OSAKA, Japan (Interstat) — Ryoto Kita hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, lifting the Orix Buffaloes to a 9-6 victory over the Rakuten Golden Eagles on Monday at Osaka Dome.

Kita finished 3 for 5 with two home runs and five RBIs, and his final swing of the night proved decisive. He drove in Orix’s first run with a double to left-center in the first inning, then tied the game with a solo homer to right-center in the sixth. After Orix had rallied to even the score, Kita stepped to the plate with one out in the ninth and Sho Gibo on first after a single to shallow right. Ryoma Nishikawa walked to put two runners on, and Kita homered to right-center to end it.

The late dramatics capped a comeback that began after Raketen’s explosive start. The Golden Eagles scored four runs in the first inning. Daisuke Nakashima led off with a single, and Fumiya Kurokawa reached on an error to put runners on first and second. Ryosuke Tatsumi singled to shallow right to score Nakashima, and after a strikeout and a fly out, Hideto Asamura homered to center with two runners aboard. Asamura’s three-run shot gave Rakuten a 4-1 lead. Yuma Yasuda followed with a double, but Hikaru Ohta lined out to left to end the inning.

Rakuten added two more in the second. Rui Muneyama opened the inning with a home run to right-center, and Nakashima followed with a solo homer to right. That stretched the lead to 6-1, and Orix starter Allen Kuri settled in from there.

Orix began its comeback in the second. After Ryoma Yamanaka walked, Kotaro Kurebayashi homered to center with two outs, cutting the deficit to 6-3. The Buffaloes then stranded a runner in the third and fourth innings before breaking through again in the sixth. Kita led off the inning with his first home run, a solo shot to right-center, trimming Rakuten’s lead to 6-4.

In the seventh, Orix tied it. With one out, Kurebayashi singled to shallow center, and Yuma Mune followed with a two-run homer to right. Mune’s blast made it 6-6. Orix had a chance to take the lead later in the inning, but a fly out to right ended the rally.

Rakuten threatened in the top of the seventh. Itsuki Murabayashi singled with two outs, and Asamura doubled to right to put runners on second and third. Yuma Yasuda walked to load the bases, but Hikaru Ohta struck out swinging to leave the bases loaded. The Golden Eagles went quietly in the eighth and ninth, setting the stage for Kita’s walk-off.

Kurebayashi was 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs for Orix, and Mune went 1 for 5 with a homer and two RBIs. Nakashima was 3 for 5 with a home run and an RBI for Rakuten, and Asamura finished 2 for 4 with a homer and three RBIs. Muneyama added a solo homer and scored twice.

On the mound, Kuri allowed two earned runs over six innings, giving up seven hits and striking out five. Rakuten starter Kosei Shoji went six innings, allowing four earned runs on six hits with five strikeouts. Orix reliever Shota Abe struck out two in a scoreless inning, and Andres Machado worked a clean ninth to earn the win. Machado improved to 2-0, while Shoma Fujihira took his second loss. Rakuten relievers Katsutoshi Tai and Ryu Kutani each posted scoreless appearances.

The attendance was 41,015, and the game lasted 3 hours, 31 minutes. Orix improved to 49-46-2, while Rakuten dropped to 37-55-1.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 4-3 Orix victory, and Interstat’s ELO system gave Orix a 59.00 percent probability of winning. Rakuten was a 1.5-run underdog in the betting line, and the combined 15 runs went over the over/under line of 7.5.