Terrmel Sledge delivered a tiebreaking two-run double in the seventh inning Saturday as the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters went on to beat the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks 5-3.
With his flu worries behind him, Sledge put Nippon Ham on the board with a homer to right-center for a 1-0 lead in the fourth, which also featured a Yoshio Itoi two-run blast at Sapporo Dome.
Pacific League leader Hokkaido Nippon Ham won its fourth in a row after suffering a season-worst six-game losing slide amidst an influenza outbreak within the team.
With runners on first and second, Sledge hit a two-out double to deep center off Koji Mise (0-1) to break a 3-3 tie. Kazumasa Kikuchi (4-2) pitched two scoreless innings in relief. The Hawks are winless in their last five games, including a tie.