MIYOSHI, HIROSHIMA PREF. – Yoshihiro Maru drilled a tiebreaking three-run home run off reliever Randy Williams in the sixth inning and the Hiroshima Carp beat the Seibu Lions 6-2 on a misty night in Hiroshima Prefecture on Monday.
The Central League-leading Carp won their second straight after losing their first four games in interleague play.
Lions starter Ryohei Fujiwara, who was making his first career start in his seventh year, got into trouble with a one-out triple to center to Shogo Kimura in the sixth.
After getting a fly for the second out, the right-hander hit Naoki Nakahigashi to put runners at the corners. Then lefty Williams was brought in to face the left-hitting Maru, but the center fielder locked onto a 2-1 slider up in the zone that cleared the right field fence at Miyoshi Stadium.
It appeared to be just in time, too, as a thick fog rolled in making it hard to see the ball in the outfield and resulting in a brief umpire stoppage after the top of the seventh.
Kosuke Tanaka added insurance with a leadoff blast off Takuya Toyoda in the eighth that was just fair of the right-field foul post.
Carp starter Jumpei Shinoda yielded two runs — one earned — on six hits before leaving in 4⅔ innings and Ren Nakata (3-0) threw 2⅓ scoreless innings in relief for the win.
Brad Eldred opened the scoring with a bases-loaded, two-run single in the first before the Lions tied it 2-2 on Abner Abreu’s RBI grounder and a Takumi Kuriyama sacrifice fly in the second, and fifth, respectively.
Giants 4, Fighters 3
At Tokyo Dome, Daisuke Nakai delivered a walkoff RBI double off Fighters closer Hirotoshi Masui (2-3) with one out in the ninth inning, lifting Yomiuri into a tie for second place in the CL with a win over Hokkaido Nippon Ham. Lefty Tetsuya Yamaguchi (2-2) got the win in relief.
Swallows 4, Eagles 1
At Jingu Stadium, Masato Furuno (3-2) limited the damage to a John Bowker solo homer over seven innings, and Kazuhiro Hatakeyama went 2-for-3 with an RBI single as Tokyo Yakult downed Tohoku Rakuten. Rookie Ryo Akiyoshi retired three in the ninth for his first career save.
BayStars 5, Buffaloes 4 (11)
Hawks at Dragons — late
Marines at Tigers — ppd.