Sendai Ikuei defeats Kanzei 12-4 thanks to a 9-run 3rd inning, which means that Tohoku will indeed get 4 teams into Senbatsu next spring.
As I project, Moriokadai Fuzoku will be guaranteed a bid based on performance (I think the Meiji Jingu bid supersedes the Tohoku Memorial bid).
The question will be who will get the 4th and final bid. Sakata Minami is the other semifinalist, but a 10-1 loss to Sendai Ikuei hurts. Ironically, the great performance by Sendai Ikuei in the Meiji Jingu tournament may give Sakata Minami the benefit of the doubt.
The other team considered could be Aomori Yamada. They actually were leading Sendai Ikuei 3-1 going into the 9th during their quarterfinal, but gave up 4 runs to lose 5-3.
It has been a while since we've seen Aomori Yamada in the tournament, so it might be possible that they skip over to select them with the Tohoku Memorial bid.
Showing posts with label 2012 Fall Taikai. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2012 Fall Taikai. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Meiji Jingu Tournament Update ~ to the finals!
The championship game of the Meiji Jingu tournament is today and while one side may be favored to win, in terms of quality of team invited due to the bid, it may be better off that the other team wins!
Day 1
Kyoto Shouei (Kinki - Kyoto) vs. Hokushou (Hokkaido - Otaru-shi)
Kyoto Shouei actually was fortunate to draw Hokushou. While a familiar face in 高校野球, they're not a dominating force as other teams. So they stood a chance in the opening matchup.
And in fact, they scored right off the bat in the top of the 1st!
But Hokushou ace Oogushi Kazuya (大串 和弥) would shut the door afterwards, giving up just 7 hits in a complete game effort.
Meanwhile, Domon would hit a sac fly to tie the game in the 4th and last batter Nishitani would hit a 2-run double off of Enomoto to give them the lead for good.
Urawa Gakuin (Kanto - Saitama) vs. Kochi (Shikoku - Kochi)
Though Kasumigaura's hopes took a big hit with the draw, Urawa Gakuin faced a favorable draw in Kochi.
The game still was close. Urawa would inch away to a 2-0 lead after their first 2 innings, only to see Kochi do the same 2 innings later to tie the game. But back to back timely hits by Nie and Yamane would give Urawa Gakuin back the 2-run lead.
Urawa ace Kojima was not on his game today, but despite giving up 7 hits and 8 free passes he holds on for the 4-3 win.
By the way, 4 of those hits went to cleanup batter Wada Koi (和田 恋) who was 4-4 on the day with a walk.
Day 2
Sendai Ikuei (Tohoku - Miyagi) vs. Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou (Tokai - Gifu)
Sendai Ikuei had a good matchup in their attempt to send 4 teams to the 85th Haru Koushien. Kengifushou is no slouch, but is no powerhouse either.
Sendai Ikuei took a 2-1 lead in the second thanks to hits by Mima and Katou. But Kengifushou's ace Fujita would tie the game with a solo HR in the 7th. He'd try to keep the Ikuei offense down, but in the top of the 9th with the pitch count over 100, he gave up a 3-run HR to 2B Sasaki (who actually had started the game on the bench!). They'd add one more run as reliever Baba would shut the door in the 9th.
Kanzei (Chuugoku - Okayama) vs. Yasuda Gakuen (Tokyo - Sumida-ku)
Though they could have easily taken the Chuo-sen there, I'm pretty sure Yasuda Gakuen still bussed over to the game at Meiji Jingu. This is home turf after all.
They'd need every ounce of it as Kanzei occupied the opposing dugout.
But Yasuda opened the scoring with a sac fly from Takami in the 1st inning. Kanzei's #9 batter Uraki would tie the game in the 5th and it would stay that way until the 8th. Umeno would give Kanzei the lead in the 8th, only to see Takami come through again to tie the game.
Kanzei ace Kayama would end it in regulation with his only hit in the 9th, breaking the tie then closing it out to win 3-2.
Day 3
Okinawa Shougaku (Kyushu - Okinawa) vs. Hokushou (Hokkaido - Otaru-shi)
Hokushou certainly was not looking forward to facing Okishou. Home to former ace Higashihama, they looked really solid throughout the Kyushu Super-Regionals.
The game though played out very close. Naka Shouji (名嘉昇司) would open the scoring for Okinawa Shougaku in the 3rd, only to have Igarashi execute a suicide squeeze in their half of the inning to tie the game.
It would stay that way as Okishou starter Higa yielded to Ura in the 7th. Oogushi would continue to pitch for Hokushou (eventually throwing 141 pitches in all).
Instead, he'd decide to end the game himself in the bottom of the 9th in dramatic fashion, hitting a sayonara homerun off of Ura to advance his team to the semifinals.
Urawa Gakuin (Kanto - Saitama) vs. Harue Kougyou (Hokushinetsu - Fukui)
Harue Kougyou must've been thrilled that they not only advanced out of the Fukui prefecturals, but won the Super-Regionals and will go to Koushien this spring.
But there's still more work to be done in perhaps getting their region one more team into the field.
To do that, they'd have to start with a tough matchup against Urawa Gakuin.
It didn't look good early though...
Takada and Saitou for Urawa would deliver RBI hits to give them a 3-0 lead in the 1st inning. Nie would then deliver a squeeze bunt and Yamane would hit a double to make it 5-0.
However, Urawa starter Wakumoto would collapse in the 2nd giving back all 5 runs. Watanabe, who would relieve him wouldn't fare any better in the 3rd retiring just 1 batter but charged with 2 runs. Itou would eventually stop the bleeding and give 2 innings of scoreless ball.
Takada would get them within 1 with a RBI triple in the 4th, but Tsuboda would settle down after that. Seki would deliver an infield RBI hit to get to the final score of 8-6!!
Day 4 - Semifinals
Sendai Ikuei (Tohoku - Miyagi) vs. Hokushou (Hokkaido - Otaru-shi)
Oogushi would have to be called on again as their team would face a strong Sendai Ikuei squad.
Sendai Ikuei for their part decided to start Baba Kousuke (馬場 皐輔). It was the right call as he shut down the Hokkaido representatives.
Oogushi, despite this being his 3rd game pitched very well, but wound up making 2 crucial mistakes. First was in the 3rd, giving up a 3-run HR to Kobayashi. Second was in the 7th when the bases would be loaded for cleanup hitter Uebayashi and he wouldn't miss, hitting a manrui homerun to effectively knock Oogushi out of the game.
That would be more than enough to advance to the finals and give Tohoku another team into Koushien.
Kanzei (Chuugoku - Okayama) vs. Harue Kougyou (Hokushinetsu - Fukui)
Harue Kougyou found themselves just one game away from the fall title and giving the Hokushinetsu region another bid.
Kanzei though would have none of it.
Thanks to an error right off the bat, Kanzei would put up 4 runs in the top of the 1st. Harue ace Tsubota would stay in the game, but would slowly give up more runs, capped off in the 7th with another 4 runs. Harue would be mercy ruled 10-2 in 7 innings.
Day 5 (Today) - Championship
So it'll be Tohoku champion Sendai Ikuei versus Chuugoku champ Kanzei...
In Kanzei's corner will be Iwakuni, who in all likelihood will be receiving the bid if Kanzei wins. Sakata Minami and Aomori Yamada will be backing Sendai Ikuei as it's possible either team could receive a bid depending on the selection committee's analysis.
Kanzei probably has the inside track to the title, but I expect Sendai Ikuei to try and make it close.
Day 1
Kyoto Shouei (Kinki - Kyoto) vs. Hokushou (Hokkaido - Otaru-shi)
Kyoto Shouei actually was fortunate to draw Hokushou. While a familiar face in 高校野球, they're not a dominating force as other teams. So they stood a chance in the opening matchup.
And in fact, they scored right off the bat in the top of the 1st!
But Hokushou ace Oogushi Kazuya (大串 和弥) would shut the door afterwards, giving up just 7 hits in a complete game effort.
Meanwhile, Domon would hit a sac fly to tie the game in the 4th and last batter Nishitani would hit a 2-run double off of Enomoto to give them the lead for good.
Urawa Gakuin (Kanto - Saitama) vs. Kochi (Shikoku - Kochi)
Though Kasumigaura's hopes took a big hit with the draw, Urawa Gakuin faced a favorable draw in Kochi.
The game still was close. Urawa would inch away to a 2-0 lead after their first 2 innings, only to see Kochi do the same 2 innings later to tie the game. But back to back timely hits by Nie and Yamane would give Urawa Gakuin back the 2-run lead.
Urawa ace Kojima was not on his game today, but despite giving up 7 hits and 8 free passes he holds on for the 4-3 win.
By the way, 4 of those hits went to cleanup batter Wada Koi (和田 恋) who was 4-4 on the day with a walk.
Day 2
Sendai Ikuei (Tohoku - Miyagi) vs. Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou (Tokai - Gifu)
Sendai Ikuei had a good matchup in their attempt to send 4 teams to the 85th Haru Koushien. Kengifushou is no slouch, but is no powerhouse either.
Sendai Ikuei took a 2-1 lead in the second thanks to hits by Mima and Katou. But Kengifushou's ace Fujita would tie the game with a solo HR in the 7th. He'd try to keep the Ikuei offense down, but in the top of the 9th with the pitch count over 100, he gave up a 3-run HR to 2B Sasaki (who actually had started the game on the bench!). They'd add one more run as reliever Baba would shut the door in the 9th.
Kanzei (Chuugoku - Okayama) vs. Yasuda Gakuen (Tokyo - Sumida-ku)
Though they could have easily taken the Chuo-sen there, I'm pretty sure Yasuda Gakuen still bussed over to the game at Meiji Jingu. This is home turf after all.
They'd need every ounce of it as Kanzei occupied the opposing dugout.
But Yasuda opened the scoring with a sac fly from Takami in the 1st inning. Kanzei's #9 batter Uraki would tie the game in the 5th and it would stay that way until the 8th. Umeno would give Kanzei the lead in the 8th, only to see Takami come through again to tie the game.
Kanzei ace Kayama would end it in regulation with his only hit in the 9th, breaking the tie then closing it out to win 3-2.
Day 3
Okinawa Shougaku (Kyushu - Okinawa) vs. Hokushou (Hokkaido - Otaru-shi)
Hokushou certainly was not looking forward to facing Okishou. Home to former ace Higashihama, they looked really solid throughout the Kyushu Super-Regionals.
The game though played out very close. Naka Shouji (名嘉昇司) would open the scoring for Okinawa Shougaku in the 3rd, only to have Igarashi execute a suicide squeeze in their half of the inning to tie the game.
It would stay that way as Okishou starter Higa yielded to Ura in the 7th. Oogushi would continue to pitch for Hokushou (eventually throwing 141 pitches in all).
Instead, he'd decide to end the game himself in the bottom of the 9th in dramatic fashion, hitting a sayonara homerun off of Ura to advance his team to the semifinals.
Urawa Gakuin (Kanto - Saitama) vs. Harue Kougyou (Hokushinetsu - Fukui)
Harue Kougyou must've been thrilled that they not only advanced out of the Fukui prefecturals, but won the Super-Regionals and will go to Koushien this spring.
But there's still more work to be done in perhaps getting their region one more team into the field.
To do that, they'd have to start with a tough matchup against Urawa Gakuin.
It didn't look good early though...
Takada and Saitou for Urawa would deliver RBI hits to give them a 3-0 lead in the 1st inning. Nie would then deliver a squeeze bunt and Yamane would hit a double to make it 5-0.
However, Urawa starter Wakumoto would collapse in the 2nd giving back all 5 runs. Watanabe, who would relieve him wouldn't fare any better in the 3rd retiring just 1 batter but charged with 2 runs. Itou would eventually stop the bleeding and give 2 innings of scoreless ball.
