OSAKA (Interstat) — Ryo Ohta drove in three runs with a pair of doubles, and the Orix Buffaloes rallied past the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters 4-2 on Saturday afternoon at Osaka Dome in front of 32,940 fans.

The victory improved Orix to 15-9 on the season, while Nippon-Ham fell to 11-14. The game lasted 3 hours, 5 minutes.

Ohta’s two-run double in the fifth inning erased a 1-0 deficit and gave the Buffaloes a lead they never relinquished. He later added an RBI single in the sixth inning, finishing 3-for-3 at the plate with three runs batted in.

Taito Takashima earned the win for Orix, allowing one earned run on three hits over five innings while striking out six. The right-hander improved to 2-0 on the season. Andres Machado pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his sixth save, striking out one.

Koki Kitayama took the loss for Nippon-Ham, falling to 1-2. The right-hander allowed three earned runs on seven hits over five innings, striking out seven.

Nippon-Ham struck first in the top of the fifth inning. Taiki Narama led off with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Yushi Shimizu. After Ruan Ohtsuka flied out, Kotaro Kiyomiya singled to shallow center, scoring Narama and giving the Fighters a 1-0 lead.

Orix answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning. Tomoya Noguchi grounded out to start the frame, and Haruto Watanabe struck out looking for the second out. Masahiro Nishino then singled, and Ryoma Nishikawa followed with a single of his own to put runners on first and second. Ohta stepped to the plate and ripped a double to center field, driving in both runners to give Orix a 2-1 advantage. Bob Seymour struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Buffaloes extended their lead in the sixth. Kotaro Kurebayashi struck out to open the inning, then Ryoto Kita singled to left. Kenya Wakatsuki sacrificed Kita to second, and Noguchi delivered a single to center that plated Kita, making it 3-1.

Nippon-Ham cut into the lead in the seventh inning. Chusei Mannami singled to left and advanced to second when Narama grounded out to third. Yuki Nomura walked, and Ohtsuka walked to load the bases. Kiyomiya then walked to force in Mannami, pulling the Fighters within a run at 3-2. But Daiki Asama flied out to shortstop and Franmil Reyes popped out to first, leaving the bases loaded and ending the threat.

Orix added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh. Nishikawa singled with one out, but pinch-runner Yusuke Mugitani was caught stealing second. Ohta then singled to left, but Seymour grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Fighters mounted one final rally in the ninth inning. Yua Tamiya struck out to start the frame, but Ohtsuka walked. Kiyomiya then grounded into a game-ending double play to first base.

Nippon-Ham finished with five hits in the game, while Orix collected 11. The Fighters used four pitchers in the game; Kitayama started and was followed by Koji Fukutani, who allowed two hits but no runs in one inning of relief, and Taisho Tamai, who tossed a scoreless inning. Orix used six pitchers; after Takashima, Naruki Teranishi allowed one earned run on one hit in 1 1/3 innings, Soichiro Yamazaki struck out two in a scoreless inning, Nobuyoshi Yamada retired the only batter he faced, Kosei Yoshida recorded one out, and Machado closed the door.

The pivotal moment of the game came in the bottom of the fifth inning, when Ohta’s double turned a one-run deficit into a one-run lead. With two outs and runners on first and second, Ohta drove a 2-1 pitch from Kitayama into the gap in right-center. Both runners scored easily, and Orix never trailed again. The hit was the first extra-base knock of the game for the Buffaloes and swung the momentum decisively in their favor after Nippon-Ham had taken the lead in the top of the frame.

Orix’s bullpen held Nippon-Ham to one run over the final four innings after Takashima departed. Teranishi allowed the tying run to score in the seventh before Yamazaki, Yamada, Yoshida and Machado combined for three scoreless innings to preserve the victory.

The two teams continue their series Sunday at Osaka Dome. Nippon-Ham then travels to Saitama for a three-game set against the Seibu Lions beginning Tuesday, while Orix returns home to host the SoftBank Hawks on Tuesday.

In Friday’s series opener, Orix defeated Nippon-Ham 3-2 in a similar one-run contest. The Buffaloes have now won two straight after losing three of their previous four games. The Fighters have dropped two in a row and five of their last seven.

Orix’s offense struggled early against Kitayama, who retired nine of the first 11 batters he faced. Watanabe singled to lead off the first inning but was stranded when Seymour struck out and Kurebayashi grounded out. The Buffaloes didn’t muster another hit until Nishino’s single in the fifth, which started their rally.

Kitayama had struck out four batters through four innings and appeared to be in control. But after allowing the two-out single to Nishino, he gave up another single to Nishikawa and Ohta’s double on a full count. Kitayama also served up Noguchi’s RBI single in the sixth before being lifted for Fukutani.

Orix’s Takashima was equally effective early, retiring the side in order in the second and third innings. He allowed only two hits through four innings before Nippon-Ham broke through in the fifth. Takashima also benefited from a double play in the third inning when Kotaro Kiyomiya was caught stealing after leading off with a single.

The Fighters’ best scoring opportunity came in the seventh inning when they loaded the bases with one out on the strength of three walks around a Mannami single. But Teranishi escaped the jam by inducing Asama’s popout and Reyes’ popout to first base.

Nippon-Ham had a chance in the eighth inning as well. Haruki Nishikawa singled with one out, but Mannami struck out and Narama flied out to shortstop.

Machado worked a clean ninth inning for his sixth save, striking out Tamiya and then getting Kiyomiya to hit into the double play.

The game drew 32,940 fans to Osaka Dome, continuing a strong attendance trend for the Buffaloes, who have drawn well over 30,000 for most weekend home games this season.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Orix 5, Nippon-Ham 4. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Nippon-Ham with a 50.30 percent probability to win. Nippon-Ham had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of plus-1.5 runs. The total score of the game went over the over-under line of 7.0 runs.