FUKUOKA, Japan (Interstat) — In a tense pitchers’ duel that stretched into the late innings, Kensuke Kondoh’s two-out, two-run homer in the seventh inning broke a scoreless deadlock and propelled the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks to a 2-0 victory over the Saitama Seibu Lions on Thursday night.

A crowd of 38,049 at the Fukuoka Yahuoku! Dome watched as both starting pitchers traded zeros for six frames before Kondoh’s decisive blast off reliever Emmanuel Ramirez decided the contest.

The win gave SoftBank the series split after dropping the first two games of the three-game set and improved the Hawks’ record to 8-4 across all competitions. The Lions, held to just one hit, fell to 4-7-1.

The game’s defining moment came with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. After Lions starter Shinya Sugai delivered six brilliant shutout innings, allowing just two hits and striking out five, manager Kazuhiro Ishii turned to his bullpen. Ramirez entered and quickly recorded two groundouts before walking Tatsuru Yanagimachi. That brought Kondoh, the Hawks’ left fielder, to the plate.

On a 1-1 offering, Kondoh drove the ball to deep right-center field, clearing the wall for a two-run homer. The swing instantly transformed the quiet, methodical pace of the game, unleashing a roar from the home crowd as the Hawks seized a 2-0 lead. It was the only significant offensive breakthrough in a game dominated by pitching.

That was more than enough support for SoftBank starter Ryosuke Ohtsu, who was magnificent. The right-hander earned the win, improving to 1-0, by matching Sugai’s zeroes and then some. Ohtsu worked seven full innings, surrendering only one hit—a leadoff single to Masayuki Kuwahara in the first inning—while walking one and striking out four. He retired the final 16 batters he faced after the first-inning single, expertly navigating a Lions lineup that never threatened.

The Lions’ only hit was that first-inning single from Kuwahara. Junichiro Kishi followed by grounding into a double play, and Ohtsu was virtually untouchable from that point forward. Seibu managed only two baserunners the rest of the way: a hit-by-pitch in the third and a walk in the eighth, but could not advance either into scoring position.

Following Ohtsu’s departure, the Hawks’ bullpen slammed the door with authority. Yuki Matsumoto struck out two in a perfect eighth inning, and closer Kazuki Sugiyama finished the job in the ninth, striking out two more in a 1-2-3 frame to secure his fourth save of the season. SoftBank relievers combined for three perfect innings with four strikeouts.

The Lions’ pitching was largely excellent in defeat. Sugai’s six-inning gem kept his team in the game, and Ryota Itogawa contributed a scoreless inning of relief. The loss was charged to Ramirez, who fell to 1-1 after allowing the two-run homer in his lone inning of work.

The result defied the pregame projections from Interstat, which had simulated a 7-2 Hawks victory and gave SoftBank a 72.1% probability to win. While the Hawks covered the spread as 1.5-run favorites, the combined total of two runs fell dramatically under the over/under line of 6.5, underscoring the unexpected pitching dominance.

The game lasted 2 hours, 32 minutes, a brisk pace set by the efficiency of both starters.

With the series concluded, both teams turn their attention to new opponents. The Lions return home to face the Chiba Lotte Marines in a three-game series beginning Friday. The Hawks have a brief break before heading north for a two-game series against the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters starting Saturday. The Pacific League rivals are scheduled to meet again for a two-game series in Saitama beginning April 21.