Kevin Mench hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the eighth inning Tuesday as the Hanshin Tigers rallied past the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters 3-2 in a preseason game.
Mench, who signed with Hanshin this offseason from the Toronto Blue Jays on a one-year contract, went deep off Yachiho Hoshino to left with runners on first and second and none out in the eighth, turning a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead at Skymark Stadium.
Yasutomo Kubo pitched three scoreless innings in relief, allowing two hits, no walks and striking out two. Nippon Ham rookie right-hander Ryo Sakakibara threw five hitless frames, yielding no runs with four strikeouts, in his first start of the spring.
In other action, Atsushi Fujii drove in four runs, featuring a two-run drive, in a 2-for-3 outing as the Chunichi Dragons edged the Seibu Lions 9-8 in a game at Kariya Stadium.