Hisashi Iwakuma (6-0) pitched a complete game, holding the BlueWave to one run on nine hits for the win, as the Kintetsu Buffaloes whipped Orix 9-1 at Osaka Dome for their third straight win.
Iwakuma, in his seventh appearance this season, went the distance on 110 pitches, walking none and striking out two for his fourth complete game of the year.
Kintetsu sluggers Norihiro Nakamura and Tuffy Rhodes had two hits each. Nakamura drove in three runs and Rhodes smacked a two-run homer off Orix starter Masato Yoshii (1-4) in the fourth for his 11th home run of the year.
Yoshii was saddled with the loss, allowing six runs on eight hits over 5 1/3 innings.
Hawks 4, Fighters 1
Kazumi Saito (4-2) scattered two hits over seven-plus innings while fanning nine en route to his fourth win as Daiei downed Nippon Ham at Fukuoka Dome for its 20th victory of the season.
Leading 2-1 in the eighth, the Hawks added two insurance runs on Noriyoshi Omichi’s RBI double and a sacrifice fly by Tadahito Iguchi.
Lions 3, Marines 1
Mitsutaka Goto (2-3) limited Lotte to one run over six solid innings for the win and Hiroshi Hirao smashed a three-run homer in the second inning as Seibu downed the Marines at Chiba Marine Stadium.
Lotte hurler Naoyuki Shimizu (5-1) gave up three runs on six hits over the distance in a losing effort.
Kazuya Fukuura went 3-for-4 and drove in the only run for the Marines with a solo homer in the third inning.
CENTRAL LEAGUE
Carp 6, Swallows 3
Kenjiro Nomura and Takahiro Arai had three hits each and both singled in a run in Hiroshima’s four-run eighth as the Carp beat Yakult at Hiroshima Stadium.
Toshikazu Sawazaki (3-0) picked up the win, pitching two scoreless innings in relief of starter Koji Hiroike, who allowed three runs over six innings.
Rookie closer Katsuhiro Nagakawa worked the ninth and earned his seventh save.
Tigers 5, BayStars 3
At Yokohama Stadium, Norihiro Akahoshi scored the go-ahead run on Osamu Hamanaka’s infield grounder in the top of the fifth and Hanshin added a run in the ninth with Makoto Imaoka’s sacrifice fly as the Tigers beat Yokohama.
Giants 10, Dragons 2
Kazuhiro Kiyohara went 3-for-3, including a three-run homer, and drove home five runs as Yomiuri trounced Chunichi at Tokyo Dome.
Rookie Hiroshi Kisanuki (2-1) pitched his first career complete game, giving up two runs on seven hits for the win.
Up 1-0 in the fourth, the Giants scored five more runs — highlighted by Takayuki Saito’s three-run homer off Chunichi starter Takashi Ogasawara (0-3).
Yomiuri scored another run in the fifth before Kiyohara slammed his second homer of the year in the seventh to wrap up the scoring.
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