On 9 April, Western League regular season and Fukuoka Softbank played the fifth round match against Hiroshima at Tamahome Stadium Chikugo, where Fukuoka Softbank won 4-0 and win.

​Fukuoka Softbank starter Nao Higashihama pitcher pitched a perfect game without allowing a single runner until the fourth inning. An error and hit in the top of the fifth put runners on first and second with one out, but he struck out the next two batters to end the inning, striking out the bases with double play outs. From the sixth inning, he closer three hitter inning in a row from the sixth inning, and pitch was impressive. He walked mound in seven innings with 2 hit no walks Hit by Pitch 4 strike out no runs on 74 pitches.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, back-to-back singles by Soichiro Ishizuka and Kenta Tanigawara created an opportunity, and with two outs and one out, back-to-back RBI singles by Kaito Shigematsu and Yudai Shoji from second base scored two runs. In the bottom of the seventh, Shigematsu reached base on a Walk and added one run each on Shoko's RBI doble and Tomoya Inoue 's grounder to extend the lead to four.

​Fuga Otake pitcher in the top of the eighth and Toya Kawaguchi pitcher in the top of the ninth tied the game to end the game. Shoko scored 2 hit 2 RBI and Ayuma Nishio scored 2 hit for a total of 6 hit and 4 runs, and shutout game pitched to extend their winning streak to 3.

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Hiro 000000000 0
SO 00020020X 4

Wide ●Kemuna Makoto - Hasebe Ginji - Matsumoto Tatsuya - Takahashi Koya - Daido Atsutaka
So ○ Nao Higashihama-Fuga Otake-Toya Kawaguchi

Text by Haruka Sonoda

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