Marines put boots to Lions in big win
The Seibu Lions have been trying to find their footing in the Pacific League all season but there aren’t many strategies for overcoming 14 hits and 12 runs.
Tadahito Iguchi smacked a bases-clearing double off Kazuhisa Ishii (6-3) in the second inning, and Saburo Omura added three hits and two RBIs as the Marines battered the Lions 12-4 on Thursday at The Q.
The first-place Marines also got two hits each from Katsuya Kakunaka and Shunichi Nemoto, who launched his fourth homer, as Lotte took the series from the Lions.
Ishii (4-3) lasted just 4.1 innings, serving up seven hits and four walks [with three Ks] that resulted in six runs, two earned.
Shunsuke Watanabe (4-2) rolled through six innings, but yielded three runs in the seventh and got yanked.
The 14 hits were a season high for the Marines, who hadn’t scored in double digits in about a year. The loss for Ishii was his career 100th.
BUFFALOES 5, HAWKS 1
Aarom Baldiris and Takahiro “T.O.” Okada had two hits and two RBIs each as Orix downed SoftBank at FYJ Dome.
Baldiris just missed a homer with his seventh-inning double off the wall that broke up a tie score and helped Yuki Nishi (4-2), who worked seven innings of one-run ball, earn the win and keep the Hawks under .500.
FIGHTERS 7, EAGLES 3
Yang Zhong-shou had three hits, including his third home run, and three RBIs, and Kensuke Tanaka added three hits and an RBI as host Nippon Ham topped Rakuten at Tokyo Dome.
Tomohiro Nioka also homered, his second of the season, and drove in two to back Tomoya Yagi (3-2), who won his first game since April 25.
CENTRAL LEAGUE
DRAGONS 4, TIGERS 1
Hanshin’s Tomoaki Kanemoto became just the seventh player -- and oldest at 44 years, 2 months -- with as many as 2,500th career hits, but Tigers pitchers allowed five doubles as Chunichi won their 11th straight decision at Nagoya Dome.
Motonobu Tanishige had two of the doubles, including a two-run, seventh-inning two-bagger that broke a 1-1 tie and helped Shinji Iwata (4-2) earn the win as Chunichi beat Hanshin for the seventh straight time.
GIANTS 4, CARP 0
Tetsuya Utsumi (7-5) fired his eighth career shutout, handcuffing host Hiroshima on four hits and a walk, and Shinnosuke Abe and Shuichi Murata each went deep as Yomiuri cruised at The Zoom.
The Seibu Lions have been trying to find their footing in the Pacific League all season but there aren’t many strategies for overcoming 14 hits and 12 runs.
Tadahito Iguchi smacked a bases-clearing double off Kazuhisa Ishii (6-3) in the second inning, and Saburo Omura added three hits and two RBIs as the Marines battered the Lions 12-4 on Thursday at The Q.
The first-place Marines also got two hits each from Katsuya Kakunaka and Shunichi Nemoto, who launched his fourth homer, as Lotte took the series from the Lions.
Ishii (4-3) lasted just 4.1 innings, serving up seven hits and four walks [with three Ks] that resulted in six runs, two earned.
Shunsuke Watanabe (4-2) rolled through six innings, but yielded three runs in the seventh and got yanked.
The 14 hits were a season high for the Marines, who hadn’t scored in double digits in about a year. The loss for Ishii was his career 100th.
BUFFALOES 5, HAWKS 1
Aarom Baldiris and Takahiro “T.O.” Okada had two hits and two RBIs each as Orix downed SoftBank at FYJ Dome.
Baldiris just missed a homer with his seventh-inning double off the wall that broke up a tie score and helped Yuki Nishi (4-2), who worked seven innings of one-run ball, earn the win and keep the Hawks under .500.
FIGHTERS 7, EAGLES 3
Yang Zhong-shou had three hits, including his third home run, and three RBIs, and Kensuke Tanaka added three hits and an RBI as host Nippon Ham topped Rakuten at Tokyo Dome.
Tomohiro Nioka also homered, his second of the season, and drove in two to back Tomoya Yagi (3-2), who won his first game since April 25.
CENTRAL LEAGUE
DRAGONS 4, TIGERS 1
Hanshin’s Tomoaki Kanemoto became just the seventh player -- and oldest at 44 years, 2 months -- with as many as 2,500th career hits, but Tigers pitchers allowed five doubles as Chunichi won their 11th straight decision at Nagoya Dome.
Motonobu Tanishige had two of the doubles, including a two-run, seventh-inning two-bagger that broke a 1-1 tie and helped Shinji Iwata (4-2) earn the win as Chunichi beat Hanshin for the seventh straight time.
GIANTS 4, CARP 0
Tetsuya Utsumi (7-5) fired his eighth career shutout, handcuffing host Hiroshima on four hits and a walk, and Shinnosuke Abe and Shuichi Murata each went deep as Yomiuri cruised at The Zoom.