Still roaring …

Lions take final 2 of critical series

The Seibu Lions still have a voice in the Pacific League playoff race, and they made themselves heard on Thursday night.

Fumiya Nishiguchi tossed eight one-run innings, and veteran Hiroshi Hirao came off the bench to drive in the game-winning run with a sac fly as the Lions scratched out a 2-1 walk-off win over the visiting Buffaloes to pull within three games of third-place Orix.

“We have to win and to get a victory like this makes me very happy,” Hirao said in the hero interview. “The [playoff] situation remains tough for us, but to be able to play in front of so many fans who haven’t given up on us and are still supporting us like this -- we just have to win, and the players are going to work hard.”

The Lions have nine games remaining on the schedule, but go to Sapporo for a four-game set with the second-place Nippon Ham Fighters.

“We're a team that has won 10 straight [this season] so you never know what’ll happen. We’re going to battle hard along with the fans to the very last game.”

Nishiguchi, who recorded his 2,000th career strikeout in the second inning, surrendered just four hits, while walking four and fanning eight but got a no-decision.

Kazuhisa Makita (5-7) worked a scoreless ninth inning for the win.

Orix’s Mitsutaka Goto’s 43-game on-base streak ended in the loss.

FIGHTERS 2, EAGLES 0

Rookie Yuki “Handkerchief Price” Saito (6-6) twirled seven shutout innings, and two relievers helped out on a five-hitter as Nippon Ham topped Rakuten at Sapporo Dome.

It was the 22nd shutout for the Fighters this season, breaking the club record set in 1961 when the team was known as the Toei Flyers. Hisashi Takeda set a personal best with his 36th save, his club-record-tying 102nd career save.

Takumi Kuriyama knocked in the game-tying run with his second hit, a clutch single in the eighth.

HAWKS 4, MARINES 0

Tsuyoshi Wada (15-5) allowed two runners -- on a walk and a hit -- over seven innings as SoftBank posted its franchise-record 27th shutout and moved a season-high 39 games over .500 by blanking host Lotte.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

DRAGONS 5, CARP 3

Maximo Nelson (9-14) carried a shutout into the ninth inning, and needed Hitoki Iwase to work for his CL-best 36th save, leaving with the bases loaded as Chunichi outlasted Hiroshima at Nagoya Dome.

The win, coupled with Yakult’s loss, pushed the defending CL champs Dragons into the top spot for the first time since May 31.

Masahiro Araki had two hits and three RBIs as the Dragons, who have won five straight, sent the Carp to their 10th straight losing season.

TIGERS 7, SWALLOWS 1

Matt Murton hit in his 25th straight game, tying Randy Bass’ club record for most by a foreign player, and Craig Brazell homered twice and drove in four as Hanshin swept its series against Yakult at Kyocera Dome Osaka.

The loss dropped the Swallows a game behind the Dragons in the standings. Yakult has 12 games left, five vs. Chunichi. The Dragons play the Giants six times over their final 13.

GIANTS 8, BAYSTARS 1

Shinnosuke Abe homered and added two RBI hits to drive in five, and Alex Ramirez and Hisayoshi Chono also homered as third-place Yomiuri avoided a sweep at home to last-place Yokohama.