TOKOROZAWA, Japan (Interstat) — A tense pitchers’ duel erupted into a decisive four-run ninth inning for the Chiba Lotte Marines, who snapped a three-game losing streak with a 6-3 victory over the Saitama Seibu Lions on Friday night at Seibu Dome.

In a game defined by missed opportunities and stellar early pitching, the Marines broke a 2-2 deadlock in the final frame, capitalizing on a critical Seibu error to pull away and secure the win in front of 17,040 fans. The victory improved Lotte’s record to 5-8, while the Lions fell to 4-8-1.

The most important part of the game arrived in the top of the ninth inning, with the score tied and the momentum seemingly with the home team after their late rally. Facing Lions reliever Hibiki Shinohara, Hiromi Oka led off with a single. Kou Matsukawa’s sacrifice bunt moved him to second, and a walk to pinch-hitter Toshiya Satoh put two on. Misho Nishikawa, who finished 2-for-5, then loaded the bases with a single to right.

Shinohara appeared to escape the jam, striking out Kyota Fujiwara and getting Ryusei Ogawa to hit a ground ball to shortstop. But Sosuke Genda’s error on the play allowed Oka to score the go-ahead run, keeping the bases loaded. Neftali Soto was then hit by a pitch, forcing in another run. Gregory Polanco, the Marines’ designated hitter, delivered the crushing blow, a two-run single to shallow left that plated Satoh and Nishikawa to extend the lead to 6-2.

That outburst rendered a spirited Lions comeback in the eighth inning moot. Trailing 2-1 and down to their final out in the frame, Seibu rallied against Lotte reliever Sam Long. Masayuki Kuwahara and Genda hit back-to-back singles, setting the stage for Junichiro Kishi. His double to left field cleared the bases, tying the game and electrifying the home crowd. Long recovered to strike out Taiga Kojima to end the inning, setting the stage for Lotte’s ninth-inning heroics.

The game began as a classic low-scoring affair, thanks to strong starts from Lotte’s Tokito Kawamura and Seibu’s Yutaro Watanabe. Kawamura, named the top star for Lotte, delivered six dominant innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out five. His only blemish was a two-out RBI double by Alexander Canario in the fifth inning that cut Lotte’s early lead to 2-1.

The Marines had built that lead with single runs in the second and fourth innings, both driven in by third baseman Ryusei Terachi. In the second, his single scored Polanco, who had doubled. In the fourth, Terachi again singled home a run, this time bringing in Kyuto Ueda, who had led off the inning with a double. Terachi finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

Watanabe was nearly as effective for Seibu, surrendering two runs on six hits over 6 2/3 innings, walking two and striking out one. The Lions’ bullpen initially held the line after he departed, with Shinnosuke Hada, Shota Hamaya and Masaya Kuroda combining for 1 1/3 scoreless innings before the ninth-inning collapse.

Shota Suzuki earned the win for Lotte despite his brief and eventful outing. Entering in the eighth, he allowed the two-out single to Genda that preceded Kishi’s game-tying double. He was credited with the win after the Marines reclaimed the lead. Shinohara took the loss for Seibu, charged with four runs, though only one was earned, in his lone inning of work.

Rikuto Yokoyama worked a scoreless ninth for Lotte to record his third save of the season, navigating around two walks to seal the victory.

The result defied the pregame projections. Interstat’s game simulator had predicted a 3-2 Lions victory, and its ELO system gave Seibu a 53.6 percent probability to win. The Lions had also been installed as a 1.5-run favorite. The total of nine runs combined went over the posted over/under line of 6.0.

The game lasted 3 hours, 27 minutes.

The two teams continue their series at Seibu Dome on Saturday and Sunday. The Marines will look to build on the momentum from their late-game rally, while the Lions will aim to clean up the defensive miscues that proved costly in the opener.