SUWON (Interstat) — Ko Young-pyo pitched a four-hit shutout and KT Wiz beat Lotte Giants 5-0 on Saturday afternoon at Suwon Baseball Stadium. Ko struck out eight, walked one and allowed four hits over nine innings. He improved to 13-7 on the season. The Wiz never trailed, scoring once in the first inning, three times in the third and once in the seventh. KT improved to 81-48-4. Lotte fell to 59-70-2. Jeremy Beasley took the loss for the Giants and dropped to 9-6. Beasley allowed four earned runs on five hits and two walks with two strikeouts in three innings. A crowd of 18,700 watched the game.

Lotte’s offense never found a rhythm against Ko. The Giants managed four hits and one walk. Son Seong-bin singled on an infield hit to the left side in the fifth and also walked in the second. Go Seung-min singled to center in the second. Those were among the few bright spots for Lotte. In the second, Go singled and Son walked, but Jang Du-seong grounded out to first to end the inning. In the fifth, Son reached on an infield single, but Jang hit into a fielder’s choice that retired Son at second. Kim Se-min then grounded out to the pitcher. Na Seung-yeup flied out to center in the third, and Victor Reyes grounded out to first in the sixth. Han Dong-hui struck out in the fourth and seventh. Ko retired the side in order in the fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth. He kept Lotte off the scoreboard and did not allow an earned run.

KT opened the scoring in the bottom of the first. Choi Won-jun doubled down the right-field line. Kim Min-hyuck reached on an error by the pitcher, and Choi advanced to third on the play. Ahn Hyun-min followed with a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Choi for the game’s first run. Sam Hilliard was hit by a pitch, and Kim Min-hyuck moved to second. Kim Hyun-soo then flied out to center, and Ryu Hyun-in flied out to left to end the inning. KT led 1-0 after one. Choi’s double was the first of three hits for the KT right fielder, who finished 3-for-5.

The Wiz broke the game open in the third. Ahn drew a walk. Sam Hilliard singled down the right-field line, moving Ahn to third. Kim Hyun-soo then doubled over the head of the right fielder, scoring Ahn and sending Hilliard to third. Ryu Hyun-in singled to center, bringing home Kim Hyun-soo and Hilliard. The two-run single gave KT a 4-0 lead and chased Beasley. Lotte turned to Kim Tae-gyun, who restored order with three scoreless innings. Kim allowed three hits and struck out one. Lee Jin-ha and Lee Young-jae each recorded two outs in relief. Lee Young-jae struck out two. Lee Jun-seo allowed one hit and one earned run in two-thirds of an inning, walked one and was charged with the final run.

KT added its final run in the seventh with a solo home run to left. Jang Sung-woo, a pinch hitter, finished 1-for-1 with the home run and one RBI. Ryu Hyun-in drove in two runs with his third-inning single. Kim Hyun-soo added an RBI double. Choi Won-jun collected three hits, including doubles in the first, fourth and sixth innings. Kim Min-hyuck reached on an error in the first and struck out twice. Ahn Hyun-min drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly. Han Seung-taek walked twice. Heo Kyoung-min doubled in the fifth. Kwon Dong-jin doubled in the second. Sam Hilliard singled and scored a run. The KT offense finished with nine hits and five runs, all while Ko kept Lotte at bay.

Lotte’s bullpen kept the game within reach after Beasley’s exit. Kim Tae-gyun pitched three scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out one. Lee Jin-ha and Lee Young-jae each threw two-thirds of an inning without allowing a hit. Lee Young-jae struck out two. Lee Jun-seo allowed one hit and one earned run with one walk in two-thirds of an inning. But the Giants could not solve Ko. Their best chance came in the second, when Go Seung-min singled and Son Seong-bin walked. Jeon Jun-woo flied out to center before Son walked, and Jang Du-seong grounded out to first. In the fifth, Son’s infield single gave Lotte another baserunner, but a fielder’s choice erased him. Ko’s eight strikeouts and one walk underlined his control.

The win was a strong rebound for Ko. He had lost his previous start after allowing three earned runs in six innings against Kiwoom. He had also pitched seven innings of one-earned-run ball in a no-decision against Doosan. Against Lotte, he was sharper. He mixed his pitches and worked quickly. The Wiz defense backed him with clean play after the first-inning error by Beasley. KT’s bullpen was not needed because Ko finished the game. Lotte’s pitchers combined to allow five runs on nine hits and three walks. They struck out five. Beasley was charged with the loss. Kim Tae-gyun, Lee Jin-ha, Lee Young-jae and Lee Jun-seo followed in relief. The Giants could not produce a run against Ko.

With the result, KT improved to 81-48-4 and Lotte fell to 59-70-2. The Wiz have won the past three meetings in the season series. The teams are scheduled to play again in their next game at Suwon Baseball Stadium. Lotte will continue its road trip, while KT remains home for the next scheduled game. The Giants will look to recover after being shut out. The Wiz will aim to carry their pitching momentum into the next contest. KT’s record remains among the best in the league. Lotte’s loss adds to a difficult stretch. The Giants had won two of their previous three games before this defeat. KT had won four of its previous five games. Both teams will meet again soon in the same ballpark.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Lotte Giants 6, KT Wiz 8. Interstat’s ELO system gave KT a 60.8 percent probability to win.