Takada would get them within 1 with a RBI triple in the 4th, but Tsuboda would settle down after that. Seki would deliver an infield RBI hit to get to the final score of 8-6!!
Day 4 - Semifinals
Sendai Ikuei (Tohoku - Miyagi) vs. Hokushou (Hokkaido - Otaru-shi)
Oogushi would have to be called on again as their team would face a strong Sendai Ikuei squad.
Sendai Ikuei for their part decided to start Baba Kousuke (馬場 皐輔). It was the right call as he shut down the Hokkaido representatives.
Oogushi, despite this being his 3rd game pitched very well, but wound up making 2 crucial mistakes. First was in the 3rd, giving up a 3-run HR to Kobayashi. Second was in the 7th when the bases would be loaded for cleanup hitter Uebayashi and he wouldn't miss, hitting a manrui homerun to effectively knock Oogushi out of the game.
That would be more than enough to advance to the finals and give Tohoku another team into Koushien.
Kanzei (Chuugoku - Okayama) vs. Harue Kougyou (Hokushinetsu - Fukui)
Harue Kougyou found themselves just one game away from the fall title and giving the Hokushinetsu region another bid.
Kanzei though would have none of it.
Thanks to an error right off the bat, Kanzei would put up 4 runs in the top of the 1st. Harue ace Tsubota would stay in the game, but would slowly give up more runs, capped off in the 7th with another 4 runs. Harue would be mercy ruled 10-2 in 7 innings.
Day 5 (Today) - Championship
So it'll be Tohoku champion Sendai Ikuei versus Chuugoku champ Kanzei...
In Kanzei's corner will be Iwakuni, who in all likelihood will be receiving the bid if Kanzei wins. Sakata Minami and Aomori Yamada will be backing Sendai Ikuei as it's possible either team could receive a bid depending on the selection committee's analysis.
Kanzei probably has the inside track to the title, but I expect Sendai Ikuei to try and make it close.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Meiji Jingu Tournament and that final crucial bid
With the Super-Regional champions determined, the draw for the 43rd Meiji Jingu Tournament is out, and is as follows:
For Kasumigaura, having Urawa Gakuin and Yasuda Gakuen in the same half of the bracket is not a good thing at all. Not to mention the fact that Kanzei resides in that half as well. Yasuda Gakuen is immediately in danger and Urawa Gakuin would be next in the semifinals.
I would expect the winner to be between Okinawa Shougaku and Kanzei with Kyoto Shouei and Urawa Gakuin as wildcards.
And here's the list of teams that may be rooting hard for their Super-Regional representative:
- Sendai Ikuei (Tohoku) vs. Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou (Tokai)
- Okinawa Shougaku (Okinawa) vs. Hokushou (Hokkaido)-Kyoto Shouei (Kinki) winner
- Harue Kougyou (Hokushinetsu) vs. Urawa Gakuin (Kanto)-Kochi (Shikoku) winner
- Yasuda Gakuen (Tokyo) vs. Kanzei (Chuugoku)
For Kasumigaura, having Urawa Gakuin and Yasuda Gakuen in the same half of the bracket is not a good thing at all. Not to mention the fact that Kanzei resides in that half as well. Yasuda Gakuen is immediately in danger and Urawa Gakuin would be next in the semifinals.
I would expect the winner to be between Okinawa Shougaku and Kanzei with Kyoto Shouei and Urawa Gakuin as wildcards.
And here's the list of teams that may be rooting hard for their Super-Regional representative:
- Hokkaido - Komadai Tomakomai
- Tohoku - Sakata Minami/Aomori Yamada (Sakata Minami went further, but their blowout loss is a negative)
- Kanto/Tokyo - Kasumigaura (Kanto wins bid, Kasumigaura is in. Tokyo wins it, Soujitsu takes the Meiji Jingu bid and floating bid goes to Kanto.)
- Hokushinetsu - Ueda Nishi/Niigata Meikun (Ueda Nishi should go, but Niigata Meikun has name recognition)
- Tokai - Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou
- Kinki - Yamato Kouryou/Tenri (Yamato Kouryou seemed to outperform Tenri and may have earned the 6th bid, but name recognition might give it to Tenri anyways leaving Yamato Kouryou hoping for the Meiji Jingu bid.)
- Chuugoku - Iwakuni
- Shikoku - Tokushima Shougyou
- Kyushu - Kumamoto Kougyou/Souseikan (Souseikan wasn't the only team blown out in the semifinals, but the lack of quality games beforehand might hurt them in the selection process.)
Fall Taikai Update - Super-Regional Completion
All Super-Regionals are now complete, and there are a couple of surprises mixed in with some of the usual suspects:
Tokyo (1 bid + 1 floating with Kanto)
Nittai Ebara fired the opening salvo in the bottom of the 1st as Tomosato hit a 2-run HR to left. Back-to-back RBI hits by the battery of Kasahara and Minami no less made it a 4-1 game. And then ace Kasahara in his next AB would hit a home run of his own making it 5-1!
But after back-to-back walks by Kasahara, Motohashi-kantoku would replace him with Furukawa. Much to his dismay, Furukawa would hit cleanup batter Takami Shunsuke (深見 俊介) and then give an oshidashi walk to Koyama Shinjirou (小山 新次郎). He'd get out of the inning, but not after yielding another run to make it 5-3.
Things only got worse for Nittai Ebara as the pitching fell apart the very next inning as Yasuda would put a 5-spot on the board taking an 8-6 lead.
Nittai Ebara would mount a rally in the bottom of the 9th. PH Seki would walk, and Tanaka would hit a double to put the tying run in scoring position with just one down. Minami (now pitching) would hit a sac fly to make it a 1-run game.
That brought up Tomosato, who was 4-4 on the day. But Oogane Shintarou (大金真太郎) would finally retire him with a grounder to 2nd to end the game and give his team a chance at Senbatsu!
In the other semifinal Souka ace Uchino collapsed in the 5th inning, giving up 6 runs to Soujitsu. Those 6 runs would wind up being the final margin as they won 11-5.
So Soujitsu would be a likely candidate for the floating bid should they lose (as long as they had a good showing), while Yasuda Gakuen would in all likelihood need to win to get in.
In the 2nd inning of the final, Yasuda gets the benefit of good luck. Takami would reach 2nd on an error by Soujitsu's LF Suzuki. After a bunt and walk, Motomiya Keita (本宮 佳汰) would lay down a successful safety squeeze to give them the first run. They'd continue to press the initiative as Koyama Takuya (小山 拓哉) would try to steal 3rd. But the throw from Toshimitsu Kensaku (利光健作) would actually hit Takuya on the helmet and deflect into left, allowing him to score making it 2-0.
Toshimitsu would get a run back with a HR in the 5th, but that would be all the scoring they could muster as Oogane would shut Soujitsu down to earn Yasuda Gakuen's first ever title!
Kanto ex Tokyo (4 bids + 1 floating with Tokyo)
So when the draw came out, the 4 brackets were as follows (A & B, C & D)
The biggest upset was in block C where Kasumigaura (while not a slouch by any means) never trailed and defeated Toukaidai Sagami 5-3!
The quarterfinals went more scratch. Narashino, who barely got by Kiryuu Dai-ichi, suffered the same problems Yokohama Hayato faced, but were unable to rally at all, getting mercy ruled 12-0 in 6 innings! (awww....)
Sano Nichidai, down 5-0 to Jyousou Gakuin gets all of the runs back in the lucky 7 to send the game into enchousen. However, outside of that one inning outburst, they couldn't muster any other offense and lost 6-5 in 12. Kasumigaura tried to continue their cinderella run as it were, but after taking the 4-2 lead in the bottom of the 6th, relinquished it right back in the lucky 7 to Utusunomiya Shougyou, losing 5-4.
The games (final score-wise) were much closer, but were not competitive. Both Saitama schools advanced wire-to-wire, setting up a rematch of the prefectural final. In that final, a 4-run first gave Hanasaki Tokuharu all the cushion it needed.
This time around they did not get such a cushion, but did lead 2-0 going into the latter innings. But without the cushion, Urawa Gakuin's rally allowed them to tie the game in the 8th and send it into enchousen. One inning later, Urawa's SS Kigure Naito (木暮騎士) would hit a 2-out double to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. After an intentional walk, C Nishikawa Genki (西川元気) would deliver the sayonara hit to give Urawa Gakuin their 3rd straight Kanto Fall title!!
With 4 bids, it seems apparent that the Best 4 participants will get the bids. Kasumigaura, the strongest team of the quarterfinalists will probably not get in because (a) the team they would replace would probably be Utsunomiya Shougyou who defeated them and (b) even if they wanted to make Kasumigaura the 4th team that would put 2 teams from Saitama and from Ibaraki into Senbatsu, which is highly doubtful.
And with Soujitsu losing in the finals to Yasuda Gakuen, the committee will certainly pick them as the floating bid. Had they won, the floating bid may have come back to Kanto.
As it stands, for Kasumigaura to get to Koushien, Yasuda Gakuen or Urawa Gakuin have to win the Meiji Jingu Fall Tournament (If Yasuda Gakuen wins, Soujitsu earns the Meiji Jingu bid and the floating bid shifts back to Kanto. If Urawa Gakuin wins, Kasumigaura earns the Meiji Jingu bid outright). But as you will see later, that will be difficult.
Tokai (3 bids)
And in fact, there was a possibility that neither team would make it as Tokoha Kikugawa had tied the game at 1 in the 8th. Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou though would guarantee that at least one team would make it, making a Tokoha-style finish in the bottom of the 9th to win 2-1.
Komono had done well to make it to the finals, but were boat-raced by Kengifushou falling quickly behind 6-0 and losing 9-3.
This normally would put Komono in a bad situation. As the runner-up, they are first in line to receive the 2nd bid. However, the poor showing would have given the selection committee pause. But with 3 teams advancing, they should be safe.
Kinki (6 bids)
In other games, Yamato Kouryou played Ryuukokudai Heian close, but couldn't get a run on the board losing 2-0. Osaka Shoudai Sakai lasted only 5 innings against Houtoku Gakuen losing 13-0. And finally, Riseisha was fighting for their lives against surging Kyoto Shouei down 1-0 late before tying the game in the 8th. The game would go into enchousen when reliever Sakamoto would finally fail, giving Kyoto Shouei the 3-1 win in 12!
That setup an all-Kyoto final on one side, and a powerhouse matchup on the other.
Kyoto Shouei and Ryuukokudai Heian were up first. Kyoto Shouei didn't have to face Heian in the prefecturals as Heian was paired with Fukuchiyama Seibi. Early on, the teams traded runs with Kyoto Shouei emerging with a 3-2 lead. It stayed that way until the 7th where Heian would get to Enomoto (who came in in relief) for a pair of runs to lead 4-3. However, their reliever Minami fell apart in the next half-inning. He hit back-to-back batters sending in a run, and then ace Enomoto would redeem himself, blasting a manrui home run to blow the game wide open.
Kyoto Shouei seemed to be in full control up 9-4, but Enomoto seemed to be out of sorts coming in relief. He struggled with his control as Heian came back to within 1 with a 4-run 8th! He'd somehow get in together just in time, closing the game out in the 9th to win 9-8!
In the other semi, it was a shocker in that Osaka Touin was not competitive at all against Houtoku Gakuen. In fact they were blanked 8-0 in 7 innings!
So Houtoku Gakuen and ace Inui Youhei (乾 陽平) were the final obstacle in Kyoto Shouei and Enomoto Kazuki (榎本 和輝) bid for their first ever fall title.
There were opportunities for both teams throughout the game as Inui yielded base hits almost every inning, while Enomoto's control issues persisted as he issued free passes. Yet the score was at 1-1 after regulation. Eventually it would become a matter of who would make the first mistake.
