Tsuyoshi Nishioka went 3-for-5 with a homer and Naoyuki Shimizu pitched 7 2/3 effective innings Thursday as the Chiba Lotte Marines beat the Seibu Lions 6-3 to keep them in the thick of the race for one of three spots in the postseason.
Nishioka singled and crossed the plate on a Tasuku Hashimoto two-run double in the third inning before hitting a solo shot in the fifth that made it 3-0 at Seibu Dome, helping Lotte move into a tie for third place in the Pacific League standings with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.
Lotte later extended the lead on RBI hits by Shoitsu Omatsu, Akira Otsuka and Kazuya Fukuura. Shimizu (12-9) took a shutout into the eighth and left after giving up a three-run homer to Takeya Nakamura, who increased his league-leading homer run tally to 42.