Nobuhiro Matsuda and Yuichi Honda each went 2-for-3 with an RBI on Sunday as the second-place Softbank Hawks edged the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 4-3 to move within two games of the Pacific League leaders.
Softbank Hawks third baseman Nobuhiro Matsuda scores on Yuichi Honda's bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the sixth inning against Nippon Ham Fighters on Sunday at Yahoo Dome. The Hawks won 4-3.
KYODO PHOTOMatsuda broke a 1-1 tie with an RBI ground-rule double off Tomoya Yagi (3-5) in the fourth inning and Honda hit a sacrifice fly to increase Softbank's lead to 4-2 in the sixth at Yahoo Dome.
Akihiro Yanase (4-1) threw two scoreless innings in relief of Rick Guttormson. Takahiro Mahara earned his league-leading 36th save.