SAPPORO, Japan (Interstat) — Anderson Espinoza pitched seven innings and the Orix Buffaloes used a pair of late home runs to beat the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters 7-4 on Saturday afternoon at Sapporo Dome. The game took 3 hours, 3 minutes and drew an announced crowd of 32,669. Orix improved to 62-70-2, while Nippon-Ham fell to 73-58-3.

The visiting Buffaloes collected 11 hits and scored in four separate innings. Ryoma Yamanaka had two hits and one RBI. Yuma Mune hit a two-run homer. Ryoma Nishikawa also homered and drove in two runs. Kotaro Kurebayashi drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the final run. Orix also got a double from Yutaro Sugimoto and a run-scoring single from Ho Naito.

The home Fighters finished with six hits. Reo Shibata went 2 for 4 with a home run and one RBI. Yua Tamiya hit a two-run homer. Ruan Ohtsuka added a solo home run. Nippon-Ham stayed within striking distance but could not keep pace after Orix’s seventh-inning surge.

Orix opened the scoring with two runs in the second. Yutaro Sugimoto doubled to left-center and scored on Yamanaka’s double to center. Ho Naito then singled to shallow right to bring home Yamanaka for a 2-0 lead. Mune and Kurebayashi struck out earlier in the inning, but the Buffaloes delivered with two outs.

Nippon-Ham went down in order in the first. Rodolfo Castro grounded out to second, Shibata flied out to left, and Tamiya grounded out to first. The Fighters got a two-out single from Chusei Mannami in the second, but Kotaro Kiyomiya struck out swinging to end the threat.

Orix put a runner on in the third when Ryo Ohta singled to shallow left, but Ryoto Kita grounded out to first and Sugimoto struck out swinging. Nippon-Ham went quietly in the bottom of the third. Ohtsuka struck out looking, Tatsuki Mizuno flied out to right, and Castro struck out swinging.

The Buffaloes threatened in the fourth when Mune walked and stole second. Kotaro Kurebayashi and Yamanaka flew out to center, and Naito grounded out to second, leaving the runner stranded.

Nippon-Ham answered in the fourth. Shibata doubled on the left-field line, and Tamiya followed with a two-run home run to right. The blast tied the game at 2. Yuki Nomura grounded out to shortstop, Shun Mizutani flied out to shortstop, and Mannami grounded out to third.

The Fighters moved ahead in the fifth when Ohtsuka hit a solo home run to right. Kiyomiya grounded out to first before the homer, and Mizuno and Castro were retired after it. That gave Nippon-Ham a 3-2 edge.

Orix had a frustrating fifth. Kenya Wakatsuki struck out looking, Nishikawa reached on an error, and Ohta struck out swinging. Nishikawa was then caught stealing at second to end the inning.

Orix reclaimed the lead in the sixth. Kita flied out to right, but Sugimoto singled to shallow left. Mune followed with a two-run home run to right. Kurebayashi popped out to first, Yamanaka singled to shallow left, and Naito struck out swinging to end the inning. The Buffaloes went ahead 4-3.

Nippon-Ham tied it again in the bottom of the sixth. Shibata hit a solo home run to right, making it 4-4. Tamiya flied out to second, Nomura flied out to catcher, Mizutani singled to shallow left, and Mannami popped out to catcher. The tie lasted only until Orix’s next turn at bat.

Orix responded for good in the seventh. Wakatsuki singled to shallow center, and Nishikawa hit a two-run home run to right. Ohta followed with a single to shallow left, but Kita struck out swinging. Sugimoto popped out to third, Mune walked, and Kurebayashi popped out to catcher. The Buffaloes took a 6-4 lead.

Nippon-Ham put pressure on in the seventh when Kiyomiya reached on an error and Mizuno walked. Ohtsuka struck out swinging, and Haruki Nishikawa grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Buffaloes added an insurance run in the ninth. Ohta doubled to left-center, and Kita walked. Sugimoto grounded out to pitcher, but Mune walked to load the bases. Kurebayashi then drew a bases-loaded walk, forcing in Ohta for the final margin. Yamanaka grounded out to shortstop to end the inning.

Espinoza allowed four earned runs on six hits over seven innings. He walked one and struck out five. Espinoza earned the win and improved to 13-5. Andres Machado pitched a scoreless inning and recorded his 32nd save. Soichiro Yamazaki also threw a scoreless inning with one strikeout.

Hiromi Itoh took the loss for Nippon-Ham and dropped to 9-10. Hiroya Shimamoto pitched a scoreless inning with one strikeout. Yi-Lei Sun also worked a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out one. Neither reliever allowed a hit.

The Buffaloes had dropped three straight games against Fukuoka Softbank before Saturday’s victory. The win gave Orix a positive start to its road series in Sapporo. Nippon-Ham had won its previous game against Saitama Seibu but could not carry that momentum into the weekend opener.

Orix’s defense and bullpen closed the door after Espinoza departed. Yamazaki retired the side in the eighth, and Machado finished with a perfect ninth. The Buffaloes also turned a double play in the seventh to end a Nippon-Ham threat. Nippon-Ham left a runner on base in the sixth and could not capitalize on a leadoff error in the seventh.

The teams are scheduled to meet again Sunday afternoon at Sapporo Dome. Orix will continue its road trip after that, while Nippon-Ham will remain home for the next game of the series.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 1, Orix Buffaloes 0. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Nippon-Ham with a 65.3 percent probability to win. Orix had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 11 went under the over/under line of 7.5.