Tyler Austin belted a tie-breaking seventh-inning home run as the DeNA BayStars came from behind to beat the Central League-leading Hanshin Tigers 12-6 on Friday.

The BayStars, who won their second straight, overturned an early two-run deficit and then overcame a bullpen blowup at rainy Yokohama Stadium to snap Hanshin's four-game win streak.

With the game tied 6-6 in the seventh after BayStars relievers Edwin Escobar and Kevin Shackelford combined to allow four runs, Austin led off the seventh with his fifth home run.

"(I was) not trying to hit a homer, just get on base and get something going for the guys," Austin said. "Just put a good swing on the ball, and luckily it went out. It felt like I hit the ball pretty good, so I was happy with it."

"The team has been playing great, so we want to keep this going."

Austin homered, walked twice and scored twice, while Neftali Soto reached base four times for the hosts, scored two runs and drove in two.

Former major league lefty Chen Wei-yin started for Hanshin. He retired nine of the first 11 batters he faced before surrendering four runs, three earned in the DeNA fourth.

Tigers' rookie Teruaki Sato pulled into a tie for the CL home run lead in the fourth inning with his 10th homer.

At Tokyo Dome, Yasutaka Shiomi helped power the Yakult Swallows' comeback with an RBI pinch-hit single and a leadoff homer in the visitors' four-run eighth in a 6-4 win over the Yomiuri Giants.

At Sapporo Dome, the Nippon Ham Fighters returned from a four-game hiatus following coronavirus infections within the club, with Drew VerHagen (1-2) allowing a run over five innings to earn the win in their 6-1 victory over the Pacific League-leading Rakuten Eagles.

At Chiba's Zozo Marine Stadium, the Lotte Marines' Seiya Inoue blasted his first homer of the season in a 7-5 win over the Orix Buffaloes.

At Fukuoka's PayPay Dome, Takumi Kuriyama and two-time PL home run king Hotaka Yamakawa each homered to bring the Seibu Lions from behind in a 2-2 tie with the SoftBank Hawks.

==Kyodo

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