After Lin Guanglai and Honda Yuichi executed a beautiful hit-and-run play in the top of the third inning, narrowing the score gap to 2-1, the rest of the SoftBank Team's lineup quickly launched an offensive.
The third batter, Nakagawa Seiichi, hit a single, further pressuring the Rakuten infield defense and also sent Honda Yuichi from second base to third base—still with no outs!
Even if Tanaka Masahiro suddenly chose to speed up, it was to no avail. With a significant advantage in hand, the SoftBank Team relied on the following batters to hit a sacrifice fly and brought Honda Yuichi home from third base, tying the score at 2-2.
Seeing their lineup suddenly explode and tie the game, Akiyama Koji on the third base dugout cheered enthusiastically; on the other side, Rakuten's manager Hoshino Senichi looked grimly at Iwasaki Tataro, who had just made a crucial fielding error, clearly dissatisfied with his performance.
