Aoki takes care of business to give Cinq Reves first win

FUNABASHI, Chiba Pref. — Entering this season, six-time All-Star Cohey Aoki had made 1,255 baskets — plus 983 free throws, while converting an astonishing 89.2 percent of his shots at the foul line — in 8,642 minutes of playing time in the regular season since the league's inception in 2005. Many of his most important points have come when the shot clock is winding down or in the closing seconds of quarters or games, and he's often come through in the clutch.

Mr Reliable: Tokyo's Cohey Aoki passes the ball during the Cinq Reves' 84-82 win over the Chiba Jets on Sunday. YOSHIAKI MIURA

The numbers add up to one important fact: Aoki has earned a reputation as one of the league's most reliable scorers.

So it was only appropriate that the former Tokyo Apache icon was entrusted with the ball in his hands in crunch time once again on Sunday, this time playing for his new team, the Tokyo Cinq Reves, at Funabashi Arena.

With the score tied at 82-82 after Chiba Jets power forward Joe Werner's layup, Tokyo called a timeout with 4.2 seconds left to draw up a play for the final sequence. Coach Motofumi Aoki, who had seen his star guard's exploits on dozens of occasions around the league, instructed his players to get Cohey the ball.

Smart move. The ball was inbounded to Aoki, he found space to operate and released a mid-range jumper that found nothing but net with 0.3 seconds left on the game clock. Chiba's desperation heave was off the mark. And the scoreboard posted these numbers a split-second later: Tokyo 84, Chiba 82.

The first victory in Cinq Reves history came down to Aoki doing what he does best. Of course, to avid fans, that buzzer-beating shot will be remembered as a typical Aoki production.

Wearing a baseball cap and smiling in his post-game interview, Aoki simply stated, "I have confidence in my shot."

Aoki contributed 14 points, four assists and four steals in his first victory in a Tokyo uniform since March 2011. (After the Apache folded, the star guard played for the Osaka Evessa last season.)

"I knew that he was a legend (in this league), Cinq Reves center Jonathan Jones said of Aoki. "And just being around him now these past two or three weeks I can see that he's a great player and a good leader."

With the game on the line, "he just hit that shot like it was easy, like you do it in your sleep," Jones said, describing Aoki's antics.

"Coach was like, 'Just get the ball in Cohey's hands because he's our best decision maker,' and we knew that he was going to make a good decision with the ball down the stretch," Jones said.

"He just made a good step-back (move) and pulled up and made the jumper,"

Before a lively crowd, the Sunday rematch — a day after Chiba defeated Tokyo 108-86 and got 27 points, including 6-for-6 on 3s, from Marquin Chandler — pitted Jets coach Shinji Tomiyama against one of his mentors. The younger bench boss had worked under Aoki on the Apache bench in 2009-10.

In the first quarter, Chiba jumped out to a 9-0 lead on a Reina Itakura 3-pointer before Tokyo mounted an early comeback, with Rasheem Barrett's jumper igniting the effort.

Tokyo fought back, and capitalized on how the referees were calling the game. The Cinq Reves attempted 18 free throws (17 were good) in the opening quarter alone, notably Jones, who was 5-for-6 in the period, and Aoki, who was 6-for-6. They led 26-22 entering the second quarter.

The refs eased up on the whistle in the second period, and the Jets adjusted, too. After being whistled for 11 first-quarter fouls, Chiba had four in the next quarter.

Chiba's D'Andre Bell took over offensively with a 12-point second quarter, and Tokyo trailed 46-44 at halftime.

The second half exhibited fast-paced basketball featuring two teams putting the building blocks in place for a long, 52-game season.

After his first win at the helm, Aoki described it as a "wonderful game" and appeared genuinely excited for the home fans. The veteran coach said effective man-to-man defense got the job done, but there's room for improvement in all areas.

"The Jets played a hard, disciplined game," he said of his foe.

Tomiyama agreed the game was a well-played contest, saying it was a "super game" and a "constant challenge" for his players. He praised the effort given by the Cinq Reves for their inside play and energy.

After the loss, Tomiyama said the focus now shifts to preparing his team to play the undefeated Iwate Big Bulls, who he coached last season, this coming weekend on the road.

Jones delivered a strong effort in 38-plus minutes, finishing with a game-best 23 points, including 9-for-14 at the line, and seven rebounds. Fellow big man Jared Carter added 13 points and 15 rebounds off the bench, while former Osaka Evessa player Hiroshisa Takada scored 10 points and three 3s, none bigger than his go-ahead 3 that put Tokyo ahead 82-80 with 30.4 seconds remaining.

Ilija Milutinovic, Barrett and Akihito Inoue all scored eight points apiece for Tokyo, which played aggressively on offense and got to the line repeatedly. The Cinq Reves shot 26-for-33 there; Chiba was 14-for-16.

Bell was the Jets' top scorer with 21 points. The Georgia Tech alum also had eight rebounds and two steals. Serge Angounou poured in 20 points and blocked two shots, while Shota Isshiki had 11 points and Itakura scored nine. Chandler, not listed as injured in the boxscore, did not suit up on Sunday after a banner debut in a Jets uniform, though Bell said injuries were a factor for the team.

For Tokyo, which travels to face the Niigata Albirex BB this weekend, a first win is something to build off and use as a confidence builder.

"I think as the season goes on we're going to develop better chemistry and with our size we're going to be tough to guard later down the season," said the 211-cm Jones.

Five Arrows 69, Evessa 66

In Osaka, Takamatsu has completed the improbable, matching its 2011-12 win total after two games.

Paul Williams and Masaaki Suzuki scored 14 points apiece, Brandon Penn had 13 and Dexter Lyons added 11 for the Five Arrows, who went 2-50 last season.

For the new-look Evessa, Nathan Walkup had a team-high 16 points and Masashi Obuchi scored 13.

Osaka, which suited up only three import players for the series, parted ways with point guard Temi Soyebo, a University of North Carolina-Wilmington product, earlier in the week.

Big Bulls 70, 89ers 68

In Sendai, Iwate became the first team to win four games this season by completing a series sweep over the hosts at Xebio Arena.

Guard Masato Tsukino, a 23-year-old who was a Miyazaki Shining Suns player the past two seasons, paced the Big Bulls (4-0) with 13 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the field, 4-for-4 at the line, with two steals. Lawrence Blackledge notched a double-double (11 points, 17 rebounds), while Carlos Dixon also had 11 points and Dillion Sneed scored 10 for Iwate.

Forward Karron Clarke led the 89ers with 20 points and 16 rebounds and Kevin Coble scored 11. Captain Takehiko Shimura dished out seven assists.

Sendai was 6-for-14 at the free-throw line, and fell to 1-3 on the season.

"Karron took the loss personally yesterday, and was one of many players who helped us build a 10-point lead at halftime," 89ers coach Bob Pierce told The Japan Times after Sunday's game. "But Iwate controlled the tempo in the second half."

B-Corsairs 88, Broncos 71

In Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, Yokohama routed the hosts for the second straight day to give coach Reggie Geary's club a feel-good start to its second season.

Thomas Kennedy scored 22 points and Masayuki Kabaya was 5-for-10 on 3-point attempts in a 21-point outing for the B-Corsairs, who reached the Final Four as a first-year franchise in May. In the series opener, Kabaya canned 7 of 12 3s in a 24-point effort.

Draelon Burns, meanwhile, made his presence felt in every aspect of the game and recorded a triple-double (12 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists) along with three steals.

Yokohama also got a double-double from Senegalese center Pape Faye Mour (10 points, 11 rebounds) and its offensive clicked at a high level, with 31 assists on 35 field goals.

For Saitama, Randy Orr and Yuki Kitamuki scored 18 points apiece, with both going 2-for-10 from beyond the arc.

Susanoo Magic 81, Rizing 64

In Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, Michael Parker and Brandon Freeman each scored 30 points and the hosts improved to 2-0 with a season-opening sweep of Western Conference rival Fukuoka.

B.J. Puckett grabbed 14 rebounds for the Magic and Parker completed his double-double with 11 boards.

For the Rizing, Akitomo Takeno was the leading scorer with 16 points and Julius Ashby and Josh Peppers chipped in with 13 apiece. Power forward Reggie Warren, a bj-league journeyman, supplied eight points and 10 rebounds for his new team.

Brave Warriors 83, Crane Thunders 62

In Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, the hosts fell to 0-4 after their second double-digit loss in as many days in the franchise's first-ever home series.

Jermaine Green paced Shinshu with 18 points, big man Wayne Marshall had a 15-point, eight-rebound, three-block effort and Takanori Goya scored 13 points.

For the expansion Crane Thunders, Shingo Okada and Lewis Witcher scored 11 points apiece.

