SAPPORO Japan (Interstat) — The Orix Buffaloes and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters are set for a pivotal playoff clash Sunday evening at Sapporo Dome with the Fighters looking to build on a series-opening victory.

Nippon-Ham took the first game of this Pacific League playoff series on Saturday blanking Orix 2-0 behind a dominant pitching performance from Hiromi Itoh who struck out nine over seven scoreless innings. Yuya Gunji provided the offense with a solo home run.

The Fighters (83-58-1) enter with the superior regular-season record and home-field advantage. However the season series between these clubs has been a back-and-forth affair. While Nippon-Ham has won the last two meetings Orix (74-67-3) took three straight games in early September.

Projections for the Sunday contest are split. Interstat’s game simulator forecasts a 6-5 victory for the Buffaloes while its ELO rating system gives the Fighters a 58% probability to win.

Orix will need to solve Nippon-Ham’s pitching after being shut out Saturday a game in which their own starter Shunpeita Yamashita allowed just two earned runs over six innings in a hard-luck loss.

The playoff atmosphere is expected to be electric under the dome in Sapporo as both teams jockey for position in the best-of-three series.