World Baseball Classic Team Japan members Norichika Aoki and Shinya Miyamoto helped the Yakult Swallows beat the Hanshin Tigers 7-5 in a preseason game Thursday.
Yomiuri Giants lefty Tetsuya Utsumi pitches against the Yokohama BayStars during a preseason game at Yokohama Stadium.
Fresh from winning the inaugural 16-nation tournament, leadoff man Aoki went 1-for-4 with a walk and two stolen bases, and Miyamoto was 2-for-5 in the No. 2 spot and scored twice at Jingu Stadium.
Andy Sheets homered twice and drove in four of Hanshin's five runs. Right-hander Naohisa Sugiyama gave up six runs and nine hits to Yakult in five innings.
BayStars 5, Giants 5 (9)
Yokohama outfielder Seiichi Uchikawa went 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Yomiuri lefty Tetsuya Utsumi, vying for a spot in the rotation, held Yokohama to one run and six hits in five innings at Yokohama Stadium.