Northern Happinets 90, Grouses 58

In Akita, coach Kazuo Nakamura's club erupted for 31 fourth-quarter points in a runaway victory over Toyama and earned a sweep to open the season.

Dion Harris flushed 6 of 14 3-point shots and had a game-high 26 points, Yuki Kikuchi sank three 3s in a 13-point effort and Shigehiro Taguchi made four 4s and finished with 12 points. The Happinets were 14-for-30 from 3-point range.

The Grouses' Masashi Joho was the team's top scorer with 14 points.

Lakestars 75, Shining Suns 53

In Miyakonojo, Miyazaki Prefecture, Shiga used its inside muscle to control the boards and hauled in 24 offensive rebounds in a lopsided road win to bounce back from a two-point loss in the teams' season opener.

Dionisio Gomez, in his second season with the Lakestars, scored 18 points and pulled down eight rebounds, Ray Nixon added 15 points.

Alfred Aboya, a former UCLA center, and Wayne Arnold each added 10 points.

For Miyazaki, center Dominique Keller had a game-high 26 points.

Phoenix 89, HeatDevils 72

In Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, Hamamatsu Highashimikawa played inspired, focused basketball after a 95-54 loss to Oita in the series opener.

Kevin Galloway led the Phoenix (2-2) with 29 points and 10 rebounds, Elbert Fuqua contributed 21 points and 12 boards and former league MVP Jeffrey Parmer added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

HeatDevils big man Taj Finger poured in 18 points and Taishiro Shimizu scored 15 points. Naoto Takushi dished out eight assists in the loss.

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Kagawa strikes as Japan notches first win ever over France

PARIS — Shinji Kagawa struck in the dying minutes as Japan defeated France for the first time 1-0 at the Stade de France on Friday night.

In the 88th minute on a counterattack led by Yasuyuki Konno, Manchester United midfielder Kagawa finished off a cross by Yuto Nagatomo to give Japan its first win against Les Bleus in six meetings.

Previously, Japan had lost four and drawn once to France. The two teams last played at the 2003 Confederations Cup where the French won 2-1.

"It was a team effort," Kagawa said. "I just happened to be the one who scored from a great counter made by the entire team."

Kagawa, though, said Japan still has a lot of catching up to do with the elite in world soccer.

The Asian champions had a quiet first half and had it not been for another outstanding performance in goal by Eiji Kawashima, could have been embarrassed by the hosts, who only played Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema for the first half and Bayern Munich's majestic Franck Ribery the last 20 minutes.

Alberto Zaccheroni's side next plays Brazil — another team Japan has yet to beat — on Tuesday in Wroclaw, Poland, to wrap up its European tour.

"We've got to do much better," Kagawa said. "Every player on the team has to play with more confidence. They could have had us because there were moments when we were completely exposed."

"(Brazil) are a more technical side than the team we played today. But I think we can be encouraged by the fact that our defense didn't concede, even though we were on our heels for large parts of the game."

Japan fought an uphill battle with Keisuke Honda, nursing a bruised right calf, on the bench and first-choice striker Ryoichi Maeda having been shipped home earlier in the week also with injury.

"It's a very good result," Zaccheroni said. "We were a bit shy in the first half but I thought we came out of our shell in the second.

"We moved the ball around well, found space and had some good moments."

LONDON — World and European champion Spain romped to a 24th straight qualifying win on Friday, although no one in the country was able to see it.

Pedro Rodriguez scored a hat trick as the world's best team routed host Belarus 4-0 in one of a group of big wins for Europe's leading nations in 2014 World Cup qualifying.

Yet celebrations were muted in the debt-ridden country after no broadcaster paid to televise the national team's match for the first time in 29 years.

Spain's wasn't the most convincing win of the third round of regional qualifiers, with Germany handing Ireland its worst loss since 1971, 6-1 at Dublin.

Wayne Rooney celebrated being handed the temporary England captaincy by scoring twice in a routine 5-0 win over San Marino, taking his goal total in international matches to 31, fifth on the country's all-time list.

But Italy was again unconvincing in beating Armenia 3-1, and the Netherlands managed only a comfortable 3-0 win over Andorra, which is 201st in the rankings.

However, Euro 2012 semifinalist Portugal, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, couldn't make the most of its dominance against Russia and lost 1-0 in a match between the top two teams in Group F.

Belgium enhanced its burgeoning reputation as a growing force in Europe with a 3-0 win in Serbia.

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Tigers climb into tie for first in AL Central

DETROIT — Anibal Sanchez retired the final batter on a weak grounder, and Detroit's players began celebrating around the mound.

Clutch performance: Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez pitches against the Royals on Tuesday in Detroit. Sanchez threw a shutout to pull the Tigers into a tie for the AL Central lead. AP

Moments later, the home crowd roared a little louder when the AL Central standings were posted on the scoreboard in left field — with the Tigers back in a tie for first.

"We control our own destiny. We've just got to continue to play good baseball," catcher Gerald Laird said. "We don't have to rely on anybody to beat anybody now. It's all on our shoulders."

Sanchez threw his first shutout in over a year, and the Tigers caught the Chicago White Sox atop the division with a 2-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night. Detroit had spent only one day in first since the start of August. The Tigers were tied with the White Sox after beating them Sept. 2 — but quickly fell back.

Now it's even again with eight games to play. Even in this season of expanded playoffs, Detroit and Chicago are in an old-fashioned division race with seemingly everything at stake — because a wild card isn't a likely option.

"Nothing is over, nothing is in," Sanchez said. "We're right there."

Athletics 3, Rangers 2 (10)

In Arlington, Texas, George Kottaras hit a leadoff homer in the 10th inning.

Scheduled starter Yu Darvish was scratched by the Rangers about 2? hours before the first pitch because of a stiff neck.

Angels 5, Mariners 4

In Anaheim, Zack Greinke had a season-high 13 strikeouts in five innings.

Indians 4, White Sox 3

In Chicago, the White Sox gave Detroit an opening to tie for the AL Central lead when Gordon Beckham hit into a game-ending forceout with the potential tying run on second base.

Blue Jays 4, Orioles 0

In Baltimore, Aaron Laffey and five relievers combined on a six-hitter.

Twins 5, Yankees 4

In Minneapolis, Phil Hughes ran out of gas in the seventh inning and Boone Logan couldn't hold the lead for him.

Ichiro Suzuki finished 1-for-4.

Rays 5, Red Sox 2

In Boston, David Price struck out a season-high 13 and Jeff Keppinger hit a three-run homer.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Braves 4, Marlins 3

In Atlanta, Freddie Freeman hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning to put the Braves back in the playoffs with a victory over Miami.

Reds 4, Brewers 2

In Cincinnati, Johnny Cueto pitched seven solid innings for the Reds.

Norichika Aoki was 0-for-4 for the Brewers.

Phillies 6, Nationals 3

In Philadelphia, Darin Ruf homered for his first major league hit and Carlos Ruiz and Domonic Brown also went deep.

Pirates 10, Mets 6

In New York, Pedro Alvarez hit his 30th homer and drove in four runs.

Cardinals 4, Astros 0

In Houston, Jaime Garcia pitched seven sharp innings and Jon Jay drove in two runs.

Rockies 10, Cubs 5 (6?)

In Denver, DJ LeMahieu had three hits and finished a home run short of the cycle in a rain-shortened game.

Padres 2, Dodgers 1

In San Diego, Josh Beckett lost for the third time in six starts with Los Angeles, whose playoff chances were dealt a blow.

Diamondbacks 7, Giants 2

In San Francisco, Paul Goldschmidt hit a three-run homer and a pair of sacrifice flies for a career-high five RBIs.

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Date-Krumm falls at first hurdle

Japanese wild card Kimiko Date-Krumm was overcome by No. 9 seed Marion Bartoli in straight sets, failing to advance out of the first round at the Pan Pacific Open on Monday.

Date-Krumm, who turns 42 on Thursday and is currently ranked 107th in the world, had the home crowd behind her on a sunny day at Ariake Tennis Forest Park but could not find a way to break down her world No. 10 opponent in a 6-1, 6-4 defeat.

"She has a lot of speed and plays the ball flat. That suits my game because I can also play the ball flat, but I can't put spins on my balls like say (Samantha) Stosur. I wish I had a ball like that, but I can't suddenly change my game at this late stage in my career," Date-Krumm said. "Bartoli has a very high pace to keep up with."

The former world No. 4, who won this tournament back in 1995, broke Bartoli at 3-3 in the second set, but the Frenchwoman broke right back. Date-Krumm had a chance to break her opponent again when she took a 40-30 lead in the 10th game but netted twice as Bartoli served out the match in one hour, 44 minutes.

