WAIPAHU — The pitcher from Japan's favorite team fared a lot better than his American counterpart yesterday.

Takanobu Tsujiuchi, an 18-year-old left-hander of the Yomiuri Giants — the equivalent of the New York Yankees in terms of popularity — pitched four strong innings to help the Honolulu Sharks douse the West Oahu CaneFires, 9-2, yesterday at Hans L'Orange Park to win the rubber game of the three-game series.

Tsujiuchi, the first high-school player taken in the 2005 draft in Japan, allowed two runs, two hits and two walks with three strikeouts in making his first start in Hawaii Winter Baseball to help the Sharks (3-3).

"The first three innings, I could pitch what I wanted to pitch," he said through an interpreter. "The fourth inning, I had a little problem with my pitches."

That's when he allowed a two-run home run to right by the left-handed hitting Peter Ciofrone.

"Got a fastball middle in," Ciofrone said. "Got a good piece of it and luckily I got it out."

Tsujiuchi said he did not follow through properly when he served the 2-1 offering. In the first three innings, Tsujiuchi, who has been reported to be able to throw in the mid-90 mph range, said he had success with his changeup in the first three innings.

West Oahu starter Jeff Marquez (0-1) was less fortunate. The 2004 first-round draft pick by the Yankees was charged with six runs on five hits and two walks in 3 2/3 innings. He cruised, retiring nine of the first 10 batters. But the Sharks sent 10 batters to the plate in the six-run fourth. After getting the first out, six consecutive batters reached safely against Marquez. Ryan Patterson's RBI single scored the first run. Yoshiyuki Kamei's bases-clearing triple was the big blow, followed by an RBI double by Clint Sammons, who was 3 for 4.

After Marquez retired Ken Kato on a grounder to first, another Yankees' farmhand, Ian Kennedy, came in and gave up an RBI double to Atsushi Ugumori before getting Paco Figueroa on a fly to center to end the inning.

Kennedy also gave up an RBI double in the fifth to Van Pope.

The Sharks rounded out their scoring with an eighth-inning two-run double by Figueroa against Gilbert de la Vara.

Jeff Moore (1-0) followed Tsujiuchi with three scoreless innings of three-hit ball, walking one and striking out one.

Scott Roehl allowed two hits in a scoreless eighth and David Haehnel added a perfect ninth to finish off the CaneFires (2-4).

HONU 7, BEACHBOYS 1

Kailua's Rodney "Bruddah" Choy Foo hit his second home run of the season to help North Shore beat Waikiki yesterday at Les Murakami Stadium for its second consecutive win.

The Honu broke a scoreless tie in the top of the sixth on back-to-back RBI doubles by Dustin Martin and Koby Clemens, who then scored on Cory Dunlap's RBI single against Waikiki's Alex Hinshaw (0-1).

Choy Foo's two-run home run off Kazuya Tsutsui ignited a four-run seventh. Choy Foo, a second baseman, is a 2000 Kailua High graduate in the Cleveland Indians farm system.

Wesley Wright (1-0) allowed the only run among five pitchers in three innings of relief of starter Terufumi Mishima for the Honu.

The Beach Boys (2-4) got their only run on a sixth-inning RBI single by Nich Schierholtz, who had three of his team's seven hits.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.