高校野球 (Kokoyakyu)

And now we reach the finals where rising star Hifumi and Toukaidai Sagami out of Kanagawa faces off against Kassai and Oogaki Nichidai from Gifu.

But to do nail issues, Hifumi wouldn't take the mound to start. Instead, that would fall to their #2 starter Egawa Kyousuke (江川 恭介).

And to boot, the forecast showed rain for this championship game. Anyone remember the Kochi-Jyousuikan games at Koshien?

Right off the bat, Sagami would threaten against Kassai. Bottom of the 1st Sagami has runners at the corners with 1 out. They try to put down the squeeze but Kassai makes a fine defensive play to get the runner out at home and keep the game scoreless.

Oogaki would take that momentum into the top of the 2nd. With 1 out and a runner on 2nd, a timely hit would open the scoring, 1-0 Oogaki.

Bottom of the 2nd now, and the rain has fallen and is causing problems for Oogaki. A fielding error with 2 down costs them as Kanno would hit a double over the head of the right fielder tying the game up at 1-1.

And then things seemed to fall apart for Oogaki. Cleanup hitter Tanaka drives one to the right field fence for a triple giving Sagami the lead at 2-1. Then another error leads to a 3-1 lead...

Kassai then hits the next batter putting runners at 1st and 2nd with 2 down for Egawa. He caps off the inning by putting the ball in the right field seats for a 3-run homerun and a commanding 6-1 lead!!

Things started to look bleak for Oogaki until the 5th inning where some timely hitting would get them back in the game. They had runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 down when Morita would hit a double to left-center to cut the lead to 6-3. And then Obi(?) would deliver another hit to center making it a 2 run game at 6-4!

That seemed to give them momentum to work on. An inning later, they would have runners on 1st and 2nd with no down! However, Egawa and the defense would shut the door leaving it a 2-run margin.

Trying to extend the lead again in the bottom half of the inning Someya would lead off with a base hit bringing Egawa to the plate. It looked like a bunt-and-run, but instead Egawa pulled the bat back and swung away! But he lined it right to center and Someya was doubled off! It looked like a lost opportunity until Kassai hit the next batter, gave up a safety bunt and walked the next batter. Suddenly he was in another jam with the bases loaded! But he would slide out of it once again, and you have to wonder what could have been had they not had Egawa swing away.

And boy, did that swing momentum even more in Oogaki's favor. 7th inning now and Morita collects his 3rd RBI in the game with a solo HR off of Egawa making it a 6-5 game!! Even with 2 innings left, you had to feel that Oogaki would tie the game.

Apparently, so did Sagami. And they planned to do something about it. They would put Kassai into another pinch, getting the bases loaded with 2 down for the 2nd straight inning. This time, Sagami would not let this opportunity pass. Oogi(?) would deliver a base hit to left. But with a no doubles outfield, they were slow to get to the ball. What probably should have been a 2-run double turns into a 3-run double as a result and the lead was extended to 4 at 9-5!

But Egawa couldn't seem to make his new-found lead stick either. He gives up a leadoff walk and then a shot off of Takada's bat would go over the left fielder for a double putting the runners in scoring position. C Tokimoto would then deliver a short single to left scoring both runners and cutting the lead in half! 9-7!!

Egawa's day would end 2 batters later with runners at 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Hifumi would enter the game to get Sagami out of the jam and close the door. Sakaguchi-kantoku would gamble and bunt the runners over looking for the one shot to tie the game.

And he was looking at the right player to do it. Morita, already with a 3B and HR along with 3 RBI's completes the comeback with a double over the left fielder (again!)!! It's 9-9!!!!

But Sagami would try to strike back in the bottom of the 8th. Watanabe would lead off the inning with a single. They would once again go to the fake bunt and Watanabe would advance to 2nd on the play.

That would be it for Kassai. Sakaguchi-kantoku would pull him for Achira Takuma (阿知羅 拓馬) to try and stop the Sagami threat. He would do just that and the teams headed to the 9th all knotted at 9.

You had to wonder how strong Hifumi was with the nail issue and if this wasn't a desperate attempt by Sagami to hold the game. Because in the top of the 9th, Gotou would leadoff with a drive to left center for a triple. A hit batter thereafter would put the runners at the corners with no out.

But of all things, it would not be a base hit, or a sac fly that would get the go-ahead run across. Instead, Hifumi would be called for a balk and Oogaki would take its first lead at 10-9 in the last inning of regulation!

Sagami would mount one last rally in the bottom of the 9th. A leadoff walk would be bunted into scoring position for Hifumi. He would come through with a single to center, but they don't send the leading runner home! But it still put runners at the corners with only one down!

That would bring up Oogi who earlier delivered the timely bases clearing double. Achira though would not give in. He would strike Oogi out and Oogaki was one out away from the title. Sagami's last chance would be in Makishima. But a harmless grounder to 3rd would end the game and give Oogaki Nichidai and Sakaguchi-kantoku their 1st ever Meiji Jingu title!!

So, we move onto our Best 4 matchups. One is an all-Kanto matchup featuring 2 probable stars on the mound, the other a matchup of fairly strong, established teams.

Semifinal 1 - Teikyou vs. Toukaidai Sagami
Things had to be getting serious now. Against Hokushou, Teikyou's Itou Takurou was nowhere to be found. But here in the all-Kanto matchup, he would take the hill.

And why not? They were after all playing against ace Hifumi.

But early on, it was Hifumi's bat - not his pitching - that was on. In the 2nd inning a timely hit against Itou would give Sagami the 1-0 lead.

Of course, that isn't to say that Hifumi wasn't unhittable on the mound. In fact, he made Teikyou's bats fall silent to the tune of just 5 hits in 9 innings. Combined with 8 K's and you have one heck of a performance.

Teikyou also did themselves no favors by committing 3 errors, a couple of which led to 3 late runs by Sagami for insurance. Hifumi and Toukaidai Sagami would advance with an impressive 4-0 win.


Semifinal 2 - Imabari Nishi vs. Oogaki Nichidai
Imabari Nishi with the tandem of Hino Reona(??) (日野 玲央奈) and Hayashi Shouya(?) (林正也) has managed to rally against Kobe Kokusaidai and Kaisei. Next up would be Kassai Yukiya (葛西侑也) and Oogaki Nichidai.

This time though, it was Imabari Nishi that would get on the board first. An error on a ball hit by Hamamoto would allow him to get on base. A timely hit by Inoue would drive in the opening run.

But perhaps this reversal of roles for Imabari Nishi would not be so good...

Top of the 3rd, manrui with 2 down. Gotou up to bat and he delivers a timely 2-RBI hit.

Kassai would be on his game after the 1st marking his membership on Team Shut-it-down giving up only 4 hits thereafter. And for insurance, timely hits by Gotou and Takada would drive in 2 more runs in a 4-1 win and a spot in the finals. When all was said and done, Kassai would give up 5 hits and strike out 12.

So we had half of the Best 4 set the other day, who would join them?

Day 3 - Game 1 - Toukaidai Sagami vs. Takaoka Shougyou
Yeah, it's the debut of Hifumi at Meiji.

But he was uncharacteristically shaky to start. After being given the 1-0 lead in the top of the first, he gives up the lead immediately thereafter. 2 innings later, he gives up the lead and Takashou led 2-1.

His team would come to his aid. In the 5th, 2-batter Usuda hits a solo homerun to tie it up. An inning later, and his team would retake the lead. 2 more runs in the 7th sealed the deal.

Of course, it also helped that Hifumi settled down and retired the next 18 batters in order after the 3rd.

So Hifumi and Toukaidai Sagami will face Teikyou.


Day 3 - Game 2 - Kaisei vs. Imabari Nishi
After Imabari Nishi's comeback win against Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku, they'd have to step it up against Kaisei to advance to play Oogaki Nichidai.

But once again, it would be their opponents who would get on the board first. A squeeze play by Mori followed by a timely hit by Oka would give Kaisei the 2-0 lead early.

Imabari Nishi would rally back in the 3rd with 2 runs of their own to tie the game.

It would stay tied until the 7th where Imabari ace Hino would help his own cause. A 2-run double would break the deadlock. And behind his pitching, which was perfect from the 7th on, Imabari would indeed advance to face Oogaki Nichidai.

And now for a recap of Days 1 & 2 of the Meiji Jingu Tournament

Day 1 - Game 1 - Akita Shougyou vs. Takaoka Shougyou
The battle of Tohoku and Hokushinetsu looked good to start with Kataoka from Akitashou and Nabeda from Takashou keeping their opponents off the board.

But a walk given up by Kataoka comes in to score in the 4th on an error. 2 innings later he would give up one more.

However, it would all be over one inning later in the 7th when Kataoka had runners on 2nd and 3rd with no out. A successful safety squeeze would open the flood gates for 4 runs. The year would end for Akitashou in the 8th when Takashou would score the sayonara run.


Day 1 - Game 2 - Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku vs. Imabari Nishi
So the upstart Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku gets to face one of the well-steeped tradition teams in Imabari Nishi.

And yet in the 3rd, they showed no fear scoring the opening run. That would be the only run scored for a while. And when I say a while, I mean until the 9th.

And when I mean the 9th, I mean the bottom of the 9th - 2 out...

RP Oogawa had come on the mound in the 6th in relief of Okamoto. With 2 down, Imabari Nishi sends up PH Sasaki and manages to earn a walk. And then Hayashi hits one to right for a game-tying triple.

And then one batter later... Minori singles to left, and just like that the game is over.

I'd say that there may have been nerves, but I wonder if there was any time to have it. One out away from victory and 3 batters later, the game is over.

But if nothing else, I wonder if the loss could be good for hardening the team come senbatsu. They'll face teams like this and they'll need to be able to close games.


Day 2 - Game 1 - Teikyou vs. Hokushou
Hokushou sure had their work cut out for them against powerhouse Teikyou. Matano would take the hill for Hokushou while Suzuki Shouta, not Itou was taking the hill for Teikyou.

And Matano and his 138 km/h fastball was able to hold up against the Teikyou offense, and keep them scoreless.

But it takes a special effort to keep them off the board for the entire game. This wasn't one of them.

In the 5th Suzuki decides to take matters into his own hands hitting a 2-run home run to take the lead. Hokushou would cut that lead in half in the top of the 6th, only to see Teikyou retake the 2 run advantage in the bottom of the inning.

It would all seem to be over in the bottom of the 8th when Teikyou would score 3. However, Hokushou would make a show of it scoring 2 in the 9th. While they would fall 6-3, it shows hope for the spring.


Day 2 - Game 2 - Kadena vs. Oogaki Nichidai
Kadena had certainly shown its meddle in the Kyushu Super-Regionals, but here was probably their first real test against Oogaki Nichidai.

And they seemed up to the challenge. A solo HR in the 2nd and a 2-run triple by Nohara(?) gave them a 3-0 advantage!

Wonder if that gave Oogaki a wake-up call...

Because in the 6th with the score 3-1, Oogaki puts 3 walks and 4 hits together to score 6 runs and wrest the game away from Kadena.

