded out to first, Kang flied out to left and Heo In-seo grounded out to third.

Ko’s night ended after six innings. KT’s bullpen took over from there. Hanwha’s Kang Baek-ho hit a two-run home run later in the game, providing the Eagles’ loudest moment. Hanwha scored three runs total, but the outcome had long been decided. KT’s Kim Jeong-woon and Mon Yong-ik each delivered a scoreless inning, and Hanwha’s Kim Jong-soo also pitched a scoreless inning.

KT added a run in the eighth when Hilliard homered to center field. In the ninth, Kwon Dong-jin doubled to left and advanced to third on Jang Jun-won’s groundout to the pitcher. Choi walked, but Kim Min-hyuck reached on a fielder’s choice that erased Choi at second and allowed Kwon to score. Bae Jeong-dae grounded out to short to end the inning. Hanwha could not answer in the bottom of the eighth, as Hwang Young-mook flied out to center, Choi Yu-bin grounded out to second and Choi In-ho struck out.

Hilliard finished 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs. Heo went 3-for-3 with a home run and four RBIs. Ahn was 2-for-3 with a home run and one RBI. Han Seung-taek went 1-for-4 with two RBIs. Kim Hyun-soo was 2-for-4 with one RBI. For Hanwha, Kang Baek-ho was 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. The Wiz finished with 16 hits, while the Eagles had seven. KT’s balanced attack and Ko’s dominant start proved too much for Hanwha.

The result continued KT’s recent mastery in the series. KT has won seven straight meetings between the clubs, including three straight at home in early September. Hanwha’s last win over KT came on July 2 in Daejeon, when the Eagles won 14-3. The teams are scheduled to meet again Wednesday at Daejeon Hanbat Baseball Stadium. KT will then return home to face LG Twins on Friday. Hanwha will host Samsung Lions on Friday. The quick rematch gives Hanwha an immediate opportunity to respond, while KT will try to keep its momentum.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of KT Wiz 6, Hanwha Eagles 4. Interstat’s ELO system had projected KT with a 51.4 percent probability to win.