Tsuyoshi Wada pitched a two-hitter in his third shutout of the season and Nobuhiko Matsunaka drove in the only run of the game Wednesday as the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks edged the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 1-0 for their first win in three games.
Seibu's Kazuki Fukuchi slides into third base after hitting an RBI triple in the eighth inning of the
Lions 4-0 win over the Marines on Wednesday.
KYODO PHOTOWada (14-5) struck out six and walked two in a pitching duel with rookie left-hander Tomoya Yagi (10-8) at Yahoo Dome en route to winning his sixth consecutive decision and matching a career high with his 14th win.
Matsunaka broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning with a two-out RBI single to center off Yagi, who allowed just three hits with no walks and three strikeouts in a complete-game effort. The Fighters lost their third in 14 games.