Shocked but not deterred, Kadena gets back a run in the 8th. And then in the 9th they get one run back with no out, and one more with one down. Suddenly, it's a 1-run ballgame!

But Yamagi would close out the game for Oogaki as they advance to the Best 4 with a 7-6 win.

Kadena could possibly be one to watch in the spring...

With the super-regionals over and the majority of the bids determined, the champions of each super-regional get to compete in one last major tournament of the year at Meiji Jingu.

And it's definitely an interesting field.

I'm not exactly sure how they determine the field, whether it's by draw or the weaker teams are pushed into the early rounds. From the last couple of years it seems like it's the latter.

The "play-in" games are a matchup between commericial schools as Takaoka Shougyou out of the Hokushinetsu region versus Akita Shougyou out of the Tohoku region, and the upstarts of Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku from the Kinki region versus well-known Imabari Nishi out of Shikoku.

Now the winner of the commercial school matchup gets a meeting with my new favorite pitcher Hifumi Shinta (一二三 慎太) from Toukaidai Sagami (Kanto). Along with them is Teikyou (Tokyo) and new phenom ace Itou Takuro versus Hokushou (Hokkaido) and offensive ace Matano Tomoya.

On the other side, the winner of the Kinki-Shikoku matchup gets Kaisei (Chuugoku) who has certainly flexed its muscles as of late. The other matchup is Kyushu surprise winner Kadena versus Oogaki Nichidai out of Tokai.

This will be a good test for some of the teams in this tournament, but with all the paranoia regarding giving information away, I wonder how much the teams will show here.

Next up... Spring Koshien team reviews!

Okay, we start the wheels again and hit the remaining super-regionals.

Kinki
The final day of 1st round games featured a big upset. Shinkou Gakuen, Hyogo's #3 seed jumped on Shiga's champion Oumi 3-0 before Oumi got on the board with a run in the 5th and went on to win 4-1! Meanwhile there was a titanic matchup between Fukuchiyama Seibi and PL Gakuen to conclude 1st round play. Seibi jumped on PL with 2 runs in the first and played hang-on the rest of the way. PL managed to pull within 1 in the 8th, but couldn't push the douten run across.

Sunday would have possibly 2 possible blowouts. First off was Chiben Wakayama against Ritsumeikan Uji. But after taking the lead 1-0 in the 1st, a run in the 2nd and 3rd for Uji meant that Ritsumeikan had the lead! Chiben fires right back with runs in the 4th and 5th and they pulled back in front!

And then it all went wrong. 2 innings later, Uji explodes for 5 runs and takes a commanding 7-3 lead.

That seemed to wake up the Chiben squad though. But there wouldn't be much time left. A run in the 8th would cut the deficit to 3. Then in the 9th, they score 1 run... then 2! Chiben was within 1! But ace Kawabe would be able to record the final out eliminating the formidable powerhouse from the tournament and a place at senbatsu.

The 2nd game was also much closer than expected as well. Osaka Touin faced off against Ikuei (Hyogo 3) and ace Fukumoto shutout the Ikuei squad. However, Ikuei's ace Horita(?) only allowed 2 runs to the powerhouse in the loss. While they won't get an automatic bid, he sure looked good.

(Here's a video of Horita. 3/4 delivery it seems, a bit of control issues in the video)

Now the other quarterfinal games wouldn't be played until the following weekend, and that meant for those teams they would have to play 3 games in 5 days to win the super-regional. They'd get a day off in between each game, but still.

First off was one of my favorite teams Tenri against Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku.

While Kobe Kokusaidai had taken the 1-0 lead in the 5th, Tenri asserted itself with 3 in the 6th. But then in the bottom of the 7th Kobe Kokusaidai takes out ace Nishiguchi with 4 runs of their own. Down 5-3 doesn't seem like a lot for Tenri, but they were unable to recover and fall to Okamoto and Kobe Kokusaidai.

Then there was Shinkou Gakuen versus Fukuchiyama Seibi. Shinkou gets the jump again, taking a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning! But in the 4th, Seibi manages to equalize. And then nothing happens. We head into extras and still nothing from either team. The 13th inning comes and goes and now there's a real possibility that we could have a tie game. But in the end, Shinkou would break through with the sayonara run in the 14th inning to send Fukuchiyama Seibi home and secure a spot at senbatsu!!

Now while the semifinalists are almost assuredly guaranteed a spot in senbatsu, it wouldn't hurt to have a good showing. Unfortunately for Ritsumeikan Uji, ace Kawabe just wasn't on his game, giving up 2 runs in the 1st and 2nd and another 5 in the 5th en route to a 9-1 7-inning loss to Osaka Touin.

And as for Shinkou Gakuen, Kobe Kokusaidai's Okamoto completely shut down their offense. Add sloppy conditions late and an 8-run 8th (and still going) gives the umpires a reason to shut down the game mercifully for Shinkou.

That meant it was down to Osaka Touin and Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku. And in a reversal, it was Osaka Touin that was blanked. Okamoto finishes out the run by his team with a 3-0 shutout. In the fall, Okamoto pitched 78.1 innings with an ERA of 1.15 and we'll see a lot more of him come the spring.


Chuugoku
We had a high quality Best 4 field, but things certainly didn't turn out as exciting as perhaps people though. In the first semi, Kanzei wound up having no trouble with Iwamichisuikan shutting them out 5-0. Meanwhile a 5-spot in the 3rd inning helped Kaisei beat Kouryou 5-3.

So it will be Kanzei and Kaisei who will probably get the bids. But there was the final and a spot in the Meiji Jingu tournament to be had.

Itohara for Kaisei opened the scoring in the top of the 1st with a solo homerun. Kanzei would quickly tie it back up in the bottom half of the frame. Then in the 3rd, Itohara gets another timely hit to put them ahead 2-1. And if that wasn't enough, he induces an error while stealing 2nd scoring 2 runs and extending the lead to 4-1.

But Kanzei would take one of those runs back in the bottom of the inning. And in the 5th Yamaguchi gets an inside-the-park homerun for Kanzei pulling within 1. But ace Shirane would not let Kanzei equalize and Kaisei would take the Chuugoku super-regionals with a 4-3 win!


Shikoku
So we hit the semifinals with bids at senbatsu at stake.

Okou certainly was an underdog against Kochi. But they were the ones to open the scoring with a run in the 2nd. However, 6 unanswered runs in the next 3 innings by Kochi pretty much ended the game right then and there.

In the matchup between Ehime teams Saibi also got the jump on the top seeded team Imabari Nishi with a run in the 3rd. Imabari though would tie it up in the 5th and 2 more in the 6th and that would be the end of that.

Kochi and Imabari Nishi will be familiar faces at Koshien, but which one will advance to the national tournament?

Early on, it looked like Kochi would run away with it, building a 3-run lead. However, Imabari Nishi would turn the tables in the 4th, scoring 4 runs. Kochi would equalize in the 5th and it would stay that way, meaning extra innings in the championship game. In the 11th, ace Tsutsui would try to end it right there as his 2-out double put Kochi ahead 5-4.

Imabari Nishi though had other plans. With no out, Tsutsui would hit Nagai. A sac bunt would move him to 2nd, and in a bold move, he steals 3rd! With the tying run only 90 feet away, Sasaki singles to left tying the game! After another sac bunt to put the winning run in scoring position, Aida delivers the sayonara hit to right as Sasaki scores sending the Ehime team to the nationals!


Kyushu
Whoops. I never got around in the other update to cover what had happened to get to the Best 4. Well, now you'll get a recap of everything!

First up are the 3 1st round games that the #3 and #4 seeded teams from Fukuoka and Miyazaki were awarded. And perhaps surprisingly, they held up pretty well. Miyazaki Nichidai (Miyazaki 4) got the lead against Kagoshima Jyousei (Kagoshima 2). But after equalizing in the 6th, Jyousei would put 2 together in the 8th for a late-inning win. The new Imari representative, Imari Shougyou (Saga 2), couldn't keep up with Fukuoka Koudai Jyoutou falling 7-0 in 8 innings. The same went for Oita (Oita 2), who gave up 10 runs in the 4th to Miyazaki Shougyou (Miyzaki 3), and were eliminated one inning later.

With those game completed, it was time for the top seeds to take the field. But instead of showing their dominance they instead muddied up the waters even more.

Jiyuugaoka (Fukuoka 1) had no trouble with Kagoshima Jyousei, shutting them out 4-0. Jyouhoku's (Kumamoto 2) ace Nogata gave up a first inning run to Meihou (Oita 1) and new ace Yamano (who struggled against Hanamaki Higashi) made it stick.

But in the bottom half of this side, things were different. Nichinan Gakuen (Miyazaki 1) had a 1-0 lead on Kadena (Okinawa 2), but Nakazaki would not be able to hold it. He would relinquish the lead in the 6th giving up 2 runs, and his team would never recover. And Sasebo Jitsugyou (Nagasaki 2) would get a jump on Saga Shouygou (Saga 1) scoring 2 in the 3rd and another 2 in the 7th while ace Hirakura would yield only 1 run in a complete game effort.

In the other side of the super-regionals, more 1 seeds would fall. Kyushu Gakuin (Kumamoto 1) would trail from wire-to-wire against Fukuoka Koudai Jyoutou losing 6-2. Kagoshima Jitsugyou (Kagoshima 1) would suffer the same fate against Miyazaki Kougyou (Miyazaki 2) as Hamada would yield 1 run.

As for the last 2 games, Kounan's (Okinawa 1) Shimabukuro would continue to lead his team to Koshien yet again with a 3-1 win over Toukai Dai-go, while in the battle of commericial schools Nagasaki (Nagasaki 1) would slip through with a 1-0 win over Miyazaki.

So heading to the crucial quarterfinals, Saga and Kumamoto were already eliminated.

And the first probable bid would go to Jiyuugaoka as they were able to score 2 runs off of Yamano while their ace Ono made it interesting yielding a run in the 9th, but nothing more. Their opponent in the semis would be Kadena, who held a 5-0 lead against Sasebo Jitsugyou but allowed them to make it close with 4 in the bottom of the 9th.

Things were just as close on the other side as well. Fukuoka Koudai Jyoutou and Miyazaki Kougyou were tied at 2 for most of the game until Miyazaki put up 3 in the 7th to take the lead for good. And Shimabukuro would continue to dominate in a 2-0 win over Nagashou.

This means that we'll see 2 Okinawa teams at Koshien! I know someone who'll like that!

But back to the super-regionals. Kadena continued to impress, this time against Jiyuugaoka. They shut out the Fukuoka squad 4-0 and secure a spot in the finals! Could it be an all-Okinawa final?

Sure looked like it early! Kounan would score 2 quick runs in the top of the 1st, but Miyazaki would come back with a run of their own against not Shimabukuro, but Sunagawa.

The decision to hold back Shimabukuro would prove costly though as Miyazaki would score 2 runs in the 3rd. Shimabukuro would enter the game, but the damage had been done. Miyazaki's ace Hamada would shut down the Kounan offense and advance to the finals with a 3-2 win.

