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. KYODOSho 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 LEAGUEGiants 2, Swallows 0At 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 2At 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.
Showing posts with label place. Show all posts
Showing posts with label place. Show all posts
Monday, September 24, 2012
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. KYODOSho 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 LEAGUEGiants 2, Swallows 0At 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 2At 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.
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. KYODOSho 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 LEAGUEGiants 2, Swallows 0At 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 2At 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.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
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. KYODOPinch 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 5At 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 1At 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 LEAGUEDragons 2, Giants 0At 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 4At 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.
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. KYODOPinch 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 5At 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 1At 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 LEAGUEDragons 2, Giants 0At 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 4At 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.Sunday, September 16, 2012
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. KYODONippon 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 4At 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 2At 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 0At 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 0At 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 3At 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).
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. KYODONippon 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 4At 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 2At 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 LEAGUEDragons 1, Carp 0At 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 0At 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 3At 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).
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Judoka Ebinuma earns place in London Olympics
Fukuoka — Masashi Ebinuma scored an ippon to beat rival Jumpei Morishita in the men's 66-kg final at the judo national invitational weight-class championships Saturday, effectively securing his spot for this summer's London Olympics.The 22-year-old Ebinuma, winner of the gold medal at last year's judo world championships in Paris, made his berth for London all but a formality as the top seed with his third consecutive title, along with Yoshie Ueno, who triumphed in the women's 63-kg category for the first time in two years."The pressure will be intense at the Olympics, so I want to be able to show my resolve with a better and highly spirited performance in London," said Ebinuma. "My dream is to win the gold medal, so this is just the starting line."World champion Riki Nakaya won his first title in the men's 73-kg class — one of the categories Japanese men are expected to win gold at the Summer Games. Hiroyuki Akimoto crashed out with a first-round loss at Fukuoka Kokusai center.Hiroaki Hiraoka took the men's 60-kg crown for the fifth straight year.Mika Sugimoto got revenge against Kanae Yamabe in a rematch to win the women's over 78-kg crown for the fourth year in a row after losing to Yamabe on points in the final of the women's national championship in April.Women's judoka Akari Ogata (78 kg) and Haruka Tachimoto (70 kg) claimed their first titles.The All Japan Judo Federation will make an official announcement of those selected to compete at the London Games at a meeting following the conclusion of the national invitational meet on Sunday.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
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 6At 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 LEAGUEFighters 9, Marines 7At 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 1At 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 2At 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.
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 6At 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 LEAGUEFighters 9, Marines 7At 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 1At 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 2At 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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