Rookie Shota Morishita hit a walk-off single in the ninth inning to give the Hanshin Tigers a 1-0 victory Saturday over the Hiroshima Carp in the Central League.
Morishita's single to left off Hiroshima starting pitcher Masato Morishita (0-1) scored Yusuke Oyama, who had kept the bottom of the ninth alive with a two-out double at Koshien Stadium.
The CL-leading Tigers picked up their eighth win in nine games after their season-best seven-game winning streak was snapped a day earlier by the Carp.
"I was determined to end the game with my hit," said the Tigers' Morishita, who just returned from the farm team after a long slump at the plate. "The team is in good shape. I want to help the team get another winning streak going."
Suguru Iwazaki (2-0) threw a scoreless ninth for the win. Kotaro Otake, who has led the CL with five wins, pitched seven innings for Hanshin.
In other CL action, Takumi Oshiro hit a grand slam in the fifth inning, leading the Yomiuri Giants to a 6-2 win over the Chunichi Dragons. The DeNA BayStars defeated the Yakult Swallows 5-3.
The Pacific League-leading Lotte Marines beat the Rakuten Eagles 6-1.
The Seibu Lions edged the SoftBank Hawks 1-0, while the Nippon Ham Fighters beat the Orix Buffaloes 5-3.
