Kazuyuki Hoashi started for Seibu and had another bad time at the center of the diamond, so he will now be moved to the bullpen. 

Kintetsu centerfielder Naoyuki Omura kicked off the game with a single to center and second baseman Eiji Mizuguchi cracked a single to left, his 1000th lifetime. DH Fumitoshi Takano grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. Nakamura singled to left on a palm ball and Omura trotted in to make it 1-0.

Omura catalyzed another surge in the third with a one out single to right. Mizuguchi singled to left. One out later, Nakamura walked to load the bases. First baseman Hirotoshi Kitagawa picked up his 20th and 21st RBIs on a single to center to enlarge the lead to 3-0.

After Iwakuma painted his third perfect inning, shortstop Masahiro Abe singled to left in the fourth to spark another rally. He was sacrificed along. One out later, Mizuguchi grounded to third baseman Jose Fernandez, who booted it to pack the sacks. Takano lasered a double up the leftcenter alley and everybody ran around the bases on the three run double for a 6-0 advantage. 

In the fifth, Isobe walloped a curve ball well beyond the centerfield wall and it was 7-0.

The Lions tendered token resistance in their ups on a one out double off the leftfield wall by first baseman Masahide Kaizuka and a two out single to right by shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima to make it 7-1 Buffs.

Nakamura then declared himself king center backscreen stylee in the sixth and it was 8-1.

Seibu pulled within six once more in the bottom edition when centerfielder Shogo Akada doubled down the leftfield line with one out and went to third on a groundout. Fernandez singled to center and Akada loped in to make it 8-2.

Two innings later, Kitagawa singled to right with two away and Isobe boomed it into the rightfield stands to put Kintetsu firmly in control at 10-2. Seibu produced just two hits the final two innings, Iwakuma fanning Scott McClain to put it in the books. 

Iwakuma, the son in law of a Seibu coach and 2-4 in 2004 against his wife's father's club, has won six straight for the second year in a row. But last season, he did it in seven starts, this time around in six. That last time a PL pitcher had been victorious in his inaugural half dozen was Nippon Ham's Yukihiro Nishizaki eight years ago. 

Mizuguchi is the 217th player to 1000 knocks in history. 

Hiroyuki Kobayashi started for Lotte and was solid over his seven innings, striking out seven and walking one while being touched for two runs on seven hits. 

The normally very hittable Hisashi Ogura held Lotte's questionable offense to two runs on five hits in 6.2 innings. Relievers Shuichi Iwashita and Makoto Suzuki followed by not being able to get anyone out and were done up for a run apiece. The win, then, went to Kazuo Yamaguchi, his first since coming back from shoulder surgery that caused him to miss all of last year. 

Orix struck first in the third, as leftfielder Keiichi Hirano singled to right with one gone and, after another out, second baseman Koichi Oshima carromed a shot off the rightfield wall that went for an RBI triple and a 1-0 lead.

Lotte had a two on, one out chance in the fourth, but squandered it. It wouldn't be until the sixth before the team signaled its presence on the scoreboard with a jack into the rightfield stands by first baseman Kazuya Fukuura that made it one all. Leftfielder Benny Agbayani doubled to leftcenter and DH Seung-yeop Lee walked. Rightfielder Saburo Omura put a monkey wrench into the works, though, by grounding into a 6-4-3 double play.

Orix retaliated in the bottom of the frame when centerfielder Arihito Muramatsu doubled into the leftfield corner and, one out later, leftfielder Yoshitomo Tani, batting in the .340 range, was intentionally walked. Rightfielder Roosevelt Brown singled to center to exploit
Muramatsu and take a 2-1 lead. Kobayashi blew the next two men away to prevent any further scoring. 

But Lotte were able to dispose of Ogura and two other pitchers in the seventh. Catcher Tasuku Hashimoto doubled down the leftfield line and went to third on a groundout. One out later, Iwashita was summoned from the bullpen. Third baseman Matt Franco singled to center and Hashimoto crossed. Suzuki was drafted for mound duty and walked second baseman Koichi Hori. Fukuura clocked a double off the rightfield fence and both Franco and Hori blazed around to put Lotte in the driver's seat at 4-2.

In the ninth, Masahide Kobayashi obtained the first out, but then nailed first baseman Jose Ortiz with a pitch. Shortstop Mitsutaka Goto got aboard on an infield hit. Kota Soejima walked to crowd the basepaths. Catcher Takeshi Hidaka flew out to center and Ortiz tagged up and strode in. Hirano deposited a slider into right for an RBI single and it was 4-4. Muramatsu was intentionally walked. Manabu Satake grounded out to finally terminate the inning and send it into extra innings. 

In the top of the tenth, the first two hitters, Fukuura and Agbayani singled to right off of Yamaguchi. But they couldn't get either man home.

Ono came in and Tani reached on an infield hit. Brown singled to center. One out later, Goto creamed a 1-0 fastball into the leftcenter alley
and Tani scored on the double for the triumph. 

Valentine says that he is going to stay with Kobayashi as his closer. He also posited that Lotte was partially beset with some "unlucky bounces." On the other hand, Orix has hit .643 against Kobayashi this season. That's lot of bad luck.

Nippon Ham leftfielder Angel Echevarria evened things in the second by burying one in the leftfield seats.

The Fighters then threatened to elbow their way to the front of the line in the third when Gulin walked catcher Shinji Takahashi walked and
so did shortstop Makoto Kaneko. They were advanced on a sac bunt. But second baseman Hiroshi Narahara struckout and third baseman Michihiro Ogasawara grounded out to second. 

Daiei had two on and one out in the bottom of the third, but that came to nought. In the fourth, though, Mirabal hit Johjima with a pitch and leftfielder Pedro Valdez singled to right. Two outs later, Ryo Yoshimoto singled to right and the home side was up 2-1.

In the fifth, Nippon Ham was poised to rain some real havoc, as Takahashi walked with one out, Kaneko doubled off the leftfield fence and Gulin plunked centerfielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo to load the bases. But Narahara grounded into a twin killingto foil it. 

The Fighters turned it around anyway in the sixth when Ogasawara reached on an infield hit and DH Fernando Seguignol tucked a changeup into the first row of the leftfield seats to make it 3-2 Nippon Ham. 

Daiei could have tied it when Kenji Johjima was on third in the bottom of the inning on a double and a groundout. However, DH Julio Zuleta popped up and Kazuhiko Miyaji rolled out to Mirabal and that was that.

In the eighth, Ogasawara was on once more on a one out infield hit and Seguignol walked. Echevarria popped out to second. Kuniyuki Kimoto singled to right and it was 4-2. Kurano was substiuted for Gulin and Tomoyuki Oda doubled to leftcenter, both runners wheeling acorss the plate. Takahashi torqued one down the rightfield line to pick Oda up and it was 7-2 Fighters. 

Daiei added a run in the eighth and Zuleta poleaxed one into the centerfield seatsto commence the ninth. That was it, though and the Haawks have a five game losing streak. 

Seguignol hit about .170 with two strikes in 2002 with Orix, but now he has raised that to a phenomenal .372. He is the only NPB regular left who is over the .400 line and that is a big explanation as to why. 
 

Photo:  Fighters' Fernando Seguignol Displays Heavy Manners

Photo:  Another View of Seguignol's Homer