Koya Takahashi of the Hiroshima Carp pitches during a Central League game against the Yomiuri Giants on Oct. 9, 2021, at Mazda Stadium in Hiroshima. (Kyodo)

       HIROSHIMA (Kyodo) -- Koya Takahashi threw five scoreless innings and Shogo Sakakura drove in three runs as the Central League's fourth-place team, the Hiroshima Carp, beat the third-place Yomiuri Giants 7-1 on Saturday.

       The Carp, whose playoff hopes appeared dead a week ago, won their fourth straight to move within seven games of the two-time defending league champion Giants, who occupy the CL's final playoff spot but dropped their fifth straight.

       Takahashi (5-7) pitched out of a first-inning jam at Mazda Stadium and scattered four hits and three walks to hold onto an early lead.

       Giants starting pitcher Shosei Togo (9-7) retired the first two batters in the Carp first before the hosts scored twice on three straight hits. Ryoma Nishikawa singled and scored on a double by Seiya Suzuki, who scored on a Sakakura single.

       Sakakura scored in the fourth after drawing a leadoff walk, and doubled in two seventh-inning runs to ice the game. Former Carp Yoshihiro Maru homered in the ninth to break up the shutout.

       At Yokohama Stadium, Yota Kyoda's ninth-inning bases-loaded single drove in two runs to break a tie and lead the Chunichi Dragons to a 4-2 win over the DeNA BayStars.

       At Sapporo Dome, Drew VerHagen (5-8) allowed two unearned runs over six innings while striking out nine in the Nippon Ham Fighters' 4-2 win over the Pacific League's second-place Lotte Marines.

       At MetLife Dome, Hiroaki Shimauchi snapped a ninth-inning tie with an RBI single as the third-place Rakuten Eagles beat the Seibu Lions 2-1.

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