◆Pre-season game Orix Buffaloes 0-1 Softbank Hawks (8th, Kyocera Dome)

Softbank Hawks 's second-round draft pick, Ryuta Inagawa, pitched as the fourth pitcher from the eighth inning, striking out four hitter with no hit one Walk. He went three games in a row without runs in his debut exhibition games, strike out five of the 11 hitter. "I'm focusing on pitching along the line (of the ball). I'm just pitching along the line so that I can put a good amount of vertical spin to good use. My condition is improving, too. Of course, I want to aim for (the opening day first team)," said the right-hander, a graduate of Kyushu Kyoritsu University, expressing his enthusiasm for making the reliever day first team as a relief pitcher.

Manager Hiroki Kokubo said, "It's a straight line and a curve, pitcher a vertical variation of fork, but from the side (bench) I get the impression that it has a strong hop component. I haven't seen the numbers yet, so I don't know (the details)," said Kokubo, who praised the pitch's 153-kilometer max fastball velocity and plans to have him pitch alongside No. 3 draft pick Gota Suzuki of Oosho University, who pitched one inning without runs a loss at fifth.