Ryuhei Sotani fanned 12 over six innings and Yuma Tongu drove in the go-ahead run as the Orix Buffaloes blanked the Hanshin Tigers 4-0 in interleague play Tuesday.
Sotani (4-2) allowed seven hits and did not issue a walk as he combined with three relievers on the shutout in the opening game of the Japan Series rematch at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
The 23-year-old lefty worked his way out of a jam with one out and runners on first and third in the second inning. He struck out five straight batters after allowing a runner on with one out in the fourth.
He struck out Johan Mieses with the bases loaded to retire the side in the sixth.
"I gave it everything I had, one batter at a time," Sotani said in his postgame interview. "As always, I had a lot of help from our fielders, so I'm grateful to them."
Tongu broke the ice for the Pacific League club, winners of six straight, with his RBI double to center field off Hanshin starter Shoki Murakami (2-5) in the bottom of the fifth.
In other interleague action, PL leaders the SoftBank Hawks came back to beat the Yakult Swallows 4-2 at Mizuho PayPay Dome in Fukuoka.
The Central League-leading Hiroshima Carp were 2-1 winners over the Seibu Lions, who have now lost eight in a row for the second time this season.
