FUKUOKA, Japan (Interstat) — Ryoya Kurihara and Tomoya Masaki drove in the key runs, and Ryosuke Ohtsu pitched seven strong innings as the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks defeated the Saitama Seibu Lions 3-1 on Thursday evening at Fukuoka Yahuoku! Dome.

Ohtsu allowed one run on three hits with four strikeouts to earn his eighth win against two losses. Natsuki Takeuchi took the loss for Seibu, allowing three runs on five hits with seven strikeouts over six innings. Kazuki Sugiyama recorded his 14th save, pitching a scoreless ninth with two strikeouts.

SoftBank improved to 44-29-1, moving one game ahead of Seibu in the standings. The Lions fell to 44-32-2. The game drew 40,122 fans and lasted 2 hours, 27 minutes.

The Lions struck first in the top of the second inning. Kazunari Ishii led off the frame with a home run to left-center field, his solo shot giving Seibu a 1-0 lead. The Lions threatened to add more when Alexander Canario doubled down the left-field line, but Ohtsu stranded him at second by inducing a groundout and a popout.

SoftBank answered with a two-run outburst in the bottom of the fifth. Tatsuru Yanagimachi drew a leadoff walk, and after Isami Nomura struck out, Takashi Umino singled to shallow center. Yudai Shoji walked to load the bases. Masaki then lined a single to shallow left, scoring Yanagimachi and Umino to put SoftBank ahead 2-1. Ohtsu protected the lead by retiring the next two batters.

The Hawks added an insurance run in the sixth when Kurihara crushed a home run to right-center field, his solo shot making it 3-1. SoftBank’s bullpen took over from there. Yuki Matsumoto worked a scoreless seventh, Masaya Kuroda pitched a clean eighth for Seibu, and Sugiyama closed the ninth despite allowing a two-out single to Canario.

Takeuchi delivered a solid start for Seibu, striking out seven over six innings, but the early run support evaporated after the second. Ishii finished 1-for-4 with the home run and an RBI, and Seiya Watanabe doubled in the fourth but was left stranded.

For SoftBank, Masaki went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Kurihara finished 1-for-3 with a walk, a home run and an RBI. Ohtsu allowed only three hits and walked one while striking out four, relying on a mix of fastballs and breaking pitches to keep the Lions off balance after the second inning.

The victory extended SoftBank’s recent dominance over Seibu. The Hawks had outscored the Lions 17-0 in the first two games of the three-game series, winning 11-0 on Wednesday and 6-0 on Tuesday. Seibu, which managed only four hits Thursday, had lost four of its previous five games entering the contest.

Takeuchi, who allowed two earned runs over eight innings in a loss at Rakuten on June 25, gave up three earned runs Thursday but matched his season high with seven strikeouts. The Lions had averaged just 2.4 runs per game over their previous five contests.

SoftBank’s bullpen continued its strong stretch. Sugiyama, who had converted 13 of his previous 14 save opportunities, retired the side in order except for Canario’s single. He struck out An-Ko Lin to end the game.

Seibu’s offense struggled to generate sustained pressure. After Ishii’s home run, the Lions put only two runners in scoring position, stranding Canario at second in the second and Watanabe at third in the fourth. Ohtsu retired 10 of the final 11 batters he faced, including five strikeouts over the middle innings.

The pivotal moment came in the bottom of the fifth when SoftBank loaded the bases with one out and Masaki delivered the go-ahead single. Kurihara’s homer in the sixth provided breathing room.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of SoftBank 5, Seibu 2, and the ELO system gave the Hawks a 65.30 percent win probability. SoftBank was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5, and the total score of 1 went over the over-under line of 6.5.