CHIBA -- After only pushing across a single run in the first game of their series with the Orix Buffaloes, the Chiba Lotte Marines were in need of a fresh start. After a rainout the previous day, the Marines returned to the diamond with a vengeance Thursday night at Chiba Marine Stadium.
Lotte's bats came alive as they chased Orix starter Hidetaka Kawagoe after scoring four runs in 4 1/3 innings en route to a 5-1 win.
Slugger Julio Zuleta led the way for Lotte, going 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs. A third-inning blast was his sixth of the young season, two behind league leader Tuffy Rhodes (eight). He added his seventh homer in the seventh. Zuleta, who entered the game batting .258, victimized both Kawagoe and reliever Mamoru Kishida with towering shots.