The commemorative fixture marked the centenary of the Meiji Jingu Gaien and celebrated 100 years of the historic ballpark.
Yakult broke the scoreless deadlock in the top of the second inning against reliever Yuhi Tanaka.
Tanaka surrendered three consecutive hits to load the bases before issuing a bases-loaded walk to Hidemitsu Namiki. That lone run gave the professional side an early advantage.
The collegiate hitters struggled to solve Yakult’s pitching staff throughout the afternoon. Shota Masui earned the start for the professional club, holding the university batters in check through the early frames.
Keigo Okada collected the team’s first hit in the third inning with a sharp single. The offense failed to capitalize on the baserunner, leaving the scoreboard blank.
The sophomore later manufactured an offensive highlight in the fifth inning against reliever Yuki Ishihara.
It was a very wonderful experience to play in front of a full crowd at the 100-year-old Jingu Stadium, and hitting a single into right field made it a good memory, Inoue said.
Sugukawa faced immediate pressure after entering in the seventh. He hit Rui Ito with a pitch and allowed a single to Ko Ishii to put runners on first and third with one out.
The senior right-hander induced an inning-ending double play from Ruito Nishimura to escape the jam unscathed. “I thought of this dedication match as a reward for my hard work so far and wanted to pitch and have fun,” Sugukawa said.
Yakult added insurance runs late to pull away from the collegiate selection. Ren Sawaii drove home an RBI single in the sixth inning to double the lead.
The professional club tacked on two more runs in the ninth inning behind an RBI single from Ishii and a subsequent wild pitch. The university batters mustered only three hits total against six Yakult pitchers.
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