SEOUL (Interstat) — Benjamin struck out 10 over six innings and the Doosan Bears used a three-run eighth inning to beat the Kiwoom Heroes 5-3 on Tuesday night at Gocheok Sky Dome. Doosan improved to 62-60-5, while Kiwoom fell to 45-79-9. The game drew 9,426. Doosan finished with 12 hits to Kiwoom’s eight. The Heroes were the home team, but the Bears controlled much of the evening behind their starter and a late burst of offense.

Benjamin allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks while striking out 10. It was another strong outing for the Doosan right-hander, who had struck out eight over five innings in a win against Samsung on Sept. 16. Benjamin worked around traffic and kept Kiwoom from stringing together a major inning. Kiwoom starter Jhun Jun-pyo was charged with two earned runs over five innings. He allowed seven hits, walked two and struck out one. Doosan opened the scoring in the third. Park Chan-ho doubled down the right-field line, An Jae-seok singled to center to move Park to third, and Kim Min-suk singled to center-right to score Park. Yang Eui-ji fouled out, Yunior Severino flied out to center, and Yang Suk-hwan reached on a fielder’s choice to end the inning.

Doosan added to its lead in the fifth. An Jae-seok hit an infield single to the right side, Kim Min-suk walked, and Yang Eui-ji singled to left field to score An. The inning later ended when Ryu Seung-min reached on a fielder’s choice and Yang Suk-hwan was out at second base. Kiwoom got one run back in the sixth. Choo Jae-hyun doubled to left-center, Matthew Davidson reached on a slow-rolling infield single to short that moved Choo to third, and Hiura grounded into a double play. Davidson was out at second, but Choo scored to cut the Doosan lead to 2-1. Park Chan-hyeok walked, and Lim Byeong-wuk flied out to right. Benjamin finished the sixth with his 10th strikeout and left with the lead intact.

Doosan created separation in the eighth. Yang Suk-hwan homered to left field. Ryu Seung-min lined out to short, Kang Seung-ho walked, and Jung Soo-bin doubled down the left-field line to move Kang to third. Park Chan-ho then singled to right field, scoring Jung and Kang. An Jae-seok followed with a single to left, but Kim Min-suk grounded into a double play. By the end of the inning, Doosan led 5-1. Yang Suk-hwan’s homer and Park Chan-ho’s two-run single were the decisive swings. Park also had a double earlier in the game, while Jung’s double and Kang’s walk helped set up the inning’s biggest hit.

Kiwoom answered in the bottom of the eighth. Choo Jae-hyun singled to right field, Matthew Davidson struck out, and Hiura homered to right field to score Choo and cut the deficit to 5-3. Park Chan-hyeok walked, Lim Byeong-wuk reached on a fielder’s choice that forced Park out at second, and Kim Jae-hyun popped out to second. Hiura finished 1 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs. He also walked in the first inning. His two-run shot gave the Heroes late hope, but Doosan’s bullpen and defense held the lead over the final outs.

Doosan received scoreless relief work from Lee Young-ha and Takada Takuto. Lee allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one in an inning. Takada gave up one hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning. Their work helped close out the win after Benjamin’s dominant start. Kiwoom also got solid relief. Park Jun-hyun struck out two in a perfect inning. Cho Young-gun worked a scoreless inning with two walks and one strikeout. Kanakubo Yuto recorded two outs without allowing a hit. Park Ji-sung allowed one hit in a scoreless inning. Despite those efforts, the Bears’ late offense and Benjamin’s strikeout total made the difference.

Choo Jae-hyun was active at the top of the Kiwoom order. He singled in the first, doubled in the sixth and singled again in the eighth, scoring twice. Davidson added an infield single and later struck out, while Park Chan-hyeok drew multiple walks and reached base in key spots. Lim Byeong-wuk also reached on a fielder’s choice and flied out to right. Kiwoom’s eight hits were not enough to overcome the Bears’ 12-hit attack. Doosan’s lineup spread the production across the order, with An Jae-seok, Kim Min-suk, Yang Eui-ji, Park Chan-ho, Jung Soo-bin and Yang Suk-hwan all contributing in important moments.

Doosan entered the game after a pair of losses at KT Wiz, including a 15-3 defeat on Sept. 19 and a 9-8 loss on Sept. 20. The Bears had also tied Kiwoom 6-6 in 11 innings on Sept. 18 and beat the Heroes 5-0 on Sept. 10. Kiwoom came in after a 10-5 loss at Shinsegae Landers on Sept. 20. The Heroes remained well below .500, while Doosan stayed above the break-even mark with the victory. The Bears were set to host Kia on Wednesday, while Kiwoom’s next game was scheduled for Saturday at KT Wiz.

The win gave Doosan a strong finish to a road trip and another quality start from Benjamin, who has been one of the club’s most reliable arms. His 10 strikeouts matched the game’s most important individual performance, and the Bears backed him with enough timely hitting to secure the victory. Kiwoom’s bullpen kept the game within reach, but the Heroes could not complete the comeback after Hiura’s two-run homer in the eighth. The loss dropped Kiwoom further in the standings and kept Doosan moving toward a more respectable finish.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Doosan 3, Kiwoom 2. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Doosan with a 63.6 percent probability to win. Doosan had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +1.5. The total score of 8 went under the over/under line of 7.5.