So it would be a (relieved) Kadena facing not Kounan, but Miyazaki Kougyou. But the home field advantage would not be enough for them. Kadena would get 2 runs in the 3rd against Hamada and then extend that lead to 4. And while Ikehara for Kadena would give up 2 runs in the 7th, he cruised to victory giving his team its first ever Kyushu super-regional win!


Well, the majority of our field for the Spring Koshien is set, as well as our participants for the Meiji Jingu tournament. I'll recap that later today.

So, all the super-regionals are completed and we have the probable senbatsu participants for next year. Let's take a stroll before the Meiji Jingu tournament this upcoming weekend.

Kanto
Perhaps the sad thing about the super-regionals is that disparity is made readily apparent. We know that in the Natsu Koshien tournament, there are certain prefectures that are generally weaker than others. The super-regionals for the senbatsu is no different.

In the first round alone, 3 prefectures were eliminated.

• Ibaraki - Mito Sakuranomaki, Hasaki Yanagawa
  
• Tochigi - Bunsei Geidai Fuzoku, Yaita Chuo
• Yamanashi - Fuji Gakuen, Koufu Shougyou

That's not to say they didn't put up a fight though. Hasaki Yanagawa after giving up 3 in the 1st to Urawa Gakuin, pulled within 1 but could never equalize. Yaita Chuo down 2 in the 9th rallied to tie the game, but lost in the first extra frame.

That left Chiba, Saitama, Gunma and Kanagawa in the quarterfinals.

At Ichihara Rinkai Toukaidai Bouyou had no trouble with Touin Gakuen sending them home empty again 4-1. Meanwhile Hanasaki Tokuharu was making Saitama proud with a 14-2 5-inning win against Shiritsu Funabashi.

Over at Chiba Prefectural, another Toukaidai Sagami (yes, another Toukaidai school) with the counting ace Hifumi sent Urawa Gakuin away with a 7-0 win in 7 innings. The afternoon game between Maebashi Shougyou and Chiba Shoudai Fuzoku featured a lot of scoring. Tied 4-4, Maebashi broke it in the 7th with 3 runs, only to see Shoudai score 4 in the bottom of the frame and take the lead. Fortunately, they would tie it back up in the 8th. The game would go into extras... and keep going... Neither team could break the deadlock. And when the 13th inning ended, the game was called due to darkness.

Which meant a 9 inning replay the next day, and a severe disadvantage going forward. Fortunately, being in the Best 4 would pretty much guarantee a spot at senbatsu.

In the replay, both aces would come out - Hirai for Maebashi, and Hirabe for Shoudai. A 4-run 4th for Maebashi would be the difference in a 4-2 win.

Onward to the semis and Hanasaki Tokuharu continued its great run eliminating Toukaidai Bouyou 4-1. They'd have to face the other Toukaidai school in the finals as Hifumi had no trouble with the fatigued Maebashi squad 8-0.

Hifumi would not be denied. And he backed it up with a 2 run homer in the 2nd inning. They would never relinquish the lead winning 6-3 giving them their 5th title, and first in 5 years.

It looks like we'll be seeing a little more of Hifumi, and that's not a bad thing. So our probable representatives are:

• Toukaidai Sagami (Kanagawa)
  
• Hanasaki Tokuharu (Saitama)
• Toukaidai Bouyou (Chiba)
• Chiba Shoudai Fuzoku (Chiba)

Tokyo
We were in the Best 4 here in Tokyo. And with only one guaranteed bid, it's a race to the finish.

Torisu Hino got off to a great start against Toukaidai Sugao. After falling behind 2-0 in the top of the 1st, a 2-run homer helped Hino take a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the frame. After Sugao leveled the score in the 3rd, a grand slam home run by Hino looked to shut the door.

But if there's anything we've seen, it's that a Toukaidai school is never easy to beat.

And in the 8th inning, Sugao would get to ace Matsumoto and score 4 to take the lead.

Hino would fight back. Bottom of the 8th, bases loaded with one down, they put the squeeze on and was successful. But that would be the only run they would score.

And perhaps not taking advantage of the opportunity and playing it "safe" with the squeeze was fatal. Sugao would retake the lead on a Sakai sac fly. That would prove to be the difference.

Who would be their opponent though?

Ace Itou would do everything in his power to make sure it was Teikyou. Like Hifumi, he would hit a 2-run home run in the 2nd in a 3 run inning.

After adding a run in the 6th, Nichidai-san would finally show signs of life. Aided by a solo HR by Ogiwara, they would score 3 in the 7th and pull within 1. Teikyou though would score one more run in the bottom half of that inning and it would prove to be just enough. Nichidai-san would just manage 1 run in the 9th and Teikyou would advance in the battle of Natsu Koshien participants.

So it would be Teikyou and Toukaidai Sugao in the finals. And Itou wasn't starting the game?!

Questionable at first, but then in the 2nd, Teikyou sends 13 batters to the plate and that's never good. 9 runs later, it was pretty much settled and Itou could rest easy as Teikyou takes the automatic bid 13-1.


Tokai
Oddly, as the lower seeds were battling it out, only one 2-seed managed to escape - Toukaidai Shouyou, Shizuoka's 2nd seed (natch). And handily by the way.

Over at Toyota Undou Kouen, Touhou (Aichi 2) went up 3-0 in the top of the 1st against Tokoha Tachibana (Shizuoka 3). But Tachibana would score 2 runs in the 6th, and then take the lead with 2 in the 8th sending Touhou home.

In the 2nd game, Inabe Sougou (Mie 2) was down against Chuukyou (Gifu 3) late when they scored 3 to tie it up in the bottom of the 8th. They would fall though in the 11th when Chuukyou broke through with a run.

At Okazaki Municipal, Toyokawa (Aichi 3) met up with Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou (Gifu 2). While Toyokawa took the early lead and fought Gifushou hard, 5 unanswered runs in the 3rd and 4th to take a 6-2 lead was more like it for Kenritsu Gifushou. Toyokawa wouldn't go away. They scored 3 in the 5th to pull within 1 to which Gifushou added an insurance run. Another 2 runs tied the game in the 6th, but Gifushou would retake the lead with another run in the bottom of the inning. And finally in the 8th they scored 2 to actually take the lead! And once again Gifushou would add a run, this time to tie the game.

Gifushou would manage to keep Toyokawa at bay, but couldn't stop them. In the 13th Toyokawa would score another 2 runs, and this time Gifushou would have no answer.

Now it was the top seeds' turn in the quarterfinals to step up. At Toyota, Shizuoka Shougyou (Shizuoka 1) had their hands full with Chuukyou. After trading runs in the 1st, Chuukyou would score in the 2nd. Shizuoka Shougyou would tie it up at 2 in the 4th and it would remain that way. That is until the bottom of the 9th. That would be where Chuukyou would score the sayonara run and send the top seed home.

In the matinee game, Tokoha Tachibana had no answer to Oogaki Nichidai (Gifu 1) and were shut out 2-0.

For Chuukyoudai Chuukyou (Aichi 1), they depend on a pitching tandem of Asano and Morimoto. It seemed to work well against Toukaidai Shouyou but the offense couldn't get going either. The game was tied at 1 after Shouyou managed to tie the game in the 4th. It would stay that way until the 8th when Chuukyou would come through against Shouyou. And the Toukai school would fall 2-1.

And in the late game, Toyokawa wouldn't be able to hold against Mie (Mie 1), going down quickly 7-1 and unable to recover.

Interestingly, one semifinal featured 2 teams from Gifu - Oogaki Nichidai and Chuukyou. But they didn't play each other in the prefectural tournament. The teams were evenly matched though, trading a run in the 2nd. But a well-executed squeeze and a triple in the top of the 8th would give Oogaki Nichidai the 3-1 lead. While Chuukyou would pull within 1 in the bottom of the inning, they would never equalize.

In the Chuukyoudai Chuukyou-Mie game, a Mie error in the 5th would lead to 3 runs. And while Mie would get within 1 with 2 runs in the 7th that would be as close as they would get falling 5-3.

While both teams are certainly going to senbatsu, who gets the bragging rights? Oogaki Nichidai would jump on starter Asano scoring 5 in the first 3 innings. Morimoto would shut the Oogaki offense afterwards, but it was too late. The 5 runs would just be enough as they would win 5-4 giving them their 1st championship.

Kinki, Chuugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu wrap-ups will come next.

Kyushu was one of the last areas to begin their prefectural qualifying. In fact some prefectures hadn't even started their tournaments when I recapped the country a month ago. It probably helps that the weather is better there than in other areas of the country.

So, this will be a full recap. But for those just wanting to see who's left, the Best 4 is rather interesting.

BTW, the format for the super-regionals appears to be that Fukuoka gets 3 teams, all other prefectures get 2 except for the host prefecture (this year it's Miyazaki) who gets 4.

Fukuoka
I mentioned this before, but Fukuoka is an interesting case. One of the more populous prefectures in the country, Fukuoka doesn't really have a set of dominating teams within the prefecture. This makes looking for favorites very difficult.

In the northern qualifiers for instance, out of the 4 seeded teams, 2 lost in the 1st round and another lost in the 2nd round. The only seeded team to make a deep run was Jiyuugaoka and even then they almost were slipped up by Tobata in the round of 16 winning by a score of 2-0.

Recent Koshien participant Iidzuka was making a good run in the qualifiers as well, giving up a grand total of 2 runs before reaching the Best 4. They were on a collision course with Orio who after soundly defeating seeded Kurate Yuutoku won by a collective margin of 28-9 in their next 3 games.

Orio's offensive output was stifled by Iidzuka, but not enough as they advanced to the regional final 2-0. Jiyuugaoka continued to play the role of big dog eliminating Kurate 5-0 to face Orio. The tougher competition would be too much for the upstarts as Jiyuugaoka would secure one of the 2 guaranteed bids 5-1.

To the southern regionals, and the seeded teams fared a little better. Oomuta and Yuusei both were eliminated after winning their first game leaving Higashi Fukuoka and 2006 Natsu Koshien participant Fukuoka Koudai Jyoutou. Higashi Fukuoka, like Jiyuugaoka, had little trouble but had to edge out Fukuoka Dai-ichi 4-3 in the round of 16. Fukuoka Kodai Jyoutou on the other side of the bracket was leaving their opponents by the wayside left and right, reaching the semifinals with a combined score of 38-1:

• def. Chikushi Chuo 7-0 (8 inn)
• def. Hakata 16-1 (5 inn)
• def. Chikushi 8-0 (7 inn)
• def. Fukuoka Nougyou 7-0 (7 inn)

Elsewhere, a non-seeded team in Toukai Dai-go was making its way through the brackets. They faced an early challenge in Kyushu Sangyoudai Fuzoku Kyushu, and escaped with a 4-3 win. Then in the quarterfinals against Nishi Nippon Tankidai Fuzoku they managed to outscore them 7-5 to create a meetup with Higashi Fukuoka.

Kodai Jyoutou's opponent in the semis would be Kasuga, who squeaked through many of their games, and possibly had some help when one part of their bracket suffered a double-forfeit shooting a team (Fukuoka) directly into their path. Nevertheless, they survived that game along with the quarterfinal against Yame Kougyou to become Kodai Jyoutou's opponent.