And that finally was made by Inui as he yielded 2 runs in the 13th. They still had the bottom half of the inning, and Enomoto was approaching his limit too. He would give up one run, but again found a way to shut the door, win 3-2, and claim Kyoto Shouei's first title!!
Looking at the field for the selection of the half-dozen bids, it almost winds up being as listed above by default. Kyoto Shouei is definitely in, as well as Houtoku Gakuen. While Heian is in the same prefecture as Kyoto Shouei, they didn't play each other in the prefecturals and held their own in the semifinals - so they're in. Those are the definites.
Osaka Touin was uncharacteristically blown out by Houtoku Gakuen. And their wins prior against Kousen and Tenri do not inspire confidence.
But then you look down at the quarterfinalists. Tenri was blown out by Osaka Touin. Daishoudai Sakai too was annihilated. That leaves Riseisha who played Kyoto Shouei close as well and should get in, and Yamato Kouryou who had a nondescript win over Shiga Gakuen before being shutout 2-0 to Heian.
So Osaka Touin now appears safe, as does Riseisha. The question becomes the last bid.
And that boils down to Yamato Kouryou and Tenri.
Tenri in name had the harder opponent in Osaka Touin, but Heian can easily be considered a quality opponent for Yamato Kouryou.
If the committee wants to go by name, then Tenri will go. But I think if they go by play, it may fall to Yamato Kouryou.
Chuugoku (3 bids)
It turns out that not just one, but two prefectures would be eliminated!
So, all else being equal, who has the advantage?
Well, the home team. And that happens to be Yamaguchi-ken.
In fact, all 4 entrants advanced into the second round. Iwakuni Shougyou, Iwakuni and Ube Koujyou all won via the shutout. Hayatomo was able to advance, but only after striking back for a pair of runs right after they gave up the lead in the 7th.
With that alone, Shimane was wiped off the board. Who would be the other prefecture?
In B quadrant, Tottori Jyouhoku started off well against Soutoku, but fell apart in the 2nd half of the game, losing 8-4. Yonago Kita went just 7 innings before they waved the white flag, losing 9-1.
That left 2nd place Yonago Shouin as the last representative. But against Kurashiki Shougyou, that was a tough task. They kept it close, even in fact tying the game at 1-1 in the top of the 5th. Kurashou struck back with 2 in their part of the frame and held on to the 3-1 win.
A valiant effort, but both Japan Sea prefectures were eliminated.
And what appeared to be a blockbuster matchup in the first round wound up being anything but. Jyousuikan would give up after 7 innings, losing to Kanzei 10-0!
This created a bizarre quarterfinal setup:
In the Yamaguchi matchups, Iwakuni Shougyou proved that they were the cream of the crop, as they defeated the only Best 4 team they haven't played - Ube Kougyou, in a shutout 5-0. Iwakuni showed that their 3rd place finish was a product of just being in the wrong half of the bracket. The struggling Hayatomo was unceremoniously upended in a 10-0 defeat in 5 innings.
Soutoku probably wasn't happy to see Kouryou in their crosshairs. They managed to avoid them in the prefecturals, but now when it really matters... it was all Kouryou in a 7-1 win.
That leaves the rematch of Kanzei and Kurashiki Shougyou. Kanzei wouldn't leave anything to chance, scoring 6 runs in the 3rd en route to an 8-4 win.
Another byproduct of the 1st round was that Yamaguchi pretty much guaranteed themselves a team at Senbatsu, especially since due to the 85th tournament, Chuugoku gets an extra bid.
And that would prove key this year as Iwakuni was routed 11-1 by Kanzei, and while Iwakuni Shougyou held with Kouryou, they still lost 2-0.
So we're left with Kouryou and Kanzei in the finals, two teams used to the big game. The game was a low-scoring affair early, then blown open in the span of 2 half-innings where Kouryou scored 3 in the 6th to lead 4-2, only to give up 5 in the lucky 7 to trail 7-4. They'd win 8-5 to take the title.
And on the basis of the semifinal matchups, expect Iwakuni Shougyou to receive the 3rd bid.
Shikoku (3 bids)
In the other games, Imabari Kougyou had a chance to survive as they were deadlocked 1-1 for a long time. Marugame though would bid sayonara to the Ehime representative 2-1. Kochi Shougyou was having a heck of a time in their game, but at 3-3 in the 7th Matsuyama Seiryou scored 6 to pull away. Kochishou would score 3 in the 9th, but it wasn't enough. And Ikeda finally made progress, winning 3-1.
With so many 3 seeds advancing, it would be expected that most if not all of the 1 seeds would advance. And in fact, all did... except for the one team that faced the only #2 seed left.
Nartuo and Kochi had no problems. Ikeda almost got to the semifinals and rallied late, but lost to Saibi 4-3. Tokushou was in another close game. They and Eimei were tied at 2 when Eimei scored a run in the 7th to take the lead. But in the bottom of the 9th they get to ace Akagawa scoring 2 runs for the gyakuten sayonara victory.
Tokushou would try to extend their run against Kochi, and early on the semifinals they held a 2-run lead, even after swapping 3-run innings. But Kochi would put up 2 runs in the 6th, 7th and 8th innings to win 11-7. In the other semifinal, Saibi was in full control, getting 2 insurance runs in the final 2 innings to lead 4-1. Saibi ace Anraku though didn't get the memo that he and his team needed to close out the game. Naruto would rally for 4 runs and win 5-4.
To the final where Kochi would try to preempt the deficit by getting ahead early. Naruto would have none of it and came back to level the score at 6 in the 6th. Kochi though would score 2 in the 8th giving Naruto no time to stage a rally.
The extra bid will probably go to Saibi, who had Naruto dead to rights, right until the bottom of the 9th.
Kyushu (4 bids)
Now all 8 top seeds would be in play, but by the end of the first round over half would go home. But not the half you may have thought.
Nagasaki Nichidai should have been dead to rights. Enchousen, tied at 1 in the 10th, Moji Gakuen scores 4 runs and should have the game wrapped up. Except they don't close it out! Nagasaki Nichidai scores 4 and extends the game further! I'd like to see what happened in that 10th inning. It wouldn't be until the 13th inning where Nagasaki Nichidai would score the sayonara run to win 6-5!
The only non-contested game was surprisingly Kurume Shougyou vs. Meihou. Kurushou scored 4 in the 1st inning and cruised to a 5-2 win.
The reprieve for the top seeds though wouldn't last. All 3 remaining would lose in the quarterfinals. Kurume Shougyou only went 7 against Souseikan losing 9-0. Kumamoto Kougyou had to face Okinawa Shougaku, and narrowly lost 3-2 in 10 innings. And Shoushikan used a 4-run 4th to defeat Nagasaki Nichidai 6-2. The fourth team to advance would indeed be Seiseikou as they shutout the last Nichidai team as Miyazaki would fall 3-0.
That put Souseikan in the crosshairs of Okinawa Shougaku, while Shoushikan and Seiseikou would square off in the other semi.
And neither game was close.
In fact, both would last just 7 innings and both due to a big inning. For Okishou, it was a 4-run 1st in an 8-1 win. For Seiseikou, it was a 5-run 6th in an 8-0 win.
So it'd be Okinawa Shougaku and Seiseikou in the finals, and both pretty much guaranteed a spot in Senbatsu. It would be just a matter now of who would represent Kyushu at the Meiji Jingu Tournament.
And boy was it a pitchers' duel. Seiseikou's Ootake Koutarou (大竹 耕太郎) versus the tandem of Ura Jyun (宇良 淳) and Higa Kenichirou (比嘉 健一朗). Okishou certainly had more opportunities throughout the game, but the game remained scoreless through 8. But in the top of the 9th, it all unraveled for Seiseikou. Okinawa Shougaku would put up 5 runs in the 9th and claim just their 2nd ever fall title!
Rounding out the projected 4 bids are in all probability the two semifinalists - Souseikan and Shoushikan. Yes, they still lost badly in the semifinals, but they had shutout their competition beforehand (though the quality of the opposition can be argued). Shoushikan defeated both Saga Kita and Nagasaki Nichidai and despite their blowout loss, should get in.
The only other team who could make a case would be Kumamoto Kougyou, who was the only team to actually play Okinawa Shougaku close. And bad news for Souseikan, they would probably be the team on the bubble if there were other considerations.
Tokyo (1 bid + 1 floating with Kanto)
- Champion - Yasuda Gakuen - Sumida-ku (First title!)
- Floating Bid - Waseda Jitsugyou
Nittai Ebara fired the opening salvo in the bottom of the 1st as Tomosato hit a 2-run HR to left. Back-to-back RBI hits by the battery of Kasahara and Minami no less made it a 4-1 game. And then ace Kasahara in his next AB would hit a home run of his own making it 5-1!
But after back-to-back walks by Kasahara, Motohashi-kantoku would replace him with Furukawa. Much to his dismay, Furukawa would hit cleanup batter Takami Shunsuke (深見 俊介) and then give an oshidashi walk to Koyama Shinjirou (小山 新次郎). He'd get out of the inning, but not after yielding another run to make it 5-3.
Things only got worse for Nittai Ebara as the pitching fell apart the very next inning as Yasuda would put a 5-spot on the board taking an 8-6 lead.
Nittai Ebara would mount a rally in the bottom of the 9th. PH Seki would walk, and Tanaka would hit a double to put the tying run in scoring position with just one down. Minami (now pitching) would hit a sac fly to make it a 1-run game.
That brought up Tomosato, who was 4-4 on the day. But Oogane Shintarou (大金真太郎) would finally retire him with a grounder to 2nd to end the game and give his team a chance at Senbatsu!
In the other semifinal Souka ace Uchino collapsed in the 5th inning, giving up 6 runs to Soujitsu. Those 6 runs would wind up being the final margin as they won 11-5.
So Soujitsu would be a likely candidate for the floating bid should they lose (as long as they had a good showing), while Yasuda Gakuen would in all likelihood need to win to get in.
In the 2nd inning of the final, Yasuda gets the benefit of good luck. Takami would reach 2nd on an error by Soujitsu's LF Suzuki. After a bunt and walk, Motomiya Keita (本宮 佳汰) would lay down a successful safety squeeze to give them the first run. They'd continue to press the initiative as Koyama Takuya (小山 拓哉) would try to steal 3rd. But the throw from Toshimitsu Kensaku (利光健作) would actually hit Takuya on the helmet and deflect into left, allowing him to score making it 2-0.
Toshimitsu would get a run back with a HR in the 5th, but that would be all the scoring they could muster as Oogane would shut Soujitsu down to earn Yasuda Gakuen's first ever title!
Kanto ex Tokyo (4 bids + 1 floating with Tokyo)
- Champion - Urawa Gakuin - Saitama-shi, Saitama (3rd consecutive title!, 4th overall)
- Runner-Up - Hanasaki Tokuharu - Kazo-shi, Saitama
- Semifinalist - Jyousou Gakuin - Tsuchiura-shi, Ibaraki
- Semifinalist - Utsunomiya Shougyou - Utsunomiya-shi, Tochigi
So when the draw came out, the 4 brackets were as follows (A & B, C & D)
- A - Jyousou Gakuin (Ibaraki 1) vs. Takasaki Kenkoudai Fukushi (Gunma 2)
- A - Sano Nichidai (Tochigi 1) vs. Toukaidai Koufu (Kofu 1)
- B - Narashino (Chiba 1) vs. Kiryuu Dai-ichi (Gunma 3)
- B - Hanasaki Tokuharu (Saitama 1) vs. Yokohama Hayato (Kanagawa 2)
- C - Toukaidai Sagami (Kanagawa 1) vs. Kasumigaura (Ibaraki 2)
- C - Hikawa (Yamanashi 1) vs. Utsunomiya Shougyou (Tochigi 2)
- D - Urawa Gakuin (Saitama 2) vs. Choushi Shougyou (Chiba 2)
- D - Maebashi Ikuei (Gunma 1) - Bye
The biggest upset was in block C where Kasumigaura (while not a slouch by any means) never trailed and defeated Toukaidai Sagami 5-3!