"Bartoli has a double first serve, whereas I need work even on my first serve. I lost the first set 6-1, but I had a lot of deuces. The problems were with my serves," said Date-Krumm.

Date-Krumm could have also done without a reportedly drunk fan in the crowd, who she said ruined her focus by yelling out on critical points in the match.

"I heard after the match, it was a drunk. That was a distraction on big points. He might have been rooting for me, but . . ."

Bartoli improved to 4-0 against Date-Krumm for her career.

"I expected for her to fight hard until the end, and that's what she did. So I had to stay focused throughout," said Bartoli of Date-Krumm. "I would love to play at that level when I am 42. I'm 27, and I don't think I could at her age. That's amazing."

Going forward, Date-Krumm will be heading to Beijing for the China Open next week where she will have to qualify and will appear as a wild card at the Japan Women's Open in Osaka from Oct. 8-14.

"I've done what I must do, so I'm not really down about this loss. I came back four years ago, but what do people expect of me? I am still trying to figure out what to do to win," she said.

Qualifier Kurumi Nara, meanwhile, was also ousted in the first round by Urszula Radwanska of Poland 6-2, 6-4 in her second appearance in the main draw at the Tokyo meet.

The 20-year-old Nara, who had won their only other meeting in a qualifier in Cincinnati in 2010, easily dropped the first set. She bounced back to break Radwanska at 2-0 and 4-4 in the second, but the Pole pulled away to win.

"Today I wasn't able to move as well as I did in my two matches in qualification," Nara said. "Her shots were low, but I couldn't get length on my shots. Even so, being able to win two qualifying matches was a real confidence boost going forward."

In other matches, former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic, the 11th seed, beat Andrea Hlavackova, 6-3, 2-0, when her Czech opponent retired in the second set due to a left thigh injury, while 17th-seed Russian Nadia Petrova rolled past China's Peng Shuai 6-1, 6-4.

Later in the evening, former world No. 1 and 10th seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, who just won the Korea Open in Seoul on Sunday, beat Serbian Bojana Jovanovski 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 in a match stalled by rain.

Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic, the 16th seed, downed Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova 6-4, 7-6 (3). Estonia's Kaia Kanepi, runnerup in Seoul and the 15th seed, beat Spanish qualifier Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-1, 6-4.

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Fighters beat Lions to consolidate first place

TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. — The Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters maintained their grip on the Pacific League lead on Sunday with a 6-2 come-from-behind victory over the Seibu Lions.

Tough at the top: Hokkaido Nippon Ham's Dustin Molleken pitches during the Fighters' 6-2 win over the Lions at Seibu Dome on Sunday. KYODO

Sho Nakata tied the game in the sixth with a two-run homer off Lions starter Takayuki Kishi (10-11), and gave his club the lead in the seventh with a two-run double as the Fighters avoided a three-game sweep at Seibu Dome.

"If I fail to drive in runs, I get aggravated," said the 23-year-old Nakata, who had gone 1-for-8 in the crucial series' first two games which the Lions came from behind to win.

"It wouldn't do for us to get swept because I failed to hit."

The victory put 1? games between Nippon Ham and the second-place Lions, who would have moved into first place with a win. The Fighters' Yoshio Itoi added a two-run homer in the ninth.

Dustin Molleken (2-1), who took over for starter Masaru Nakamura in the bottom of the sixth, earned the win. After blowing late leads for two straight days, Nippon Ham's bullpen was rock solid on Sunday, retiring 12 straight batters after Molleken walked the leadoff man in the sixth.

"They got us the last two days, so the thing today was to not get down on ourselves. We did that even though we fell behind," said Fighters skipper Hideki Kuriyama. "Nakata was the epitome of a cleanup hitter today and the relievers were super."

The Lions took the lead in the bottom of the first, when slugger Takeya Nakamura singled with one out and two on against Fighters starter Nakamura. The hosts made it 2-0 in the fifth, when Shogo Akiyama reached third as a result of a single, a stolen base and an error, and scored on Jose Ortiz's two-out single.

Itoi led the Fighters' comeback in the sixth with a leadoff double. He went to third on right fielder Yutaro Osaki's error and scored on Nakata's 21st homer.

"I was really looking for curveballs (from Kishi) today," said Nakata, who hammered one for a line out in the first inning and pounded another over the fence. "I hadn't been hitting the curve recently, and so I figured I would see one sooner or later. When it came, I really timed it well.

"More than that, however, I was laying off pitches out of the zone. That was something I needed to do and I succeeded at it."

In the seventh, Yang Dai-kang singled off Kishi with one out after fouling a pitch off his left shin. Randy Williams entered and got one out before walking Itoi and surrendering Nakata's two-run double.

The two teams will play twice more, on Friday and Saturday in Sapporo.

"We achieved our minimum goal here by winning two games," said Seibu skipper Hisanobu Watanabe. "A sweep would have been nice, but the guys played their hearts out for all three games."

Hawks at Eagles — ppd.

Buffaloes at Marines — ppd.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Giants 2, Swallows 0

At Tokyo Dome, Yomiuri's D.J. Houlton (12-7) threw seven innings to outduel Tokyo Yakult's Orlando Roman (9-10), and Taishi Ota, the Giants' highly touted first-round draft pick in 2008, hit his first homer.

Roman allowed a run on five hits and four walks over six innings, while hitting a batter, and Giants veteran Yoshihito Ishii drew a bases-loaded walk for the new CL champs in the fourth inning.

Tigers 5, Dragons 2

At Koshien Stadium, Hanshin overcame a two-run deficit to avoid a sweep at the hands of Chunichi.

Takashi Toritani homered to halve the visitors' lead in the fourth and three Tigers singled in a run apiece in the sixth inning.

Tigers cleanup hitter Ryota Arai tied it with an RBI single, Matt Murton brought home the go-ahead run and Issei Morita capped the rally with another RBI single to make a winner out of Randy Messenger (8-11), who allowed two runs in six innings.

Carp at BayStars — ppd.

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Reserves keep Fighters in first place

SAPPORO — Needing a win to stay in first place in the Pacific League, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters got a big day from their reserves on Monday afternoon to edge the Orix Buffaloes 5-4 at Sapporo Dome.

Holiday special: Hokkaido Nippon Ham pinch hitter Kenshi Sugiya hits an eighth-inning, tiebreaking RBI single during the Fighters' 5-4 win over the Buffaloes on Monday. KYODO

Pinch hitter Kenshi Sugiya broke a 4-4, eighth-inning tie with an RBI single after the Buffaloes had scored twice in the top of the inning. Closer Hisashi Takeda retired the visitors in order in the ninth to record his 27th save.

With one out and a runner on third, Sugiya's grounder barely got under the glove of diving second baseman Mitsutaka Goto, but it was enough to bring home veteran Makoto Kaneko from third.

"That was awfully close, but it worked out," said the 21-year-old who is 3-for-6 as a pinch hitter this year. "The ball went in just the right place."

Playing for the seventh straight day and with two more to go before their next day off, Fighters manager Hideki Kuriyama rested his starting pitchers and regular catcher Shinya Tsuruoka against the last-place Buffaloes and got the win he wanted.

Rookie reliever Toshiharu Moriuchi made his starting debut in his 51st game of the season and allowed two runs in three innings. His start allows the Fighters to go with lefty Masaru Takeda on Tuesday.

Nippon Ham, which started the day a half-game ahead of the second-place Seibu Lions, took the lead in a four-run fourth.

Micah Hoffpauir, Kaneko and Yang Dai-kang each had RBI singles while 20-year-old second baseman Haruki Nishikawa capped the rally with an RBI double. Kensuke Kato, a 19-year-old rookie catcher making his first start, kept the rally alive with a two-out single.

"When Haruki and Kondo got their hits, I was wondering what I was going to do," Sugiya said. "I just sat and waited."

The Fighters loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh but lefty Shinya Nakayama escaped the jam and Hirotoshi Masui (5-4), the Fighters' fifth pitcher, allowed two runs on three hits in one inning.

Veteran Taiwanese lefty Hsu Ming-chieh (0-2), however, surrendered a leadoff double to Kaneko. A sacrifice by Taiwan's Yang forced the Buffaloes to play shallow, allowing Sugiya's grounder to squeak through.

Marines 11, Eagles 5

At Kleenex Stadium, Chiba Lotte won its fourth straight with a win over Tohoku Rakuten and leapfrogged the Golden Eagles into fourth place. The Marines opened the scoring with a four-run, six-hit first inning off Manabu Mima (7-9) and Seth Greisinger (10-8) worked eight innings.

