BUSAN (Interstat) — The Kia Tigers broke open a close game with a seven-run inning and beat the Lotte Giants 12-4 on Wednesday evening at Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium. Kia improved to 74-60-2, while Lotte dropped to 59-73-3. The game took 3 hours, 38 minutes and was played before an announced crowd of 19,434. Kia finished with 19 hits, and Lotte had 13. The Tigers, serving as the visiting team, used a steady parade of base runners and timely hits to pull away from the Giants.

Early on, Kia generated chances but could not always capitalize. Park Jae-hyun homered to center field in the first inning to give Kia an early lead, but the next three Tigers struck out. Lotte put runners on in the second when Han Dong-hui singled to center and Jeon Min-jae reached on an infield single, but a double play helped Kia escape. Kia also left a runner in scoring position in the second after Na Sung-bum walked and Han Jun-su singled. In the third, Park Jung-woo singled to center for Kia, but Kim Do-yeong’s fielder’s choice and a Harold Castro groundout ended the threat.

Lotte broke through in the third. After Hwang Seong-bin struck out and Víctor Reyes grounded out, Na Seung-yeup homered to right field. Go Seung-min doubled down the right-field line, and Han Dong-hui singled to left field to score Go, giving Lotte a brief lead. Kia answered immediately in the fourth. Na Sung-bum began the rally with a double down the left-field line. Han Jun-su followed with a single to left-center. Kim Kyu-sung then singled to right field, scoring Na Sung-bum. Ha Ju-suk doubled down the left-field line to bring home Han Jun-su. Park Jung-woo singled to right field, scoring Ha Ju-suk and Kim Kyu-sung. Kim Do-yeong added a single to left field as Kia batted around and took control. The inning showcased the depth of the Kia lineup and forced Lotte to turn to its bullpen earlier than it wanted.

Kia starter Yang Hyeon-jong pitched 5 innings and allowed three earned runs on eight hits with one walk and three strikeouts. The Kia bullpen then held Lotte in check. Hwang Dong-ha worked one inning, giving up one hit and no earned runs while striking out three. Cho Sang-woo recorded two outs without allowing a hit or an earned run. Kwak Do-gyu got one out, yielding one hit and no earned runs with one strikeout. Lotte received solid relief work as well. Lee Young-jae pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowing one hit and no earned runs with one strikeout. Kim Ki-jun threw a scoreless inning with one hit and one strikeout. Lee Jun-seo struck out one in a scoreless inning without allowing a hit.

Lotte stayed within striking distance. In the fourth, Son Seong-bin singled to left-center, but Jeon Jun-woo popped out, Cho Se-jin fouled out, and Hwang Seong-bin grounded into a fielder’s choice. In the fifth, Víctor Reyes reached on an infield single, Na Seung-yeup doubled to left-center, and Go Seung-min hit a sacrifice fly to left that scored Reyes. In the sixth, Son Seong-bin singled to left field, and Hwang Seong-bin singled to right-center to drive him home. That cut the Kia lead to one run and kept the home crowd engaged. Lotte had opportunities to draw even, but Kia’s pitchers made key pitches and the defense turned a double play in the seventh to end a threat.

Kia could not add on in the fifth despite Na Sung-bum’s single, as Kim Sun-bin popped out and Kim Kyu-sung struck out. In the sixth, Ha Ju-suk flied out, Kim Ho-ryung popped out and Park Jung-woo struck out. Lotte stayed close, and in the seventh, Go Seung-min singled for the Giants before Han Dong-hui grounded into a double play. The decisive stretch came in the eighth. Kia sent 11 batters to the plate and scored seven times, turning a one-run lead into a comfortable margin. Kim Kyu-sung singled to right field and advanced on Ha Ju-suk’s sacrifice bunt. Kim Ho-ryung was hit by a pitch, and Park Jung-woo singled to right-center to load the bases. Kim Do-yeong then cleared the bases with a double down the left-field line, scoring Park Jung-woo, Kim Ho-ryung and Kim Min-kyu. Na Sung-bum followed with a single to right field that scored Kim Do-yeong. Kim Sun-bin singled to right field, moving Na Sung-bum to third. A passed ball allowed Na Sung-bum to score and Kim Sun-bin to advance. Han Jun-su walked, Kim Min-kyu reached on an infield single, and Ha Ju-suk doubled to right-center to drive in Han Jun-su and Kim Seon-bin. By the time the inning ended, Kia had built a lead it would not relinquish.

Lotte could not muster a response in the eighth. Jeon Min-jae struck out, Park Kun-woo struck out, Jang Du-seong doubled to right-center, and Cho Se-jin struck out. Kia did not add to its lead in the ninth, but the damage had already been done. The Giants finished with 13 hits but could not produce the big inning needed to match Kia’s outburst. Kia’s 19-hit attack featured contributions throughout the order, with Ha Ju-suk and Kim Do-yeong combining for six hits and six RBIs. Park Jung-woo, Na Sung-bum, Kim Sun-bin, Han Jun-su and Kim Kyu-sung all played roles in the rally.

Kia’s offense was paced by Ha Ju-suk, who went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, and Kim Do-yeong, who went 3-for-6 with three RBIs. Na Seung-yeup led Lotte by going 2-for-4 with one home run and one RBI. The victory moved Kia to 74-60-2 and kept the Tigers in strong position as the season winds down. Lotte fell to 59-73-3. Kia is scheduled to visit the NC Dinos next, while Lotte is set to host the LG Twins. The teams are also scheduled to meet again later in the schedule, with Lotte traveling to Kia. The game’s attendance was 19,434, and the time of game was 3:38.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Kia Tigers 8, Lotte Giants 4. Interstat’s ELO system gave Kia a 53.2 percent probability to win. Kia surpassed that projection with its late scoring burst, while Lotte finished short of the projected total.