The quarterfinals went more scratch. Narashino, who barely got by Kiryuu Dai-ichi, suffered the same problems Yokohama Hayato faced, but were unable to rally at all, getting mercy ruled 12-0 in 6 innings! (awww....)
Sano Nichidai, down 5-0 to Jyousou Gakuin gets all of the runs back in the lucky 7 to send the game into enchousen. However, outside of that one inning outburst, they couldn't muster any other offense and lost 6-5 in 12. Kasumigaura tried to continue their cinderella run as it were, but after taking the 4-2 lead in the bottom of the 6th, relinquished it right back in the lucky 7 to Utusunomiya Shougyou, losing 5-4.
The games (final score-wise) were much closer, but were not competitive. Both Saitama schools advanced wire-to-wire, setting up a rematch of the prefectural final. In that final, a 4-run first gave Hanasaki Tokuharu all the cushion it needed.
This time around they did not get such a cushion, but did lead 2-0 going into the latter innings. But without the cushion, Urawa Gakuin's rally allowed them to tie the game in the 8th and send it into enchousen. One inning later, Urawa's SS Kigure Naito (木暮騎士) would hit a 2-out double to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. After an intentional walk, C Nishikawa Genki (西川元気) would deliver the sayonara hit to give Urawa Gakuin their 3rd straight Kanto Fall title!!
With 4 bids, it seems apparent that the Best 4 participants will get the bids. Kasumigaura, the strongest team of the quarterfinalists will probably not get in because (a) the team they would replace would probably be Utsunomiya Shougyou who defeated them and (b) even if they wanted to make Kasumigaura the 4th team that would put 2 teams from Saitama and from Ibaraki into Senbatsu, which is highly doubtful.
And with Soujitsu losing in the finals to Yasuda Gakuen, the committee will certainly pick them as the floating bid. Had they won, the floating bid may have come back to Kanto.
As it stands, for Kasumigaura to get to Koushien, Yasuda Gakuen or Urawa Gakuin have to win the Meiji Jingu Fall Tournament (If Yasuda Gakuen wins, Soujitsu earns the Meiji Jingu bid and the floating bid shifts back to Kanto. If Urawa Gakuin wins, Kasumigaura earns the Meiji Jingu bid outright). But as you will see later, that will be difficult.
Tokai (3 bids)
- Champion - Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou - Gifu-shi, Gifu (4th title, 1st in 51 years)
- Runner-up - Komono - Komono-machi, Mie
- 3rd Bid - Tokoha Kikugawa - Kikugawa-shi, Shizuoka
And in fact, there was a possibility that neither team would make it as Tokoha Kikugawa had tied the game at 1 in the 8th. Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou though would guarantee that at least one team would make it, making a Tokoha-style finish in the bottom of the 9th to win 2-1.
Komono had done well to make it to the finals, but were boat-raced by Kengifushou falling quickly behind 6-0 and losing 9-3.
This normally would put Komono in a bad situation. As the runner-up, they are first in line to receive the 2nd bid. However, the poor showing would have given the selection committee pause. But with 3 teams advancing, they should be safe.
Kinki (6 bids)
- Champion - Kyoto Shouei - Uji-shi, Kyoto (First title!)
- Runner-up - Houtoku Gakuen - Nishinomiya-shi, Hyogo
- Semi-finalist -Ryuukokudai Heian - Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
- Semi-finalist - Osaka Touin - Daitou-shi, Osaka
- 5/6 selection - Riseisha - Toyonaka-shi, Osaka
- 5/6 selection - Yamato Kouryou - Kouryou-machi, Kita-katsuragi-gun, Nara
- Other considerations - Tenri - Tenri-shi, Nara
In other games, Yamato Kouryou played Ryuukokudai Heian close, but couldn't get a run on the board losing 2-0. Osaka Shoudai Sakai lasted only 5 innings against Houtoku Gakuen losing 13-0. And finally, Riseisha was fighting for their lives against surging Kyoto Shouei down 1-0 late before tying the game in the 8th. The game would go into enchousen when reliever Sakamoto would finally fail, giving Kyoto Shouei the 3-1 win in 12!
That setup an all-Kyoto final on one side, and a powerhouse matchup on the other.
Kyoto Shouei and Ryuukokudai Heian were up first. Kyoto Shouei didn't have to face Heian in the prefecturals as Heian was paired with Fukuchiyama Seibi. Early on, the teams traded runs with Kyoto Shouei emerging with a 3-2 lead. It stayed that way until the 7th where Heian would get to Enomoto (who came in in relief) for a pair of runs to lead 4-3. However, their reliever Minami fell apart in the next half-inning. He hit back-to-back batters sending in a run, and then ace Enomoto would redeem himself, blasting a manrui home run to blow the game wide open.
Kyoto Shouei seemed to be in full control up 9-4, but Enomoto seemed to be out of sorts coming in relief. He struggled with his control as Heian came back to within 1 with a 4-run 8th! He'd somehow get in together just in time, closing the game out in the 9th to win 9-8!
In the other semi, it was a shocker in that Osaka Touin was not competitive at all against Houtoku Gakuen. In fact they were blanked 8-0 in 7 innings!
So Houtoku Gakuen and ace Inui Youhei (乾 陽平) were the final obstacle in Kyoto Shouei and Enomoto Kazuki (榎本 和輝) bid for their first ever fall title.
There were opportunities for both teams throughout the game as Inui yielded base hits almost every inning, while Enomoto's control issues persisted as he issued free passes. Yet the score was at 1-1 after regulation. Eventually it would become a matter of who would make the first mistake.
And that finally was made by Inui as he yielded 2 runs in the 13th. They still had the bottom half of the inning, and Enomoto was approaching his limit too. He would give up one run, but again found a way to shut the door, win 3-2, and claim Kyoto Shouei's first title!!
Looking at the field for the selection of the half-dozen bids, it almost winds up being as listed above by default. Kyoto Shouei is definitely in, as well as Houtoku Gakuen. While Heian is in the same prefecture as Kyoto Shouei, they didn't play each other in the prefecturals and held their own in the semifinals - so they're in. Those are the definites.
Osaka Touin was uncharacteristically blown out by Houtoku Gakuen. And their wins prior against Kousen and Tenri do not inspire confidence.
But then you look down at the quarterfinalists. Tenri was blown out by Osaka Touin. Daishoudai Sakai too was annihilated. That leaves Riseisha who played Kyoto Shouei close as well and should get in, and Yamato Kouryou who had a nondescript win over Shiga Gakuen before being shutout 2-0 to Heian.
So Osaka Touin now appears safe, as does Riseisha. The question becomes the last bid.
And that boils down to Yamato Kouryou and Tenri.
Tenri in name had the harder opponent in Osaka Touin, but Heian can easily be considered a quality opponent for Yamato Kouryou.
If the committee wants to go by name, then Tenri will go. But I think if they go by play, it may fall to Yamato Kouryou.
Chuugoku (3 bids)
- Champion - Kanzei - Okayama-shi, Okayama (6th title, 1st in 2 years)
- Runner-up - Kouryou - Hiroshima-shi, Hiroshima
- 3rd Bid - Iwakuni Shougyou - Iwakuni-shi, Yamaguchi
- A - Hamada (Shimane 2) vs. Ube Kougyou (Yamaguchi 4)
- A - Iwakuni Shougyou (Yamaguchi 1) vs. Tamashima Shougyou (Okayama 2)
- B - Soutoku (Hiroshima 1) vs. Tottori Jyouhoku (Tottori 3)
- B - Yonago Kita (Tottori 1) vs. Kouryou (Hiroshima 3)
- C - Kanzei (Okayama 1) vs. Jyosuikan (Hiroshima 2)
- C - Yonago Shouin (Tottori 2) vs. Kurashiki Shougyou (Okayama 3)
- D - Hayatomo (Yamaguchi 2) vs. Shimane Chuo (Shimane 3)
- D - Masuda Shouyou (Shimane 1) vs. Iwakuni (Yamaguchi 3)
It turns out that not just one, but two prefectures would be eliminated!
So, all else being equal, who has the advantage?
Well, the home team. And that happens to be Yamaguchi-ken.
In fact, all 4 entrants advanced into the second round. Iwakuni Shougyou, Iwakuni and Ube Koujyou all won via the shutout. Hayatomo was able to advance, but only after striking back for a pair of runs right after they gave up the lead in the 7th.
With that alone, Shimane was wiped off the board. Who would be the other prefecture?
In B quadrant, Tottori Jyouhoku started off well against Soutoku, but fell apart in the 2nd half of the game, losing 8-4. Yonago Kita went just 7 innings before they waved the white flag, losing 9-1.
That left 2nd place Yonago Shouin as the last representative. But against Kurashiki Shougyou, that was a tough task. They kept it close, even in fact tying the game at 1-1 in the top of the 5th. Kurashou struck back with 2 in their part of the frame and held on to the 3-1 win.
A valiant effort, but both Japan Sea prefectures were eliminated.
And what appeared to be a blockbuster matchup in the first round wound up being anything but. Jyousuikan would give up after 7 innings, losing to Kanzei 10-0!
This created a bizarre quarterfinal setup:
- A - Ube Kougyou (Yamaguchi 4) vs. Iwakuni Shougyou (Yamaguchi 1)
- B - Soutoku (Hiroshima 1) vs. Kouryou (Hiroshima 3)
- C - Kanzei (Okayama 1) Kurashiki Shougyou (Okayama 3)
- D - Hayatomo (Yamaguchi 2) vs. Iwakuni (Yamaguchi 3)
In the Yamaguchi matchups, Iwakuni Shougyou proved that they were the cream of the crop, as they defeated the only Best 4 team they haven't played - Ube Kougyou, in a shutout 5-0. Iwakuni showed that their 3rd place finish was a product of just being in the wrong half of the bracket. The struggling Hayatomo was unceremoniously upended in a 10-0 defeat in 5 innings.
Soutoku probably wasn't happy to see Kouryou in their crosshairs. They managed to avoid them in the prefecturals, but now when it really matters... it was all Kouryou in a 7-1 win.
That leaves the rematch of Kanzei and Kurashiki Shougyou. Kanzei wouldn't leave anything to chance, scoring 6 runs in the 3rd en route to an 8-4 win.
Another byproduct of the 1st round was that Yamaguchi pretty much guaranteed themselves a team at Senbatsu, especially since due to the 85th tournament, Chuugoku gets an extra bid.
And that would prove key this year as Iwakuni was routed 11-1 by Kanzei, and while Iwakuni Shougyou held with Kouryou, they still lost 2-0.
So we're left with Kouryou and Kanzei in the finals, two teams used to the big game. The game was a low-scoring affair early, then blown open in the span of 2 half-innings where Kouryou scored 3 in the 6th to lead 4-2, only to give up 5 in the lucky 7 to trail 7-4. They'd win 8-5 to take the title.
And on the basis of the semifinal matchups, expect Iwakuni Shougyou to receive the 3rd bid.
