Kajima Deers running back Yasuhiro Maruta rushed for a team-high 77 yards and three scores on 11 carries, leading his team to a 27-14 victory over the Fujitsu Frontiers in the 32nd Pearl Bowl final on Tuesday at Tokyo Dome.
With the victory, the Deers clinched their first Pearl Bowl championship since 2004 and sixth overall. "We managed to take advantage of the Frontiers' mistakes to win tonight," Kajima head coach Kiyoyuki Mori said. "We're relieved to win this game, but we found our own problems to be fixed. We'll fix them and get prepared for the fall season."
Playing before a crowd of 15,326, the Deers capitalized on their opponent's mistakes for their first two scores.