Justin Germano pitched two-run ball over eight solid innings and the Softbank Hawks broke out the bats in a 15-2 romp over the Orix Buffaloes on Thursday.
Germano (4-0) scattered eight hits, walked two and struck out two at Kyocera Dome. Softbank took a 10-1 advantage through the fourth, featuring a two-run single by Nobuhiko Matsunaka in a six-run first and Hitoshi Tamura's two-run homer in the fourth.
Nobuhiro Matsuda had four RBIs on a 3-for-5 night, including a solo blast in the third, and Hidenori Tanoue drove in three runs in the Pacific League leader's 18-hit onslaught. Atsuhiro Mitsuhara (1-2) was roughed up for five runs in just one-third of an inning.