Seibu Lions outfielder G.G. Sato connected for a pair of home runs and drove in four runs in a 2-for-4 outing in a preseason game against the Chunichi Dragons on Tuesday. Sato had a three-run blast to key a five-run seventh inning and hit a solo shot in the eighth in his bid to become a Seibu regular outfielder in Seibu's 8-0 blanking of Chunichi at Nagoya Dome.
Second-year lefty Hironori Matsunaga pitched four scoreless innings, allowing one hit with two strikeouts and two walks. Chunichi right-hander Yoshihiro Suzuki was roughed up for five runs and eight hits in two innings of work.
Meanwhile, at Hijemi Stadium in Hyogo Pref., Satoru Kanemura threw four scoreless innings and rookie outfielder Yohei Kaneko delivered a two-run drive as the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters romped over the Orix Buffaloes 7-0 in a 12-hit attack. Kanemura allowed three hits with three walks and Kaneko drove in four runs on 2-for-2 hitting.
Orix right-hander Tom Davey failed to keep his pitches down in the strike zone and gave up three runs in five shaky innings. At Abe Stadium in Yamaguchi Pref., veteran lefty Ken Takahashi combined with five other pitchers on a five-hit shutout and Takahiro Arai had an RBI single in the opening frame in the Hiroshima Carp's 1-0 win over the Yomiuri Giants.