Kosuke Tanaka’s two-run double broke a fifth-inning tie as the Central League champion Hiroshima Carp remained perfect for the season with an 8-3 win over the Chunichi Dragons on Sunday.

Before 31,260 at Mazda Stadium, the Carp leadoff man doubled with two outs to break a 2-2 tie that gave right-hander Daichi Osera the lead. Osera allowed two runs on four hits and a walk, while striking out nine in 5⅓ innings to earn the win.

Ko Shimozuru opened the scoring for the Carp with a second-inning solo home run off left-hander Shotaro Kasahara. But the visitors took the lead on fourth-inning solo homers by Dayan Viciedo and Ryosuke Hirata.

Yoshihiro Maru, last year’s CL MVP, however, tied it 2-2 in the bottom of the inning with the game’s fourth solo home run. After Osera threw a 1-2-3 fifth, the Carp broke the tie. After a singles by Shimozuru and Yoshitaka Isomura, Tanaka’s two-out double put Hiroshima in command.

Brad Eldred’s three-run home run in the seventh helped seal the Carp’s first 3-0 start since 2005.

BayStars 3, Swallows 1

At Yokohama Stadium, 19-year-old rookie right-hander Masaya Kyoyama held Tokyo Yakult to a run over five innings in his pro debut, and Toshihiko Kuramoto singled in two runs to help Yokohama to its first win of the season.

Giants 3, Tigers 2

At Tokyo Dome, 21-year-old Kazuma Okamoto homered for the second straight day, belting a fourth-inning, three-run shot to overturn a 2-0 deficit and lift Yomiuri over Hanshin for the second straight day.

PACIFIC LEAGUE

Hawks 12, Buffaloes 3

At Yafuoku Dome, Akira Nakamura’s sixth-inning grand slam allowed Fukuoka SoftBank to overcome Orix and Chris Marrero’s second homer in two days, a two-run blast in the top of the inning.

Lions 4, Fighters 1

At Sapporo Dome, Seibu’s Brian Wolfe scattered eight hits over six scoreless innings against his former team, and Hokkaido Nippon Ham lefty Takayuki Kato gave up four hits and a walk in a three-run fifth inning. The Lions win lifted them to 3-0 on the season.

Marines 5, Eagles 4

At Zozo Marine Stadium, Chiba Lotte routed Tohoku Rakuten rookie Takahide Ikeda, scoring four runs, two earned on four hits and two walks over 2⅓ innings. Marines rookie Tsuyoshi Sugano greeted lefty reliever Kodai Hamaya with a two-out, two-run single to cap a four-run third.