(LEAD) Lions defeat Wiz in extra innings to even up Korean Series

SUWON, South Korea, Nov. 4 (Yonhap) -- The Samsung Lions edged out the KT Wiz 3-2 in extra innings on the road Wednesday to even up the Korean Series at one game apiece.

The Lions scored the go-ahead run on an error by Wiz second baseman Oh Yoon-suk in the top of the 12th inning before a sellout crowd of 17,700 at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, some 30 kilometers south of Seoul.

Lewin Diaz scampered home on the play to score the winning run. He batted 4-for-5 and drove in two runs for his team. He had two singles, a double and a triple to fall a home run shy of the first cycle in Korea Baseball Organization postseason history.

The best-of-seven Korean Series will now shift to the Lions' home of Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, about 230 kilometers southeast of the capital, for the next three games.

Game 3 will be 6:30 p.m. Friday, followed by Game 4 at 2 p.m. Saturday and Game 5 at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Against the sidearm pitcher Ko Young-pyo, the Lions put six straight left-handed batters in their starting lineup.

Two of them had a hand in opening the scoring in the top of the second inning.

Choi Hyoung-woo, who moved up a spot to bat cleanup, led off that frame with a double. Diaz, who dropped down to No. 5, followed with a triple off the right field fence to bring home Choi for a 1-0 lead.

The Wiz finally tied the score in the bottom fourth. Sam Hilliard led off with a double and reached third on a flyout. Then with two outs, Heo Kyoung-min cashed him in with a bloop single to shallow left field.

With both Ko and Paddack pitching effectively, offense was hard to come by for both sides.

The Lions loaded the bases with one out in the top sixth with three straight singles against Ko, who escaped the jam by inducing Ryu Ji-hyuk to bounce into a 3-2-3 double play.

First baseman Kim Hyun-soo fielded a high chopper and threw home for the force, and then catcher Han Seung-taek made a perfect throw back to Kim to nab Ryu to complete the inning-ending twin killing.

After the Lions wasted that chance, the Wiz created one for themselves in the bottom sixth, with a Hilliard single and a Kim Hyun-soo double putting runners at second and third with one out.

But Paddack retired the next two batters on soft groundouts to foil that rally and keep the game tied at 1-1.

The Lions failed to score after putting a go-ahead run at second base in the top ninth, and the Wiz wasted a one-out double by Heo in the bottom ninth to send the game to extras.

The Lions scored the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th, as the Wiz blinked first in the battle of the bullpens.

Koki Sugimoto came on to start the top 10th and hit Kim Ji-chan with his very first pitch.

Kim Seong-yoon bunted Kim Ji-chan over to second, and then Sugimoto intentionally walked Koo Ja-wook to set up a double play with Park Seung-kyu coming to the plate.

Park smoked a sinking liner toward right center that seemed destined to fall for an extra-base hit, but center field Sam Hilliard laid out for a clutch catch.

But Diaz, the next batter, singled off new pitcher Jeon Yong-ju to put the Lions up 2-1.

In the bottom 10th, though, Diaz committed an error that led to the Wiz's tying run.

They had two straight one-out singles off Won Tae-in. Hilliard then hit a grounder to Diaz, who bobbled the ball as he was taking it out of the glove to get the force out at second.

The bases were now loaded, and Won walked Kim Hyun-soo on four pitches to let in the tying run.

The Lions failed to cash in with runners at second and third in the top 11th, with reliever Kim Jeong-woon striking out Park Gye-beom to snuff out that rally.

The Wiz went quietly in the bottom 11th, and the Lions capitalized on sloppy defense by the Wiz in the top 12th.

With one out and runners at first and second, Lee Jae-hyeon hit a comebacker to pitcher Woo Kyu-min for what should have been an inning-ending double play. Woo threw to Oh Yoon-suk covering second base for the force out, but Oh double-pumped as he took the ball out of the glove and bounced a throw to first baseman Kim Hyun-soo.

As the ball skipped into foul territory, Diaz scored to put the Lions up 3-2.

For the Lions, reliever Bae Chan-seung pitched around a two-out walk in the bottom 12th to lock down the win.