YOKOHAMA, Japan (Interstat) — In a game defined by a decisive fourth-inning outburst and a tense, late-inning rally that fell just short, the Yokohama BayStars held off the Chunichi Dragons 5-3 on Tuesday night at Yokohama Stadium.

A crowd of 31,795 watched as the BayStars, overcoming an early deficit, used a four-run fourth inning to seize control before weathering a two-run homer in the ninth to secure the victory. The win improved Yokohama’s record across all competitions to 3-7, while the struggling Dragons fell to 2-8.

The most important sequence of the game unfolded in the bottom of the fourth inning, erasing Chunichi’s early lead and establishing a margin the Dragons could not overcome. Entering the frame trailing 1-0, the BayStars’ offense erupted against Chunichi starter Yumeto Kanemaru. The rally began with three consecutive singles from Toshiro Miyazaki, Yuudai Yamamoto and Cooper Hummel to load the bases with no outs.

Tatsuo Ebina then delivered the pivotal blow, lacing a double to right-center field to clear the bases and drive in two runs, tying the game. After an out, Shugo Maki provided the knockout punch, doubling down the left-field line to score two more, capping the four-run inning and giving Yokohama a 4-1 lead. That four-run outburst, fueled by timely hitting with runners in scoring position, proved to be the definitive turning point.

The Dragons had struck first in the opening inning. Hiroki Fukunaga and Jason Vosler hit back-to-back one-out singles, and Seiya Hosokawa followed with an RBI single to shallow left to plate Fukunaga for a 1-0 lead. Yokohama starter Osuke Fukazawa, however, settled in after the rocky start. He worked four innings, allowing one earned run on six hits while striking out five, keeping his team within reach until the offense awakened.

Following the fourth-inning explosion, the BayStars’ bullpen took over with efficiency. A procession of five relievers — Yuya Sakamoto, Hiromu Ise, Sean Reynolds, Kenshin Makino and winning pitcher Tatsuya Hashimoto — combined for five scoreless innings from the fifth through the eighth, allowing just one hit and striking out six. Hashimoto, who pitched a perfect eighth with two strikeouts, earned the win to move to 1-0.

Yokohama added a critical insurance run in the bottom of the eighth. With two outs, Taiki Ishikami doubled down the left-field line, scoring Hummel, who had walked, to extend the lead to 5-1.

That run loomed large in the top of the ninth. Facing reliever Kohki Saitoh, Chunichi’s Kaito Muramatsu reached on an error to lead off the inning. Pinch-hitter Yutaro Itayama then launched a two-run home run to right field, suddenly cutting the deficit to 5-3 and bringing the potential tying run to the plate. The rally ended there, however, as Hiroki Fukunaga struck out swinging, Mikiya Tanaka grounded out, and Jason Vosler struck out swinging to end the three-hour, ten-minute contest.

Kanemaru took the loss for Chunichi, falling to 0-1 after surrendering four earned runs on eight hits in four innings of work. The Dragons collected eight hits total but went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. Yokohama’s 11-hit attack was led by Shugo Maki, who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and Tatsuo Ebina, whose two-RBI double ignited the comeback.

The victory defied the pregame projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a 2-1 Chunichi victory, though the BayStars entered with a 63.3% probability to win according to the same service’s ELO ratings. The combined eight runs sailed over the pregame over/under line of 7.0.

The two Central League rivals will conclude their brief two-game series on Wednesday evening at Yokohama Stadium. Chunichi will then return home to Nagoya to begin a three-game set with the Hanshin Tigers on Friday. Yokohama remains at home to host the Hiroshima Toyo Carp for a three-game series starting Friday.