Takeya Nakamura had a tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh inning Monday, helping lift the Seibu Lions to a 5-4 win over the Chiba Lotte Marines to keep their unbeaten streak alive at 11 games.
The Lions have won nine of their last 11 games including two ties. Nakamura drove in Hiroyuki Nakajima on a base hit up the middle off Taiki Nakago (0-1) after the Seibu shortstop drew a one-out walk and stole second at QVC Marine Field.
Seibu took a 4-0 lead through the top of the fourth, which featured RBI doubles by Takumi Kuriyama and Nakajima before Lotte cut the deficit with back-to-back run-scoring doubles by Ikuhiro Kiyota and Kei Hosoya in the bottom half of the inning.
Toshiaki Imae had a game-tying two-run single in the fifth among his two hits. Atsushi Okamoto (3-1) won in relief of Kazuhisa Ishii, who gave up four runs in four-plus innings.