Shikoku (3 bids)
- Champion - Kochi - Kochi-shi, Kochi (6th title, 1st in 6 years)
- Runner-up - Naruto - Naruto-shi, Tokushima
- 3rd Bid - Saibi - Matsuyama-shi, Ehime
- Kochi (Kochi 1) vs. Imabari Kougyou (Ehime 2)-Marugame (Kagawa 3) winner
- Eimei (Kagawa 1) vs. Tokushima Shougyou (Tokushima 2)-Tosa (Kochi 3) winner
- Naruto (Tokushima 1) vs. Kochi Shougyou (Kochi 2)-Matsuyama Seiryou (Ehime 3) winner
- Saibi (Ehime 1) vs. Takamatsu Shougyou (Kagawa 2)-Ikeda (Tokushima 3) winner
In the other games, Imabari Kougyou had a chance to survive as they were deadlocked 1-1 for a long time. Marugame though would bid sayonara to the Ehime representative 2-1. Kochi Shougyou was having a heck of a time in their game, but at 3-3 in the 7th Matsuyama Seiryou scored 6 to pull away. Kochishou would score 3 in the 9th, but it wasn't enough. And Ikeda finally made progress, winning 3-1.
With so many 3 seeds advancing, it would be expected that most if not all of the 1 seeds would advance. And in fact, all did... except for the one team that faced the only #2 seed left.
Nartuo and Kochi had no problems. Ikeda almost got to the semifinals and rallied late, but lost to Saibi 4-3. Tokushou was in another close game. They and Eimei were tied at 2 when Eimei scored a run in the 7th to take the lead. But in the bottom of the 9th they get to ace Akagawa scoring 2 runs for the gyakuten sayonara victory.
Tokushou would try to extend their run against Kochi, and early on the semifinals they held a 2-run lead, even after swapping 3-run innings. But Kochi would put up 2 runs in the 6th, 7th and 8th innings to win 11-7. In the other semifinal, Saibi was in full control, getting 2 insurance runs in the final 2 innings to lead 4-1. Saibi ace Anraku though didn't get the memo that he and his team needed to close out the game. Naruto would rally for 4 runs and win 5-4.
To the final where Kochi would try to preempt the deficit by getting ahead early. Naruto would have none of it and came back to level the score at 6 in the 6th. Kochi though would score 2 in the 8th giving Naruto no time to stage a rally.
The extra bid will probably go to Saibi, who had Naruto dead to rights, right until the bottom of the 9th.
Kyushu (4 bids)
- Champion - Okinawa Shougaku - Naha-shi, Okinawa (2nd title, 1st in 15 years)
- Runner-up - Seiseikou - Chuo-ku, Kumamoto-shi, Kumamoto
- 3rd Bid - Shoushikan - Shibushi-shi, Kagoshima
- 4th Bid - Souseikan - Isahaya-shi, Nagasaki
- Other Consideration - Kumamoto Kougyou, Kumamoto-shi, Kumamoto
Now all 8 top seeds would be in play, but by the end of the first round over half would go home. But not the half you may have thought.
- Kagoshima Jyouhou probably lacked experience and became Souseikan's 2nd shutout, losing by the slim margin of 1-0. (who by the way is looking to get an invitation this year after being snubbed).
- Miyazaki's Nisshou Gakuen can't be faulted for losing their game, they had to play Okinawa Shougaku. Down 4-0, they rallied late but still lost 4-2.
- Saga Kita reached the Super-Regionals again, but Shoushikan picked up the flag for Kagoshima and used a 5-run 5th to advance 7-3.
- Seiseikou wanted to prove that their appearance last year wasn't just a fluke. To that end they struck early and pulled ahead late, defeating Oita's Youshikan 6-2.
- And Miyazaki Nichidai would pull the upset on Okinawa's Ginoza, shutting them out 5-0!
Nagasaki Nichidai should have been dead to rights. Enchousen, tied at 1 in the 10th, Moji Gakuen scores 4 runs and should have the game wrapped up. Except they don't close it out! Nagasaki Nichidai scores 4 and extends the game further! I'd like to see what happened in that 10th inning. It wouldn't be until the 13th inning where Nagasaki Nichidai would score the sayonara run to win 6-5!
The only non-contested game was surprisingly Kurume Shougyou vs. Meihou. Kurushou scored 4 in the 1st inning and cruised to a 5-2 win.
The reprieve for the top seeds though wouldn't last. All 3 remaining would lose in the quarterfinals. Kurume Shougyou only went 7 against Souseikan losing 9-0. Kumamoto Kougyou had to face Okinawa Shougaku, and narrowly lost 3-2 in 10 innings. And Shoushikan used a 4-run 4th to defeat Nagasaki Nichidai 6-2. The fourth team to advance would indeed be Seiseikou as they shutout the last Nichidai team as Miyazaki would fall 3-0.
That put Souseikan in the crosshairs of Okinawa Shougaku, while Shoushikan and Seiseikou would square off in the other semi.
And neither game was close.
In fact, both would last just 7 innings and both due to a big inning. For Okishou, it was a 4-run 1st in an 8-1 win. For Seiseikou, it was a 5-run 6th in an 8-0 win.
So it'd be Okinawa Shougaku and Seiseikou in the finals, and both pretty much guaranteed a spot in Senbatsu. It would be just a matter now of who would represent Kyushu at the Meiji Jingu Tournament.
And boy was it a pitchers' duel. Seiseikou's Ootake Koutarou (大竹 耕太郎) versus the tandem of Ura Jyun (宇良 淳) and Higa Kenichirou (比嘉 健一朗). Okishou certainly had more opportunities throughout the game, but the game remained scoreless through 8. But in the top of the 9th, it all unraveled for Seiseikou. Okinawa Shougaku would put up 5 runs in the 9th and claim just their 2nd ever fall title!
Rounding out the projected 4 bids are in all probability the two semifinalists - Souseikan and Shoushikan. Yes, they still lost badly in the semifinals, but they had shutout their competition beforehand (though the quality of the opposition can be argued). Shoushikan defeated both Saga Kita and Nagasaki Nichidai and despite their blowout loss, should get in.
The only other team who could make a case would be Kumamoto Kougyou, who was the only team to actually play Okinawa Shougaku close. And bad news for Souseikan, they would probably be the team on the bubble if there were other considerations.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Fall Taikai Update - Tokyo
Tokyo (1 bid, plus 1 possible floating)
Two more weekends of play have completed and we're down to our semifinalists.
But let's see what happened to get there.
The 13th/14th saw the completion of the 2nd round and the whole 3rd round. And some of the big names were involved in wild affairs. At Akishima, Soujitsu (Waseda Jitsugyou) saw Hachiouji add an insurance run in the 9th to take a 3-1 lead. But Hachiouji couldn't close out the game, blew the lead and headed to enchousen... where they lost 4-3 the very next inning.
In Fuchuu, Souka gave up 2 runs in 3 consecutive innings to Toua Gakuen falling behind 6-2. But in the 7th and 8th they would rally for 5 runs to take a 7-6 lead. Once again, Souka would blow that lead, giving up 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th. Somehow, Souka would reply in the top of the 9th with 3 runs and finally complete the comeback 10-9!
And finally, Nichidai Tsurugaoka and Nittai Ebara were tied at 1 until 2 in the 6th and another in the 7th seemed to give Nichidai the runs they needed. But Nittai would respond with 3 of their own, tying the game and sending that game into extras! And without the benefit of an extra base hit, Nittai Ebara upsets Nichidai Tsurugaoka 4-3 in 10 innings!
For the 3rd round, of the teams that played the prior day, most favorites advanced - Seiritsu Gakuen's game was easy while Soujitsu and Souka struggled a bit against Tokyo Sougou Kouka and Meijidai Nakano-Hachiouji.
As for the teams that had the week off, Hino continued to look dominant mercy-ruling St. Paul Gakuen. Kokushikan plays catch-up the entire game and loses 4-2 to Yasuda Gakuen. Oberlin scores 4 in the 1st, but gives up5 over next the next 3 innings and goes down 5-4 to Takashima. And in another "what could be semifinal match", Iwakura held a slim 2-0 lead over Nichidai-san, but is outscored thereafter 5-1 and falls.
And oh boy, Nittai Ebara and Kokugakuin Kugayama were in a slugfest. Here's how the game went:
Here's where things get really wonky. This past weekend, Saturday's set of games had Souka up against the scary Sanko, while Hino would have to deal with the giant killers Nittai Ebara.
Souka took a 1-0 lead in the first, but saw themselves trailing 3-1 with just 3 outs to go. Somehow, they manage to pull a Sanko from last year as they rallied to tie the game and send it to enchousen. Souka couldn't immediately capitalize on the momentum and so perhaps the game would be lost. However, they do push ahead the gyakuten run in the 12th and hold on for the 4-3 win!
Then came Hino and Nittai Ebara. After trading a run in the 1st, Hino would jump out with 3 runs in the 5th. Nittai Ebara would pull within 1 in the 6th. 2 innings later, the game would collapse on Hino as Ebara would score 3 to take a 6-4 lead! Hino wouldn't be able to scramble together a quick rally and thus the Cinderella run continues!
Sunday's slate of games were nowhere near as exciting. Seiritsu Gakuen was boat-raced by Yasuda Gakuen(!) 7-0 in 7 innings, and Soujitsu never trailed defeating Takashima 6-2.
So our semifinals are set - Soujitsu and Souka will square off first, with Nittai Ebara and Yasuda Gakuen playing the matinee game.
For Nittai Ebara-Yasuda Gakuen, they will in all likelihood need to win out. Their names alone will not guarantee them the floating bid if they lose in the finals. On the other hand should they win, it's possible that the committee will look at Souka/Soujitsu as a viable candidate.
Two more weekends of play have completed and we're down to our semifinalists.
But let's see what happened to get there.
The 13th/14th saw the completion of the 2nd round and the whole 3rd round. And some of the big names were involved in wild affairs. At Akishima, Soujitsu (Waseda Jitsugyou) saw Hachiouji add an insurance run in the 9th to take a 3-1 lead. But Hachiouji couldn't close out the game, blew the lead and headed to enchousen... where they lost 4-3 the very next inning.
In Fuchuu, Souka gave up 2 runs in 3 consecutive innings to Toua Gakuen falling behind 6-2. But in the 7th and 8th they would rally for 5 runs to take a 7-6 lead. Once again, Souka would blow that lead, giving up 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th. Somehow, Souka would reply in the top of the 9th with 3 runs and finally complete the comeback 10-9!
And finally, Nichidai Tsurugaoka and Nittai Ebara were tied at 1 until 2 in the 6th and another in the 7th seemed to give Nichidai the runs they needed. But Nittai would respond with 3 of their own, tying the game and sending that game into extras! And without the benefit of an extra base hit, Nittai Ebara upsets Nichidai Tsurugaoka 4-3 in 10 innings!
For the 3rd round, of the teams that played the prior day, most favorites advanced - Seiritsu Gakuen's game was easy while Soujitsu and Souka struggled a bit against Tokyo Sougou Kouka and Meijidai Nakano-Hachiouji.
As for the teams that had the week off, Hino continued to look dominant mercy-ruling St. Paul Gakuen. Kokushikan plays catch-up the entire game and loses 4-2 to Yasuda Gakuen. Oberlin scores 4 in the 1st, but gives up5 over next the next 3 innings and goes down 5-4 to Takashima. And in another "what could be semifinal match", Iwakura held a slim 2-0 lead over Nichidai-san, but is outscored thereafter 5-1 and falls.
And oh boy, Nittai Ebara and Kokugakuin Kugayama were in a slugfest. Here's how the game went:
- Kokugakuin Kugayama 3-0 after 2,
- Nittai Ebara 4-3 after 3,
- Kokugakuin Kugayama 5-4 after 4,
- Tied after 5,
- Kokugakuin Kugayama 7-5 after 6,
Here's where things get really wonky. This past weekend, Saturday's set of games had Souka up against the scary Sanko, while Hino would have to deal with the giant killers Nittai Ebara.
