Hiroki Kokubo homered and Rick Guttormson pitched eight strong innings Saturday as the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks won their third straight game with a 4-1 victory over the Seibu Lions.
Pacific League leader Softbank went ahead by capitalizing on blunders by Seibu starter Chris Gissell (1-2), who committed a bases-loaded balk in the first and threw a run-scoring wild pitch before Kokubo capped a three-run third with a two-run shot.
Guttormson (2-2) held Seibu to a run — on a seventh-inning RBI single by Alex Cabrera — and four hits while striking out five and walking one. Takahiro Mahara worked the ninth to get his 11th save.