DAEGU (Interstat) — Park Seung-kyu went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, Kim Do-hwan added a three-run double and the Samsung Lions used a six-run first inning to beat the KT Wiz 10-5 on Saturday afternoon in Game 4 of their playoff series at Daegu Samsung Lions Park.

Samsung leads the series 3-1 and moved within one win of closing out the playoff round. The Lions improved to 87-61-3 this season, while the Wiz fell to 90-51-5. KT entered as the visiting team with the better regular-season record, but Samsung controlled the game after the opening inning and handed the Wiz a second straight loss in the series.

KT opened the scoring in the top of the first when Jang Jin-hyuk homered to right field. Choi Won-jun fouled out to the catcher before Jang’s drive, and Ahn Hyun-min followed with a walk, but Sam Hilliard popped out to second and Kim Hyun-soo grounded out to short, keeping the Wiz from adding to the early lead. The brief advantage did not last.

Samsung answered with a six-run bottom half that changed the tone of the afternoon. Kim Ji-chan singled, moved to second on Park Seung-kyu’s sacrifice bunt and advanced on a walk to Koo Ja-wook. After Choi Hyoung-woo popped out to third, Lewin Díaz singled to center-right to score Kim Ji-chan. Kim Young-woong followed with a run-scoring single to left field that brought home Koo Ja-wook. Lee Jae-hyeon walked to load the bases, and Ryu Ji-hyuk was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in Díaz. Kim Do-hwan then cleared the bases with a double to right field, scoring Ryu Ji-hyuk, Lee Jae-hyeon and Kim Young-woong. The inning forced KT starter Logan Allen into an early exit and put the Wiz in chase mode.

Samsung kept adding to its lead. Park Seung-kyu singled in a run in the third, and the Lions scored twice in the fifth on Park’s two-run double. Park finished with three hits and three RBIs. Kim Do-hwan drove in three runs while going 1-for-2. Samsung finished with 11 hits to KT’s four and built a 10-3 advantage before KT scored again. The Lions also got a sacrifice bunt from Kang Min-ho in the fifth and a run-scoring double from Koo Ja-wook in the seventh. Koo’s double scored Park Seung-kyu and capped Samsung’s scoring.

KT did not go away quietly. The Wiz scored three runs in the middle innings, taking advantage of walks and a run-scoring groundout. Han Seung-taek singled to left and Jang Jun-won walked before Choi Won-jun walked to load the bases. Jang Jin-hyuk grounded out to second, but the play brought home Han Seung-taek. Ahn Hyun-min and Sam Hilliard drew walks, and Kim Hyun-soo walked to force in another run. The Wiz added a run on a fielder’s choice before Kim Sang-su struck out and Heo Kyoung-min popped out to second.

Jang Jin-hyuk finished 1-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs. Kim Min-hyuck delivered a pinch-hit home run for KT. The Wiz also got a scoreless inning from Ju Kwon, who allowed two hits and struck out two. Oh Won-seok allowed two earned runs on one hit over 2 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out three. Jeon Yong-ju recorded no outs and allowed no hits or earned runs. KT’s bullpen could not keep Samsung’s lineup quiet long enough for a comeback.

Lee Jae-hee was the top star for Samsung and earned the win. He pitched 2 2/3 innings without allowing a hit, gave up no earned runs and struck out four. Lee improved to 2-0 this season. In his previous two appearances, Lee allowed two hits over one-third of an inning in a loss at Kia and pitched two scoreless innings with a walk and a strikeout in a win at Kia. His latest outing gave Samsung a lift at the most important point of the series.

Jang Chan-hee gave Samsung four innings in relief, allowing two hits, one earned run and two walks while striking out one. Lee Seung-min added a scoreless inning with one strikeout. The Samsung bullpen kept KT from mounting a sustained rally. Logan Allen took the loss for KT and dropped to 5-5. The KT bullpen had some bright spots, but the early deficit proved too large. Samsung’s six-run first inning remained the defining stretch of the game. The Lions answered immediately after Jang’s home run and forced KT to play from behind for the rest of the afternoon.

Samsung’s offense finished with 10 runs on 11 hits, while KT scored five runs on four hits. The game was played in front of a home crowd at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, South Korea. Samsung’s defense and relief pitching protected the lead. After KT scored in the eighth, Lee Jae-hee and the Lions’ staff shut the door. The series status now favors Samsung, which leads 3-1 after Game 4. KT will need to win the next game to extend the series and avoid elimination. Samsung will try to close out the playoff series in the next matchup. The game was played during the afternoon, and the Lions made the most of their home-field advantage.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of KT 9, Samsung 6, and its ELO system gave KT a 50.7 percent probability to win. KT had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 15 went under the over/under line of 9.