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UPDATE1: Veteran Ishii's pinch-hit winner keeps Giants rolling
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TOKYO, Aug. 10 (22:49) Kyodo
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(EDS: UPDATES WITH LATE GAMES)
Yoshihito Ishii's seventh-inning pinch-hit single broke a 3-3
tie and helped extend the Central League-leading Yomiuri Giants'
unbeaten streak to seven games.
Ishii, signed by Yomiuri after he was released last autumn by
the Seibu Lions, singled home Takayuki Terauchi from second with two
outs in the seventh and the Giants held on to beat the Yakult
Swallows 4-3.
"I was really nervous, coming to bat in front of so many fans,"
said the left-handed-hitting Ishii, who began his career with
Yokohama in 1997. "My teammates created that scoring opportunity, and
I just wanted to do my best."
Rookie right-hander Seiji Tahara won his second game without a
loss after he allowed Yakult to tie it in the top of the seventh
inning. Entering in relief of southpaw starter Tetsuya Utsumi with
two outs and a runner on first, Tahara walked the first batter he
faced before surrendering a game-tying RBI double to Kazuhiro
Hatakeyama.
Kentaro Nishimura and Tetsuya Yamaguchi each supplied a 1-2-3
inning to close out the Swallows, with Yamaguchi earning his fifth
save.
Swallows reliever Tatsuyoshi Masubuchi (2-5) took the loss after
his teammates overcame a 3-0 deficit with the help of solo homers
from Ryohei Kawamoto and 20-year-old rookie Tetsuto Yamada, who went
deep for the first time in his career.
The victory increased the Giants' lead over the second-place
Chunichi Dragons to 4-1/2 games.
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Carp 3, Tigers 0
At Kyocera Dome, Hiroshima halted a three-game losing streak
with its sixth straight win over Hanshin. The Carp opened the scoring
when Masato Akamatsu led off the game with a double and scored on a
passed ball.
The visitors widened the lead on Brad Eldred's two-run homer in
the third. Carp right-hander Kan Otake (9-3) allowed six hits in six
innings, and four relievers held Hanshin to just two hits over the
final three frames to complete the shutout. The Tigers fell to 0-7
with one tie since they last won on Aug. 1
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Pacific League
Lions 7, Fighters 1
At Seibu Dome, Seibu's Chris Carter belted a three-run,
first-inning home run and teammate Hiroyuki Nakajima's two-out,
bases-loaded double in the fourth tacked on three more runs as the
Lions made mincemeat out of Pacific League-leading Nippon Ham.
Carter plated Nakajima in the fourth with a single for his
fourth RBI of the game to give Lions right-hander Ryoma Nogami (5-3)
all the run support he would need. Nogami allowed one run in seven
innings.
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Marines 8, Buffaloes 7
At QVC Marine Field, Lotte came from behind three times to win
consecutive games for the first time in over a month.
Trailing 5-2 in the fifth, Katsuya Kakunaka tied it with a
three-run double. Orix regained the lead in the sixth, but Josh
Whitesell's three-run double in the bottom of the sixth put the
Marines in front for good.
Marines ace Yoshihisa Naruse allowed six runs in six innings and
needed all the help he could get to improve to 11-5 and take over the
PL wins lead. Three relievers held Orix to one run over three innings
to seal the victory as second-place Lotte moved to within one game of
first place.
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Eagles 6, Hawks 3
At Yahoo Dome, Rakuten reached double digits in hits for the
third straight game as the Eagles, who snapped an 11-game winless
streak on Wednesday, won their third straight with the bottom of the
order doing most of the damage.
Eagles lefty Wataru Karashima (4-3) allowed three runs in
five-plus innings for the win as four relievers kept the Hawks from
making further inroads to preserve the victory. Hawks starter Sho
Iwasaki, however, allowed four runs, two earned, in 2-1/3 innings to
fall to 4-9 |
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