Randy Messenger labored but gave his team seven innings of one-run ball as the Hanshin Tigers held off the Tokyo Yakult Swallows 3-1 on Tuesday night.
Rookie outfielder Taiga Egoshi hit a three-run drive in the second inning off lefty Yoshihisa Naruse (1-3) for his first career home run and helped Hanshin take two straight for the first time since winning three in a row from March 27-29.
"My first hit came at Koshien and I wanted to get my first home run at Koshien too," said Egoshi, who connected on Naruse's 0-1 slider on a drive to left-center. "I swung at the first pitch but was a little tight, so I relaxed and had a nice compact swing on the second pitch."