Baseball: Shoki Murakami shuts out Swallows as Tigers snap 4-game skid
NISHINOMIYA, Hyogo (Kyodo) -- Shoki Murakami threw a complete-game shutout as the Hanshin Tigers ended their losing streak at four games with a 4-0 victory over the Yakult Swallows on Friday.
Murakami (5-1) picked up his fifth win of the season, the most in Nippon Professional Baseball, after scattering five hits, all singles, at Koshien Stadium.
The 2023 Central League MVP and Rookie of the Year struck out seven and walked none in a 122-pitch outing.
Teruaki Sato and Yusuke Oyama hit back-to-back RBI singles to give Hanshin a 2-0 lead in a three-run sixth inning.
Shota Morishita added a run-scoring infield single in the seventh. Yakult starting pitcher Kojiro Yoshimura (1-2) took the loss.
Among Friday's other games, pinch-hitter Hikaru Kawase hit a walk-off two-run double as the struggling SoftBank Hawks rallied to beat the Lotte Marines 4-3.
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