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No-decision Van den Hurk in Softbank Hawks win

Byyankeebiscuitfan

With the Pacific League’s Climax Series (the NPB semi-finals) tied at two, thanks to an extra win awarded to the Softbank Hawks as the winner of the regular competition, the Softbank Hawks took on the Rakuten Golden Eagles in game four and beat their opponent 4-3 after blowing a 2-0 lead.

Climax series

In game four, Dutchie Rick van den Hurk was starting for the Hawks. Van den Hurk didn’t have his best outing as he lasted only 4.2 innings in which he threw 89 pitches.
In the first three innings, Rick did not have many problems as he gave up only two hits.

In the meantime, the Hawks took a 2-0 lead as Yuya Hasegawa singled home Seiichi Uchikawa in the second inning and when Alfredo Despaigne hit a solo home run to left field.

But in the fourth, Rick gave up two runs, thanks to a leadoff home run to Ginji Akaminai and a passed ball with a runner on third. In the next frame, Rick couldn’t get out of the inning after recording two quick outs. Back-to-back walks and a hit into the deep right field corner by Zelous Wheeler, drove in Akaminai from second to give the Golden Eagles a 3-2 lead. That was the sign for manager Kimiyasu Kudo to replace Rick with Shiny Kayama, who retired Hiroaki Shimauchi for the final out of the inning.

Trailing the Rakuten Golden Eagles by a run in the sixth, the Hawks regained the lead again thanks to back-to-back solo home runs by Seiichi Uchikawa and Akira Nakamura.

In the top of the seventh inning, Livan Moinero replaced Shuta Ishikawa and worked his way through the seventh inning. After recording the first two outs in the eighth frame, Moinero was replaced by closer Dennis Sarfate, who recorded the final out of the inning. Desite giving up a walk in the ninth, Sarfate shut the door for the Golden Eagles in the ninth for the save.

Rick van den Hurk got the no-decision. In 4.2 frames he gave up three runs (two unearned), walked four and struck out five. The win went to Shuta Ishikawa, who pitched one perfect inning in which he struck out one.
The loss went to Taiwanese Chia-Hao Sung, who faced three batters in the sixth but did not record an out and gave up the two solo home runs to Seiichi Uchikawa and Akira Nakamura.

Best hitter for the Softbank Hawks, who have the home field advantage during the complete series, was Yuya Hasegawa who went 2 for 2.

Thanks to this victory, the Softbank Hawks have taken a 3-2 lead in the Climax Series.

The Climax Series of the Central League is tied at two. Despite entering the series by trailing a game, thanks to the extra win awarded to the winner of the regular season, Hiroshima Toyo Carp, the Yokohama Bay Stars won two in a row after losing the opening game of the series. Today’s game in Hiroshima rained out.

 

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