OSAKA, Japan (Interstat) — The Yokohama BayStars, mired in an early-season slump, erupted for three first-inning runs and rode a collection of clutch pitching performances to a 4-1 victory over the Hanshin Tigers on Wednesday night at Osaka Dome, defying pregame projections and snapping a four-game losing streak.

A crowd of 36,148 watched as the BayStars, who entered the game with a 0-4 record and had scored just seven total runs in those losses, immediately seized control against Hanshin starter Easton Lucas. The offensive outburst was both sudden and efficient.

Shugo Maki led off the game with a walk and Ryuki Watarai followed with a single. Yoshitomo Tsutsugoh then delivered an RBI single to shallow center, plating Maki for the first run. After Toshiro Miyazaki walked to load the bases, cleanup hitter Keita Sano ripped a two-run single back up the middle, scoring Watarai and Tsutsugoh for a 3-0 lead before Lucas could record an out. Lucas avoided further damage by inducing an inning-ending double play, but the tone was set.

Yokohama starter Austin Cox, who worked five scoreless innings, was the beneficiary of that early support. He navigated through occasional traffic, aided by double plays in the second and fourth innings. The BayStars added a critical insurance run in the third when Miyazaki launched a solo home run to left-center field with two outs, extending the lead to 4-0.

The Tigers, who had won three of their first four games and were projected by Interstat’s ELO system as 62.5% favorites to win, struggled to capitalize on opportunities. They matched Yokohama’s hit total of eight but went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position. Their lone run came in the sixth inning when Shota Morishita connected for a solo home run off reliever Hiromu Ise, cutting the deficit to 4-1.

Hanshin’s best chance to overtake the game came in the seventh inning. Trailing by three, they loaded the bases with only one out against the Yokohama bullpen. Yusuke Ohyama singled, Seiya Kinami doubled, and a walk to pinch-hitter Nozomu Takatera filled the bases. Reliever Sean Reynolds entered the high-leverage situation and struck out Seishiro Sakamoto swinging for the second out. Koji Chikamoto then lifted a fly ball to left field, where Keita Sano secured it to end the threat and preserve the 4-1 lead.

That sequence was the most important part of the game. The Tigers, at home and with momentum, had the tying run at the plate and the go-ahead run on base with only one out. Reynolds’ strikeout of Sakamoto and the subsequent flyout stranded all three runners, effectively extinguishing Hanshin’s final, serious rally.

From there, the Yokohama bullpen slammed the door. Dauri Moreta and Yuya Ishiguro were bright spots for Hanshin, combining for three perfect innings of relief with seven strikeouts, but the Tigers’ offense could not mount another challenge. In the ninth, Yasuaki Yamasaki retired the side in order, striking out one, to secure his first save of the season and seal the much-needed victory.

The win improved Yokohama’s record to 1-4, while Hanshin fell to 3-2. The result flipped the script from the previous night, when the Tigers defeated the BayStars 4-1, and contradicted the Interstat game simulator’s projection of a 4-2 Hanshin victory. The teams combined for only five total runs, falling under the pregame over/under line of 6.0.

Key individual performances included Yokohama’s Toshiro Miyazaki, who went 2 for 3 with a home run, an RBI, and a walk, and Keita Sano, whose two-run single in the first provided the early cushion. For Hanshin, Shota Morishita had three hits, including his solo homer, accounting for the team’s only run.

The game lasted 2 hours, 58 minutes. The two Central League rivals will conclude their three-game series on Thursday at Osaka Dome before both embark on extended road trips. Yokohama will travel to Tokyo to face the Yomiuri Giants for a three-game set starting Friday, while Hanshin will head to Hiroshima for a three-game series against the Carp beginning the same day.