SEOUL, South Korea (Interstat) — The LG Twins defeated the Hanwha Eagles 2-1 on Saturday afternoon at Jamsil Stadium, getting seven strong innings from Im Chan-kyu and a late home run from Lee Jae-won in front of 23,750. LG, the home team, improved to 69-51-8. Hanwha, the visiting team, fell to 52-64-8. The game was played during the afternoon in Seoul.

Im Chan-kyu was LG’s top star. He allowed one earned run on five hits over seven innings, walked none and struck out six. Hanwha starter Owen White matched him for much of the game. White worked seven innings, allowed one earned run on four hits, walked one and struck out five. The two starters kept the game scoreless through the early innings and limited hard contact.

LG entered the game after a 12-1 win at KT Wiz on Friday. Hanwha came in after a 10-4 loss to the Samsung Lions. The Twins had won three of their past four games. The Eagles had lost five of their previous six. In their most recent meeting on Sept. 9, Hanwha beat LG 19-3. The Twins were looking to reverse that result at home.

The first four innings belonged to the pitchers. Hanwha went down in order in the first when Sim Woo-jun flied out to right, Choi In-ho grounded out to third and Han Ji-youn flied out to center. LG put two runners on in the bottom half when Park Hae-min singled to left and Austin Dean was hit by a pitch, but Song Chan-eui flied out to center and Moon Jeong-bin struck out. In the second, Hanwha’s Kim Tae-yean reached on a dropped third strike, but the Eagles could not advance him. LG’s Oh Ji-hwan reached on an error by the catcher, but Gu Bon-hyeok grounded into a double play. The third and fourth innings were quiet, with both starters working quickly and keeping hitters off balance.

White retired the side in order in the third and fourth. Im matched him, setting down LG in order in the third and fourth. Hanwha’s Park Jung-hyun flied out to center, Yu Min struck out and Jung Eun-won flied out to left in the third. LG’s Lee Jae-won flied out to center, Shin Min-jae fouled out to third and Park Hae-min grounded out to second in the bottom half. In the fourth, Sim Woo-jun grounded out to third, Choi In-ho flied out to left and Han Ji-youn grounded out to third. LG’s Austin Dean flied out to right, Song Chan-eui grounded out to second and Moon Jeong-bin flied out to right.

Hanwha broke through in the fifth. Heo In-seo and Kim Tae-yean singled to put runners on base, and Han Ji-youn delivered an RBI single to left-center to give the Eagles the lead. Han Ji-youn finished 1 for 4 with one RBI. White protected the lead with a clean bottom of the fifth, and the Hanwha defense turned a double play in the sixth to erase a leadoff single by Gu Bon-hyeok. Hanwha had seven hits in the game, but the Eagles could not add to their one run.

LG answered in the seventh. Park Hae-min, who finished 3 for 4, sparked the rally with a hit. Gu Bon-hyeok, who went 2 for 3, also contributed. The Twins pushed across the tying run with a productive out and a timely hit, knotting the game and chasing White from the decision. White left after seven innings with the game tied. Im also exited after seven, having given LG exactly what it needed to stay close.

The decisive moment came in the eighth. Lee Jae-won homered to center field off Cho Dong-uk, giving LG the lead for good. Lee finished 1 for 3 with one home run and one RBI. Cho took the loss, falling to 2-2, allowing one earned run on two hits over one-third of an inning. Jang Ji-su relieved Cho and recorded two outs, including one strikeout, without allowing a hit. The home run turned a tight pitchers’ duel into a one-run LG advantage.

LG’s bullpen finished the job. Go Woo-suk pitched a scoreless inning, allowed one hit and struck out two. He earned the win and improved to 1-0. Son Ju-young worked the ninth for his 23rd save. He allowed one hit, walked one and struck out one. The Twins’ pitching staff held Hanwha to one run on seven hits, while LG finished with six hits. LG also benefited from timely defense, including the early double play that ended a Hanwha threat.

Hanwha had chances late. Kim Tae-yean doubled down the left-field line in the seventh, but he was stranded. In the eighth, Jung Eun-won singled to right and stole second, but Sim Woo-jun struck out, Choi In-ho struck out and Han Ji-youn grounded out to third. The Eagles could not push the tying run across in the ninth against Son. Hanwha’s best offensive moment came on Han Ji-youn’s RBI single, but the lineup could not string together enough hits against Im, Go and Son.

Park Hae-min’s three hits led all players. Gu Bon-hyeok added two hits for LG. Hanwha finished with seven hits but left runners on base in key moments. Owen White recorded five strikeouts, while Im Chan-kyu had six. LG’s bullpen allowed one hit and one walk over two innings, striking out three. Hanwha’s bullpen allowed one earned run over one inning, with Cho Dong-uk taking the loss and Jang Ji-su finishing the eighth.

LG improved to 69-51-8 with the win. Hanwha dropped to 52-64-8. The teams are scheduled to meet again on Sunday, Sept. 20, at Jamsil Stadium. Hanwha will then return home to face the Lotte Giants on Tuesday, Sept. 22, and Wednesday, Sept. 23. LG will host the Lotte Giants on Thursday, Sept. 24, before traveling to face the Kia Tigers on Saturday, Sept. 26, and Sunday, Sept. 27.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of LG Twins 5, Hanwha Eagles 4. Interstat’s ELO system had projected LG with a 61.6 percent probability to win. Hanwha had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +1.5. The total score of 3 went over the over/under line of 8.5.