CHIBA (Kyodo) Eiichi Koyano, Atsunori Inaba and Shinji Takahashi drove in two runs apiece, leading the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters to a 9-3 rout of the Chiba Lotte Marines on Monday.
Nippon Ham took a 5-0 lead in the third inning on a Kensuke Tanaka RBI infield single, Koyano's two-run double and RBI doubles from Inaba and Takahashi at Chiba Marine Stadium.
Inaba drove in another run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth. Takahashi drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth.
Brian Sweeney (5-7) allowed two runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings. Naoyuki Shimizu (5-10) was charged with five runs and six hits in 2 1/3 innings. Pacific League leader Nippon Ham had 14 hits for its first win in three games
Buffaloes 4, Hawks 1
At Fukuoka's Yahoo Dome, Mitsutaka Goto hit a solo homer among his two hits and Shinya Nakayama threw six effective innings, leading Orix over Softbank.
Goto's shot to right off Nagisa Arakaki (6-8) pushed Orix's lead to 4-0 in the sixth inning. Nakayama (1-0) held the Hawks to one run and two hits with four walks in his first start of the season.