The Doosan Bears defeated the Lotte Giants 7-2 on Thursday to stay alive in the opening round of the playoffs in South Korea's top professional baseball league.

In the Korea Baseball Organization action at Sajik Stadium, some 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Choi Joon-suk belted a two-run home run for the Bears in the first inning and Oh Jae-won added two runs batted in, as the Bears cut the series deficit to 2-1 in the best-of-five affair.

The Bears wasted little time getting on the board. Ryan Sadowski, Lotte's starter, hit Doosan's leadoff man Lee Jong-wook with a pitch, and Lee later came around to score on Kim Hyun-soo's single. Then Choi, making his first postseason start this year, launched a two-run shot over the left field wall for a 3-0 cushion.

The Giants got to within one run in the second, with Lee Yong-chan, Doosan's starter, committing a balk to let in a run and then giving up a run-scoring single to Kim Joo-chan.

The Giants took the first two games on the road in Seoul, winning the first game 8-5 and then the next game 2-1.

The fourth game of the series will be at Sajik on Friday at 6 p.m.

(Yonhap News)