Hawks Soar Amidst Rain-Shortened Game
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Rick Guttormson, fresh from a short ni-gun assignment, came out like gangbusters today and went all 7 innings, even with the rain falling around his head and earning the win, giving up 2 runs (1 earned) on 7 hits, with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. His counterpart, veteran Daisuke Miura, did not fare anywhere hear as well, going only 4 innings, giving up all 6 runs that Softbank would score (5 earned) on hits, with 1 walk and 5 strikeouts.
The Hawks jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead thanks to a single and an error in the first inning, and a solo home run by Matsunaka in the 3rd. However, in the 4th inning the heroics came from the most unlikely duo.
Shibahara led off with a double to start the inning, and then Matsuda was hit with a pitch to put runners on 1st and 2nd base. After Hasegawa was called out on strikes, catcher and #8 batter Matoyama smacked his 1st home run of the season to right field. The three-run jack gave the Hawks a 5-0 lead. One would expect Miura to regain his composure against the pitcher Guttormson, but instead it was Guttormson who completed the back-to-back home run feat by launching one of his own to left! This gave the Hawks a 6-0 lead from which they would not relinquish.
The BayStars were able to get some offense of their own going in the bottom of the fourth inning, as a single by 3rd baseman Shuichi Murata, and then a double by Yoshimura cut the Hawks lead to 6-1. The 6th inning also saw the BayStars get one back as Uchikawa singled, Murata reached on 2nd baseman Honda's error, and then former Baltimore Oriole Larry Bigbie singled in Yokohama's other run of the game, to give the score it's final 6-2 standing before the rains came.
Softbank now has a record of 4-3 in interleague, and a 27-28 record overall. The Hawks play the BayStars again tomorrow in Kita-Kyushu. Despite both games being at local stadiums, these count as away games for the Hawks.