Professional baseball results and game summaries for April 4th

For those wishing to share articles within their company, reproduce or copy them for meeting materials, or order printed copies, please see the link provided. [Hanshin 7-5 Hiroshima] Hanshin fought hard in the late innings to win their third consecutive game. They created a scoring opportunity in the ninth inning due to an error, and Nakano's two-run hit tied the game, overcoming a three-run deficit. In the tenth inning, Kinami hit a two-run homer, his first in two seasons, to take the lead. Hiroshima's poor fielding in the ninth inning proved costly, resulting in their fourth consecutive loss. [Rakuten 2-1 Seibu] Rakuten won their third consecutive game. Kobukata's two-run triple in the eighth inning broke the deadlock, and they held on for the win. Second pitcher Song Jiahao earned his first win of the season. Tanaka Chi earned his first professional save. Seibu suffered their fourth consecutive loss. Takeuchi pitched seven scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts, but the offense managed only one run in the ninth inning. [Nippon Ham 6-3 Orix] Nippon Ham won their third straight game, bringing their winning percentage to .500. In the fifth inning, trailing 0-2, Nishikawa hit a three-run homer. Although Orix tied the game immediately afterward, Nomura hit his third home run, a three-run shot, to take the lead in the seventh inning. Uehara earned his first win of the season, and Yanagawa earned his first save. Orix's poor offense proved costly, with Kuri and Yamazaki both giving up home runs. [Yakult 11-6 Chunichi] Yakult won big with a season-high 14 hits and 11 runs. They tied the game in the second inning with a solo homer by Ito, and then scored five runs in the third inning with two home runs. Every player in the starting lineup got a hit, and they added more runs in the middle innings. Yamano earned his second win. Chunichi's starting pitcher, Sakurai, struggled, giving up six runs before the third inning. [Softbank 5-2 Lotte] Softbank came from behind to win, ending their two-game losing streak. In the seventh inning, with two outs and the bases loaded, Yanagimachi hit a bases-clearing RBI double. In the eighth inning, Umino hit his first home run, a two-run shot. Matsumoto Haru earned his second win of the season, allowing only one run in seven innings. Lotte's relief pitching failed, with two walks by Takano Shu leading to runs scored against them. [Giants 8-4 DeNA] The Giants won with 16 hits, one in each inning. They tied the game in the fourth inning with a two-run homer by Masuda Riku, and took the lead in the fifth inning with a sacrifice fly by Kishida. In the sixth inning, Kishida's RBI hit extended their lead. Third pitcher Akahoshi earned his first win. DeNA's Irie allowed two home runs and gave up four runs. [Kyodo]