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The Saitama Seibu Lions had a 3-1-1 week against the Softbank Hawks and Rakuten Eagles. They sit in fourth place and were nearly in third, but some games were called off due to rain.
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Game 1: Kona Takahashi vs. Kodai Senga
Tomoya Mori had all three RBIs for the Lions with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly and a timely double. Kona Takahashi went 6.1 innings without allowing a run and walking one batter while striking out eight. Kaima Taira came in for the 7th with inherited runners and got a key double play to keep the Hawks off the board. Tatsushi Masuda denied the shutout, but the Lions broke a small skid to start the week with a win.
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Game 2: Shota Hamaya vs. Shunsuke Kasaya
Hamaya allowed three runs including a HR to Yuki Yanagita and that looked like it could be over. However, the Lions chipped away at the lead slowly with timely hits by Takumi Kuriyama and a solo HR when the game was eventually tied in the 7th. For the bottom of the 8th, Fumikazu Kimura had a gapper with a runner in scoring position to give the team their first lead of the night.
The bullpen was also key as Reed Garrett, Kaima Taira and Katsunori Hirai continued to strand runners. As a result of this win, the Lions took the series.
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Game 3: Tatsuya Imai vs. Shunta Ishikawa
Imai gave up four runs on eight hits in a span of only three innings, however, the Lions bullpen held their ground. Ishikawa gave up a three-run HR to Hotaka Yamakawa which tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the 7th. There was a chance for a win in the bottom of the 9th when the Lions had a leadoff double off Yuito Mori. They failed to cash in and had to settle for a draw.
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Game 4: Zach Neal vs. Takahiro Shiomi
Neal escaped an early jam only giving up one run in the bottom of the 1st and the Lions were able to score from there on out. Yuji Kaneko cleared the bases with a timely base hit and some strong base running brought a third runner home. Neal went six innings and allowed only two runs. Cory Spangenberg and Hotaka Yamakawa added runs through a sacrifice fly and timely hit in the top of the 8th for insurance as the Lions won their third game of the week.
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Game 5: Ryota Ishibashi vs Daiki Enokida
Both teams played for three innings after a rain delay, but the game was called after another storm hit Sendai.
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Game 5: Wataru Matsumoto vs. Ryota Takinaka
Takinaka nearly shutout the Lions until the 9th inning as the Eagles cruised to an easy 8-2 win. Matsumoto coughed up five runs in four innings with a makeup game being forced the following day.
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Game 6: Katsunori Hirai vs. Yuya Fukui
This game was called due to the rain in Sendai nearly four hours before scheduled first pitch.
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It was a good week overall with no loss to Softbank. Unfortunately the Lions still showed they can't hit, but the pitching has remained promising.
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