FUKUOKA (Interstat) — Kenta Imamiya went 4 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs, Kensuke Kondoh added three hits and three RBIs, and SoftBank defeated Orix 12-5 on Sunday afternoon at Fukuoka Yahuoku! Dome in Fukuoka, Japan. The Hawks finished with 21 hits and the Buffaloes had eight. SoftBank improved to 89-48-3, while Orix dropped to 65-74-2. Attendance was 39,894, and the game took 3 hours, 15 minutes.

SoftBank grabbed the lead in the first. Tomoya Masaki walked to open the inning, Tatsuru Yanagimachi grounded out to third, and Kondoh homered to right-center for two runs. Yuki Yanagita singled to shallow center, Akira Nakamura doubled to right-center, and Imamiya walked to load the bases. Yuudai Yamamoto then singled to third for one run, and Taisei Makihara grounded out to shortstop. SoftBank led 3-0 after the first. Orix had a chance in the top half when Ryoma Nishikawa singled to shallow right, but Ryoto Kita flew out to center, Ryo Ohta flew out to right and Yuma Mune grounded out to second.

The Hawks added a run in the second. Yanagimachi singled to second, Kondoh walked, and Ryoya Kurihara singled to shallow center to drive in one. Yanagita grounded out to second and Nakamura flew out to shortstop. In the third, Imamiya singled to shallow right and Yamamoto homered to left-center for two runs. Makihara grounded out to second, Masaki flew out to left, Yanagimachi singled to shallow left, Kondoh walked and Kurihara struck out looking. Orix got on the board in the second when Taishi Hirooka hit a solo home run to left. Seiya Yokoyama grounded out to first and Shuna Hori struck out swinging in that inning.

Orix cut into the lead again in the fourth. Mune singled over the left fielder and Kotaro Kurebayashi homered to right-center for two runs. Hirooka grounded out to shortstop and Yokoyama struck out swinging. SoftBank answered with pressure in the fifth. Makihara singled to shallow left, Masaki walked, and after Yanagimachi struck out swinging, Kondoh singled to shallow center for one run. Kurihara singled to shallow right, and Yanagita doubled on the left line for another run. Nakamura flew out to left to end the inning. Orix went down in order in the fifth on a lineout by Hori, a strikeout by Yusuke Mugitani and a flyout by Nishikawa.

SoftBank starter Ryosuke Ohtsu worked through the middle innings. Orix put together a small threat in the sixth when Kita grounded out, Ohta grounded out, Mune was hit by a pitch and Kurebayashi flew out to center. SoftBank then added to its lead in the seventh. Yanagimachi, Kondoh and Kurihara opened the inning with singles to load the bases. Yoshiyasu Sasagawa lifted a sacrifice fly to center for one run, and after Nakamura popped out to the catcher, Imamiya homered to left for three runs. Yamamoto grounded out to third to end the inning. Orix had gone scoreless in the seventh after Hirooka struck out looking, Yokoyama walked, Hori struck out swinging and Ryoma Ikeda flew out to center.

The Hawks kept hitting in the eighth. Makihara singled to shallow center, Masaki singled to shallow left, Yanagimachi flew out to center, Kondoh struck out swinging and Kurihara popped out to third. SoftBank finished with 21 hits, including multiple-hit games from Imamiya, Kondoh, Yamamoto, Yanagimachi, Kurihara, Makihara and Yanagita. Orix’s eighth was quiet, with Nishikawa flying out to center before Kita and Ohta each flew out to right. The Buffaloes did not go away in the ninth. Mune singled to shallow center, Kurebayashi doubled to right-center, and after Hirooka and Yokoyama struck out swinging, pinch hitter Ryoma Yamanaka doubled to left-center for two runs. Ryoma Ikeda then grounded out to shortstop to end the game.

Imamiya was the game’s top star. He walked in the first, singled in the third, singled in the fourth, singled in the sixth and homered in the seventh. His four-hit afternoon came after he had collected two hits over his previous four games. Imamiya’s seventh-inning drive was the decisive blow in a game that SoftBank never trailed. Kondoh reached base five times, going 3 for 4 with two walks, a home run and three RBIs. Yamamoto went 2 for 5 with a home run and three RBIs. Kurebayashi paced Orix by going 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs. Yamanaka went 1 for 1 with two RBIs. Orix’s eight hits included two apiece from Nishikawa, Mune and Kurebayashi, while Hirooka and Yamanaka supplied the other two.

Ohtsu earned the win. He allowed five hits and three earned runs over five innings, struck out three and improved to 12-5. Orix starter Taito Takashima took the loss and fell to 7-6. The Hawks’ bullpen was sharp. Gota Suzuki, Darwinzon Hernandez and Tatsuto Kobayashi each pitched a scoreless inning. Hernandez allowed one walk and struck out two. Orix reliever Ryoga Tomiyama worked 1 1/3 innings, permitting one hit and no earned runs while striking out two. SoftBank also got a scoreless inning from Suzuki and another from Kobayashi as it protected the large lead. The bullpen protected the lead after Ohtsu departed.

The result continued SoftBank’s recent dominance in the series. The Hawks have won eight of the past 10 meetings between the teams, including a 9-0 victory in the previous matchup. SoftBank entered after a 4-0 win over Tohoku Rakuten. Orix arrived after consecutive shutout losses, including a 2-0 defeat to Hokkaido Nippon Ham and a 9-0 loss to SoftBank. The Buffaloes are scheduled to continue their road trip at Saitama Seibu, while SoftBank is set to travel to Tohoku Rakuten and Chiba Lotte in its next games. SoftBank’s victory kept it well ahead in the season series.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of SoftBank 7, Orix 5. Interstat’s ELO system gave SoftBank a 70 percent probability to win.