Shintaro Fujinami allowed two runs over seven innings to earn his first win of the season and the Central League-leading Hanshin Tigers' offense erupted in a 9-2 victory over the DeNA BayStars on Friday.

Fujinami (1-0), who has struggled to regain the promise that made him Japan's top amateur pitching prospect as a high schooler in 2012, took the mound in the first at Yokohama Stadium with a 3-0 lead.

He walked five batters but struck out seven and worked out of trouble through six scoreless innings before surrendering Taiki Sekine's two-run homer in the seventh.

"It's hard to say I pitched well, but I was able to pitch out of trouble," Fujinami said.

Jefry Marte doubled in a run in the first off BayStars lefty Haruhiro Hamaguchi (0-2) and scored on a Yusuke Oyama sacrifice fly. Hamaguchi issued a bases-loaded walk but allowed no more runs through five innings.

When Hamaguchi left, the roof caved in for the BayStars. Rookie Teruaki Sato opened the Tigers' six-run sixth against new pitcher Yuki Kuniyoshi with his third homer of the season.

Fujinami's win was his second over the past three seasons.

At Hiroshima's Mazda Stadium, Seiya Suzuki hit his third home run in two games as the Hiroshima Carp scored twice in the first and Daichi Osera (2-0) beat Yomiuri Giants ace Tomoyuki Sugano (0-1) in a 2-0 win.

At Sendai's Rakuten Seimei Park Miyagi, the Pacific League-leading Rakuten Eagles were held to a 1-1 nine-inning tie by the defending champion SoftBank Hawks.

At Chiba's Zozo Marine Stadium, Aito Takeda's three-run eighth-inning home run --- his second homer of the game and his career -- brought the Seibu Lions from behind in a 7-4 win over the Lotte Marines.

At Osaka's Kyocera Dome, Daiki Asama's third hit of the game, a two-out, two-run, eighth-inning double off former major leaguer Yoshihisa Hirano (0-1), lifted the Nippon Ham Fighters to their second win of the season with a 2-1 victory over the Orix Buffaloes.

==Kyodo

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