In those semi's Toukai Dai-go shocked Higashi Fukuoka shutting them out 5-0. Kasuga's run was finally put to an end when Jyoutou mercy ruled them in 5. Jyoutou seemed to have the 2nd bid in hand, but Toukai Dai-go finally gave the university school a run for it's money. For whatever the reason Jyoutou was not able to rise up to the challenge and gave up the automatic bid losing 4-2.

So the championship game (for seeding purposes only) was between Jiyuugaoka and Toukai Dai-go. The teams traded a pair of runs in the 6th and it would stay that way to the 13th inning. That was where Jiyuugaoka broke the deadlock with a sayonara run to claim the top seed.

In the more important consolation game, Orio led out against Fukuoka Kodai Jyoutou with 2 runs in the 2nd. Jyoutou would be relentless though against their ace Kawakami putting runners on early and often. They would potshot the Orio squad for 5 runs and take the final bid with a 5-3 win.


Saga
So not only did Saga Kita lose in their first game, the cinderella team of Imari Nourin also fell in their first game to Ryuukoku Gakuen.

Speaking of Ryuukoku Gakuen, they seemed to go on a tear through the bracket after that win. Kanzaki would fall 6-3 and then Saga Higashi was obliterated 17-3 giving them a spot in the semis. Their opponent would be none other than perennial Saga Shougyou who outside of a slight stumble against Keitoku in the 3rd round pretty much walked into the semifinals. Ryuukoku stayed in the game against Sasho until the 6th where they scored 4 to distance themselves for a 6-3 win.

So who would be Sasho's opponent? Well, Tosu Kougyou was making a good run from the furthest depths of the brackets but were involved in low-scoring affairs. Imari Shougyou had defeated the Taku squad who had earlier defeated Saga Kita. On the bottom half Tosu, like their industrial counterpart was involved in close low-scoring games, but found ways to advance. Meanwhile, Karatsu Minami appeared to be gaining steam as the games progressed.

The trend would continue for Karatsu Minami who blew out Tosu 10-3. It would be a sweep for the Tosu school (and not in a good way) when Imari Shougyou kicked them from the field with a 4-2 win. They then put an abrupt halt to the Karatsu steamroller unceremoniously booting them with a 9-2 win in 7 innings.

That meant that Imari Shougyou would earn the other bid, and it would be the 2nd bid as Sasho scored 3 in the 1st and never looked back in the finals.


Nagasaki
Things in Nagasaki pretty much went about as chalk as expected. Outside of the Seihou loss to Sasebo Tousen, Chinzei Gakuin was mercied by Obama 10-2. In addition, those teams pretty much took the place of the seeded teams reaching the semis where all the other seeded teams were. And with 4 teams from each region advancing, all of them would make the prefectural bracket. The only important thing was which teams would win the region and earn a bye. Those would go to Kaisei (Nagasaki regional), Souseikan (Naka regional) and Shikamachi Kougyou (Sasebo regional). Iki Shougyou, Sasebo's #2 seed would draw the final bye.

Oddly enough, none of the top seeds would take advantage of the bye as they all would fall in their first game! Only Iki Shougyou was able to advance. This left 2 semifinals between the 2nd and 3rd place teams from the Nagasaki and Sasebo regions.

Now, Nagasaki Shougyou and Keihou was actually a rematch of their regional semifinal. There Nagasho prevailed 4-2. In the rematch it was surprisingly a blowout as Keihou lost 11-0. As for Sasebo Jitsugyou and Iki Shougyou, Sasebo Jitsugyou fell behind 2-1 early but scored 6 unanswered en route to a 9-3 win.

Bragging rights to the prefecture would go to Nagasho as they won 5-3 against Sasebo Jitsugyou.


Kumamoto
The one thing about having draws to determine the field, the one thing that can invariably happen is that the strong teams can sometimes get put in the same area causing "quadrants of death". While not an extreme example, Kumamoto Kougyou and Jyouhoku would meet in the 3rd round if they continued winning. This meant that 3 others would make the semis and give the other schools a chance.

2 possible opponents to the front-runners in the semis were Luther Gakuin and Hitsuyuukan. After winning their first 2 games by a combined 25-5, they would fall to Senshuudai Tamana 3-2. Luther Gakuin would make it to the Best 8, but they too would lose to Senshuudai Tamana 4-3. As for which favorite would advance to meet them, Kumamoto Kougyou and Jyouhoku would indeed breeze through to meet, and in that game Jyouhoku would come out victorious 5-1 and continue cruising to the semis.

On the other side resided Kyushu Gakuin. After a warmup 5-1 win over Kumamoto Nougyou, the offensive spigots were turned on full leaving teams such as Yatsushiro Higashi and Touryou in its wake. Their opponent in the semis would be Buntoku as they defeated a Kumamoto Kokufu squad whose offense was going in the opposite direction.

In the semis, Buntoku held its ground against Kyushu Gakuin until the 8th inning where Kyushu Gakuin scored 2 runs to pull away 4-2. As for Senshuudai Tamana, they gave up runs each inning to Jyouhoku as they were mercied 10-1 in 7 innings.

So Jyouhoku and Kyushu Gakuin had the guaranteed spots, but the top seed would surprisingly go to Kyushu Gakuin as they scored 4 runs in the 3rd and won 7-0!


Oita
In Oita, the more recent participants were located on one side of the bracket. Meihou, even without star Imamiya was given one of the seeded positions. Along with them, but in the opposite quadrant sat Hita Rinkou and 21st century team Oita Uenogaoka although neither of them had the other seed in that half (that went to Beppu Aoyama).

On the other half, Oita and Oita Kougyou took the other seeded positions.

New ace Yamano helped Meihou sail through their quadrant, racking up 3 shutouts. Oita Uenogaoka won their first game and faced seeded Beppu Aoyama. And perhaps Oita Uenogaoka's senbatsu appearance has aided them a bit as they upset Beppu Aoyama creating a quarterfinal matchup with Hita Rinkou. In that matchup though, Hita Rinkou dominated the game and sent Uenogaoka home 11-1.

Meanwhile, Oita and Oita Kougyou both were proving their seeds by having little trouble through the field. And then whoops... Oita Kougyou ran into Oita Nishi. Oita Nishi had to come from the furthest part of the bracket. And then in its 2nd game against Taketa they played to a 3-3 draw, came back the next day and barely won 5-4. So by the time they ran into Oita Kougyou, they had played 4 games. And it didn't bother them as they oust Oita Kougyou from the ranks with a 5-3 win.

That setup a semifinal between Oita and Oita Nishi. And Oita Nishi looked to continue to play the role of spoiler. They opened the scoring with a run in the top of the 5th, but Oita tied it right back up. That would be the only scoring in regulation though, and Oita Nishi was looking at yet another long game. But they would break through in the 11th plating a run. 3 outs away from advancing to the finals, Oita Nishi couldn't hold the lead once again and Oita ties it up to keep the game alive. And perhaps the games got to the Nishi players as Oita takes the first and final lead in the game, scoring the sayonara run in the 13th.

And what about Meihou-Hita Rinkou? Well, Hita Rinkou couldn't hold up to Meihou and fell by a score of 6-0.

So Meihou and Oita would get the bids. But getting the #1 seed perhaps was more important. Oita would actually get the jump on Meihou in the top of the 1st, scoring 2. Meihou would fire right back with 3 to take the lead. Undaunted, Oita ties it in the 3rd then scores 4 in the 4th to take what seemed like a commanding 7-3 lead. Then in the 6th, Meihou roars right back with 4 runs to tie the game! And 1 inning later, they retake the lead with another run! Oita would have little time to rally, and indeed they couldn't as Meihou takes the title with an 8-7 come-from-behind win.


Miyazaki
Miyazaki is in a nice position this year. Hosting the tournament, they're awarded 4 bids for the super-regional.

For the draw, 4 schools were awarded seeds. Top seed was Hyuuga Gakuin, then Nobeoka Gakuen, Miyazaki Nichidai and Nichinan Gakuen.

But the top seed for Hyuuga Gakuin was a double edged sword as their opponent was none other than Miyzaki Shougyou. Not exactly the cake walk one would have hoped for. And indeed, it would trip them up as they were upset 2-1 in their opening game. And apparently, 2nd seed Nobeoka Gakuen fared little better. After an unimpressive 7-5 win over Takaharu, they fell to Miyazaki Kougyou 4-3.

In fact, the teams that defeated the top 2 seeds played like they were awarded the seeds. Miyazaki Shougyou would go on to win their next 2 games by a margin of 26-1 to advance to the Best 4. Meanwhile Miyazaki Kougyou soundly defeated 2005 Natsu Koshien participant St. Ursula 5-0 to advance to the Best 4.

#3 seed Miyazaki Nichidai was faring much better. After a 13-0 trouncing of Iino, they handled Nobeoka 5-2. Standing in their way to the Best 4 though was Miyazaki Oomiya. They had just come off a 12-0 victory over Takajyou and were looking to spoil the party. But that victory appeared to be a mirage as Nichidai had no trouble winning 10-0.

And finally #4 Nichinan Gakuen didn't have it easy either. First on their docket was Miyakonojyou Shougyou who got all the way to the quarterfinals earlier in the year at senbatsu. But they got the better of them, squeaking by 6-5. Again they had a tough game against Nisshou Gakuen, but pulled that one out 2-1. That brought them out against Hyuuga Kougyou for a spot in the semifinals. Nichinan was up to the task though clearing with a 6-0 win.

So Nichinan Gakuen and Miyzaki Shougyou would face off in one semi. It could easily be a finals matchup. The teams traded a run in the 3rd, then in the 5th Miyashou scored 2 runs in the 5th to take a 2 run lead. 3 outs from advancing to the finals, Miyashou still led by 2. Somehow, Nichinan would mount a last desperate rally and tie the game up in the bottom of the 9th! While it did not break Miyashou back, it severely crippled them and Nichinan dealt the final blow in the 10th. In the other semifinal, Miayzaki Kougyou overwhelmed Miyazaki Nichidai early and often, building a 6-1 lead after 4 innings and dominating 9-4.

In the finals, Nichinan Gakuen would get up 3-1 after 2 innings, and both teams would be unable to score the rest of the way. As for the 3rd place game, Miyashou handled Miyazaki Nichidai 9-2.


Kagoshima
Kagoshima's 3 main teams, Kagoshima Jitsugyou, Kamimura Gakuen and Shounan all drew on the same side of the brackets with only Kamimura Gakuen earning a seeded spot. Shounan would have a little bit of trouble against Kagoshima Kougyou in their first game winning 3-2, and Kagoshima Jitsugyou had issues against Kanoya and Ijyuuin, but all advanced through the brackets. Of course this meant that there would be one pairing before the semis, and that would be between Shounan and Kamimura Gakuen. And in that quarterfinal, Shounan would deny Kamimura Gakuen a return appearance to senbatsu with a 7-1 win. Then in the semifinals, runs were scored early and often. After Kagoshima Jitsugyou took a 3-1 lead, Shounan would score 3 in the 4th only to see Jitsugyou fire right back with 4 runs. Shounan would pull within one in the 5th, but that's as close as they'd get as Kagoshima Jitsugyou would secure one of the 2 bids.

