Toru Hosokawa drove in two runs with a homer and a double and Takeya Nakamura added three RBIs Sunday as the front-running Seibu Lions beat the second-place Fukuoka Softbank Hawks 8-5 to split their two-game series.
Tigers second baseman Atsushi Fujimoto throws the ball to first base to complete a 6-4-3 double play as the Giants' Kenji Yano slides into second on Sunday at Koshien Stadium. Hanshin won 3-2.
KYODO PHOTOHosokawa hit a tiebreaking solo home run off Hayato Terahara (3-6) to ignite a three-run fifth inning that put Seibu ahead 5-2 and had an RBI double in the next frame in the Pacific League game at Yahoo Dome.
Nakamura, who delivered an RBI single in the fifth, stretched the Lions' lead to 8-2 in the seventh with a two-run double.