Go Kamamoto drove in the tiebreaking run in the fourth inning as the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks moved back to the top of the Pacific League standings with a 5-2 victory over the Orix Buffaloes on Wednesday.
Kotaro Otake (2-2) got the win at Kyocera Dome after a six-inning start in which he allowed two runs on eight hits, while striking out a pair.
Kamamoto made clean contact with the first pitch from Orix starter Takahiro Matsuba in the top of the fourth for a two-RBI single that broke a 2-2 deadlock.