Roar of the young Lions ...

Youth powers Seibu past Fighters

TOKOROZAWA, Saitama--The Nippon Ham Fighters came to Tokorozawa red hot. They left red-faced.
Third-year righty Masamitsu Hirano tossed a three-hitter for his second pro win and second-year outfielder Ryo Sakata and Masahiro Abe both went deep as the Seibu Lions blanked the Fighters 7-0 at Seibu Dome.
The Lions won the three-game set --after dropping the opener -- and kept their three-game lead in the Pacific League.
Hirano (1-1) walked one and plunked one, while fanning five, in a 130-pitch effort that made his first career complete game a memorable one.
Hirano took a comebacker off his left shin in the eighth inning but got treatment and came back out to finish the game, his first win since July 23, 2008.
“I had a great chance to close it out and they let me do it,” Hirano said. “We have a stretch of nine games in nine days, so the fact that I was able to go the distance and not put a strain on the bullpen is a positive.”
The left-handed-hitting Sakata ripped his fifth homer in eight games, a solo shot in the third inning, off third-year lefty Mitsuo Yoshikawa (0-3).
“The fact that I got the chance to be in the lineup against a left-hander makes me very happy. So does the fact that I performed,” said Sakata, who isn’t sure how long he’ll be around on the big squad.
“Each night, I’m going to work hard to get a hit or just reach base anyway I can -- do whatever I can to stay on the first team.”
Jose Fernandez, who recently came back to the Lions after stints with two other teams, reportedly got on the wrong train and arrived to the ballpark late. He had an RBI single in the sixth and an RBI double in the eighth.

MARINES 3, BUFFALOES 1
Aarom Baldiris had a game to forget, kicking two harmless grounders that led to the tying run scoring in the fifth and go-ahead run coming home in the sixth as Lotte topped visiting Orix.
Lefty Yuji Yoshimi (3-4), who was acquired in a trade with Yokohama in May, scattered three hits and four walks over six innings for his first win over a PL team in three years.

The Eagles and Hawks were rained out.

CENTRAL LEAGUE
SWALLOWS 9, DRAGONS 4
Norichika Aoki ran his hitting streak to 15 games by going 4-for-5 with an RBI as Yakult won its fifth straight, taking down Chunichi at Nagoya Dome.
Yasushi Ihara had two doubles and an RBI to help power the Swallows.

CAPR 12, BAYSTARS 6
Jun Hirose broke out with a 4-for-5 game, hitting one of Hiroshima’s five homers and driving in two as the Carp routed host Yokohama.