Hirotoshi Takanashi held the Hanshin Tigers to a run over six innings as the Central League-leading Yakult Swallows won 5-3 Tuesday to continue their recent recovery.
After snapping a seven-game losing skid on Sunday, the Swallows scored four runs by the third inning at Jingu Stadium off Hanshin ace Koyo Aoyagi (12-2). The right-hander still leads the league in wins, but saw his team's own losing skid extend to seven games.
Dominant overall, Takanashi (6-6) struck out nine while allowing three hits and two walks. The Tigers reached third in both the second and fourth innings but failed to score, as they were made to wait until a Kento Itohara solo homer in the sixth.