Greisinger allowed three runs, two earned, in the third, but retired the Eagles in order six times. Ikuhiro Kiyota, who nearly scuttled the Marines' first by grounding into a double play before a run had scored, redeemed himself by driving in three runs.

Hawks 2, Lions 1

At Yahoo Dome, Fukuoka Softbank's Tadashi Settsu (16-5) allowed a run in seven innings to win his sixth straight start and his seventh straight decision, beating Seibu to knock the Lions 1? games behind the first-place Fighters.

Settsu, who leads both leagues in wins, allowed six hits and a walk, while striking out eight. Hitoshi Tamura homered off Takayuki Kishi (10-10) in the second with a man on.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Dragons 2, Giants 0

At Nagoya Dome, Chunichi's Masahiro Araki unlocked a scoreless tie in the eighth inning as the Dragons defeated Yomiuri and froze the Giants' magic number to win the CL pennant at five. Araki doubled in two runs off starter Yuki Koyama (2-2) following a pinch-hit double by Kei Nomoto and a single by Yohei Oshima.

Dragons ace Kazuki Inoue left the mound with one out in the fourth inning with discomfort in his right shoulder. Takuya Asao, pitching for the first team for the first time since May 13, and three other relievers completed the shutout.

Swallows 5, Carp 4

At Mazda Stadium, Tokyo Yakult's Hiroyasu Tanaka singled in two runs off Hiroshima closer Kam Mickolio (3-5) in the ninth inning as the third-place Swallows moved four games clear of the fourth-place Carp.

Swallows closer Tony Barnette, who had pitched the three previous days, was forced into action with two on and two outs in the bottom of the ninth. The right-hander retired pinch hitter Tomonori Maeda on two pitches to record his 28th save.

BayStars 4, Tigers 4 (9)

At Koshien Stadium, Yokohama's Masaaki Koike singled in the tying run with two outs in the top of the ninth, and BayStars closer Shun Yamaguchi retired Hanshin in order in the bottom of the inning to force a tie in the 3-hour, 34-minute game.

The visitors took a first-inning lead on Tatsuya Shimozono's three-run double off Randy Messenger. The Tigers, however, grabbed a 4-3 lead in the seventh, when Takashi Toritani tripled with the bases loaded off BayStars ace Daisuke Miura.

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Victorious Fighters climb back into first place

SAPPORO — Right-hander Brain Wolfe pitched seven scoreless innings, Eiichi Koyano and Shota Ono both had RBI doubles, and the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters beat the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks 4-2 to regain first place in the Pacific League on Saturday.

Steady effort: Fighters right-hander Brian Wolfe improved to 9-9 on Saturday, pitching seven scoreless innings against the Hawks at Sapporo Dome. Hokkaido Nippon Ham defeated Fukuoka Softbank 4-2. KYODO

Nippon Ham moved a season-high 12 games above .500.

Wolfe (9-9) struck out five and walked none before handing the game over to lefty reliever Yuya Ishii. Hisashi Takeda got the final two outs for his PL-leading 26th save.

The Fighters, who moved a half game ahead of the second-place Seibu Lions, scored two runs on Koyano's double down the left field line and Yang Yao-hsun's (2-2) wild pitch in the second inning at Sapporo Dome.

"We were able to win today in the way we're used to. I am being given chances to hit in situations I know I can come through for our team," said Koyano.

Hitoshi Tamura and Yuya Hasegawa hit back-to-back RBI singles in the ninth, but it was too little, too late for the Hawks, who lost their third in a row.

Marines 5, Lions 4

At Chiba's QVC Marine Field, Ikuhiro Kiyota had a sacrifice fly to get Chiba Lotte within one with one out in the seventh inning and Saburo Omura overturned a 4-3 deficit with a two-out two-run double the same inning off Randy Williams (3-3) as the hosts rallied past Seibu.

Reliever Taiki Nakago (2-1) pitched two innings of one-run ball for the win and Yasuhiko Yabuta had a 1-2-3 ninth for his 23rd save. Seibu's Takeya Nakamura hit a solo shot for his PL-leading 24th home run, but Seibu slipped into second place.

Eagles 3, Buffaloes 2

At Osaka's Kyocera Dome, Luis Garcia's tiebreaking run-scoring double gave Tohoku Rakuten the lead for good in the fifth inning as the Golden Eagles held off Orix.

Kazuo Matsui gave Rakuten a 2-1 lead with an RBI single in the third but Lee Dae Ho, who opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first, hit a sacrifice fly to make it 2-2 in the third. Yasunori Kikuchi (1-0) limited the damage to two runs — one earned — on five hits in six innings. Alessandro Maestri (3-2) took the loss for the Buffaloes, who lost their fourth in a row.

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Dragons 1, Carp 0

At Hiroshima's Mazda Stadium, Kenshin Kawakami combined with three relievers on a three-hit shutout to earn his first win since March 31, leading the way in Chunichi's victory over Hiroshima.

Kawakami (2-1) yielded just one hit and walked none over six strong innings. Daisuke Yamai got the final three outs for his 13th save.

Naomichi Donoue drove in the only run on an RBI grounder in the second inning against Yusuke Nomura (9-9).

Tigers 2, Giants 0

At Tokyo Dome, Takashi Toritani and Takahiro Arai both homered in support of Atsushi Nomi (9-9), who tossed eight shutout innings despite allowing seven hits to lift Hanshin to its first win this season at Tokyo Dome.

Toritani led off the fourth with a blast to right off D.J. Houlton (11-7) and team captain Arai belted a shot to left-center in the ninth to make it stand.

The CL-leading Giants lost for the first time since Sept. 5.

Swallows 6, BayStars 3

At Tokyo's Jingu Stadium, pinch hitter Kazuki Fukuchi had a game-tying two-run double in the sixth inning and Ryosuke Morioka gave Tokyo Yakult the lead with a run-scoring triple in the eighth in a rally over Yokohama, which saw its winless streak stretch to seven games.

The Swallows' three-run eighth also featured Genki Nitta's two-run single that capped the scoring off reliever Hitoshi Fujie (3-4).

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Japan, Israel tied up after first day of David Cup World Group playoff

Japan and Israel are deadlocked 1-1 following the opening day of play in their Davis Cup World Group playoff at Ariake Colosseum on Friday.

Japan No. 2 Go Soeda beat Israel No. 1 Dudi Sela in four sets 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the opening match, while Israel No. 2 Amir Weintraub downed Japan No. 3 Tatsuma Ito 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the second singles contest.

Ito was playing in place of Japan No. 1 Kei Nishikori, who was ruled out Friday morning with a shoulder injury. Nishikori has not been completely scratched from the tie and could play in the reverse singles matches on Sunday.

Israel captain Eyal Ran was pleased to have the tie even after the first day of action.

"This was a classical day of Davis Cup with the players going all out and fighting for their country," he commented. "We are in this tie and I think we can do it now."

Soeda, ranked 55th in the world, displayed a strong forehand and played solidly from the baseline in recording the victory under a blazing sun on the hardcourt.

The win was the first for Soeda against Sela in four career matches.

"I knew I had to win. I couldn't lose," said Soeda. "I was under pressure to show my best. It was a tough match and a big win for me."

After Sela broke Soeda's serve to open the match, the Japanese broke right back. Following the fifth game, Sela took an injury timeout.

Soeda broke in the sixth game with a volley to go up 4-2. He then broke again in the eighth game to take the set 6-2 in 46 minutes.

Soeda had eight winners in the first set, while Sela committed 21 unforced errors.

Sela, ranked 98th, served better in the second set, getting in 74 percent of his first serves, but after breaking Soeda in the first game and holding serve to go up 2-0, he came undone with several more unforced errors.

Soeda took six of the next eight games, breaking Sela in the 10th game to claim the set in 43 minutes.

Sela had 19 unforced errors in the second set.

The Israeli battled back in the third set, using an effective backhand to help record 14 winner's to Soeda two and claimed the set 6-3 in 34 minutes.

Sela broke twice and saw Soeda rack up 14 unforced errors in the set.

"I was tired in the third set and then Sela started playing really well," Soeda commented. "There was an overrule on a call and I lost focus and he took the momentum from me. Then in the fourth set I started playing aggressively again and was able to get it back."

The 28-year-old Soeda closed out the match by getting in 74 percent of his first serves in the fourth set and converting several key points to clinch the victory.

"The start of the match was tough," noted Sela. "I was short with my balls and he was aggressive. I felt better in the second set, but he was solid and didn't give me any free points."

Sela recognized fatigue in his opponent in the third set and capitalized on it.

"I was more aggressive in the third set. He was getting tired at the end of that set. If he kept playing like that, I thought I could win the match, but then he took the first two games of the fourth set at love. He deserved to win."

