FUKUOKA, Japan (Interstat) — The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters will try to rebound from a lopsided loss when they visit the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks on Wednesday night, Sept. 9, at Fukuoka Yahuoku! Dome.

SoftBank, 76-46, is coming off a 14-1 rout of Nippon-Ham on Tuesday. Center fielder Ukyo Shuto powered the Hawks, going 3 for 4 with two home runs and six RBIs. Shuto has hits in seven of his past 10 games and remains a key bat at the top of SoftBank’s lineup. Ryoya Kurihara also hit two home runs and drove in four runs in Tuesday’s win, while Livan Moinelo allowed one earned run over 6 1/3 innings with six strikeouts.

Nippon-Ham, 71-54 with two ties, had won three straight games at Tohoku Rakuten before Tuesday’s loss. The Fighters will look to right-hander Reo Shibata as a player to watch after he worked two scoreless innings of relief Tuesday, allowing one hit and striking out two. Sachiya Yamasaki started and took the loss, giving up four earned runs on seven hits over 4 2/3 innings with six strikeouts. Kenta Uehara recorded one out without allowing a hit.

The Hawks enter with the better record, but Interstat’s projections are mixed. The game simulator projects a 7-4 victory for Nippon-Ham, while Interstat’s ELO system gives SoftBank a 58.3% probability of winning.

SoftBank’s offense will try to stay hot after scoring 14 runs Tuesday. The Hawks had won two of three against Saitama Seibu before the blowout, including a 2-0 win Sept. 5 and an 8-2 victory Sept. 4. Shuto’s recent form includes a 2-for-4 game against Seibu on Sept. 6 and a 3-for-5 performance with one RBI at Chiba Lotte on Aug. 27.

Nippon-Ham will aim to regain momentum after winning at Rakuten by scores of 6-3, 5-2 and 5-2 from Sept. 4-6. The Fighters also played SoftBank to a 1-1, 12-inning tie Sept. 2 and beat the Hawks 2-1 on Sept. 1 before Tuesday’s loss. In the past 10 meetings between the teams, the series has included two ties and several one-run games, including Nippon-Ham’s 8-7, 10-inning win Aug. 19 and a 5-5, 12-inning tie Aug. 20. SoftBank won 7-1 on Aug. 18, while Nippon-Ham answered with a 6-2 win Aug. 6. SoftBank also took a 1-0 decision Aug. 4 and a 6-2 win July 16.

The teams are scheduled to meet again Thursday night at Fukuoka Yahuoku! Dome. Nippon-Ham will then travel to Saitama Seibu for games Saturday and Sunday, while SoftBank will host Chiba Lotte for a three-game series beginning Friday.