HIROSHIMA, Japan (Interstat) — Elehuris Montero launched a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday, lifting the Hiroshima Carp to a dramatic 2-1 victory over the Hanshin Tigers and denying the visitors a series sweep at Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium.

In a taut pitchers’ duel that stretched into the evening, Montero connected on a one-out pitch from Hanshin reliever Takuma Kirishiki, sending it over the left-field wall to snap a 1-1 tie and ignite a celebration among the crowd of 31,416. The blast handed Kirishiki his first loss of the season and capped a brilliant outing from Hiroshima starter Ryoji Kuribayashi, who was in line for a hard-luck no-decision.

The game’s most critical sequence unfolded in the final two innings, transforming a masterclass in pitching into a sudden-death finish. Hanshin, held to just three hits through seven innings by Kuribayashi, finally broke through in the top of the eighth. Pinch-hitter Nozomu Takatera led off with a single. After a force out, Seishiro Sakamoto singled to put runners at the corners. Koji Chikamoto then delivered a sacrifice fly to left, scoring pinch-runner Kein Fukushima to tie the game at 1-1.

Hiroshima threatened immediately in the bottom of the eighth against Hanshin reliever Dauri Moreta. Shosei Nakamura led off with a single and, after a fly out, stole second base to move into scoring position with one out. Moreta escaped the jam by getting Tai Sasaki to fly out and Sandro Fabian to strike out swinging, preserving the deadlock.

Hanshin went quietly in the top of the ninth against Hiroshima closer Shota Nakazaki. That set the stage for Montero, who took Kirishiki deep on the seventh pitch of the at-bat for his first home run of the season, securing the win for Nakazaki, who improved to 1-0.

The contest was defined by the starting pitchers. Hiroshima’s Kuribayashi was dominant, scattering five hits over eight innings while allowing one run. He struck out nine and walked none, expertly working around the few baserunners he allowed. His counterpart, Hanshin’s Haruto Takahashi, was nearly as sharp. The Tigers’ top star delivered six strong innings, yielding one run on five hits with four strikeouts, continuing an excellent start to his season that included a complete-game shutout of Yomiuri on March 28.

Hiroshima’s initial run came in the first inning. Minoru Ohmori led off with a single, was sacrificed to second by Shosei Nakamura, and scored on a two-out single by Tai Sasaki. That early 1-0 lead looked like it might stand for much of the afternoon and evening, as Kuribayashi mowed down the Hanshin lineup and the Carp squandered several chances to add insurance.

Hanshin’s best opportunity prior to the eighth came in the sixth. Fukushima doubled to lead off the frame and was sacrificed to third. With the infield in, Kuribayashi induced a groundout from Chikamoto and a fly out from Takumu Nakano to strand the runner 90 feet away.

The loss halted a three-game winning streak for the Central League-leading Tigers, who fell to 6-3. They had won the first two games of this series in Hiroshima. The Carp evened their season record at 4-4 with the victory, which defied pregame projections. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 4-2 Hanshin win, and its ELO system gave the Tigers a 66.1% probability of victory. The combined three runs also went well under the over/under line of 5.5.

Hanshin’s bullpen, aside from Kirishiki’s final pitch, was effective. Daiki Hayakawa and Dauri Moreta each tossed a scoreless inning of relief. For Hiroshima, Nakazaki’s perfect ninth earned him the win.

The Tigers now return home to Osaka to begin a three-game series against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows on Tuesday. The Carp remain at home to host the Yomiuri Giants for a three-game set starting the same day.