Weintraub routed Ito in the second match, registering the triumph in just 1 hour, 55 minutes. Weintraub didn't let his lower ranking (223) hold him back against Ito (67th), dominating in every phase of the game.

Weintraub exhibited a strong serve (11 aces) and excellent groundstrokes in the clinical victory. Ito was bedeviled by his 49 unforced errors in the defeat.

"I was surprised when I heard that Nishikori wasn't going to play, but I was concentrating on myself," said Weintraub. "It was good news for us. It wasn't easy against Ito, but of course Nishikori has a higher ranking."

In analyzing his performance, the 25-year-old Weintraub gave himself high marks.

"My serve was very good. He didn't break me the whole match," he said. "I used good combinations, mixing up speeds and playing strong from the baseline. This was one of the better wins in my career."

Saturday's doubles match will see Ito and Yuichi Sugita take on Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram.

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Sugiuchi improves to 11-2, picks up first win since late July

Hisayoshi Chono and Hayato Sakamoto both had three hits, Toshiya Sugiuchi allowed two runs over 5-2/3 innings, and the Yomiuri Giants routed the Tokyo Yakult Swallows 8-2 on Friday night.

Sugiuchi (11-2), making his first start since Aug. 16 after returning from an injured left shoulder, allowed just one earned run, scattered six hits, struck out five and walked one at Jingu Stadium.

His command not entirely back, Sugiuchi got a little help from his batterymate and captain Shinnosuke Abe, who threw out a runner trying to steal second to end the fourth.

"Everyone helped out on defense and I could stay in the game," said Sugiuchi, who won for the first time since July 27. "The most important thing was setting the pace of the game after coming back from this time off."

Swallows lefty Katsuki Akagawa (6-7) allowed four runs — three earned — to take the loss, while the Giants matched a season high with their 16 hits.

Dragons 1, Tigers 0

At Nagoya Dome, Masahiko Morino homered with two outs in the fifth inning off Hanshin's Jason Standridge (6-11), and Yudai Ono went seven scoreless innings as Chunichi managed its second straight shutout.

Ono (4-2) scattered three hits — all singles — and got the win for the first time since Aug. 7. Daisuke Yamai picked up his 10th save.

BayStars 1, Carp 0

At Hiroshima's Mazda Stadium, 21-year-old right-hander Yuki Kuniyoshi pitched a three-hitter in his first career shutout to earn his first win since Aug. 11, and Takayuki Kajitani had a two-out run-scoring triple in the fourth inning as Yokohama downed Hiroshima.

Kuniyoshi (3-10), whose complete game was his first as a pro, struck out four and walked three in an efficient 92-pitch outing. Keisuke Imai (2-6) took the loss after allowing one run and seven hits in seven innings.

PACIFIC LEAGUE

Fighters 2, Buffaloes 1

At Osaka's Kyocera Dome, August's monthly MVP Mitsuo Yoshikawa went the distance in a 13-strikeout effort, and Sho Nakata hit a two-run homer in the opening inning as Hokkaido Nippon Ham held off Orix.

Lefty Yoshikawa (12-4), who won the MVP award the same day, won his fifth consecutive start allowing only Aarom Baldiris' RBI single in the second. He walked one and threw 110 pitches. Kei Igawa (2-7) was tagged with the loss for the Buffaloes, who saw their winning streak end at four games.

Eagles 1, Lions 0

At Sendai's Kleenex Stadium, Kazuya Fujita broke a scoreless tie with an RBI single in the fifth inning, lifting Tohoku Rakuten past PL leader Seibu.

Wataru Karashima (6-5) yielded two hits, struck out three and walked three over seven effective innings. Seibu starter Ryoma Nogami (7-4), who had won his last six decisions, took the loss.

Hawks 4, Marines 1

At Fukuoka's Yahoo Dome, Softbank's Tomoaki Egawa had a banner night against Chiba Lotte, going 4-for-4 with a two-run, go-ahead home run in the fourth inning, and Nagisa Araki (6-3) limited the damage to one run on two hits in seven innings in his first start since June 30.

Egawa singled in the second, gave the Hawks a 2-1 lead with his blast in the fourth, singled in the sixth and tripled in the eighth. Yoshihisa Naruse (11-9) gave up four runs and nine hits in 6-1/3 innings.

The Marines lost six straight for the second time this season.

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Wimbledon champ Kvitova loses in first round at Eastbourne

Back at you: Ekaterina Makarova hits a return to Petra Kvitova during their match at Eastbourne on Tuesday. Makarova upset Kvitova 7-5, 6-4. AFP-JIJI

EASTBOURNE, England — Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova was among the top three women's seeds to fall in the first round of the Eastbourne Championships on Tuesday.

Kvitova was the first to exit, going down 7-5, 6-4 to Ekaterina Makarova.

She was followed out of the grass-court tournament by top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, beaten 6-2, 6-4 by Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria, and third-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, who was outlasted 6-1, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4 by Christina McHale.

"It was a tough opponent for me for the first round, and I didn't play well," Kvitova said. "She has won here in the past, so I know that she can play well on the grass.

"For me, this was my first match on grass and I didn't expect too much."

However, defending champ Marion Bartoli of France beat Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-2, 6-2.

In the men's event, Andy Roddick claimed his first win in seven matches when fellow American Sam Querrey retired with a back injury with Roddick leading 5-2.

"Regardless of what he had going on, I hit the ball really well," said Roddick, whose last victory came in Miami three months ago. "Last couple of days it's been really good in practice. I don't know why or how or what the process has been, but it's felt pretty good."

Top-seeded Richard Gasquet of France was also shown the exit when he was beaten 1-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-3) by Australian qualifier Marinko Matosevic, and fifth-seeded Frenchman Julien Benneteau went down 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4) to Lu Yen-hsun of Taiwan.

The second-seeded Kvitova put on an erratic performance during her first match on grass since lifting the trophy at Wimbledon last year.

She broke serve twice in the opening set, but Makarova broke back each time and broke a third time for the set with a perfectly executed winner down the line.

Makarova, who won the event as a qualifier two years ago but lost to Kvitova in 2011, fought off two break points at the start of the second set and broke to lead 4-2.

Kvitova then broke at love when Makarova served for the match at 5-3, but she responded by taking Kvitova's serve again, forcing an error from a powerful service return.

"It's not good preparation for Wimbledon, but I have more days for getting ready. I have to work hard now to improve my game," Kvitova said.

Radwanska has enjoyed a spectacular season, winning titles in Dubai, Miami and Brussels, and she believes that may have taken its toll.

"I think I have been playing a lot of matches this year, and I'm kind of like a little bit tired," said Radwanska, who double-faulted on match point. "Of course I was trying everything, but she's really playing good on grass."

Wozniacki looked uncomfortable for her entire match.

After splitting the first two sets, McHale broke to lead 2-1 in the third. Although she allowed Wozniacki to level at 4-4, the American broke serve again at love and closed out the match on her fourth match point.

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Memorial has busy first day

DUBLIN, Ohio — Erik Compton considers the Memorial a special week no matter how he plays, knowing his second heart transplant came from a donor in Ohio.

Down and dirty: Tiger Woods hits out of a sand trap on the 12th hole during the first round of the Memorial on Thursday. AP

The opening round was even sweeter with three birdies on the back nine late Thursday afternoon at Muirfield Village for a 5-under 67, leaving him one-shot out of the lead after a day that featured a timely rally by Rory McIlroy and a surprising departure by Phil Mickelson.

When the day ended, Scott Stallings was atop the leaderboard with a 66 and hardly anyone noticed.

Compton has been an amazing story as long as he has played golf. He had his first heart transplant at 12, played in the Walker Cup after a solid career at Georgia, nearly died from a heart attack on his way home from the golf course in 2007, had a second transplant in May 2008, and earned his PGA Tour card for the first time last year through the Nationwide Tour.

"It's just a great story, obviously, and it's a great place — for me, it's a special place," Compton said. "For me, there's not a day that goes by that I don't think about my donor. To be able to play here, regardless of whether I play good or bad, it's just always a nice week."

It could have been another bad week for McIlroy.

Coming off back-to-back missed cuts that cost him his No. 1 ranking and ramped up the scrutiny, McIlroy took a quadruple bogey on his third hole of the tournament when he went from the bunker to the water, back over the pond to the drop area on a forward tee, and then into another bunker. He blasted onto the green and took two putts for a 7, and there were murmurs from the crowd to see him at 4-over par so early.

The next 15 holes were much better, and he rallied for a 71.

Tiger Woods, playing in the group behind him, chopped up the 18th hole for a double bogey and still managed a 2-under 70.

