Baseball: Yamaoka pitches Buffaloes to 4th straight win

Taisuke Yamaoka threw six innings of one-run ball as the Orix Buffaloes beat the Seibu Lions 4-1 for their fourth straight win in the Pacific League on Friday.

Orix led for good following Yutaro Sugimoto’s solo home run and a two-run shot from Kotaro Kurebayashi in the third inning at Belluna Dome, where Yamaoka (1-0) retired the first 11 batters he faced. T

he right-hander struck out four while giving up three hits and no walks in an 89-pitch effort as he earned his first win since last July.

Sugimoto scored the Buffaloes fourth run in the top of the fifth after doubling to left off Lions star...