Lefty Tsuyoshi Wada pitched one-run ball over six effective innings in a close duel with Daisuke Matsuzaka as the Softbank Hawks edged the Seibu Lions 2-1 in the Pacific League on Thursday.
Yu Darvish of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters pitches against the Lotte
Marines at Chiba Marine Stadium.
Wada (1-0) allowed four hits, three walks and struck out seven to set the pace in front of a crowd of 27,947 at Yahoo Dome.
After Matsuzaka loaded the bases in the third, Jolbert Cabrera walked in a run, and catcher Naoki Matoba delivered a run-scoring bloop single to center in the fourth.
Matsuzaka (0-1) pitched a complete-game effort allowing two runs -- one unearned -- on nine hits in 7 1/3 innings but failed to get run support from the Seibu offense.
Marines 6, Fighters 4
At Chiba Marine Stadium, Val Pascucci hit a two-run go-ahead homer off starter Yu Darvish, and Benny Agbayani went 3-for-5 and drove in a run, helping Lotte to win its third in a row in sweep of Nippon Ham.
Shingo Ono (1-0) limited the damage to three runs with no walks and four strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings of work.
Buffaloes 5, Eagles 0
At Fullcast Stadium, rookie right-hander Yoshihisa Hirano pitched six scoreless innings for his first career win, and Makoto Shiozaki went 3-for-4 with two RBIs as Orix swept Rakuten in a three-game series and sent the cellar dweller to its fifth straight loss since Opening Day.
Hirano (1-0) scattered eight hits, struck out four and walked two and four relievers held Rakuten to three hits the rest of the way at Fullcast Stadium. Rakuten starter Shingo Matsuzaki (0-1) pitched six innings, allowing four runs while hitting a batter and walking seven.