On the other side, teams were scrambling for that other bid. 4 teams, Kagoshima Shougyou, Kawabe, Satsuma Chuo and Kagoshima Jyousei all were annihilating the field eventually setting up quarterfinal matchups against each other. When all was said and done, it would be Kagoshima Jyousei versus Satsuma Chuo for a spot in the super-regionals. Satsuma would open the scoring in the top of the 1st with a run, but Jyousei would quickly equalize and take the lead with 2 in the bottom half of the frame. After that, the teams would remain scoreless until the top of the 9th where Satsuma would tie the game. However, their hearts would be broken when Jyousei would come back and score the sayonara run.

Kagoshima Jyousei while they would like to have taken the #1 seed, was probably happy to get a spot in the super-regionals and while they fought hard, they would lose in the finals 3-0.


Okinawa
And finally in Okinawa the top seeds continued to advance through the brackets and into the Best 4. Okinawa Suisan was no match for Shimabukuro and fell to Kounan 7-0. And Kadena shocked Itoman with a 3-2 victory giving them a spot in the super-regionals! They continued to fight hard against Kounan in the finals, but Kounan would pull away in the 8th with 4 runs for a 6-0 win.

You know when I mentioned that 2 prefectures were eliminated in the first round over in the Chuugoku super-regionals?

Well, over in Shikoku not only are 2 prefectures remaining in the Best 4, but they are also rematches of the semifinals in the respective prefectures!!

Kagawa
So Jinsei Gakuin and Takamatsu Shougyou had their quarterfinal match-up, but Jinsei dominated the game winning 5-1. Indeed, they would meet Sangawa in the semifinals who blanked Tonoshou 8-0.

Certainly these 2 would probably get the 1st and 3rd seeds, so it would be a matter of who would be runner-up. Takamatsu and Takamatsu Kougei slid by their quarterfinals matchups 4-3 and would meet for the right to probably finish 2nd.

Sangawa asserted itself in the 3rd inning plating 4. The teams traded a run 1 inning later, and it seemed like they would cruise. But then Jinsei scored 2 runs in back-to-back innings tying it up and sending it into extras. Eventually though Sangawa would be victorious, scoring the sayonara run in the 12th. In the other semi, Takamatsu scored 2 runs in the top of the 1st to take the early lead. While Kougei would pull within 1 in the 3rd, Takamatsu would pull away late to win 6-3.

And sure enough, Sangawa and Jinsei Gakuin would win their respective games by a combined 11-1 to secure the 1st and 3rd seeds respectively with Takamatsu taking the 2nd.


Tokushima
Well, Tokushima Kita's plans blew up in smoke after I posted the recap earlier. Anan Tousen avenged Anan Kougyou's loss, defeating them 4-2. That opened the door for Naruto Kougyou... except they lost to Naruto in a barnburner 9-8.

At least one team though delivered, and that was Komatsushima. They just flew through the brackets, scoring double digits in the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.

So yeah... they won the prefecture and earned the #1 seed. Naruto earned the #2 seed after defeating Anan Tousen in 8 innings and Kawashima, after giving up 9 runs in the 1st to Komatsushima en route to a 11-1 loss in 5 innings, edged Anan Tousen 3-2 for the last bid.


Ehime
Well, there were a lot of good teams in the prefectural bracket, but when the draw came out, it was going to be a bloodbath. Imabari Nishi and Teikyou Dai-go were to meet in the first round. The winner of that game could face Saijyou, and then after that Saibi.

So what happened in the bracket of death?

Teikyou Dai-go couldn't keep up with Imabari Nishi, falling 10-3. Saijyou couldn't get out of the first round to face Imabari Nishi losing to Matsuyama Kougyou 8-1. But Matsuyama was no match and was mercied 11-1. Saibi fulfilled it's part by defeating Niita 7-0 and Tanbara 14-4 to make the anticipated semifinal matchup. In that game, Imabari Nishi's 3 runs in the 5th inning was sufficient enough to hold off Saibi 3-2 and advance to the finals.

Of course with the bracket of death that meant that for any team on the other side, a guaranteed bid was to be had. Matsuyama Seiryou, Nomura and Kawanoe all advanced easily while Uwajima Higashi needed all 7 runs to beat Matsuyama Shougyou. Eventually, Nomura and Uwajima Higashi would meet in the semifinals, and it was anything but a pitcher's duel. After Nomura fell behind 7-2, they rallied back to tie the game in the 6th. But Uwajima Higashi would go on a 6-0 run in the next 3 innings to win 13-7.

Imabari Nishi was expected to run away with it, but Uwajima more than held it's own and in fact scored 2 runs in the 6th to take a 3-2 lead! But ace Akamatsu couldn't hold the lead and Imabari equalized in the 8th and it went into extras. And the experience of Imabari Nishi seemed to make the difference as they scored the winning run in the 11th.

Saibi also had its hands full against Nomura as well, but they too won their game by a score of 3-2.


Kochi
Well, the triumvirate of Kochi, Kochi Shougyou and Meitoku Gijuku was broken up in the Best 8 when Kochi Shougyou lost to Tosa 6-2. And with that, it meant Tosa and Okou's probable consolation game would be of great importance.

Okou didn't seem to get that memo (or do the TPS reports either), as behind ace Tanouchi(?) they held Kochi scoreless in their semifinal. But they couldn't push a run in either and it went into extras scoreless. While it was certainly to Okou's advantage that they were still in the game, Kochi might regain it the longer the game went into extras. Sure enough in the 13th, Kochi would breakthrough with the sayonara run.

Kochi would win the top seed pulling ahead in the late innings against Meitoku Gijuku for an 8-4 win.

As for Okou, they didn't let the 13 inning affair get to them as they handled Tosa easily 8-1 to take that final spot.


Super-Regionals
The brackets for the super-regionals are pretty neat and clean as all the top seeds get a first-round bye.

For the aforementioned Okou they were in yet another battle, this time with Uwajima Higashi (Ehime #2), but they pulled ahead in the 8th inning for a 2-1 win. Then against Komatsushima (Tokushima #1), they were even more impressive winning 7-0 in 8 innings!

And their opponent in the semifinals? It's none other than their semifinal opponent in the prefecturals Kochi. They had to rally after falling behind 2-0 to Kawashima (Tokushima #3)! They tied it up in the 6th, then broke Kawashima's heart by scoring the sayonara run in the 9th.

On the other side, Saibi (Ehime #3) dealt with Naruto (Tokushima #2) 4-1, then slaughtered Kagawa's #1 seed Sangawa 12-2.

Their opponent? None other than their prefectural semifinal opponent Imabari Nishi!!

First Meitoku Gijuku (Kochi #2) and Jinsei Gakuin (Kagawa #3) had to play their game, and it was interesting for sure! After trading a run in the 1st, Meitoku would score 4 in the 3rd. But that lead didn't last as Jinsei would score 4 in the 5th! Meitoku would retake the lead in the 6th, but Jinsei would once again tie it up in the 7th! It wouldn't be until the top of the 9th where Meitoku would put it away with 2 runs to win 8-6.

Then came Meitoku's game against Imabari Nishi. This time it was Meitoku who would be rallying from behind. Imabari pinged Meitoku for a run in the 2nd and the 3rd for a 2-0 lead. Meitoku fired right back with runs in the 4th and 6th, but with an Imabari run sandwiched in the middle, they still led 3-2.

That was until the 9th where Meitoku would equalize. Trying to hold on for extras, ace Yamaguchi couldn't do it as Imabari Nishi would win it with a sayonara run.

So we have 2 prefectural semifinal rematches in the super-regionals. I wonder if those teams that lost earlier will have revenge on their minds here.

Chuugoku is in their Best 4 going into the weekend, and what a field it is with Shimane's Iwamichisuikan facing Okayama's Kanzei while another team from Shimane in Kaisei faces Kouryou from Hiroshima. But we'll go back to see how we got here.

Tottori
Yazu certainly gave Kurayoshi Kita a good game, but a 3-run 5th for the team from North Kurayoshi was too much for them as they lost 5-2.

Their brethren to the east were having as just a hard time. Tottori Ikuei had jumped out early to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st, but Higashi rallied to tie right thereafter. It wouldn't be until the 7th where Higashi broke the tie with a run, then broke it open with 3 in the 8th to advance to the finals.

And in that all Kurayoshi final Higashi would open the scoring in the 3rd with a run, but Kita would level it in the 5th. The score would stay at 1-1 into extras, but Higashi would take it all quickly with a sayonara run in the 10th.

Because Tottori is hosting the super-regionals, they receive the extra bid, so both Yazu and Tottori Ikuei would advance. Yazu would win the consolation game 6-1.


Okayama
When the main draw was completed, Kanzei and Okayama Rikadai Fuzoku found themselves on the same bracket while Kurashiki Kougyou had the other side all to itself.

Of course, Okayama Gakukeikan would oust Kurashiki Kougyou from the list of contenders with a 5-4 win in the opening round.

Kanzei and Okayama Rikadai managed to advance, but only just so with 1-run victories. After that scare, both fared better in the quarterfinals advancing with relative ease meaning they would indeed clash in the semifinals. But what about the other side? Who was going to emerge as the front-runner?

Tamano Kounan appeared to be that candidate, advancing with large margin victories over Okayama Shoudai Fuzoku and Okayama Minami. Okayama Gakukeikan who had defeated Kurashiki Kougyou, couldn't maintain the momentum losing to Okayama Higashi Shougyou 1-0 setting up the other semifinal.

Oddly enough, it was the 2nd semifinal that made for compelling drama. Kanzei put up crooked numbers each inning routing Okayama Rikadai 11-0 in 5 innings. Tamano Kounan jumped on Okayama Higashi Shougyou leading 5-0 after 3 innings and looked in control.

That was until the 5th inning where Higashisho scored 3 to make the game more interesting. One inning later, they would pull even with 2 more runs! Certainly momentum was with them and they indeed completed the comeback scoring 3 more runs in the 7th inning to lead 8-5. Tamano, reeling from the rally couldn't come back and lost 8-6.

If nothing else, it guaranteed that Higashisho would have a place in the super-regionals as Kanzei would not let them win the prefecture. Higashisho would find themselves down 5-0 again but this time couldn't find the rally losing 5-1.

As for Tamano Kounan, the loss certainly deflated them, but they fought hard against Okayama Rikadai. It would fall just short as they would not advance to the super-regionals suffering a 4-3 loss.


Shimane
We were already in the semifinals with some familiar faces.

Iwamichisuikan (fka Gonokawa) facing Izumo Shougyou jumped in front with 2 runs in the top of the 1st. Izumo would take one of those back in the 2nd, but that's as close as they'd get. Meanwhile Hamada just had no shot against Kaisei losing 11-2 setting up a great final.

