Closer Shota Nakazaki steered the Hiroshima Carp through a nail-biting ninth-inning as the Central League leaders held on to beat the Tokyo Yakult Swallows 8-7 on Tuesday.

Tsubasa Aizawa homered twice to lead the offense as the visitors racked up 16 hits at a drizzly Jingu Stadium.

Nakazaki gave up a pair of walks in the final frame, but the right-hander kept his nerve to close out the game with a bases-loaded strikeout of Nobuyuki Okamura.