Hidenori Tanoue hit a three-run homer as the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks downed the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles 4-2 to extend their winning streak to a season-high nine games on Wednesday.
Tsuyoshi Wada (13-4) limited the damage to two runs in five innings to earn the most wins this season in Japanese baseball. The left-hander allowed six hits and struck out four at Yahoo Dome.
Softbank took a 4-0 lead in the second on Yuya Hasegawa's RBI single and Tanoue's shot to left-center field seats off Kohei Hasebe (3-2). The front-running Hawks widened their lead in the Pacific League standings to 1 1/2 games.