Showing some Fight ...

Fighters back into the swing

The defending Pacific League champions seem to be getting back into the swing.
Kensuke Tanaka had three hits to extend his hitting streak to 22 games -- third longest in franchise history -- and one of Yoshio Itoi’s three hits was a two-run bomb that powered the Fighters to a 9-3 win over host Fukuoka SoftBank.
Five of the first six Fighters hit safely in a three-run first inning, and Itoi’s longball capped a five-run fourth that gave Nippon Ham a 9-0 cushion en route to its fifth straight win.
Eiichi Koyano had three hits and three RBIs, and Atsunori Inaba added three hits and two runs driven in to lead Nippon Ham to its fourth straight win over SoftBank.
The Fighters are still in last place in the PL, a half-game behind Rakuten, but have won eight of 10 since June 12.
The Hawks -- hanging onto third place, two games ahead of Orix -- have yet to win since the end of interleague, dropping six straight.


EAGLES 10, LIONS 8
Norihiro Nakamura's two-run single highlighted a seven-run sixth as Rakuten rallied to beat front-running Seibu at the Kleenex Box.
Yosuke Takasu added a two-run single to cap the rally as the Eagles halted a four-game skid at home.

BUFFALOES at MARINES -- rained out.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

TIGERS 9, CARP 4
Matt Murton had four hits, including the eventual game winner, a run-scoring double in the in seventh, and four RBIs as Hanshin smothered Hiroshima at the Zoom.
Takashi Toritani also had four hits and chipped in with two RBIs for the Tigers, who moved to within 2.5 games of the first-place Giants.
Murton took over the CL batting lead at .351.

DRAGONS 4, BAYSTARS 2
Daisuke Yamai (2-2) tossed seven innings of one-run ball, and Masahiko Morino and Kazuhiro Wada both went deep in the seventh as Chunichi came back to beat visiting Yokohama.
Hitoshi Iwase closed it out in the ninth to take over the No. 2 spot on the all-time saves list, moving past the “Daimajin” Kazuhiro Sasaki with his 253 rd career save -- his 19th this season.

SWALLOWS 4, GIANTS 3
Shohei Tateyama (4-5) worked six solid innings before leaving injured, and the eventual winning run scored on Yoshinobu Takahashi’s fourth-inning error at first base as Yakult topped Yomiuri at Jingu Stadium.