Tomoaki Kanemoto belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to power the Central League-leading Hanshin Tigers to a 5-4 victory over the Hiroshima Carp at Koshien Stadium on Thursday.
With a sweep over the Carp, the Tigers won their fifth straight and maintained a seven-game lead over the second-place Yomiuri Giants in the Central League standings.
Hanshin first baseman George Arias connected for a two-run homer in the second inning and the Carp tied the game on a two-run blast by Koichi Ogata in the fifth before taking a one-run lead in the top of the eighth.