Hiroki Yamada picked up his first career win with 8 1/3 strong innings as the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks snapped its six-game losing streak with a 6-1 win over the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters on Thursday.
Yamada (1-1) took a shutout until Eiichi Koyano hit an RBI single with one out in the ninth inning. The left-hander allowed six hits, struck out four and walked one.
Nobuhiro Matsuda keyed a four-run fourth inning with a two-run triple at Yahoo Dome. Tomoya Yagi (0-2) took the loss in his first start since April 2 as Nippon Ham saw its winning streak end at five games.