Softbank Hawks left-hander Yasushi Kamiuchi struck out seven in five hitless innings in a 4-2 win over the Yakult Swallows in a preseason game Thursday.
Kamiuchi struck out the first four batters he faced and allowed only one base runner on a walk, while Hiroki Kokubo went 2-for-2 with an RBI double at Yahoo Dome. Elsewhere, the BayStars beat the Buffaloes 6-3.
Orix outfielder Shintaro Yoshida hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning off Marc Kroon. Looking to secure a spot on the top team, Yoshida launched his second home run of the spring, following a grand slam in a Feb. 25 game.
Yokohama closer Kroon allowed two runs and two hits in one inning of work. Orix left-hander Dan Serafini gave up four runs in the first two innings at Kyocera Dome.
Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles tied the Tigers 2-2 in nine innings, with Daisuke Kusano hitting a game-tying two-run single in the top of the ninth inning for Tohoku Rakuten. At Nagoya Dome, Seibu right-hander Fumiya Nishiguchi threw three shutout innings as the Lions tied with the Chunichi Dragons 0-0 after nine innings.