Or so I thought. Kaisei seemed determined to get back to Koshien and it showed beating Iwamichisuikan 7-1. And poor Hamada was shutout in the consolation game falling to Izumo Shougyou 2-0.


Hiroshima
I mentioned that Kouryou was really the only notable team left in the Best 8. Regardless, you'd think that the games at this point would still be competitive. But they weren't. Outside of Gion Kita edging Hiroshima Kougyou 8-6 in the quarterfinals, the lowest margin of victory was 7 runs:

Quarterfinals

• Kouryou def. Kure 8-1
• Hiroshima Shinjyou def. Kouyou Higashi 7-0
• Soutoku def. Onomichi (darn) 10-0

Semifinals

• Kouryou def. Gion Kita 9-1
• Hiroshima Shinjyou def. Soutoku 11-3 (although Soutoku did have a 3-2 lead after 4 beore Shinjyou scored 8 unanswered in the next 2 innings)

Finals - Kouryou def. Hiroshima Shinjyou 12-2
3rd Place - Soutoku def. Gion Kita 9-0

I don't think I've ever seen so many lopsided games that late in a bracket.

Oh yeah, Kouryou did indeed rout the field to take the top seed.


Yamaguchi
With all the major players eliminated, Yamaguchi's 3 bids were for the taking.

With no real front-runner, it was more of a wait and see to see who emerges. In the quarterfinals, one side of the brackets had blowout games. Houfu dispatched Shimonoseki Chuo Kougyou 10-2 while Yanai Gakuen sent Ube Koujyou packing 11-4. Kumage Minami and Tokuyama advanced on the other side.

Kumage Minami had little trouble with Tokuyama 4-1, and after the blowouts Houfu and Yanai Gakuen found themselves in a low-scoring affair, going into extras still at 0's. It would only go 1 inning though as Houfu scores the sayonara run.

In the final, Houfu would score early on Kumage Minami and while runs would be traded later, Houfu would emerge unscathed with the 8-5 win.

The final bid would go to Yanai Gakuen as they defeated Tokuyama 4-3.


Super-Regionals
When the draws came out for the super-regionals, it was interesting that 2 of Okayama and Yamaguchi's teams were in one quadrant while Hiroshima and Tottori's teams were likewise in another quadrant.

As the 1st round of games began, it was apparent that Yamaguchi's representatives were not up to the task with all 3 teams losing. Only the #1 seed Houfu had a close game, but were still shutout by Okayama's #3 Okayama Rikadai Fuzoku 2-0.

Shockingly, the home field advantage didn't help Tottori at all as all 4 representatives also lost in the first round. #1 Kurayoshi Higashi kept Iwamichisuikan scoreless for 7 innings, but a run in the 8th was all they needed. Hiroshima Shinjyou scored a run in the 1st and 3rd innings to defeat #4 Tottori Ikuei.

The only other team to lose was Shimane's Izumo Shougyou who lost 6-2 to Okayama Higashi Shougyou. So after 1 round, 2 prefectures were already eliminated!

In the quarterfinals, the perennial teams started to hit their stride. Kaisei and Kouryou mercy-ruled their opponents to set up one semifinal while Iwamichisuikan and Kanzei kept their opponent's offenses at bay to advance for the other semi.

Should make for a good weekend of finals to determine the 2 guaranteed bids.

By the time I had done the nationwide recap, the prefectural qualifiers for in the Kinki region were about to conclude.

Shiga
Hikone Higashi, the frontrunner on once side of the bracket was tripped up by Kousen 8-6, opening up a bid to whomever wanted it.

Meanwhile, Oumi and Kita Ootsu charged forward on the other side fulfilling their blockbuster semifinal matchup. And in that semifinal, Kita Ootsu dashed out of the blocks building a 3-0 lead after 2 innings. While the offense stalled after that, they also had kept Oumi scoreless. That is, until the 5th inning where Oumi pulled within 1. Now Kita Ootsu was nursing a 1-run lead. But that too wouldn't last. In the bottom of the 8th Oumi would come up with 2 runs to take the lead late giving Kita Ootsu little time to rally. Indeed they would hold on for the comeback win.

Their opponent would be Yasu out of the lower Lake Biwa area as they beat Kousen 7-4. And then they had an interesting game against Minakuchi Higashi. Scoreless for 5 innings, Yasu tallies 5 in the 6th. Minakuchi comes back in the 8th and scores 5 of their own to tie the game! The game would go into extras where Yasu would score the sayonara run in the 11th.

Unfortunately, the final was not as exciting as Oumi blew out Yasu 9-1. Kita Ootsu had a bit of a harder time than expected against Minakuchi Higashi, getting by with a 4-2 win.


Kyoto
Fukuchiyama Seibi did indeed avenge their loss to Ryuukokudai Heian, winning 5-3. That seemed to give them a direct shot at a bid in the super-regionals, but they ran into trouble against Tounan.

Up 2-0, Tounan tied the game in the 4th. Seibi reclaimed their 2 run lead in the 5th, only to see that disappear as Tounan scored a run in the bottom of the 5th and 2 more in the 6th to take the lead! They couldn't close the deal though as Seibi scored 3 in the 8th to pull ahead for good.

Higashiyama wasn't able to reach the finals on the other side of the bracket as Ritsumeikan Uji scored early and staved off multiple rallies by Higashiyama to win 4-3.

In the finals, Fukuchiyama Seibi was shocked by Ritsumeikan Uji early falling behind 3-1 after the first inning. While Seibi managed to pull within one by the 3rd, Uji pulled away with 2 in the 4th, and added 2 more insurance runs in the 8th for an 8-3 win!

And in the consolation game, Higashiyama pulled one out in a barnburner against Tounan 10-9.


Nara
Tenri continued to blow through the bracket, scoring double digits in each game. On the other side, Chiben Gakuen and Kooriyama faced off in the quarterfinals with Kooriyama squeaking one out 3-2.

In the semis, Tenri met up with Naradai Fuzoku, who managed to keep Tenri's offense relatively at bay. Still, they found themselves down 5-0 going into the late innings. But then something happened in the bottom of the 9th as Naradai Fuzoku started a rally. Run after run was being scored, until suddenly it was 5-4! That would be as far as they would go though as Tenri would advance to the finals, albeit with a great scare.

Kooriyama faced Kansai Chuo in the other semi. And while Kansai Chuo would open the scoring in the 3rd with a run, Kooriyama tied it up in the 4th and scored the go-ahead run in the 7th to set up a rematch of the summer final!

Sadly for Kooriyama, the result was the same as Tenri would rout them 15-4 to take the #1 seed. In the consolation game, Kansai Chuo got by Naradai Fuzoku 9-7.


Wakayama
So, Chiben Wakayama played 3 games, won by a combined 31-1 and took the #1 seed. No surprises there.

Their final opponent, who at least earned an automatic bid in the super-regionals was Kouyou.

As for the 3rd spot, Kashima was routed by Shiritsu Wakayama 13-4.

It's hard to put something together for this region as the games once we reached the Best 8 were mostly one-sided.


Osaka
There was pretty much no surprises in block play as to who advanced.

Osaka Touin cruised through Block A with their closest game a 8-1 victory over Kinkidai Fuzoku in the quarterfinals. In Block B, there was no clear favorite, but Toukaidai Gyousei edged out Minoo Higashi 1-0 to advance. PL Gakuen and Riseisha did indeed meet in the Block C finals, and PL kept its run to return to Koshien alive with a 5-3 win. And in Block D, Konkou Osaka survived against Katano 1-0 to complete the Best 4 field.

With Toukaidai Gyousei being the odd team out, it followed that whomever faced them would have a good shot to reach the finals and an automatic bid. Osaka Touin was the benefactor, but found themselves down in the early going. It wasn't until the 5th where Osaka Touin would pull away for an 8-3 win. PL Gakuen and Konkou Osaka had a hard fought semifinal. PL took the 1-0 lead early, and then from the 4th through 6th innings the teams traded runs. When the dust settled though, it was PL who emerged with a 4-3 lead and would go on to win by that margin.

In the finals, Osaka Touin jumped on PL Gakuen early with 2 in the 1st and 3 in the 4th en route to an 8-5 win and a #1 seed. And in the consolation game, it was Toukaidai Gyousei who shocked Konkou Osaka 7-1 to earn the 3rd spot.


Hyogo
Kakogawa Kita couldn't get past the 2nd round losing to Akashi Shougyou 7-6. That left Toyoudai Himeji as the front-runner to take the #1 seed.

Then they faced Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku in the semifinals...

It was Hara for Toyoudai Himeji and Okamoto for Kobe Kokusaidai, and both were throwing donuts on the scoreboard. It continued for 9 innings... then 10, and then 11! As the game progresses, teams look for any way to end it quickly, and preferably not in a tie. But we approached the 15th inning and it was still scoreless.

Touyoudai couldn't score in the top of the 15th meaning that the best they could hope for is a tie. But Kobe Kokusaidai wouldn't stand for a tie, and came through with the sayonara run in the bottom of the 15th for the win!

On the other side of the bracket sat Ikuei and Shinkou Gakuen, and while certainly not as exciting Ikuei advanced with a 6-2 win setting up a matchup with Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku. The game would be scoreless until the bottom of the 6th when Kobe Kokusaidai would score a run. And while Ikuei would tie it up in the 7th, Kobe would grab it right back in the same inning. That would be all the scoring in the game as Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku would take the #1 seed 2-1.

And the 15 inning matchup seemed to take all the energy out of Toyoudai Himeji as Shinkou Gakuen would blank them 8-0 to deny the favorites a spot in the super-regionals.


As for those super-regionals, we're still in the 1st round, but all the top seeds advanced convincingly in the first day of competition (Chiben Wakayama, Ritsumeikan Uji and Osaka Touin). Kouyou hung in tough against Tenri on Day 2, erasing a 3 run deficit early, but a run by Tenri in the 7th would be enough to advance. Kita Ootsu, the #3 team from Shiga had Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku on the ropes early with a 3-0 lead. While Kobe scored a run in the 7th, Kita Ootsu still held the advantage. But in the bottom of the 9th, Kobe would mount yet another rally - tying and eventually scoring the sayonara run to advance! Of course they will have to face vaunted Tenri, but they've shown no give up late in games.

The remainder of the 1st round games will conclude this weekend, as well as the quarterfinal games between Chiben Wakayama and Ritsumeikan Uji, and Osaka Touin and Ikuei.

So now we're going to the small Tokai region consisting of Gifu, Aichi, Shizuoka and Mie.

Gifu
Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou couldn't get past Gifu Sougou in the quarterfinals, losing 2-0. That opened the door for Oogaki Nichidai to reach the finals routing the aforementioned Gifu Sougou 7-1.

Meanwhile Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou was ready to cruise into the finals, but Chuukyou had other plans. The teams traded a 3-spot in the first inning, then couldn't score again in regulation. And then they couldn't score in extras! Approaching the 15 inning limit, the teams were certainly desperate to end it before it reached a tie.

Kenritsu Gifusho managed to end it by plating a run in the top of the 14th inning and holding off Chuukyou to advance to the championship. Of course, that left them pretty tired for the finals the next day, and they were shellacked 13-3 by Oogaki Nichidai.