Souka took a 1-0 lead in the first, but saw themselves trailing 3-1 with just 3 outs to go. Somehow, they manage to pull a Sanko from last year as they rallied to tie the game and send it to enchousen. Souka couldn't immediately capitalize on the momentum and so perhaps the game would be lost. However, they do push ahead the gyakuten run in the 12th and hold on for the 4-3 win!
Then came Hino and Nittai Ebara. After trading a run in the 1st, Hino would jump out with 3 runs in the 5th. Nittai Ebara would pull within 1 in the 6th. 2 innings later, the game would collapse on Hino as Ebara would score 3 to take a 6-4 lead! Hino wouldn't be able to scramble together a quick rally and thus the Cinderella run continues!
Sunday's slate of games were nowhere near as exciting. Seiritsu Gakuen was boat-raced by Yasuda Gakuen(!) 7-0 in 7 innings, and Soujitsu never trailed defeating Takashima 6-2.
So our semifinals are set - Soujitsu and Souka will square off first, with Nittai Ebara and Yasuda Gakuen playing the matinee game.
For Nittai Ebara-Yasuda Gakuen, they will in all likelihood need to win out. Their names alone will not guarantee them the floating bid if they lose in the finals. On the other hand should they win, it's possible that the committee will look at Souka/Soujitsu as a viable candidate.
Fall Taikai Update - Tokai & Kinki
Tokai (2 bids)
Tokai is in the semifinal stages, and we could very well be in the same situation as in the Hokushinestu Super-Regionals!
Next was a game against Touhou. A 3-run 2nd inning helped put them into the lead, but Horita would squander the lead making it 3-3 going into the final third of the game. His offense would have his back scoring 3 runs yet again. Horita wouldn't give it away again, and Tokoha Kikugawa would win 6-4.
So our semifinal matches are:
The selection committee may full one Super-Regionals with teams from one prefecture - but two? No way. Never going to happen.
So if that situation arises, you better bet that both teams will pull out all the stops to win, because that would get them a guaranteed bid while the loser may not be invited at all.
Komono and Tokoha Kikugawa better be prepared for the fight of their lives this Saturday.
Kinki (6 bids)
I'm not sure why all 8 games aren't played all on the same weekend, but oddly enough this will hurt two of the possibly favored teams:
As for the last 2 games, they will be played on Saturday with the winners playing the next day:
Tokai is in the semifinal stages, and we could very well be in the same situation as in the Hokushinestu Super-Regionals!
- Shizuoka (Shizuoka 1) vs. Winner of Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou (Gifu 2)-Tsu Shougyou (Mie 3)
- Komono (Mie 1) vs. Winner of Toyokawa (Aichi 2)-Hiryuu (Shizuoka 3)
- Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou (Gifu 1) vs. Winner of Inabe Sougou Gakuen (Mie 2)-Aichi Keisei (Aichi 3)
- Touhou (Aichi 1) vs. Winner of Tokoha Kikugawa (Shizuoka 2)-Oogaki Nichidai (Gifu 3)
Next was a game against Touhou. A 3-run 2nd inning helped put them into the lead, but Horita would squander the lead making it 3-3 going into the final third of the game. His offense would have his back scoring 3 runs yet again. Horita wouldn't give it away again, and Tokoha Kikugawa would win 6-4.
So our semifinal matches are:
- Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou (Gifu 2) vs. Komono (Mie 1)
- Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou (Gifu 1) vs. Tokoha Kikugawa (Shizuoka 2)
The selection committee may full one Super-Regionals with teams from one prefecture - but two? No way. Never going to happen.
So if that situation arises, you better bet that both teams will pull out all the stops to win, because that would get them a guaranteed bid while the loser may not be invited at all.
Komono and Tokoha Kikugawa better be prepared for the fight of their lives this Saturday.
Kinki (6 bids)
I'm not sure why all 8 games aren't played all on the same weekend, but oddly enough this will hurt two of the possibly favored teams:
- Shiga Gakuen (Shiga 2) vs. Yamato Kouryou (Nara 2)
- Chiben Wakayama (Wakayama 1) vs. Ryuukokudai Heian (Kyoto 3)
- Riseisha (Osaka 1) vs. Kansei Gakuin (Hyogo 3)
- Kyoto Shouei (Kyoto 1) vs. Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku (Hyogo 2)
- Shiritsu Wakayama (Wakayama 2) vs. Osaka Shoudai Sakai (Osaka 3)
- Houtoku Gakuen (Hyogo 1) vs. Fukuchiyama Seibi (Kyoto 2)
As for the last 2 games, they will be played on Saturday with the winners playing the next day:
- Tenri (Nara 1) vs. Kouyasan (Wakayama 3)
- Kousen (Shiga 1) vs. Osaka Touin (Osaka 2)
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Fall Taikai Update - Hokushinetsu
Hokushinetsu (2 bids)
So, let's go through the brackets first, and if you haven't identified the problem yet, I'll spell it out for you later.
So if you looked at the brackets, you'd think that the "right" teams won. Though if you put rankings in, they may seem more like an "upset".
Probably more surprising is the fact that Harue Kogyou went and defeated Matsushou Gakuen 2-1 after the showing they had against Nihon Bunri.
Rounding out the first day of quarterfinal games, home-cooking probably helped Niigata Meikun put up a 6-spot in the 8th to reverse a 2-0 deficit and win 6-3.
The other shocker was that Ueda Nishi, playing it's 3rd game in 3 days went and defeated Seiryou 4-3.
So teams had the rest of the week off before games resumed this past Saturday. Ueda Nishi got rest, but perhaps didn't want it. Against Tsuruga Kehi, they fell behind in the bottom of the 8th 1-0. Facing elimination, they found a run in the 9th to send it to enchousen (again). This time though they couldn't find the winning run and lost 2-1 in 11 innings.
Meanwhile, the #4 seed for Niigata - Niigata Meikun was leading 3-1 over Harue Kougyou and was just about ready to punch their ticket. But inexplicably things fell apart in the 8th inning and Harue put up 4 runs, turning a 2-run deficit into a 2-run advantage. Niigata Meikun couldn't put together a rally that quickly and lost 5-3.
So the Hokushinetsu final is the rematch of the Fukui final! In that first matchup, it was all Tsuruga Kehi as they blitzed Harue Kougyou 15-2.
But this time around things were much different. Ace Tsubota limited them to just 5 hits while striking out just one. And while they only managed just two more, they managed to turn that into one extra run, defeating Tsuruga Kehi for their first ever Hokushinetsu fall title.
Now if you haven't figured out what the problem is, it's this:
Will the selection committee give both of the bids from one Super-Regional to the same prefecture?
Harue Kougyou will definitely get one. But what about Tsuruga Kehi?
If the committee has no problems with it, they will invite them to come. But if they don't? Who do they pick?
Ueda Nishi played one extra game and still defeated Seiryou and narrowly lost to Tsuruga Kehi. Niigata Meikun actually led Harue Kougyou before giving up the lead late.
It's possible all teams are worthy for the spot, but Tsuruga Kehi must be kicking themselves right now because that final game was probably the most important one for them to win precisely because they were facing someone from their own prefecture.
- Champion - Harue Kougyou - Sakai-shi, Fukui (First title)
- Runner-up - Tsuruga Kehi - Tsuruga-shi, Fukui
- Other Consideration - Ueda Nishi - Ueda-shi, Nagano, Niigata Meikun - Niigata-shi, Niigata
So, let's go through the brackets first, and if you haven't identified the problem yet, I'll spell it out for you later.
So if you looked at the brackets, you'd think that the "right" teams won. Though if you put rankings in, they may seem more like an "upset".
- Takaoka Shougyou (Toyama 2) 0-3 Yuugakukan (Ishikawa 3)
- Gosen (Niigata 3) 2-3x Tsuruga Kehi (Fukui 1) - How Tsuruga Kehi barely beat Gosen I don't know...
- Shin-Minato (Toyama 3) 2-3x (10) Seiryou (Ishikawa) - Shin-Minato puts together a 2-run rally in the 9th to send it to enchousen, but this time can't finish the job.
- Ueda Nishi (Nagano 2) 1-1 (15), 6-1 Niigata Kenou Kougyou (Niigata 2) - The teams play to an exhaustive draw in their game, then have to turn around the very next day where Ueda Nishi wins easily. Probably because Ueda Nishi used 4 pitchers for the 15 inning draw while Niigata used the same 2 pitchers for each game.
- Nihon Bunri (Niigata 1) 0-15 (5 inn) Matsushou Gakuen (Nagano 3) - That was an uncharacteristic ass-kicking of a generally solid Nihon Bunri squad.
- Kanazawa Gakuin Higashi (Ishikawa 2) 4-5 Harue Kougyou (Fukui 2) - Not surprising. 2 middle-of-the-road teams play a back and forth game where Harue Kougyou scores a run in the top of the 9th to advance.
- Saku Chousei (Nagano 1) 0-3 Fukui Shougyou (Fukui 3) - Fukushou's shutout of Saku Chousei leaves Ueda Nishi as the only team left - and they needed 2 games to advance out of the 1st round!
- Niigata Meikun (Niigata 4) 4-3 Toyama Dai-ichi (Toyama 1) - Toyama is completely eliminated from the Super-Regional as the "4th place" Niigata Meikun holds off a last minute rally from Toyama Dai-ichi to advance.
Probably more surprising is the fact that Harue Kogyou went and defeated Matsushou Gakuen 2-1 after the showing they had against Nihon Bunri.
Rounding out the first day of quarterfinal games, home-cooking probably helped Niigata Meikun put up a 6-spot in the 8th to reverse a 2-0 deficit and win 6-3.
The other shocker was that Ueda Nishi, playing it's 3rd game in 3 days went and defeated Seiryou 4-3.
So teams had the rest of the week off before games resumed this past Saturday. Ueda Nishi got rest, but perhaps didn't want it. Against Tsuruga Kehi, they fell behind in the bottom of the 8th 1-0. Facing elimination, they found a run in the 9th to send it to enchousen (again). This time though they couldn't find the winning run and lost 2-1 in 11 innings.
Meanwhile, the #4 seed for Niigata - Niigata Meikun was leading 3-1 over Harue Kougyou and was just about ready to punch their ticket. But inexplicably things fell apart in the 8th inning and Harue put up 4 runs, turning a 2-run deficit into a 2-run advantage. Niigata Meikun couldn't put together a rally that quickly and lost 5-3.
So the Hokushinetsu final is the rematch of the Fukui final! In that first matchup, it was all Tsuruga Kehi as they blitzed Harue Kougyou 15-2.
But this time around things were much different. Ace Tsubota limited them to just 5 hits while striking out just one. And while they only managed just two more, they managed to turn that into one extra run, defeating Tsuruga Kehi for their first ever Hokushinetsu fall title.
Now if you haven't figured out what the problem is, it's this:
Will the selection committee give both of the bids from one Super-Regional to the same prefecture?
Harue Kougyou will definitely get one. But what about Tsuruga Kehi?
If the committee has no problems with it, they will invite them to come. But if they don't? Who do they pick?
Ueda Nishi played one extra game and still defeated Seiryou and narrowly lost to Tsuruga Kehi. Niigata Meikun actually led Harue Kougyou before giving up the lead late.
It's possible all teams are worthy for the spot, but Tsuruga Kehi must be kicking themselves right now because that final game was probably the most important one for them to win precisely because they were facing someone from their own prefecture.
Fall Taikai Quick Recap (Kyushu)
Kyushu will have their regular 4 teams for Senbatsu. They, along with Shikoku, will be the last Super-Regional to take place. Nagasaki will be the host, and thus will have 4 representatives for the Super-Regionals.
Fukuoka
Fukuoka has 2 stages for their prefectural, but their 1st stage narrows the field down to 8.
