Ellen Roberts' Japan Softball League team Ogaki Minamo have their work cut out for them to close out the season after two tough losses over the weekend.

Minamo are now 5-10 on the season and face an up-hill battle to claw back some ground in the Division 1 of the Japan Softball League (JSL) with only seven regular-season games remaining.

Matching up against Iyo Bank on Saturday, Roberts' and her teammates were in striking distance just three runs behind following four innings.

A four run blitz in the bottom of the fifth put the game out of reach as Minamo ultimately went down 9-3, full game replay available here.

Sunday was a tough outing for Minamo who were immediately on the back foot after giving up four runs in the first inning to an impressive Honda outfit, they were unable to make any ground throughout the game as Honda ran out 12-0 victors, full game replay available here.

Roberts' and Minamo get a chance to bounce back this weekend with three games scheduled from 9-11 October.

Stacey Porter and Kaia Parnaby are also back in action this weekend in Division 2 where they'll hope to keep their undefeated record in tact.

Live streaming, box scores and replays are available for Division 1 games via the season schedule page at jsl-women.com.

Japan Softball League Standings, D1, D2 & D3