JAPAN – Yoshiyuki Kamei hit a pair of home runs and the Yomiuri Giants claimed their fourth consecutive win with an 8-3 triumph over the Rakuten Eagles in interleague play on Monday.

Yoshitomo Tani’s tiebreaking leadoff blast in the fourth was followed by a shot by Kamei to put the Giants ahead, 3-1, at the Tokyo Dome.

Alex Ramirez drilled a solo homer in the fifth before a Lee Seung Yeop two-run double stetched the lead an inning later. Kamei added a his second long ball in the seventh, a two-run homer to right-center, to seal the win.

Hisanori Takahashi (4-1) scattered three runs and 10 hits over 7 1/3innings, while Kohei Hasebe (3-5) was tagged with the loss.

Softbank Hawks 8, Hanshin Tigers 1

D.J. Houlton allowed just one-run in his second complete game of the season while Hitoshi Tamura and Hidenori Tanoue drove in three runs apiece in Softbank’s rout of Hanshin at Koshien Stadium.

Seibu Lions 5, Chunichi Dragons 3

Takeya Nakamura hit a two-run single and Yoshihito Ishii followed with a two-run triple to erase a one-run deficit in the sixth inning as Seibu stopped Chunichi’s unbeaten streak at five games, including a tie.

Yokohama BayStars 4, Lotte Marines 3

Toshiyuki Kitagawa popped a grand slam in the fifth inning for his first career homer to help Yokohama overcome a 3-0 hole to defeat Lotte and snap a seven-game losing streak.

Hioshima Carp 6, Orix Buffaloes 5

Masato Akamatsu broke a 3-3 deadlock with a run-scoring single and pinch-hitter Koichi Ogata delivered a two-run hit in the eighth inning as Hiroshima dealt Orix its sixth setback in a row.

Yakult Swallows 4, Nippon Ham Fighters 3

Shinichi Takeuchi delivered a clutch RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving Yakult a walk-off victory over Nippon Ham.

Photo courtesy of dingobear.blogspot.com

Visit JapanBall.com for complete Japanese Baseball news.

Tags: Japan