Ace right-hander Hideaki Wakui pitched eight effective innings and Takumi Kuriyama drove in three runs as the Saitama Seibu Lions beat the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 7-3 on Friday for their fourth straight win.
Wakui (3-1) allowed three runs — two earned — and seven hits in a 139-pitch outing at Seibu Dome. The 2009 Sawamura Award winner walked three and struck out five.
Kuriyama had an RBI grounder in the third inning and doubled in two runs in the fourth, helping the Lions to a 6-1 lead.
Fighters starter Dass Romash Tasuku (0-1) lasted only 2 1/3 innings.