"I didn't do anything great and I didn't do anything poorly," Woods said. "I was just very consistent. And I think with the golf course being the way it's set up, you just have to be that way. . . . Over the next three days, hopefully I can play as well as I did today."

Mickelson wasn't anywhere near those scores, and when his round ended, he was nowhere near the golf course. Mickelson walked out of the scoring hut after signing for a 79 — his worst score ever at the Memorial — and said he was withdrawing because of mental fatigue.

He said playing three straight weeks, followed by a trip to Europe for his wife's 40th birthday, took too much out of him and he needed extra rest with the U.S. Open only two weeks away. "I feel like it's the responsibility of a player to see through your commitment and finish the tournament and so forth," Mickelson said. "And I'm kind of overruling that just a touch, because I'm trying to think big picture on what's the best way for me to get ready for the Open."

The bigger picture might have been the fans in the gallery using their cellphones for photos of Mickelson, Masters champion Bubba Watson and Rickie Fowler. Mickelson has a peculiar way of sending a message, though he danced around a question of whether distractions played a role. He said only he struggled to focus from a busy month.

Watson and Fowler painted a different picture.

"It took Phil out of his game," Watson said.

Fowler, a little more diplomatic, said the players had to restart their pre-shot routines because of the phone cameras.

"You could see Phil was a little fatigued and was having trouble blocking it out a bit," Fowler said.

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Serena beaten in first round

Beaten: Serena Williams reacts during her 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 first-round loss to Virginie Razzano at the French Open on Tuesday. AP

PARIS — For more than a decade, whatever the state of her health or her game, no matter the opponent or arena, Serena Williams always won first-round matches at Grand Slam tournaments.

Giant-killer: Virginie Razzano plays a shot against Serena Williams at Roland Garros on Tuesday. AP

Always.

Until Tuesday at the French Open. Until Williams came within two points of victory nine times, yet remarkably failed to close the deal against unheralded and 111th-ranked Virginie Razzano of France.

Until a theatrical, 23-minute final game filled with 30 points, more than enough to fill an entire set, featuring ebbs and flows, high-pressure shotmaking and nerves — and even thunderous protests from the crowd when the chair umpire docked Razzano a point. That look-away-and-you-miss-something game included five wasted break points for Williams, and seven match points that she saved, until Razzano finally converted her eighth, 3 hours and 3 minutes after they began playing.

All told, until Tuesday, Williams was 46 for 46 in openers at tennis' top venues, and those encounters tended to be routine and drama-free, befitting a woman so good that the goal — and 13 times, the end result — was a major championship.

Not this time. Now Williams' first-round Grand Slam record is 46-1 after as stunning a denouement as could be in a 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 loss to Razzano on the red clay at Roland Garros.

The fifth-seeded Williams, considered by many a pre-tournament favorite, led 5-1 in the second-set tiebreaker, before dropping the next 13 points in a row.

"I've been through so much in my life, and . . . I'm not happy, by no means," said Williams, her eyes welling with tears. "I just always think things can be worse."

The 30-year-old American returned to action last year after missing about 10 months because of a series of health scares, including two foot operations and blood clots, a scary stretch she says altered her worldview.

The rowdy spectators in Court Philippe Chatrier chanting Razzano's first name would have been pulling for her anyway, of course, because of her citizenship. But their support was particularly strong because of her recent heartbreak, well-known in France: Razzano's fiance — Stephane Vidal, also her longtime coach — died at age 32 of a brain tumor in May 2011, a little more than a week before her first-round match at last year's French Open.

He had encouraged her to go ahead and enter the tournament, so she did, honoring his memory by stepping on court to play, a black ribbon pinned to her shirt. When she walked out of the locker room for what turned out to be a straight-set loss, she wore a gold chain that Vidal had given her as a Valentine's Day gift a few years earlier.

"Honestly, the past is the past," Razzano said Tuesday. "I think now I did my mourning. I feel good today. It took time."

Said Williams: "I know of her story and her husband. We all have stories. I mean, I almost died, and Venus is struggling herself. So, you know, it's life. You know, it just depends on how you deal with it. She obviously is dealing with it really well."

Defending men's champion Rafael Nadal had no such trouble, starting his quest for a record seventh French Open title by beating Simone Bolelli of Italy 6-2, 6-2, 6-1. Maria Sharapova had an even easier time, scoring a "double bagel" in her 6-0, 6-0 win over Alexandra Cadantu of Romania.

PARIS — Forty-one-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm's hopes of becoming the oldest player to win at the French Open in the professional era were crushed Tuesday with a first-round defeat to Italian 14th-seed Francesca Schiavone.

Schiavone, the 2010 champion at Roland Garros and runnerup to China's Li Na last year, was never in serious danger against the Japanese former world No. 4, prevailing 6-3, 6-1 in 74 minutes to move into the second round.

"I didn't completely fall apart after losing the eighth game (in the first set), but I couldn't make any headway," said Date-Krumm. "I couldn't put her in a corner and I'm not even half satisfied with the way I played."

It was not all bad news for Japan, though, as Ayumi Morita came from behind to win her opening match for the second year in a row, beating 39th-ranked Polona Hercoq of Slovenia 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

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Sagan Tosu earn first road victory of season

Suita, Osaka Pref. — Struggling Gamba Osaka squandered the chance to move within two points of safety after collapsing 3-2 at home to promoted Sagan Tosu in the J.League first division on Friday night.

Goals from Takahiro Futagawa and Akihiro Sato put Gamba in control at Expo Stadium, but Yohei Toyoda pulled one back on 68 minutes and Naoki Fujita leveled in the 86th before netting the winner in the fourth minute of injury time.

Tosu improved to 20 points from 13 games after their first away win of the season, seven behind leaders Vegalta Sendai, while Gamba remain third from bottom on 9 from 12, four back of Kashiwa Reysol, who play Albirex Niigata on Saturday.

"We knew it would be a difficult game and we conceded two goals but the players refused to throw in the towel and showed a lot of heart," said Tosu manager Yoon Jong Hwan.

"That was probably the worst we have played this season in the first half but it turned out to be a great game for us," he said.

Gamba made a dream start and took the lead after just three minutes. Paulinho capitalized on sloppy defending by Ryuhei Niwa and crossed for Futagawa to steer home after he had appeared to control the ball with his hand, sparking protests from Sagan's back line.

The home side went on to dominate the first half but was unable to cash in on a slew of chances.

Yasuyuki Konno headed against the post, and Sagan goalkeeper Taku Akahoshi saved bravely at the feet of Paulinho on 32 minutes, taking a knee in the face in the process, before Sato shot just wide on the stroke of halftime.

Sato doubled Gamba's lead midway through the second half when he prodded in Yasuhito Endo's cross, but Tosu struck immediately after the restart through Toyoda, the Beijing Olympian heading Fujita's throw-in in off the post.

Toyoda returned the favor by setting up Fujita to drive in the equalizer from the edge of the box and Fujita then kept his head to win it with the last kick of the game.

"I'm totally spent," a smiling Fujita said. "That was a dreadful first half but we were determined to put it behind us at halftime and turn things around."

"I don't really remember how I put the winner away but I am glad it went in."

In the evening's other game, Cerezo Osaka dented Nagoya Grampus' preparations for next week's Asian Champions League round of 16 game away to Adelaide United with a 1-0 win at Toyota Stadium, Kempes sealing victory four minutes into the second half.

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FC Tokyo suffers first defeat in Asian Champions League

ULSAN, South Korea — FC Tokyo went down 1-0 away to South Korea's Ulsan Hyundai in the Asian Champions League on Wednesday, a first defeat of the competition costing the Emperor's Cup holders a home tie against J. League champions Kashiwa Reysol in the round of 16.

Out of gas: FC Tokyo's Hiroki Kawano moves the ball as an Ulsan player defends during their match on Wednesday. KYODO

Both teams had already qualified for the next stage but Tokyo only needed a draw to secure top spot in Group F and home advantage against Reysol, who finished second in Group H after a gutsy 2-0 win at Jeonbuk Motors on Tuesday.

Instead Kang Min Soo's goal late in the first half means Ulsan finish top and will meet Kashiwa and Tokyo now face a tough assignment away to Chinese champions Guangzhou Evergrande in the single-leg next round on May 30.

The J. League will have three teams in the round of 16, with Nagoya having also advanced on Tuesday thanks to a 3-0 victory over Central Coast Mariners. Already eliminated Gamba Osaka were beaten 2-0 at home by Australia's Adelaide United on Wednesday in Group E. Adelaide will play Nagoya on May 29.

Tokyo took the game to Ulsan from the kickoff and Kazuma Watanabe missed a great chance to give the Gasmen the lead in the 13th minute when he screwed wide after Hideto Takahashi's effort had come back off the post.

