Baseball: Marines hold on to earn Sasaki 3rd win

Roki Sasaki pitched seven innings, running his scoreless innings streak to 20, and the Lotte Marines held on for a 3-2 Pacific League win Friday over the SoftBank Hawks.

Sasaki (3-0) entered the game at Chiba’s Zozo Marine Stadium outside Tokyo, having struck out 22 batters and allowed just two hits over his first 13 innings this season.

Against the Hawks, Sasaki walked one and struck out eight while allowing a season-high three hits.

“I struggled early, but with a three-run lead, I was able to pitch well enough,” he said. “My good pitching so far is related to the team scoring early for me.” ...