An exhibition game between Tohoku Rakuten Eagles and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham will be held at Shizuoka Kusanagi Stadium on March 11th at 1:00 PM.

Tohoku Rakuten Eagles 's Itsuki Murabayashi is currently on a three-game hit streak in the preseason, boasting a batting average of .278. On the 7th (against Yokohama DeNA), he led off the second inning with hit, contributing to the team's early lead. Last season, Murabayashi recorded 144 hit, winning the most hit title. With increased vigilance from opposing teams, the question remains whether he can continue to rack up hit this season.

On the other side, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham fifth-round draft pick, rookie Kaito Fujimori is a player to watch. He made a mid-game appearance in the first open game on February 22nd, and recorded an infield hit in his second at-bat. In the game on the 7th (against Chiba Lotte Marines), he started as the leadoff hitter and catcher, recording one hit and one stolen base, and defense led starting pitcher Tamon Asari pitching three runs innings. He will be looking to continue to impress with his hitting, fielding, and baserunning in this game as well.

Written by Aoi Nemoto