Tatsuya Yazawa then brought an acrobatic save out of Ulsan keeper Young Kwang Kim on 26 minutes and Hyun Soo Jang sent a free header wide from the corner that followed, but it was the South Koreans that broke the deadlock from a set piece eight minutes before the interval.

Hitoshi Shiota parried Tae Hwi Kwak's header after he got on the end of Seung Yong Kim's free kick, and Maranhao headed against the bar before the rebound fell to Kang, who drove home the rebound from the edge of the six-yard box.

Young did well to save a swerving shot from Yazawa on the hour mark as Tokyo pressed for an equalizer and he was again on hand to block Ariajasuru Hasegawa's shot in the 77th minute and a low effort from substitute Lucas deep into time added on.

YOKOHAMA — Yokohama F. Marinos rattled off their fifth straight win, roaring back from a goal down in the last seven minutes to defeat holders Kashima Antlers 3-2 in the Nabisco Cup on Wednesday.

Shingo Hyodo, Manabu Saito and Masashi Oguro scored for Marinos, who produced their first victory of the league cup while dealing Group B leaders Kashima their first defeat of the competition.

Yasushi Endo and Juninho netted for Jorginho's Antlers.

Kashima's loss allowed Shimizu S-Pulse to pull level on points with nine. Ardija and Consadole Sapporo fought to a 1-1 draw at Omiya in the group's remaining game.

Marinos have been a team of streaks this year under Yasuhiro Higuchi, failing to win their first 10 games in all competitions before stringing together four straight victories, all in the league.

Higuchi rested almost half the team — including Shunsuke Nakamura — who thumped Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3-1 at the weekend but still mustered enough to open the scoring.

In the 36th minute, Saito was unleashed by Yuji Ono for a one-on-one with goalkeeper Hitoshi Sogahata, who gave away a penalty for tripping up the Japan Olympic team striker.

Hyodo converted with ease for his first goal of the competition as the hosts headed into the tunnel with the advantage.

Endo came on at halftime and the substitution paid off for Antlers two minutes to the hour, when the midfielder wove through three defenders before slotting home the equalizer.

Kashima made it 2-1 in the 68th minute thanks to Juninho, who pounced on a beauty of a through ball from former Japanese international Masashi Motoyama.

But the drama started to unfold in the 83rd minute when Sogahata committed a schoolboy error, fumbling a Nakamura cross into the path of Saito who restored parity with his second strike of the Nabisco Cup.

Marinos capped the comeback four minutes to time through Oguro, who, from well outside the box, blasted into the bottom right corner to give his team the three points.

In Group A, Sagan Tosu defeated leaders Jubilo Iwata 3-2 at home behind a brace by Yusuke Inuzuka and Urawa Reds thrashed Kawasaki Frontale 3-0 away as Tomoya Ugajin struck twice in the second half.

Cerezo Osaka unearthed a 2-1 win over Sanfrecce Hiorshima deep in stoppage time as South Korea's Olympic team midfielder Kim Bo Kyung netted in the 95th minute.

Jubilo are still in the lead with nine points, three points ahead of Cerezo, Sagan and Reds.

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Pacers roll back years, clinch first series win since 2005

INDIANAPOLIS — It was just like old times at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Full steam ahead: Indiana's George Hill scores past Orlando's Glen Davis during the Pacers' 105-87 win on Tuesday. AP

Finally.

After years of losing and players finding trouble, the Indiana Pacers finally gave their fans something to really cheer about. Danny Granger scored 25 points to help the Pacers defeat the Orlando Magic 105-87 on Tuesday night and clinch their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series 4-1.

"I'm just so happy for our fans," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "They've endured a lot those years when we struggled. To finally see us come back and have a winning team again and somebody that has a chance to do something special this year. That's what they deserve. Pacers basketball is back."

The Pacers will play Miami or New York in the second round. Miami leads that series 3-1, and as the final minutes ticked away, fans began chanting, "Beat the Heat."

"It was electric," Granger said. "The crowd was crazy. They had a lot of momentum going. They pushed us in that fourth quarter."

It was a tough series for Orlando, which played all five games without All-Star center Dwight Howard because of a back injury. It took the opener, then watched Indiana put together its first series win since 2005 and its first clincher on its home court since the first round of the 2000 playoffs. No player on Indiana's roster had won a playoff series while playing for the Pacers.

"It's an unfamiliar situation for a lot of guys, but I just thought we stayed together," Indiana forward David West said. "They made some runs, made some shots. But ultimately, we stayed together as a team and won this game as a unit."

Granger finally got his first series win in year seven. Perhaps fans should take it easy on him — it took Reggie Miller six years.

"Close out game, you obviously want to play your best at these moments," Granger said. "I pride myself on that. I had a big night, but I'm just glad we got the win."

Darren Collison scored 15 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and George Hill added 15 points for the Pacers, who trailed by two at the end of the third quarter but outscored the Magic 36-16 in the final 12 minutes.

Collison's complete dominance of Orlando point guard Jameer Nelson in the fourth quarter turned the game. Indiana had no answers for three quarters before Collison, who had lost his starting job late in the season, entered the game and took over. Collison made all seven of his shots in the fourth quarter and had four assists. Nelson made 1 of 5 shots in the period and missed both of his 3-point tries.

"That's a testament to the type of team we have," West said. "We're deep, man. We've got guys, that when their number's called, they're prepared. DC just had another gear that I don't think anybody else on the floor had."

Hawks 87, Celtics 86

In Atlanta, Al Horford scored 19 points in his first start since January, and the Hawks held on for the victory in Game 5.

Game 6 is Thursday in Boston.

The Celtics had a chance to clinch the series when Rajon Rondo stole Josh Smith's inbounds pass with 10 seconds remaining. But he got hemmed in along the sideline and Smith knocked away a desperation pass.

Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett led the Celtics with 16 points apiece. Rondo had 13 points and 12 assists.

Bulls 77, 76ers 69

In Chicago, Luol Deng scored 24 points and Carlos Boozer added 19 points and 13 rebounds as the Bulls avoided a first-round playoff exit.

The top-seeded Bulls finally won without point guard Derrick Rose, building a nine-point halftime lead and staying in control down the stretch to pull within 3-2. Game 6 is Thursday in Philadelphia.

Nuggets 102, Lakers 99

In Los Angeles, Andre Miller scored 24 points, including two free throws with 12.8 seconds left, and Denver survived Kobe Bryant's 43-point performance to avoid playoff elimination.

JaVale McGee had 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Nuggets, who trimmed the Lakers' series lead to 3-2. Game 6 is Thursday in Denver.

The Nuggets had a 15-point lead midway through the fourth quarter but Bryant hit four 3-pointers over the final 4:47 to make it 98-96 with 59 seconds left.

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Yamai guides Dragons past Swallows, into first place

TOYOHASHI, Aichi Pref. — Daisuke Yamai pitched three-hit ball over eight scoreless innings and Takuya Asao finished off the relay as the Chunichi Dragons edged the Tokyo Yakult Swallows 1-0 to take over first place in the Central League on Tuesday.

Yamai (1-3) struck out seven while walking none. Asao worked the ninth for his first save of the season.

Kazuhiro Wada had an RBI single to give Chunichi the lead with two outs in the third inning at Toyohashi Stadium.

The Swallows were shut out on three hits in their second straight game.

Tigers 8, Carp 6

At Niigata's Hard Off Eco Stadium in Niigata, Takashi Toritani hit a tiebreaking two-run home run off Kam Mickolio (1-3) in the eighth inning, lifting Hanshin past Hiroshima.

Kazuya Tsutsui (1-0) got the win in relief. Nick Stavinoha belted three homers in three consecutive at-bats but the Carp's pitching was shaky throughout.

Giants 7, BayStars 7 (9)

At Utsunomiya's Kiyohara Stadium, Yokohama overcame a 6-0 deficit, Alex Ramirez hitting an RBI single and capped off by Yuki Yoshimura's game-tying double in the ninth inning to play out a tie against Yomiuri.

John Bowker hit a solo drive for his first homer run in Japan in the sixth for the Giants.

PACIFIC LEAGUE

Fighters 9, Marines 7

At Chiba's QVC Marine Field, pinch hitter Micah Hoffpauir belted a three-run homer as Hokkaido Nippon Ham batted around in an eight-run sixth inning against starter Seth Greisinger, ending Chiba Lotte's undefeated streak at four games.

Kazuhito Tadano (2-0) limited the damage to two runs, allowing seven hits in six innings of work.

Greisinger (3-1) was tagged for seven runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings — his previously league-leading 0.31 ERA at game time bloating to 2.08.

