FUKUOKA, Japan (Interstat) — The Pacific League-leading Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks will host the Chiba Lotte Marines on Saturday night at Fukuoka Yahuoku! Dome, looking to build on a one-run victory in the series opener.

SoftBank (45-29-2) holds a nine-game lead over Lotte (36-34-3) in the standings. The Hawks defeated the Marines 3-2 on Friday, with right-hander Carter Stewart Jr. earning the win after allowing one earned run over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out two and scattered four hits.

Stewart Jr. has been sharp in his last three outings, posting a 3-0 record with a 3.45 ERA. He worked 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball against Hanshin on June 11 and yielded three runs over 4 1/3 innings in a win at Nippon-Ham on June 20.

Lotte will counter with right-hander Koshiro Hiroike, who took the loss Friday despite a strong start. He pitched seven innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts. In his prior start June 23 at Nippon-Ham, he gave up three earned runs over six innings in a 4-0 defeat. Hiroike’s best recent outing came June 12 against Yokohama, when he tossed eight innings of two-run ball in a 3-2 victory.

The series has been tightly contested. Three consecutive meetings from June 26-28 ended in scoreless ties, including a 3-3 draw in 12 innings on June 28. SoftBank has won three of the last five matchups, including an 8-3 rout on May 10.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-5 SoftBank victory, with the Hawks carrying a 69 percent win probability according to its ELO system.

Saturday’s game is the second of a three-game set. The teams conclude the series Sunday before Lotte returns home to face Nippon-Ham on Tuesday. SoftBank travels to Orix for a three-game series beginning Tuesday.

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