FUKUOKA (Interstat) — Isami Nomura hit two home runs and drove in three runs, and Yugo Maeda pitched seven strong innings as the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks defeated the Tokyo Yakult Swallows 8-1 on Saturday afternoon at Fukuoka Yahuoku! Dome.

Nomura homered in the sixth and seventh innings, and Kensuke Kondoh also connected for a two-run shot in the third as the Hawks broke open a tight game. Maeda allowed three hits and one run while striking out seven to improve to 4-0. The left-hander retired the side in order in four of his seven innings and did not walk a batter.

Yakult took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Yasutaka Shiomi led off with a solo home run to right. It was the only hit Maeda permitted until the eighth inning, when he was removed after yielding a double to Domingo Santana. But Santana was left stranded.

SoftBank answered in the third. With two outs, Tomoya Masaki grounded out but Nomura drew a walk to keep the inning alive. Kondoh then drove a 1-1 pitch over the right-field fence to give the Hawks a 2-1 lead.

The score remained there until the sixth, when the Hawks erupted for three runs. Nomura led off with a solo homer to center. After a strikeout, Ryoya Kurihara singled and Yuki Yanagita doubled to put runners on second and third. Kenta Imamiya lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Kurihara, and Tatsuru Yanagimachi followed with an RBI single to center.

In the seventh, Nomura struck again. With one out, Masaki walked, and Nomura crushed a 2-2 pitch to left for another two-run homer, extending the lead to 7-1.

The Hawks tacked on an insurance run in the eighth. Kenta Imamiya walked, moved to second on a stolen base by pinch runner Yudai Shoji, and after a flyout and a walk to Takashi Umino, Taisei Makihara singled to load the bases. Masaki then drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the run.

Yakult managed only five hits total. In addition to Shiomi’s homer, Yoshihiro Akahane singled in the second, Jose Osuna singled in the seventh, Domingo Santana doubled in the eighth, and Shu Masuda singled in the ninth. But the Swallows never advanced a runner past second base against Maeda and the SoftBank bullpen.

Yuki Tsumori worked a scoreless eighth inning, allowing one hit, and Yusuke Itoh struck out one in a hitless ninth.

Taichi Yamano took the loss for Yakult, dropping to 7-2. He allowed five runs on five hits in five and two-thirds innings, walking three and striking out seven. Yamano had been one of the Swallows’ most reliable starters, but the Hawks touched him for two home runs.

Yu Hirosawa relieved Yamano and recorded one out in the sixth, allowing one hit and one inherited runner to score on Yanagimachi’s single. Reiji Kozawa pitched the seventh, surrendering two runs on one hit and two walks while striking out two. Takuya Yasaki finished the eighth, giving up one run on one hit and a walk with one strikeout.

The win improved SoftBank’s record to 37-26, while Yakult fell to 33-29-1. The Hawks avenged a 4-2 loss to the Swallows on Friday, when Yakult had taken the series opener.

Attendance was 40,122, and the game lasted 2 hours, 58 minutes.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks 7, Tokyo Yakult Swallows 2. SoftBank entered with a 67.8 percent win probability according to Interstat’s ELO system and were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5 runs. The combined run total of nine went over the over/under line of seven.