Lions 2, Eagles 1

At Sendai's Kleenex Stadium, Takumi Kuriyama had a game-tying single in the fifth inning, and Esteban German delivered a go-ahead double in the sixth as Seibu held off Tohoku Rakuten.

Kazuhisa Makita (2-3) allowed one run over the distance. Wataru Karashima (1-1) took the loss.

Buffaloes 3, Hawks 2

At Kobe's Hotto Motto Field, Chihiro Kaneko held Fukuoka Softbank to two runs and eight hits in seven innings in his comeback from an injured lower back, and Orix rallied from a 0-2 deficit with a three-run fifth.

Kaneko (1-0) struck out seven and walked one. Mamoru Kishida picked up his eighth save.

Lee Dae Ho and Aarom Baldiris had back-to-back RBI singles to tie it before Hiroki Yamada's wild pitch scored the go-ahead run.

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Dufner holds nerve to claim first PGA victory

AVONDALE, Louisiana — Jason Dufner was more nervous about a putt under 2 feet on a playoff hole at the Zurich Classic than about getting married next weekend. His recent late-tournament struggles made it easy to understand why.

Finally: Jason Dufner admires his trophy after the Zurich Classic on Sunday. AP

"There's a been a good bit of pressure," Dufner said. "People talking about, 'Why aren't you winning? Why can't you close the deal?' . . . Friends, family, media, even people in my inner circle. And not in a negative way, but when you're leading tournaments going into weekends and you're finishing 24th, there's going to be some questions."

Not anymore.

Dufner maintained his composure through not one, but two playoff holes against one of the more accomplished veterans in the game Sunday, beating Ernie Els with a birdie on their second extra trip up the par-5 18th to win for the first time in 164 starts on the PGA Tour.

The win should also stamp out some of the bad memories haunting Dufner since the Masters, when he shared the lead after two rounds but faded to 24th. The 35-year-old Dufner also held five previous leads through two rounds — two this year, only to fade down the stretch.

Entering the fourth round with a two-shot lead in New Orleans, Dufner shot a 2-under 70 at TPC Louisiana, while Els had a 67 to match Dufner for a course-record 19-under 269 total.

Both missed birdie putts within 8 feet in the first playoff, so they went back to the 18th tee for the second extra hole, which Dufner won by hitting the green in two strokes and tapping home a short birdie putt after Els' birdie attempt from the fringe missed.

Dufner lost playoffs last year to Mark Wilson in the Phoenix Open and Keegan Bradley in the PGA Championship for two of his three career runnerup finishes.

"It's always really tough playing on Sundays whether you're in the lead or middle of the pack, and today I was fighting, trying to win an event, and I think I showed myself a good bit out there," Dufner said. "It was tough. Ernie made a great run at me and it felt like with five or six holes (to go) we were probably going to be battling for the win.

"To get the monkey off of my back, it's a great feeling."

The 190-cm Els, who goes by the nickname "The Big Easy," hasn't won on the PGA Tour since the 2010 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, a little more than two years ago.

He did not have a single bogey in the final round or playoff, and would have won his 19th career PGA Tour title in, of all places, the Big Easy, if he could have made a birdie putt of a little less than 6 feet on the first playoff hole. He pushed it more than 2 feet past the edge of the hole.

"It was a nice little charge I made and, you know, nice to catch the leader," Els said. "I had a chance to win the tournament with a 6-footer and missed it, but I made quite a few putts on the back nine to keep myself in it. . . . Hit the ball pretty well today — no bogeys on the final round — so there's a lot of positives."

On the second playoff hole, Els' tee shot went into a fairway bunker, and his second shot landed 137 yards from the pin. His third shot landed on the fringe, nearly 19 feet from the pin, but he nearly saved birdie from there, his putt missing by 2 inches.

Dufner then made his birdie putt from less than 2 feet, and in his typically low-key way, briefly raised both arms to acknowledge the cheering crowd before casually walking off to accept some congratulatory hugs, including from fiancee Amanda Boyd.

"It's awesome. He's been so close so many times. I don't feel like it's real," Boyd said. "It will be a good wedding."

After becoming the seventh player to take his first career PGA Tour triumph in New Orleans since 2002, Dufner called it a "great wedding present for both of us."

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Arimura captures first title of season

ICHIHARA, Chiba Pref. — Chie Arimura held on to her overnight lead to win her first title of the Japan LPGA season in the Cyber Agent Ladies on Sunday.

The 24-year-old Arimura started the day in a tie with South Korea's Lee Ji Woo but pulled away with a bogey-free 65 to finish five strokes ahead of Sakura Yokomine for her 11th career victory.

Lee faded in the final round with a 74, ending up with a share of ninth place.

Arimura had missed the first three events of the year with a nagging injury to her left wrist. She picked up a winner's check of ?12.6 million.

"I managed to finish the round with a birdie, and it just feels so good to win like this," Arimura said at the Tsurumai Country Club, where she had a three-round total of 15-under 201.

"It's a huge monkey off my back. I couldn't be happier. There were some pretty tough times because of the injury to my wrist, but through it all, I learned how to concentrate better on the golf itself," she said.

Ahn Sun Ju, the money title winner the last two years, finished fifth with an 8-under total.

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Tazawa gets first save as Red Sox win fourth straight

CHICAGO — The Boston Red Sox had another big night at the plate and this time Kevin Youkilis joined in, too.

Solid: Boston's Junichi Tazawa fires a pitch in the seventh inning against Chicago on Thursday. Tazawa pitched three scoreless innings as the Red Sox beat the White Sox 10-3. AP

Youkilis busted out of his slump with a grand slam, Jarrod Saltalamacchia homered twice and Boston roughed up Philip Humber in a 10-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday.

Youkilis, who had three hits, sent his second career slam into the right-field bullpen during a five-run third inning against Humber, who was making his first start since pitching a perfect game in a 4-0 victory at Seattle on Saturday.

"I'm having better at-bats and doing little things here and there," Youkilis said.

Youkilis singled and scored in the fifth and added an infield single in the eighth. He scored twice.

The resurgent Red Sox have scored 34 runs in winning their last four games, a streak that comes on the heels of a five-game skid.

Boston starter Felix Doubront (1-0) wasn't sharp but picked up his first big league win since Aug. 10, 2010. He allowed five hits and three walks, threw a wild pitch and hit a batter with a pitch, but limited the White Sox to three runs in six innings.

Junichi Tazawa tossed three scoreless innings for his first major league save.

Rays 4, Angels 3

In St. Petersburg, Fla. pinch hitter Brandon Allen hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning to lift Tampa Bay over Los Angeles.

Mariners 5, Tigers 4

In Detroit, Chone Figgins hit a tiebreaking double in the seventh inning that was misjudged by right fielder Brennan Boesch, and Seattle completed a three-game sweep of the Tigers.

Ichiro Suzuki went 0-for-4 with a run scored in the victory.

Royals 4, Indians 2

In Cleveland, Luis Mendoza pitched into the sixth inning and Kansas City's bullpen made a lead stand up in the win over the Indians.

Orioles 5, Blue Jays 2

In Baltimore, Adam Jones led off the eighth inning with a tiebreaking homer and the Orioles beat Toronto to complete a three-game sweep with its fourth straight victory.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Mets 3, Marlins 2

In New York, Justin Turner drew a bases-loaded walk in a sensational 13-pitch at-bat and Kirk Nieuwenhuis hit an RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning as the Mets rallied past Heath Bell and Miami.

Giants 6, Reds 5

In Cincinnati, Angel Pagan hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning, carrying San Francisco to a win over the Reds.

Padres 2, Nationals 1

In San Diego, pinch hitter Mark Kotsay's two-run double off reliever Tyler Clippard in the eighth inning pushed the Padres past Washington.

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Tiger cards 70 in year's first round

Abu Dhabi — No momentous shots for Tiger Woods. No bogeys, either.

The 14-time major winner opened his 2012 season with a solid first round Thursday at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, shooting a 2-under 70 that left him three strokes behind coleader Rory McIlroy, his playing partner.

"Hit the ball well all day today. It was a good ball-striking round," Woods said. "I had a hard time reading the greens out there. The greens were pretty grainy and I just had a hard time getting a feel for it. Toward the end I hit some pretty good putts but overall I got fooled a lot on my reads."

McIlroy shot a 67, as did Robert Karlsson. But the best shots of the day came from Sergio Garcia (71) and Jose Manuel Lara (70) — each had a hole-in-one on the par-3 12th hole.

Gareth Maybin, Richard Finch and Jean-Baptiste Gonnet were one shot behind the two leaders. Top-ranked Luke Donald, who played alongside Woods and McIlroy, shot a 71.

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