Hawks Edge Bluewave 10-9

May 19, 1998 - 0:0
TOKYO - Ryan Thompson hit a three-run home run and Luis Lopez smashed a solo homer, leading the pacific league's Fukuoka Daiei hawks to a 10-9 victory over the Orix Bluewave at Kobe Sunday. The hawks shared the league lead with the Nippon Ham fighters, who beat the Kintetsu buffaloes 9-6 at Tokyo dome. At Kobe, Thompson's first homer of the season came in the first inning and Lopez's third came in the third inning.

Both formerly played for the Cleveland Indians. At Tokyo Dome, the fighters' Nigel Wilson, another former Cleveland Indian, and teammate Jerry Brooks, formerly with the Florida Marlins, each hit a one-run single in the seven-run seventh. At Seibu Dome, Ken Suzuki hit a two-run home run in the first inning as the Seibu Lions beat the Chiba Lotte marines 2-1, ending their losing streak at four.

Suzuki has six homers this season. In the central league, the Hanshin tigers rapped out 17 hits, including three each by Dave Hansen and Alonzo Powell, and beat the front-running Hiroshima Toyo Carp 12-3 at Hiroshima. Hansen joined the tigers from the Chicago cubs and Powell from the Seattle mariners. The Carp suffered their fourth straight defeat, but remained two games ahead of the Chunichi dragons, who edged the Yokohama Baystars 7-6 at Nagoya dome.

South Korean Lee Jong Beom of the dragons hit the winning three-run home run in a seven-run sixth inning rally. Lee, formerly with the Hai Tai tigers of South Korea's professional baseball league, has four homers. Lee's former Korean teammate Sun Dong-Yol (2-0) held the Baystars hitless in the ninth inning for his eighth save. At Tokyo's Jingu Stadium, Masaki Saitoh (4-3) pitched a nine-hitter and hit a three-run home run as the Yomiuri giants beat the Yakult swallows 8-2.

In the five-run eighth inning, Hiroo Ishii hit a tie-breaking one-run single and Masahiro Kawai slugged a one-run double before Saitoh's first hit and homer of the season. (AP)