FUKUOKA, Japan (Interstat) — A four-run eruption in the sixth inning was more than enough for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, who snapped a five-game losing streak by defeating the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 4-2 on Friday evening at Fukuoka Yahuoku! Dome.

Kojiro Yoshimura scattered six hits over 5 2/3 innings and three relievers combined for 3 1/3 scoreless frames as Yakult improved to 33-28-1. SoftBank, which had won four straight, fell to 36-26 before an announced crowd of 39,791.

The game lasted 2 hours, 51 minutes.

SoftBank struck first in the bottom of the first. Leadoff hitter Tomoya Masaki crushed a home run to right-center field off Yoshimura, giving the Hawks a 1-0 lead. It was Masaki’s only hit of the night in four at-bats.

The Hawks added another run in the second. Isami Nomura led off with a triple to center field. After a Takashi Umino sacrifice bunt plated Nomura, SoftBank led 2-0. That would be the extent of the Hawks’ offense. Yoshimura settled in after that, retiring nine of the next 10 batters he faced.

Through five innings, Yakult’s bats were silent against SoftBank starter Jun Maeda. The right-hander allowed only one hit through five innings while striking out six. The Swallows had not advanced a runner past first base.

The sixth inning changed everything.

Souma Uchiyama led off with a single to shallow center. Ayuto Matsushita struck out looking for the first out, but Hideki Nagaoka followed with a single to shallow left, putting runners at first and second. Montell Higuma drew a walk to load the bases.

Yukihiro Iwata then delivered the pivotal hit, a single to shallow right that scored Uchiyama and Nagaoka, tying the game at 2. Yudai Koga was hit by a pitch to reload the bases, and Yasutaka Shiomi lifted a sacrifice fly to center, bringing home Higuma for a 3-2 Yakult lead.

Maeda was relieved by Taiga Kamichatani after the sacrifice fly, but the damage continued. Shu Masuda greeted Kamichatani with a single to shallow left, scoring Iwata and making it 4-2. Yoshihiro Akahane struck out swinging to end the inning, but Yakult had sent 10 batters to the plate and scored four times on four hits.

Yoshimura departed with one out in the sixth after allowing a single to Yuki Yanagita. Shota Maruyama entered and got Tatsuru Yanagimachi to fly out, then allowed a single to Nomura before striking out Kenta Imamiya to end the threat.

Yoshimura’s final line: 5 2/3 innings, six hits, two earned runs, two strikeouts. He earned his third win against five losses.

The bullpen took over from there. Tomoya Hoshi pitched a perfect seventh, striking out two. Noboru Shimizu worked a perfect eighth with three strikeouts. Jose Quijada closed the ninth for his 16th save, striking out one and allowing one hit.

SoftBank threatened in the ninth. Nomura led off with a walk and Ryuta Hirose popped out. Taisei Makihara then flew out to third to end the game.

Maeda took the loss, falling to 1-1. He allowed four earned runs on three hits in 5 1/3 innings, striking out six.

For Yakult, the victory ended a skid that included losses in five straight games dating to June 5. The Swallows had not scored more than two runs in any of those five defeats. Friday marked their first win since May 31.

SoftBank, meanwhile, had won four in a row and seven of eight entering the game. The Hawks managed seven hits but left five runners on base and went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position.

Yakult’s four-run sixth was its only inning with multiple hits. The Swallows finished with four hits total, all in that inning.

Yoshimura worked efficiently through the early innings. After the home run to Masaki, he retired the next three batters. In the second, after the triple and sacrifice bunt, he stranded a runner on second by getting Makihara to line out to shortstop. From the third through the fifth, he allowed only two baserunners, both on singles.

SoftBank had a chance to add to its lead in the fifth. Makihara singled with one out, and Masaki grounded out to third, moving Makihara to second. Ukyo Shuto was hit by a pitch, putting runners at first and second, but Kensuke Kondoh grounded out to first.

Yakult’s bullpen was nearly flawless. Hoshi faced three batters and recorded three outs, two on strikeouts. Shimizu struck out the side on 12 pitches. Quijada allowed a leadoff walk but induced two fly outs to secure the save.

The Swallows improved to 5-10 in June while the Hawks fell to 9-4 in the month.

Yakult and SoftBank meet again Saturday and Sunday at the dome before the Swallows return home to face Hiroshima. The Hawks travel to Hokkaido next week for a three-game set against Nippon Ham.

Before the game, Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 7, Tokyo Yakult Swallows 2. The ELO system gave SoftBank a 68.50 percent probability to win. The Hawks were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total score of 4 went under the over/under line of 7.0.