OSAKA, Japan (Interstat) — Koki Kitayama pitched eight scoreless innings, Franmil Reyes hit a two-run home run in the first inning and the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters defeated the Orix Buffaloes 2-0 on Sunday evening at Osaka Dome.

Kitayama allowed seven hits, struck out seven and walked none for his third win of the season. The right-hander has now won consecutive starts against Orix after he threw a complete-game shutout against them on May 3. Taisei Yanagawa pitched a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts for his eighth save.

Anderson Espinoza took the loss despite a solid start. He allowed two runs on six hits over six innings, striking out five and walking two. Espinoza fell to 4-1.

The game’s decisive moment came in the top of the first. With two outs, Kotaro Kiyomiya drew a walk and Reyes followed by driving a 1-0 pitch over the left-field wall for his seventh home run of the season. The two-run blast provided all the offense the Fighters needed.

Nippon-Ham managed only seven hits but threatened repeatedly. Yua Tamiya went 2-for-2 with a double and a single. Rodolfo Castro singled and scored on the Reyes home run. Kota Yazawa doubled in the fourth inning and walked later.

Orix also collected seven hits but could not push a run across. Ryoma Nishikawa had two hits, including a single. Masahiro Nishino, Keita Nakagawa and Ryoto Kita each singled. Tomoya Mori singled in the eighth inning to put runners at first and third with one out, but Ryo Ohta struck out and Nishino grounded out to end the threat.

Kitayama worked out of his own jam in the seventh. After Kita singled and Tomoya Noguchi singled to put runners at first and third with two outs, Kotaro Kurebayashi grounded out to the pitcher.

The Fighters had a chance to add insurance in the ninth when they loaded the bases with one out against Orix relievers Kaito Iriyama, Soichiro Yamazaki and Hiroshi Suzuki. However, Kiyomiya flied out to first and Reyes flied out to right to end the inning.

Yanagawa set down the Buffaloes in order in the bottom of the ninth, striking out Keita Nakagawa and Tomoya Noguchi around a flyout by Kita.

The attendance was 34,472. The game lasted 3 hours, 8 minutes.

Nippon-Ham improved to 18-20 and ended a two-game losing streak. Orix fell to 22-14 but still leads the Pacific League standings.

The series continues Tuesday when the Fighters travel to Chiba to face the Lotte Marines, while the Buffaloes head to Sendai to play the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.

Other contributors for Nippon-Ham included Chusei Mannami with a single and Yuki Nomura with a single. The Fighters left 12 runners on base.

For Orix, relievers Raiku Katayama, Iriyama, Yamazaki and Suzuki combined for three innings of one-hit relief, striking out one. Katayama faced one batter in the seventh, Iriyama pitched a scoreless eighth, Yamazaki worked the ninth and Suzuki got one out.

The Buffaloes had a runner in scoring position in only three innings. In the fourth, Ryo Ohta walked and Nakagawa singled to put runners at first and third with two outs, but Kita struck out. In the eighth, Watanabe and Mori singled with one out before Ohta struck out.

Kitayama’s dominance continued a trend for the Nippon-Ham staff. In the two games prior, the Fighters allowed four runs in a 3-4 loss Friday and shut out Orix 3-0 on Saturday. The Buffaloes managed just one run over the last two games of the series.

Reyes finished 1-for-5 with two RBIs. He struck out once. Tamiya, the catcher, reached base twice and scored once on the home run.

Nippon-Ham’s next 10 games include a three-game set at Chiba Lotte, a three-game home series against Seibu, a two-game home set against Rakuten and a two-game trip to Fukuoka.

Orix plays a three-game series at Rakuten, a three-game set at Chiba Lotte, a two-game home series against Fukuoka and a three-game trip to Seibu.

The head-to-head series between the two teams now stands at six games for the season. Nippon-Ham holds a 4-2 edge after Sunday’s win, including three shutouts in the last four meetings.

The Fighters also got strong defensive play. Center fielder Chusei Mannami made a running catch to end the second inning. Shortstop Yuki Nomura turned a double play in the seventh.

Kitayama threw 117 pitches, 77 for strikes. He recorded seven strikeouts and no walks, the third time this season he has gone at least eight innings without issuing a free pass.

Espinoza threw 99 pitches, 61 strikes. He walked two and struck out five.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Orix Buffaloes 7, Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 4. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Orix with a 50.90 percent probability to win. Nippon-Ham had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of plus 1.5. The total score of 2 went over the over/under line of 6.5.