Nobuhiro Matsuda hit a three-run homer and Kazumi Saito pitched six shutout innings Wednesday, leading the Softbank Hawks to a 5-1 win over the Orix Buffaloes.
Hitoshi Tamura put Softbank on the board with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning and Matsuda connected off Yoshihisa Hirano (7-11) to cap a four-run sixth at Skymark Stadium.
Saito (4-3) allowed just two hits, walked four and struck out five. Orix avoided a shutout when Tuffy Rhodes hit his 38th home run of the season with one out in the ninth.
Fighters 5, Eagles 4
At Fullcast Stadium, Tomochika Tsuboi singled in the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth inning as Pacific League-leading Hokkaido Nippon Ham edged Tohoku Rakuten.
Late game
Marines 6, Lions 3
CENTRAL LEAGUE
Giants 4, Swallows 2
At Sapporo Dome, Hiroshi Kisanuki threw 7 1/3 strong innings and Tomohiro Nioka hit a pair of RBI singles as Yomiuri held off Tokyo Yakult to extend its winning streak to four games.
Kisanuki (10-7) had a shutout until Shinya Miyamoto hit a two-run homer in the eighth en route to tying his career high in wins. The right-hander struck out eight and allowed five hits.
The Central League-leading Giants went ahead 2-0 on a Michihiro Ogasawara sacrifice fly in the first and a Yoshinobu Takahashi RBI double in the third. Nioka made it 4-0 with run-scoring singles in the fourth and sixth.
Late game
Carp 3, Tigers 2
Dragons at BayStars — ppd