SAPPORO, Japan (Interstat) — The Saitama Seibu Lions and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters will conclude a three-game series Sunday evening at Sapporo Dome, with both teams looking for momentum after splitting the first two contests.

The Fighters (9-10) evened the series with a 5-3 victory Saturday night. The Lions (7-12-1) took the opener 5-3 on Friday.

A marquee pitching rematch is set for the rubber game, with Seibu right-hander Natsuki Takeuchi scheduled to face Nippon-Ham right-hander Hiromi Itoh. The two dueled just one day ago, with Itoh earning the win despite allowing eight hits over six innings. Takeuchi was sharper, tossing five-plus scoreless frames in a no-decision.

Takeuchi has been excellent in three of his last four starts, including a 10-strikeout, two-hit outing against Rakuten on April 4. Itoh seeks consistency after a rocky start to the season; he was dominant in a win over Orix on April 3 but was tagged for six runs by SoftBank on April 11.

The Lions have lost four of their last five games overall. The Fighters have alternated wins and losses over their last six.

Projections offer a conflicting outlook. Interstat’s game simulator predicts a 4-3 Lions victory. However, the same service’s ELO rating system gives the Fighters a 67% probability to win.

Following Sunday’s game, both clubs will enjoy a day off before beginning new series on Tuesday. The Lions return home to face the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, while the Fighters will host the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. local time.