Go Matsumoto drove in two runs in a 2-for-4 outing and rookie two-way player Kota Yazawa hit his first professional home run as the Nippon Ham Fighters beat the SoftBank Hawks 5-1 in the Pacific League on Sunday.
Matsumoto put the Fighters on the board in the third inning at Es Con Field Hokkaido with a bases-loaded single to right before Chusei Mannami made it 2-0 in the next at-bat, scoring Ryota Isobata with a sacrifice fly.
"We had a big chance, so I thought, why don't I get a hit and be the hero," a smiling Matsumoto said in his postgame interview. "My batting hasn't been outstanding, but I'm getting hits."
The Hawks chased Nippon Ham starter Conner Menez by loading the bases with one out in the top of the fifth, but reliever Haruki Miyauchi limited the damage to a single run.
Starting in right field, 22-year-old first-round draft pick Yazawa launched a 2-2 fastball from Koya Fujii (2-2) high into the stands behind right in the bottom of the inning.
"It felt good. I had the feeling it was going to carry," Yazawa said.
Matsumoto made it 4-1 later in the inning with his second RBI single and Arismendy Alcantara added a solo home run in the seventh.
In other PL action, the Orix Buffaloes were 4-3 winners against the first-place Lotte Marines at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
The Central League-leading DeNA BayStars swept their series against the Chunichi Dragons with a 2-0 win at Vantelin Dome Nagoya.