And for the last bid, Chuukyou stood up to the challenge and routed Gifu Sougou 11-1.


Aichi
Chuukyoudai Chuukyou pretty much marched to the finals, although Toyogawa (not Oobu) did give them a good game in the semifinals. And sure enough, Touhou would be their opponent. But in their semifinal game, Nagoya Kokusai tied the game at 2 with 2 runs in the 8th and it was only when they scored 3 in the bottom of the 8th where they put the game away.

Interestingly enough, neither team started their ace pitcher in the finals. Even more interesting is that it was a low scoring affair. Chuukyoudai Chuukyou pushed in the only run in the 6th for the 1-0 win!

In the consolation game, Toyogawa earned the last bid with a 5-3 win over Nagoya Kokusai.


Shizuoka
Tokoha Tachibana's bid to be the dominant team in the prefecture is still in progress as they couldn't get past Shizuoka Shougyou, falling behind 3-0 in the 3rd and was never able to recover. They had to play Seisei Kougyou, who was upset by Toukaidai Shouyou 2-1 in 10 innings, in the consolation game! And they survived a high-scoring affair 8-6.

With Seisei Kougyou out of the way, Shizuoka Shougyou could cruise to the top seed defeating Shouyou 6-1.


Mie
Admittedly, I'm not familar with any other strong teams out of Mie other than Mie and Ujiyamada Shougyou (who was upset in the first round by Matsusaka).

And that said, it wasn't surprising that Mie made it to the finals without much trouble. The question was who their opponent would be. Matsusaka was defeated by Inabe Sougou 6-1 and Inabe Sougou then used a 4-run 6th inning to hold on against Shiroko 4-3 to set up the finals.

Mie started out with 3 runs in the 2nd, but by the 5th Inabe managed to tie the game. Mie once again re-took the lead with 2 in the bottom of the 5th, but Inabe made a late rally with a run in the 8th and 9th innings to tie it once more. However Inabe Sougou could never take the lead outright in the game and in the 10th Mie scored the sayonara run to take the #1 seed and a first round bye.

The team that would be joining them in the super-regionals would be Tsuda Gakuen, who denied Shiroko the bid with a 6-3 win in the 3rd place game.


So looking to the super-regionals, all the prefectural winners get a first round bye. But that doesn't mean they have an easy road. Oogaki Nichidai gets either Touhou or Tokoha Tachibana. Mie will probably see Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou.

Meanwhile, Shizuoka Shougyou and Chuukyoudai Chuukyou look to be able to win their game into the Best 4 with little trouble.

Over to the Hokushinetsu Region, and things didn't quite turn out the way people expected...

But first the recap of the remainder of the prefectural qualifiers from the last update.

Nagano
Sadly, the draw was not favorable to the well-known teams. Matsushou Gakuen and Nagano Nichidai faced off right off the bat. So did Matsushiro and Maruko Shuugakukan.

Nagano Nichidai won it's battle, but then fell to Saku Chousei 8-1. Matsushiro won a barnburner 9-7, but then lost to Iida Fuuetsu 2-1.

That blew the field wide open.

Saku Chousei faced off against Ueda Nishi in one semi, with Saku Chousei winning 7-0 in 7 innings. Nagano met Iida Fuuetsu and also won convincingly 7-1 setting up a final of relative unknowns.

In the final, Nagano jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Saku Chousei tied it in the 5th, but Nagano scored 7 in the 7th and 3 more in the 9th to win 12-2. In the consolation game, Ueda Nishi advanced over Iida Fuuetsu 7-2 to the Super-Regionals.


Toyama
Nanto Sougou Fukuno couldn't make it out of the 2nd round, losing to Takaoka 8-4.

Interestingly enough, the brackets were pretty much chalk. By the time we reached the semifinals, we had Sakurai and Tonami Kougyou in one, and Fujikoshi Kougyou and Takaoka Shougyou in another. Tonami jumped out to a 4-0 lead after 2 en route to a 8-4 win while Takaoka Shougyou dispatched Fujikoshi 13-4 in 7 innings.

In the finals, Takaoka Shougyou scored 3 in the 1st and didn't look back winning 4-2. And in the more important 3rd place game, Fujikoshi Kougyou had no trouble with Sakurai 9-1.


Fukui
Tsuruga Kehi and Fukui Shougyou had an early clash in the 2nd round. While Fukusho was the seeded team, it was Tsuruga Kehi that prevailed 6-0! And with that momentum they marched to the finals.

Fukui Kodai Fukui had no trouble through its side of the bracket making the finals without yielding a single run!

That changed in the finals when Tsuruga Kehi scored 4 in the 5th inning against ace Teraoka and held on for a 4-2 win.

Kagaku Gijyutsu edged by Asuwa 5-4 to take Fukui's final bid for the super-regionals.


Ishikawa
Out of the 4 teams I had mentioned in my last comprehensive review - Nihon Koukuu Ishikawa, Kanazawa, Nanao and Seiryou - only 1 didn't make the Best 4. Nanao fell to Yuugakukan 7-6 in the quarterfinals.

And with 4 teams qualifying out of Ishikawa, all that was to be determined was the seeding. I kind of discount the seeding as while a #1 seed doesn't play a #1 seed in the first round, it doesn't mean you're playing a weaker team.

Apparently though, the 4 teams were equally matched.

Yuugakukan and Seiryou would go into extras as Yuugakukan scored a run in the bottom of the 9th to tie it up at 2. It wouldn't be until the 12th when the tie would be broken by Yuugakukan.

Nihon Koukuu Ishikawa was 6 outs away from defeating Kanazawa, but lost the lead forcing extra innings. It didn't last long as Nihon Koukuu scored the sayonara run in the 10th.

With the teams surely suffering from some fatigue, it was another low scoring affair between Yuugakukan and Nihon Koukuu. Once again, Nihon Koukuu couldn't hold a slim lead late as Yuugakukan scores a run in the 8th to tie it at 1, then took the lead in the 9th with 2 runs to win 3-1.

As for the 3rd place match, Kanazawa was just out of gas and was blanked 11-0.


So we hit the super-regionals...

And so much for the home field advantage... All of the Ishikawa schools lost in the first round.

• Yuugakukan managed to tie the game 3-3 against Bunsui only to see them score 2 in the top of the 9th.
• Seiryou was routed by Tsuruga Kehi 8-0 in 7 innings.
• Nihon Koukuu Ishikawa was blanked by Fukui Kodai Fukui 3-0
• And 4th seed Kanazawa fared the best, although they blew a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the 9th, they lasted until the 13th where Takaoka Shougyou scored the sayonara run.

In the quarterfinals, Saku Chousei and Tsuruga Kehi advanced with little trouble while Fukui Kodai Fukui and Takaoka Shougyou needed an 8th inning run to pull ahead just in time. This meant a semifinal with powerhouses Takaoka Shougyou and Fukui Kodai Fukui, and Tsuruga Kehi perhaps with an easy matchagainst Saku Chousei.

Takasho scored 2 runs in the 2nd inning, and it managed to hold up winning 2-1. Meanwhile, Tsuruga Kehi took the 3-0 lead after 2, only to see Saku Chousei tie it in the top of the 3rd. When Tsuruga scored a run in the 5th, Saku once again tied the game in the 6th! Their persistance seemed to pay off as Saku took the lead in the top of the 9th 5-4! Only needing 3 outs, ace Kouno couldn't hold the lead as Tsuruga Kehi scored 2 runs to win 6-5!

This pretty much guarantees that Takaoka Shougyou and Tsuruga Kehi will get a spot in the finals. But bragging rights would eventually go to Takaoka Shougyou as they shutout Tsuruga Kehi 5-0.

So onto Tokyo which gets its own region.

Many of the strong teams advanced out of block play and into the prefectural tournament, including Nichidai-ni, Nichidai-san, Waseda Jitsugyou, Toritsu Yukigaya, Teikyou, Toritsu Hino, and Nihon Tsurugaoka.

And as the tournament progressed, those teams started to rise above the rest.

Waseda Jitsugyou was flying through the field, but then got steamrolled by Nichidai-san in the quarterfinals 14-5.

Itou Takuro has become Teikyou's ace and his squad has only given up 5 runs in 4 games easily advancing to a semifinal matchup to Nichidai-san.

Toritsu Hino trailed Meijidai Nakano Hachiouji in the quarterfinals 6-2 going into the bottom of the 9th where Hino rallied with 5 runs to win 7-6. Their opponent will be Toukaidai Sugao, who had to defeat Toritsu Yukigaya 4-2, then edged Nichidai-ni 3-1.

It's probably not hard to see that the probable invitee will be the winner of the Teikyou - Nichidai-san game. Toritsu Hino and Toukaidai Sugao will probably have to hope for one of the at-large bids.

The Kanto Super-Regionals won't start until October 31, so there's a bit of time for these teams to rest. The brackets are up here.

So, what happened?

In Gunma, I mentioned the brackets were wide open. I mentioned that the Maebashi Shougyou, Maebashi Kougyou (I listed Shougyou twice, but meant Kougyou) and Kiryuu Shiritsu Shougyou. And it turns out I was right. Maebashi Shougyou flew through the remainder of the bracket and won convincingly over Maebashi Kougyou. So these teams will represent Gunma.

In Tochigi, Bunsei Geidai Fuzoku managed to beat Utsunomiya Minami in that round of 16 game and true to what I said earlier, they would go on to defeat Yaita Chuo in the finals to take the top seed. It wasn't without some work though as they had a 3-run rally in the top of the 9th to defeat Ashikaga Kodai Fuzoku 7-6. Yaita made it to the finals by edging out Sakushin Gakuin 1-0 in the semifinals, so they too will play in the super-regionals.

Ibaraki didn't quite play out the way I had thought. Jyousou Gakuin and Shimotsuma Dai-ni both didn't make it out of the 2nd round. Jyousou actually was a victim of the influenza virus as they lost too many players and had to forfeit. That opened the door for Mito Sakuranomaki, and they made it's way to the finals, although they just edged Suijyou 2-0 in the quarterfinals.

The team that beat Shimotsuma Dai-ni, Hasaki Yanagawa, continued to make it's run. It's surprising since in the summer tournament, they lost their first game to Hitachi Dai-ichi 5-3. And yet they defeated Mito Shougyou 3-2, and then Koga Dai-ichi 4-2 to get to the finals! There was a flurry of scoring in the middle of the game with at least one team scoring from the 2nd to 7th inning. In the end, Mito Sakuranomaki earned the top spot. And while Hasaki Yanagawa probably has little chance against Urawa Gakuin in the super-regionals, perhaps there's still some story left to be written.

Seibou Gakuen did advance to the Saitama prefectural tournament. 2 other summer Best 4 teams made it to the prefectural tournament - Urawa Gakuin and Kasukabe Higashi, but the bracket draw would create an early collision course. And sure enough, they did after they won their first game. Kasukabe was no match, losing 7-0. Seibou Gakuin was cruising through it's part of the bracket, but then against Sakado Nishi hit a wall, losing 2-1.

