◇ Saitama Seibu Lions vs. Hiroshima "Nippon Life Central-Pacific Interleague Series 2026" Game 1 (9th · Belluna Dome)

Saitama Seibu Lions Yuto Koga tied the game Seiya Watanabe tied the game with back-to-back RBI hits.

Trailing by two runs in the bottom of the 5th, the leadoff Natsuo Takizawa bunt hit, the batting lineup created a scoring opportunity with two outs and runners on first and third. Koga, who stepped up to the plate next, hit a hard-hit RBI single to third base, and the following batter, Seiya Watanabe, tied the game with an RBI single through the left-side gap.

doble Yu Koga had already delivered a crucial two-run RBI single in the top of the 12th inning of the game against Chunichi on the 7th, making this his second consecutive game with an RBI hit. He continues to perform well this season, maintaining a batting average in the .300 range.

◇Comment from Yu Koga
"I hit it against the cutter. I swung with the intention of keeping the inning alive."

◇Comment from Watanabe
“I hit a cutter. I was able to be patient at the plate. I’m glad we were able to tie the game.”

Text by Kana Niwa