Hiroki Kuroda lasted 6-1/3 innings despite some poor control and earned the win as the Hiroshima Carp defeated the Orix Buffaloes 6-3 in interleague action on Friday.

Kuroda, who spent a combined seven seasons with the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, allowed two runs on six hits, while hitting two batters and striking out five to improve to 4-2 on the season. It was Kuroda’s first win since April 25.

“We haven’t been able to get him a win in a long time so it feels good to put a win next to his name tonight,” said Yoshihiro Maru, whose two-run homer broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth inning.

“I was holding the team back in the early part of the season, so it feels good to contribute now.”

Working with a two-run lead before 29,971 at Osaka’s Kyocera Dome, Kuroda pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the second, but couldn’t prevent the PL cellar dwellers from tying it in the fourth on RBI singles by Takahiro Okada and Hikaru Ito.

The visiting Carp, however, broke the tie in the top of the fifth, when Ryosuke Kikuchi singled and scored on Maru’s third homer in four games. Kikuchi tripled in an insurance run in the seventh, and Maru drove him in again with a single.

Eishin Soyogi opened the scoring in the top of the second, with a two-run homer off Yamasaki (0-2), who surrendered four runs in five innings.

The Buffaloes scored a run in the ninth, when Yoshio Itoi went deep off Hiroshima right-hander Shota Nakazaki.

Dragons 4, Fighters 2

At Sapporo Dome, Anderson Hernandez broke a 2-2 tie in the eighth with a sacrifice fly and Hector Luna tripled in an insurance run as Yudai Ono (6-2) gave up just two hits and two runs in eight innings to earn the win as Chunichi beat Hokkaido Nippon Ham.

Tigers 1, Lions 0

At Seibu Prince Dome, Randy Messenger (3-5) struck out 11 over seven shutout innings, and Hanshin scored its only run in the third on an error, a walk, a sacrifice bunt and a groundout. Seibu’s Kazuhisa Makita (4-3) worked eight strong innings but took the loss.

Eagles 5, Giants 3

At Sendai’s Kobo Stadium, Mitsutaka Goto and Shota Koseki each hit two-run singles off Aaron Poreda (5-2) in the fourth to overturn a 2-1 deficit as Tohoku Rakuten beat Yomiuri for its first interleague win.

Hawks 7, Swallows 4

At Fukuoka’s Yafuoku Dome, Seiichi Uchikawa and Lee Dae-ho slammed successive homers in the opening inning in a four-home run effort that boosted Fukuoka Softbank to the top of the PL.

Australia’s Mitch Dening struck his first home run in the top flight for Tokyo Yakult.

Marines 4, BayStars 3

At Chiba’s QVC Marine Field, Katsuya Kakunaka tied the game 3-3 with his second RBI of the game, a seventh-inning double off Shinji Ohara (0-1), and the go-ahead run scored on a wild pitch by Shuichiro Osada as Chiba Lotte beat Central League-leading Yokohama.