In the Hokubu Regionals, no surprise that Kyushu Kokusaidai Fuzoku advanced, same goes for Iidzuka (who defeated Jiyuugaoka 7-3 in the final). Over down south in the Nanbu Regionals, Higashi-Fukuoka and Chikuyou Gakuen also advanced.
So onto the quarterfinals, and on Day 1, Iidzuka advanced with little issue over Nogata while Higashi-Fukuoka were upended by Kurume Shougyou.
Meanwhile, Moji Gakuen were able to rebound after Fukuokadai Oohori tied the game in the 9th to win 3-2 in 10. But more surprising was that Chikuyou Gakuen fired a winning shot in the 9th to defeat Kyukoku 6-5!
The upsets continued into the semifinals where Iidzuka and Chikuyou Gakuen never led in their semifinal matches, thus putting Kurume Shougyou and Moji Gakuen into the finals!
Kurume Shougyou would clinch the title with a 4-0 shutout, but both teams will advance to the Super-Regionals.
Saga
Ok, for as much crap I give Saga Kita because they crushed my dear Kouryou at Natsu Koushien so mercilessly they are a private school, and as a private school generally have better odds of being a good team - and they are.
Despite not being a seeded team, they defeated Karatsu Shougyou and Saga Shougyou on their way to the finals.
On the other half, Saga Gakuen probably was one of the favorites, but Kanzaki Seimei put a stop to that with a 8-1 mercy rule win and went through the rest of the bracket to the finals.
In the finals, Saga Kita put pressure on Kanzaki Seimei all game and had never trailed. That was until a 3-spot in the 7th gave Kanzaki the 5-4 lead.
But they couldn't close it out. Saga Kita would tie the game in the 8th, and pull ahead in the 9th for a 6-5 win for their 2nd consecutive fall title (9th overall).
Nagasaki
Nagasaki was a tale of two halves - of the bracket that is...
One one side, it was all chalk. Sasebo Jitsugyou and Nagasaki Nichidai barreled towards each other in a semifinal matchup. In that matchup, the teams just combined for 6 total hits (2 and 4 respectively). The difference though was probably the errors. Sasebo Jitsugyou committed 4 errors in the game as Nagasaki Nichidai went on to a 3-0 win and a spot in the Super-Regionals.
The other half saw things shaken up. Seihou, who wasn't seeded never had to face seeded Sasebo Shougyou but wound up giving up 3 runs in the 8th and losing to Souseikan, who themselves were passed up not too long ago in the selection process due to a bad semifinal game.
Meanwhile, Hasami continues to show good strength and despite also being unseeded defeated a seeded Nagasaki Sougou Kagaku but couldn't survive a shootout against unknown Isahaya.
Isahaya continued their cinderella run, defeating Souseikan 5-3 to reach the finals. Their dreams for a fall title would end though as Nagasaki Nichidai easily handled them 9-2 for their 12th fall title (and first since 2007).
Oita
In Oita, outside of a slow start by some teams, Oita Nishi, Meihou, Youshikan and Touin all reached the semis without much trouble.
Meihou would blank Oita Nishi 2-0, and in a bit of a shocker, Youshikan limited Touin to just 1 run in a 3-1 victory assuring them only their 3rd trip to the Super-Regionals!
Of course, facing Meihou, there were expected to finish as the runner-up. But instead they outscored Meihou 5-1 in the final 3 innings to win 6-3, thus claiming their 2nd ever fall title! (Their last appearance and title were 19 years ago)
Miyazaki
There were a lot of regulars back in the seeded ranks of the Miyazaki taikai. Nichinan Gakuen, Nobeoka Gakuen and Nisshou Gakuen specifically.
Nichinan Gakuen though lost in the semifinals to Miyazaki Gakuen - a bit of an upset as ace Ryou failed to close the game in the bottom of the 9th, giving up 3 runs and losing 3-2. Miyazaki Gakuen in turn would lose to familiar Miyazaki Nichidai in the quarterfinals. Nobeoka Gakuen was able to advance despite having to play St. Ursula and Miyakonojyou Shougyou.
Unknown Houshou was the last seeded team, but couldn't get past Nobeoka Kougyou in the 3rd round.
The semifinals saw Nisshou Gakuen advance easily past Takanabe (who had advanced out of Houshou's bracket), while a 4-spot in the 6th sent Miyazaki Nichidai to the title. Nisshou Gakuen would claim the top spot with an easy 12-5 win.
Kumamoto
I liked the story of Seiseikou. I had kind of wished they'd go further at Koushien, but there's not a lot you can do when you have to face Osaka Touin...
But it does look like they've been able to brunt the loss of players and outside of a 4-1 win over Kumamoto Shougyou, were able to easily reach the finals - denying Jyouhoku in the semifinals again (Hitsuyuukan did it in the Natsu taikai).
Meanwhile, Kumamoto Kougyou had to navigate a minefield to advance through the brackets. After an uncharacteristic blowout over Shuugakukan, they played the aforementioned Hitsuyuukan, then went 10 innings against Kumamoto Kokufu and a surging Kumamoto Kita to reach the finals themselves.
Seiseikou will go to the Super-Regionals, but as the 2nd seed as Kumamoto Kougyou summits the top with an easy 6-0 win.
Kagoshima
Kamimura Gakuen had looked to continue to prove they're still the top dog in the prefecture advancing out of their quadrant without opposition. Things looked even better when their main blockade to the Super-Regionals, Kagoshima Jitsugyou, fell to Shoushikan 3-2 in the 3rd round. But then they annihilated Kagoshima Jyousai in the quarterfinals and there was probably cause for concern.
Rightly so as Kamimura Gakuen would wind up losing 3-1. Meanwhile, on the other side, Shounan and Kagoshima Jyouhou did have a hiccup along the way, but digested teams en route to a semifinal showdown. That became a defensive affair as Kagoshima Jyouhou outscored Shounan 2-1 in the first 3 innings, then held serve the rest of the way.
In the finals, Kagoshima Jyouhou would limit Shounan to just 1 run on 5 hits and take the fall title 2-1.
Okinawa
I really wished Maebara had won last summer. It seemed like a one-shot deal.
It was. Against Misato in the first round they lost 4-1... *sighs* oh well...
Instead, the Okinawa taikai was filled with the usual suspects - Miyako, Kadena, Ginoza, Okinawa Shougaku, Kounan, and even the aforementioned Misato.
There is little to go on outside of scores, and the final 4 consisted of 4 regulars. Miyako scored in the top of the 1st to take the lead, but were forced to play catch-up the rest of the game. They would fall short, losing 5-4.
Kounan and Okinawa Shougyou by name alone implied a hard-fought game, and it was. Okinawa Shougaku took a 2-0 lead over Kounan before Uehara blasted a HR to tie the game. The deadlock would not be decided until the 10th when Okinawa Shougyou pushed in the go-ahead run to advance to the finals.
And in the finals, it looked like the semifinal game took a lot out of Okishou as Ginoza took the lead in the 1st and won wire-to-wire 5-3 to earn their 4th ever title - their first in 10 years (it's their 8th appearance overall).
Super-Regionals
The draw for the Super-Regionals are as follows:
It will be a border battle in the 3rd round probably as Saga Kita will be playing on Nagasaki Nichidai's home turf.
Okinawa Shougaku is back in the mix for Senbatsu, but Kumamoto Kougyou looms large in the pivotal 3rd round.
Fukuoka
Fukuoka has 2 stages for their prefectural, but their 1st stage narrows the field down to 8.
In the Hokubu Regionals, no surprise that Kyushu Kokusaidai Fuzoku advanced, same goes for Iidzuka (who defeated Jiyuugaoka 7-3 in the final). Over down south in the Nanbu Regionals, Higashi-Fukuoka and Chikuyou Gakuen also advanced.
So onto the quarterfinals, and on Day 1, Iidzuka advanced with little issue over Nogata while Higashi-Fukuoka were upended by Kurume Shougyou.
Meanwhile, Moji Gakuen were able to rebound after Fukuokadai Oohori tied the game in the 9th to win 3-2 in 10. But more surprising was that Chikuyou Gakuen fired a winning shot in the 9th to defeat Kyukoku 6-5!
The upsets continued into the semifinals where Iidzuka and Chikuyou Gakuen never led in their semifinal matches, thus putting Kurume Shougyou and Moji Gakuen into the finals!
Kurume Shougyou would clinch the title with a 4-0 shutout, but both teams will advance to the Super-Regionals.
Saga
Ok, for as much crap I give Saga Kita because they crushed my dear Kouryou at Natsu Koushien so mercilessly they are a private school, and as a private school generally have better odds of being a good team - and they are.
Despite not being a seeded team, they defeated Karatsu Shougyou and Saga Shougyou on their way to the finals.
On the other half, Saga Gakuen probably was one of the favorites, but Kanzaki Seimei put a stop to that with a 8-1 mercy rule win and went through the rest of the bracket to the finals.
In the finals, Saga Kita put pressure on Kanzaki Seimei all game and had never trailed. That was until a 3-spot in the 7th gave Kanzaki the 5-4 lead.
But they couldn't close it out. Saga Kita would tie the game in the 8th, and pull ahead in the 9th for a 6-5 win for their 2nd consecutive fall title (9th overall).
Nagasaki
Nagasaki was a tale of two halves - of the bracket that is...
One one side, it was all chalk. Sasebo Jitsugyou and Nagasaki Nichidai barreled towards each other in a semifinal matchup. In that matchup, the teams just combined for 6 total hits (2 and 4 respectively). The difference though was probably the errors. Sasebo Jitsugyou committed 4 errors in the game as Nagasaki Nichidai went on to a 3-0 win and a spot in the Super-Regionals.
The other half saw things shaken up. Seihou, who wasn't seeded never had to face seeded Sasebo Shougyou but wound up giving up 3 runs in the 8th and losing to Souseikan, who themselves were passed up not too long ago in the selection process due to a bad semifinal game.
Meanwhile, Hasami continues to show good strength and despite also being unseeded defeated a seeded Nagasaki Sougou Kagaku but couldn't survive a shootout against unknown Isahaya.
Isahaya continued their cinderella run, defeating Souseikan 5-3 to reach the finals. Their dreams for a fall title would end though as Nagasaki Nichidai easily handled them 9-2 for their 12th fall title (and first since 2007).
Oita
In Oita, outside of a slow start by some teams, Oita Nishi, Meihou, Youshikan and Touin all reached the semis without much trouble.
Meihou would blank Oita Nishi 2-0, and in a bit of a shocker, Youshikan limited Touin to just 1 run in a 3-1 victory assuring them only their 3rd trip to the Super-Regionals!
Of course, facing Meihou, there were expected to finish as the runner-up. But instead they outscored Meihou 5-1 in the final 3 innings to win 6-3, thus claiming their 2nd ever fall title! (Their last appearance and title were 19 years ago)
Miyazaki
There were a lot of regulars back in the seeded ranks of the Miyazaki taikai. Nichinan Gakuen, Nobeoka Gakuen and Nisshou Gakuen specifically.
Nichinan Gakuen though lost in the semifinals to Miyazaki Gakuen - a bit of an upset as ace Ryou failed to close the game in the bottom of the 9th, giving up 3 runs and losing 3-2. Miyazaki Gakuen in turn would lose to familiar Miyazaki Nichidai in the quarterfinals. Nobeoka Gakuen was able to advance despite having to play St. Ursula and Miyakonojyou Shougyou.
Unknown Houshou was the last seeded team, but couldn't get past Nobeoka Kougyou in the 3rd round.
The semifinals saw Nisshou Gakuen advance easily past Takanabe (who had advanced out of Houshou's bracket), while a 4-spot in the 6th sent Miyazaki Nichidai to the title. Nisshou Gakuen would claim the top spot with an easy 12-5 win.