Hanasaki Tokuharu, who showed well in the summer, was making it's own run on the other side of the bracket. Interestingly enough, they had a semifinal rematch against Kawagoe Higashi. Unlike the summer, they had an easier time winning 8-1. Urawa Gakuin would have to face Sakado Nishi in the semifinals, and with some late scoring, won 3-1 guaranteeing a spot in the Super-Regionals. But for good measure, they defeated Hanasaki Tokuharu 7-3.

Onto Chiba, I lamented Narashino's loss to Toukaidai Bouyou 5-1, while Kisaradzu Sougyou defeated Chiba Keizaidai Fuzoku 9-8 setting up another blockbuster matchup in the Best 8. Bouyou would prevail winning 4-3 sending his team to the Best 4. Meanwhile on the opposite side, Chiba Shoudai Fuzoku was making it's way through, defeating Shounan 3-2 to reach the Best 4.

Now losing in the semifinals didn't mean elimination. Chiba was awarded 3 bids, so there would still be a chance. Shiritsu Funabashi would fall to Bouyou 4-1, and Chiba Meitoku would lose to Shoudai 2-0 to set up the key 3rd place game. And in that game, Shiritsu Funabashi would prevail over Meitoku 7-4 to advance, while Chiba Shoudai would earn the top spot holding off a 9th inning surge by Bouyou.

And finally we have Kanagawa, which was already in its semifinals. Koujyou couldn't keep up with Toukaidai Sagami falling 5-1, while Touin Gakuen would once again make the finals, defating Kamakura Gakuen 2-0. Once again, Touin Gakuen would play 2nd fiddle, losing 5-3 to ace Hifumi.

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(Added 10-22)
I almost forgot about Yamanashi! There's no Chuubu regional, and Yamanashi gets thrown into the tough Kanto super-regionals. And that's not a good thing.

But, they'll send 3 representatives to the super-regionals just the same. So who went?

As I had mentioned before, Nihon Koukuu lost in the first round while all the other top seeds advanced. Their ouster, Koufu Kougyou, was unceremoniously ousted 9-2 by Koufu Shougyou.

Outside of that one part, it was just about chalk. The only other seeded team to lose before the Best 8 was Nihon Meisei who lost to Ichikawa.

After the quarterfinals, we had seeded Enzan versus Koufu Shougyou in one side, while Tokaidai Koufu and Fuji Gakuen faced off on the other. When the smoke cleared, Koufu Shougyou continued its amazing run winning 5-3 but would have to face Fuji Gakuen who edged by Tokaidai 4-3.

When all was said and done though, Koufu Shougyou couldn't seal the deal, falling 6-1 to Fuji Gakuen. And in the 3rd place game, Enzan had no answers for Tokaidai Koufu as they were blanked 9-0.

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So we have the participants, what about the Super-Regional draw? In one quadrant, Touin Gakuen gets no breaks, drawing Ibaraki's Mito Sakuranomaki. Should they win that game, a date with Hifumi and Tokaidai Bouyou could await. Bunsei Geidai Fuzoku has a bit of an easier draw in their quadrant with perhaps Maebashi Shougyou giving them trouble. Urawa Gakuin and Tokaidai Sagami area on a collision course while Chiba Shoudai Fuzoku earns a 1st round bye, and will have a relatively ease quarterfinal matchup against either Yaita Chuo or Maebashi Kougyou.

In the end it seems pretty wide open, but since 4 teams qualify, it's really a race to the Best 4. Win your quadrant, and you're almost guaranteed a spot in the spring Koshien.

In rooting around for videos on YouTube, I managed to find this one titled:

一二三慎太（東海大相模）　２年夏

My first thought was 一二三? What name goes with that?

So, translating it (and hearing the announcers) and a search turns up that the person is Hifumi Shintarou pitching for Tokaidai Sagami (Kanagawa).

And interestingly enough, they're in the Kanto Super-Regionals! (They're facing Koufu Shougyou)

And one more thing? He seems to be one of the pitchers to watch in the region!

The Tohoku Super-regionals are completed, and we do have our 2 probable bids determined. But before we head there, let's see how we got to this point.

Prefectural Qualifiers
Aomori - Aomori Yamada looked to advance to the super-regionals as the favorite, but was shot down by Kousei Gakuin 5-3 in the semifinals. But in a rematch of the summer quarterfinals against Hachinohe Koudai Dai-ichi, they took the final spot winning 5-3. Seiai and Kousei Gakuin secured the first two bids with Kousei Gakuin pinging Seiai in just about every inning in an 8-1 win.

Akita - Certainly Meiou wanted to return to Koshien to get the bad taste of that wild throw out of their mouths, but while they advanced to the prefectural tournament, they would fall in the quarterfinals to Oga Kaiyou.

Summer runner-up and perennial tough-luck team Honjyou looked to be the favorite, but struggled as the tournament progressed. In the semifinals against Akita Shougyou, they led 6-1 going into the bottom of the 9th, only to see Akisho score 4 to pull within 1 before they were able to end the game. And in the finals against Kanaashi Nougyou, they trailed 6-1 early before scoring 8 in the 5th to pull off the victory.

Iwate - Certainly Hanamaki Higashi was not a great team without their ace Kikuchi, and while they advanced out of the local regionals and won their first 2 games in the prefecturals, they eventually fell to Senshuudai Kitami 4-2.

As a result, the old guard of Iwate showed up again. Moriokadai Fuzoku and Ichinoseki Gakuin both made it to the finals, and while Moriokadai fought hard, their 15 inning affair against the aforementioned Senshuudai Kitami certainly had a toll on the pitching staff as they fell 7-5.

Yamagata - While there were many notable teams in the prefectural field including Haguro, and summer participant Sakata Minami, it was Nihon Yamagata who swept through the field to earn the #1 bid. Yamagata Chuo made a great run, even defeating Sakata Minami to earn the #2 spot. The summer participant still had a shot to make it to the super-regionals in the 3rd place match, but they lost the game to Yamagata Jyouhoku 8-1.

Miyagi - It was all about the new squads as the established teams fell by the wayside. Summer representative Tohoku fell to Izumi Shouryou. Sendai Ikuei was smashed by Furukawa Gakuen 10-3. And in the end it was that same Furukawa Gakuen that earned the top spot for the prefecture defeating Ishimaki Shougyou 6-1. As for Izumi Shouryou, they lost to Ishimaki Shougyou in the semifinals, and then was edged by Touryou 4-3 in the 3rd place game.

Fukushima - Fukushima unfortunately is not a strong prefecture. However, it is generally dominated by one team, Seikou Gakuin. And this fall is no different. It wasn't easy near the end, but they take the #1 spot. Nihon Tohoku, one of the only other teams to make it to the summer Koshien, wound up as the runner-up. And joining them is Higashi Nippon Kokusaidai Shouhei.


So now that the prefectural participants are determined, the super-regionals begin.

And sadly for the Fukushima teams, they all fall in the first round. Seikou couldn't hold a large lead against Senshuudai Kitami, Nihon Tohoku was blanked by Kousei Gakuin and it was 3rd place Higashi Nippon Kokusaidai Shouhei with the best showing, going 11 innings before falling 4-3 to Furukawa Gakuen.

And as if to extend the misery further, all those teams that eliminated Fukushima from the super-regionals all lost in the next round.

As with the case, generally the better teams rise to the top, and the Best 4 was no different. One semifinal was actually a rematch of Akita's prefectural semifinal, pitting Honjyou once again against Akita Shougyou. Unlike the scoring in the first meetup, only one run was scored - and that was by Akita Shougyou in the bottom of the first.

The other semifinal was between Aomori's 2nd seed Seiai and Iwate's 2nd seed Moriokadai Fuzoku. Responding to Morioka's run the top of the 1st, Seiai doubled that in the bottom half of the frame and then added two more in the 4th for a 4-1 lead. But Morioka would charge right back in the 5th, capped with a 2-run hit by Sakai to tie the game. It would remain tied until the 8th where Morioka would plate what would end up being the winning run on a two-out base hit with runners at the corners.

So Honjyou and Seiai will have to wait to see if they are called to participate. Akita Shougyou and Moriokadai Fuzoku more than likely have locked up spots, but a victory in the championship would guarantee them a bid.

And boy did they ever play like it. Neither side budged right from the get go, with the offenses not able to do anything against the other's starters. It wouldn't be until the 11th inning that someone would finally break through, and that team was Akita Shougyou scoring the sayonara run to win 1-0.

What makes this even more amazing for Akita Shougyou was that 8 of their 20 players (teams are allowed to have 20 on their roster for qualifiers) were diagnosed with the influenza back on the 11th, meaning that they would have to play with 12 in the semifinals and finals! Kinda reminds you of Risshoudai Shounan's run in the summer Koshien.

But here, with only 3 bench players, Akita Shougyou punches it's ticket to the fall nationwide tournament and the spring Koshien! おめでとう！

Okay, now that I've finished up with all the regions, it's time to go back north and see what's happened.

And it's quite a lot.

Hokkaido
As we know Hokkaido is it's own "Super-Region" and gets one automatic bid.

Just like the summer, they have their local regional qualifying for the super-regionals.

Summer participant Sapporo Dai-ichi managed to get out of the locals while Asahigawadai did not. The Komadai schools also made it out as well. Hokushou came out of Otaru once again, Hokkai looked to make another run to avenge their poor performance before, and Shirakaba Gakuen looked for another taste of Koshien.

Not surprisingly enough, quite a few of the better pitchers out of Hokkaido made it to the super-regionals:

Asahigawa Jitsugyou - Naruse Kousuke
Bushuukan - Ueda Masato
Komadai Tomakomai - Imazaki Jyunjirou

As the Super-Regionals started, Sapporo Dai-ichi fell to Asahigawa Kougyou. Sapporo Minami made a strong run towards the Best 4. Shirakaba Gakuen couldn't stop the Komadai Tomakomai steamroller while their brothers from Iwamizawa were doing the same on the other side of the bracket. And Hokushou wasn't one to be ignored.

It certainly seemed like we were headed for an all Komadai final, but interestingly enough neither were able to advance. Sapporo Minami scored 3 in the first inning against Tomakomai, and then another run in the 2nd en route to a 6-3 win. Hokushou grabbed a run against Iwamizawa, and tried to extend it twice with a run in the 5th and 8th, but Iwamizawa scrapped that run back. However, they were never able to plate the equalizing run and we suddenly found ourselves with a Sapporo Minami-Hokushou final.

The scoring began early and often in the final with Minami scoring 2 in the first only to have Hokushou double that in the bottom of the frame. After trading a run in the 2nd and 4th, Hokushou blew it open in the 6th with 5 runs to advance to secure a bid to the Spring Koshien with an 11-5 win.

Hokushou is led by ace Matano Tomoya, who can hit 137 kph (~85 mph) but probably should expect to see low 80's - and sports a curve, slider and forkball. He's also one of the team's better hitters, generally occupying the cleanup spot. Another person to look out for is 1st year Oono Masaya, a converted shortstop after manning the catcher position.