SAPPORO, Japan (Interstat) — The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks unleashed a relentless 17-hit offensive barrage, scoring in four separate innings to overpower the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters 11-7 on Sunday afternoon and evening at Sapporo Dome, securing a series victory and moving three games above .500.

A crowd of 30,844 watched a game that lasted 4 hours, 11 minutes and defied pregame projections, as the Hawks easily covered as road underdogs and the combined 18 runs sailed over the posted total.

The most important sequence of the game arrived in the top of the seventh inning, with SoftBank clinging to a 6-5 lead. After a strikeout, Taisei Makihara singled to center, bringing center fielder Ukyo Shuto to the plate. Shuto, the game’s top star, promptly launched a two-run homer to right field, extending the Hawks’ lead to 8-5 and providing critical breathing room that the Fighters could not overcome. The blast was the centerpiece of Shuto’s standout day, finishing 3 for 4 with a home run and four RBIs.

SoftBank set the tone immediately against Nippon-Ham starter Kohei Arihara, who took the loss and fell to 1-2. The Hawks batted around in a 39-pitch first inning, scoring three runs on four hits and two walks. Hotaka Yamakawa and Makihara drew RBI singles and a walk, respectively, to stake the visitors to an early 3-0 advantage.

The Fighters responded in their half of the first, with Chusei Mannami driving in a run with a single to cut the deficit to 3-1. They then seized momentum in the third inning, sending nine men to the plate and scoring four times to take a 5-3 lead. Mannami added another RBI single, Yuki Nomura laced a run-scoring double, Tatsuki Mizuno contributed a sacrifice fly, and Taiki Narama capped the rally with an RBI single.

The Hawks’ lead was short-lived, however. SoftBank answered with three runs in the fifth to retake the lead for good at 6-5. Shuto delivered an RBI single, Takashi Umino pushed across a run with a sacrifice bunt, and Hikaru Kawase added a sacrifice fly.

After Shuto’s pivotal seventh-inning homer made it 8-5, SoftBank put the game out of reach with a three-run eighth. Yuki Yanagita and Yamakawa hit back-to-back RBI doubles, and Shuto later added a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 11-5.

The Fighters mounted a final rally in the ninth against SoftBank reliever Yusuke Itoh. Mannami led off with a double, and Nomura followed with a two-run homer to left, his third RBI of the game, to make it 11-7. After a hit-by-pitch, Hawks manager Hiroki Kokubo turned to Hikaru Kimura, who recorded the final two outs to seal the victory.

Winning pitcher Taiga Kamichatani, who improved to 1-0, provided three critical innings of scoreless, hitless relief after starter Shota Takeda struggled. The SoftBank bullpen, including Darwinzon Hernandez who struck out two in a perfect inning, combined for six innings of two-run relief to secure the win.

With the victory, SoftBank improved to 10-4 across all competitions this season, having won six of its last seven games. Nippon-Ham fell to 7-7. The Hawks have now won three of the four meetings between the Pacific League rivals this season.

The Hawks’ offense was relentless, with every starter reaching base at least once. Yamakawa, Makihara, and leadoff hitter Tatsuru Yanagimachi each collected multiple hits. For the Fighters, Mannami went 3 for 4 with two RBIs, and Nomura’s late homer highlighted his 2-for-4, three-RBI performance.

SoftBank next opens a three-game home series against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles on Tuesday. Nippon-Ham travels to face the Chiba Lotte Marines, also beginning a three-game set on Tuesday.