YOKOHAMA (Interstat) — Yuto Kawamura hit a tiebreaking solo home run in the 10th inning, and SoftBank held off Yokohama 4-3 on Sunday evening in Game 2 of their playoff series at Yokohama Stadium. The Hawks lead the series 2-0 after the visiting side scored four runs on nine hits and the BayStars scored three runs on 10 hits. SoftBank improved to 96-50-3, while Yokohama fell to 78-71-3. The game lasted 3 hours, 36 minutes and drew 33,432.

Livan Moinelo delivered the top performance for SoftBank, pitching seven scoreless innings and allowing five hits with one walk and eight strikeouts. The outing came after he allowed three earned runs over 2.2 innings in his previous appearance. Moinelo did not figure in the decision, but he kept Yokohama off the scoreboard through seven innings and gave SoftBank’s bullpen a chance to finish the comeback.

SoftBank opened the scoring with Tomoya Masaki’s solo home run in the third. The Hawks added a run in the fourth when Yudai Shoji doubled to right-center to score Yudai Yamamoto. Yokohama answered with one swing, as Yoshitomo Tsutsugoh hit a three-run home run to left that put the BayStars ahead. Tsutsugoh finished 1-for-5 with the homer and three RBIs. SoftBank tied it in the ninth on Hotaka Yamakawa’s solo homer, and Kawamura won it in the 10th with a solo shot to center.

Yokohama starter Shuto Ogata allowed two earned runs on five hits over 4 1/3 innings, striking out six. SoftBank’s Darwinzon Hernandez earned the win with a scoreless inning, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one, improving to 2-2. Hiromu Ise took the loss for Yokohama, falling to 2-5. Kazuki Sugiyama worked a scoreless inning with one hit and one strikeout for his 38th save.

Yokohama’s bullpen received scoreless work from Koh Nakagawa, who struck out one over an inning while walking two; Teruki Yoshino, who struck out one in a scoreless inning; Naoki Wakamatsu, who allowed one hit and one walk in a scoreless inning; and Masaki Iwata, who struck out one in two-thirds of an inning. SoftBank’s Gota Suzuki struck out two in two-thirds of a scoreless inning, and Sugiyama closed the door in the 10th.

The Hawks had chances early. Masaki reached on an error and Ukyo Shuto singled in the first, but Kensuke Kondoh, Ryoya Kurihara and Yuki Yanagita were retired in succession. SoftBank went down in order in the second. Yokohama loaded the bases in the second when Shion Matsuo singled, Tomoya Inoue doubled and Tatsuo Ebina was intentionally walked, but Ogata struck out swinging to end the threat.

Moinelo settled in after that escape. He struck out the side around Inoue’s double in the fourth and retired the side in order in the fifth. SoftBank stranded two runners in the sixth when Yamamoto and Shoji drew walks before Moinelo grounded out to third. Yokohama also left a runner aboard in the sixth after Keita Sano singled with one out.

The BayStars broke through in the seventh. Ryuki Watarai singled to shallow right and Shugo Maki was hit by a pitch before Sano flied out to right. Tsutsugoh then drove a ball to left for a three-run homer, giving Yokohama a 3-2 lead. SoftBank put two runners on in the eighth when Kurihara walked and Yanagita singled, but Makihara grounded out to the catcher and Yamamoto grounded out to second.

SoftBank answered in the ninth when Yamakawa homered to left with one out. Shuto doubled with two outs, but Kondoh struck out swinging to send the game to the bottom of the ninth. Yokohama threatened in the ninth when Masaki Mimori singled and Watarai sacrificed him to second. Maki was intentionally walked, but Sano flied out to left and Tsutsugoh struck out swinging.

SoftBank took the lead in the 10th when Kawamura homered to center with one out. Makihara struck out looking and Yamamoto flied out to right, but the one run was enough. Sugiyama retired the first two batters in the bottom of the 10th before Shuto Naruse singled to shallow center. Toshiro Miyazaki then flied out to right to end the game. SoftBank finished with nine hits, while Yokohama had 10. The Hawks’ bullpen combined with Moinelo to strand Yokohama’s late chances, and the BayStars left the potential tying run on base in the final inning.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 9, Yokohama BayStars 8. Interstat’s ELO system gave SoftBank a 60.9 percent probability to win. SoftBank was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The game’s total score of 7 was listed against an over/under line of 5.5.