Ryoya Kurihara homered and drove in three runs as the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks beat the 2022 Japan Series champion Orix Buffaloes 6-1 Tuesday to extend their season-opening winning streak to four games.
Two-run homers by Kensuke Kondo, who was a key member of Japan's World Baseball Classic-winning team, and Kurihara gave the Hawks a 4-0 lead in the sixth inning at Kyocera Dome in Osaka. Kurihara later added an RBI single in the eighth to go with his third home run of the season.
Shuta Ishikawa (1-0) threw seven scoreless innings, striking out seven and walking none.
"I made a good start to the season," Ishikawa said. "I raised my gear late in the fifth inning. It was good to get a win for our manager."
Hawks manager Hiroshi Fujimoto was absent due to the death of his father, with head coach Hiroyuki Mori working as a fill-in. Buffaloes starter Daiki Tajima (0-1) took the loss.
In other Pacific League action, Tatsuya Imai and two relievers combined on a four-hit shutout, leading the Saitama Seibu Lions to a 4-0 win over the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
The Chiba Lotte Marines picked up their first win of the season with a 6-4 victory over the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters.
The Central League champion Tokyo Yakult Swallows and the Hanshin Tigers both stretched their winning streaks to four.
The Swallows shut out the Chunichi Dragons 1-0, while the Tigers edged the Hiroshima Carp 5-4.
Lewis Brinson went 5-for-5 with his first home run in Japan and six RBIs in the Yomiuri Giants' 9-0 rout of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.