KYODO NEWS - Jul 29, 2017 - 21:38 | Sports, All

Kodai Senga allowed two hits over eight innings and got a pair of two-run home runs from his teammates as the SoftBank Hawks beat the Nippon Ham Fighters 4-0 on Saturday afternoon.

Senga (9-2) struck out seven without issuing a walk in a crisp 95 pitch performance. Cuban international Livan Moinelo completed the three-hit shutout in the ninth as last year's Japan Series champs fell to their Japan-worst 13th shutout defeat.

"Today I was able to throw strikes. I'm glad I didn't allow a walk," said Senga, who was out for 26 days in June due to back stiffness. "Winning is largely a matter of what the position players do, but I did little in the first half so I want to contribute more in the second."

Kenta Imamiya started a first-inning threat with a single off Akihiro Hakumura (0-2), but the Fighters right-hander extricated himself from the two-on, one-out tight spot. Hakumura, however, wasn't so fortunate in the third.

After a one-out Kenji Akashi double, Hakumura threw a 3-1 fastball in the center of the strike zone and Imamiya drove it to right for an opposite-field home run.

Hakumura, making his second career start, retired eight of the nine remaining batters he faced. He allowed two runs on three hits and two walks, while striking out six. Yuki Yanagita hit his Pacific League-leading 24th home run in the eighth with a man on to ice the game.

"The team is in a bad way now, and I didn't want to give up the game's first runs. But I think I did a passable job," Hakumura said.

-----

Buffaloes 5, Eagles 2

At Kyocera Dome, rookie right-hander Taisuke Yamaoka (4-7) allowed two runs in seven innings, and Ryoichi Adachi snapped a 2-2, sixth-inning tie with a two-run double as Orix defeated league-leading Rakuten.

-----

Lions 6, Marines 1

At Zozo Marine Stadium, Shinsaburo Tawata (3-2) threw seven scoreless innings to win a duel of promising youngsters. Sosuke Genda broke up a scoreless tie with a third-inning RBI single off Kota Futaki (4-5) and Seibu went on to beat Lotte. The Lions' win was their season-high eighth straight.

-----

Central League

Tigers 4, Dragons 2, 10 innings

At Nagoya Dome, 40-year-old Kosuke Fukudome, the CL's 2006 MVP with Chunichi, hit a two-run, 10th-inning, pinch-hit home run to beat his old team and lift Hanshin to victory.

-----

Swallows 9, Carp 1

At Mazda Stadium, Yasuhiro Ogawa (5-4) allowed an unearned run over six innings, Wladimir Balentien homered for the fifth straight game, and Tetsuto Yamada hit a three-run, sixth-inning home run as last-place Yakult smashed league-leading Hiroshima.

-----

Giants 5, BayStars 1

At Tokyo Dome, Tomoyuki Sugano (11-4) allowed a run in eight innings and Yomiuri scored four runs in the first before DeNA's Shoichi Ino (4-5) found his rhythm. The Giants' Shinnosuke Abe hit a third-inning solo homer, his 1,985th career hit and his 384th career home run.