If there was any thought the Hiroshima Carp might take their foot off the gas a little after gaining a magic number, the Central League leaders squashed it the first chance they got.

Ryosuke Kikuchi drove in a game-tying run with a two-out infield single in the ninth and Yoshihiro Maru pushed across the go-ahead tally later in the inning as the Carp beat the Yomiuri Giants 6-4 in front of a crowd of 45,026 on Thursday night at Tokyo Dome.

"As they say, the game isn't over until the final out," Maru said.