Just when the Orix Buffaloes thought they had escaped with a narrow victory, Shunichi Nemoto turned the tables with a dramatic two-run go-ahead homer in the seventh inning as the Chiba Lotte Marines went on to beat the Buffaloes 8-5 on Saturday.
The Pacific-League leading Marines have won four of their last five games and improved to 1-and-1 in the three-game series, beating Orix a day after dropping an 11-7 decision. Nemoto made his last day as a 28-year-old count in a big way.
Pinch hitter Kazuya Fukuura reached on a single to left and after Yoshifumi Okada's sacrifice bunt moved pinch runner Takashi Ogino to second, Nemoto latched onto lefty reliever Makoto Yoshino's (2-1) full-count offering for a blast into the left-field stands at QVC Marine Field.