Kumamoto
I liked the story of Seiseikou. I had kind of wished they'd go further at Koushien, but there's not a lot you can do when you have to face Osaka Touin...
But it does look like they've been able to brunt the loss of players and outside of a 4-1 win over Kumamoto Shougyou, were able to easily reach the finals - denying Jyouhoku in the semifinals again (Hitsuyuukan did it in the Natsu taikai).
Meanwhile, Kumamoto Kougyou had to navigate a minefield to advance through the brackets. After an uncharacteristic blowout over Shuugakukan, they played the aforementioned Hitsuyuukan, then went 10 innings against Kumamoto Kokufu and a surging Kumamoto Kita to reach the finals themselves.
Seiseikou will go to the Super-Regionals, but as the 2nd seed as Kumamoto Kougyou summits the top with an easy 6-0 win.
Kagoshima
Kamimura Gakuen had looked to continue to prove they're still the top dog in the prefecture advancing out of their quadrant without opposition. Things looked even better when their main blockade to the Super-Regionals, Kagoshima Jitsugyou, fell to Shoushikan 3-2 in the 3rd round. But then they annihilated Kagoshima Jyousai in the quarterfinals and there was probably cause for concern.
Rightly so as Kamimura Gakuen would wind up losing 3-1. Meanwhile, on the other side, Shounan and Kagoshima Jyouhou did have a hiccup along the way, but digested teams en route to a semifinal showdown. That became a defensive affair as Kagoshima Jyouhou outscored Shounan 2-1 in the first 3 innings, then held serve the rest of the way.
In the finals, Kagoshima Jyouhou would limit Shounan to just 1 run on 5 hits and take the fall title 2-1.
Okinawa
I really wished Maebara had won last summer. It seemed like a one-shot deal.
It was. Against Misato in the first round they lost 4-1... *sighs* oh well...
Instead, the Okinawa taikai was filled with the usual suspects - Miyako, Kadena, Ginoza, Okinawa Shougaku, Kounan, and even the aforementioned Misato.
There is little to go on outside of scores, and the final 4 consisted of 4 regulars. Miyako scored in the top of the 1st to take the lead, but were forced to play catch-up the rest of the game. They would fall short, losing 5-4.
Kounan and Okinawa Shougyou by name alone implied a hard-fought game, and it was. Okinawa Shougaku took a 2-0 lead over Kounan before Uehara blasted a HR to tie the game. The deadlock would not be decided until the 10th when Okinawa Shougyou pushed in the go-ahead run to advance to the finals.
And in the finals, it looked like the semifinal game took a lot out of Okishou as Ginoza took the lead in the 1st and won wire-to-wire 5-3 to earn their 4th ever title - their first in 10 years (it's their 8th appearance overall).
Super-Regionals
The draw for the Super-Regionals are as follows:
- Kagoshima Jyouhou (Kagoshima 1) vs. Winner of Kanzaki Seimei (Saga 2)-Souseikan (Nagasaki 3/4)
- Kurume Shougyou (Fukuoka 1) vs. Meihou (Oita 2)
- Kumamoto Kougyou (Kumamoto 1) vs. Isahaya (Nagasaki 2)
- Nisshou Gakuen (Miyazaki 1) vs. Okinawa Shougaku (Okinawa 2)
- Nagasaki Nichidai (Nagasaki 1) vs. Moji Gakuen (Fukuoka 2)
- Saga Kita (Saga 1) vs. Soushikan (Kagoshima 2)
- Youshikan (Oita 1) vs. Seiseikou (Kumamoto 2)
- Ginowan (Okinawa 1) vs. Winner of Miyazaki Nichidai (Miyazaki 2)-Sasebo Jitsugyou (Nagasaki 3/4)
It will be a border battle in the 3rd round probably as Saga Kita will be playing on Nagasaki Nichidai's home turf.
Okinawa Shougaku is back in the mix for Senbatsu, but Kumamoto Kougyou looms large in the pivotal 3rd round.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Fall Taikai Quick Recap (Chuugoku & Shikoku)
Chuugoku (3 bids)
With an extra bid this year at stake, teams are more than ever focusing on this fall taikai for a chance to get to Koushien. The tournament is being held in Yamaguchi-ken this year, so they will get the 4th bid this time around.
Tottori
Tottori Jyouhoku, looking for a return ticket to Koushien, looked strong in its first couple of games, but wound up falling behind to Yonago Kita right off the get-go in the semifinals, and never recovered, falling 4-3.
Meanwhile, Yonago Shouin was working from the depths of the bracket (relatively speaking as there are just 24 teams) barely getting by Yonago Higashi and Tottori Nishi to reach the finals.
In those finals, they were outs away from upsetting Yonago Kita for the title, but surrendered a 2-0 lead in the 9th and would have to win it in extras. They almost did in the 12th when they plated a run, but once again the defense couldn't close out the game. Alas, in the 14th inning Yonago Kita scored the sayonara run and claimed the title.
Tottori Jyouhoku would claim the final spot, needing a 3-spot in the 9th inning to defeat Tottori Nishi 5-2.
Okayama
Okayama's prefectural taikai wound up being a predominantly low-scoring affair. Kurashiki Shougyou, Okayama's natsu representative, looked to reload for the new season. But after a 3-2 sayonara quarterfinal win over Okayama Ridai Fuzoku in 11 innings, it didn't look too good. And in fact it was as they fell to Kanzei (who themselves were reloading from a very successful 2011) 3-1.
Kanzei themselves though were facing very close games. In fact, that 3-1 win over Kurashiki Shougyou was their largest margin of victory, defeating Tamano Kounan 3-2, then walking off on Okayama Higashi Shougyou 2-1.
Their eventual opponent in the finals, Tamashima Shougyou, had it no better - not necessarily in the margin of victory, but that all their games prior to the final were enchousen affairs:
Koujyoukan almost took the 3rd spot, but let Kurashiki Shougyou rally late for the 4-3 win.
Shimane
Last year's Risshoudai Shounan appears to have been yet another 1-year wonder as the reached the 2nd stage, but fell 2-0 to Matsue Shougyou. Kaisei, the main elephant in the prefecture, only got one round further, losing in the 2nd stage final (by mercy rule!) to Shimane Chuo 8-0 in 7 innings! And Iwamichisuikan, who had made a deep run last year fell in the same round 2-0 to Hamada. Joining them in the semifinals would be Masuda Higashi and Masuda Shouyou.
From here on out, all the games wound up being decided by one run. Hamada would score the only run in the ballgame in the 4th to defeat Shimane Chuo. Masuda Shouyou had to rally twice to defeat Masuda Higashi 6-5 to secure a spot in the Super-Regionals. And in the finals they again rallied, this time in the final 3 innings of regulation as Hamada struggled to find someone to close the game. Hamada looked to close it out again, scoring a run over reliever Terado in the 12th, but their own reliever Ogose couldn't seal the deal, giving the run back. One inning later, Masuda Shouyou would score the sayonara run to win the title. Meanwhile, Masuda Higashi couldn't recover from the semfinal loss and failed to qualify, giving the spot to Shimane Chuo 2-1.
Hiroshima
In Hiroshima, once again Kouryou and Jyosuikan were placed in the same half of the bracket, meaning that there was yet another guaranteed spot as long as you reach the finals.
That spot would be taken by Soutoku who broke a scoreless deadlock against Setouchi in the 12th with a pair of runs, then had to hold off a counter-attack to win 2-1.
Meanwhile, Kouryou looked to have the championship in hand, leading Jyousuikan 4-1 going into the bottom of the 9th. But Shimoishi collapsed with just 3 outs to go, losing the game 5-4. Kouryou managed to turn the tables on Setouchi in the 3rd place game, scoring 3 in the 8th to reverse a 3-2 deficit to win 5-3.
Jyosuikan though must have taken the finals against Soutoku lightly as they never led, using 6 different pitchers in a 5-2 loss - almost guaranteeing that the two stalwarts of the prefecture will fall to opposite sides of the Super-Regionals.
Yamaguchi
Feel good story Ube Koujyou would have liked to gotten back to Koushien, but found themselves with an early matchup against young Hayatomo, and lost 7-4.
The road got no easier for Hayatomo. After a brief respite against Hagi, they rallied against Nanyou Kougyou, winning 6-5 in 11. Then they held off Ube Kougyou winning 6-4 to reach the finals.
Their opponent would be the unlikely Iwakuni Shougyou who pulled off the 3-2 upset of Iwakuni. They used that momentum 2 days later to defeat Hayatomo to claim only their 2nd ever fall title! (Their other one was in 1981!).
Iwakuni and Ube Kougyou thankfully would not have to fight for the final bid as they qualify 4 this year. But placement still may matter, and to that end Iwakuni led wire-to-wire - but still had to hold off a late charge to win 6-5.
Shikoku (3 bids)
Tokushima
Looks like Naruto has emerged as the dominant team in Tokushima. They completely blew through the brackets and never trailed in the prefecturals. They were challenged by Tokushima Shougyou in the finals when they scored 3 in the 8th to tie the game in the 8th. Naruto reclaimed the lead with a run in the bottom half and won 6-5.
Tokushima Shougyou actually had a tougher road, having to face Naruto Uzushio and Komatsushima on their road to the finals.
Rounding out the field is an Ikeda squad looking to give it's school relevance in the 2000s. They defeated Seikou Gakuen 11-4.
Kagawa
Kagawa went pretty much scratch, even though some of those teams struggled a bit advancing in the fall taikai. For instance, Takamatsu Shougyou barely beat Ootemae Takamatsu 7-6 in their very first game.
Joining Takashou would be Marugame and Jinsei Gakuen who had a much easier time of advancing to the semifinals.
The final team would be Eimei, who this time around wasn't ranked and had the benefit of a weaker road to the semifinals. They, along with Takashou would advance to the finals as each would handily defeat the two teams that had cruised to this point.
And in the finals, it would be the unseeded Eimei who would win, scoring 2 in the 10th inning as their ace Akagawa throws a shutout for the win.
In the battle for 3rd, Marugame allowed Jinsei Gakuen to rally twice, but somehow still managed to score 2 in the bottom of the 9th for the sayonara 6-5 win.
Ehime
There were several usual subjects who advanced to the Ehime prefecturals. Saibi, Uwajima Higahi, Imabari Nishi, Nitta, Teikyou Dai-go and Kawanoe all advanced. Saijyou was not as fortunate, but that was because they were in the same sub-bracket with Imabari Nishi.
Kawanoe had to face Saibi in the first round, and lost - along with Imabari Nishi (to Imabari Kougyou no less) and Teikyou Dai-go. Imabari Kougyou would take down another named team in Nitta. Uwajima Higashi fell to Matsuyama Seiryou, which meant that only Saibi was the only favored team left.
And Saibi would have to face the very same Matsuyama Seiryou for a spot in the finals...
In that game, Matsuyama Seiryou had an answer for every Saibi score matching them run for run in three consecutive innings, forcing the game into enchousen tied at 4. In the 12th, Matsuyama Seiryou scored a run and actually threatened to upset the last major team remaining. But Saibi found a way to level the score yet again. Finally, in the 14th inning, Saibi would score the sayonara run to advance to the finals.
Their opponent would be the other giant killer - Imabari Kougyou. They dispatched Tanbara 8-1.
Imabari Kouyou would again give Saibi all it could handle taking the lead in the 4th with a run before Saibi tied it up in the bottom half of the inning. It would stay at 1 until the 9th when Imabari Kougyou score yet another run, and was on the precipice of winning the tournament. But ace Itou and his team perhaps let the moment get to them as Saibi rallied for 2 to claim only their 3rd ever fall title (and first since 2005).
As for the 3rd place game, Matsuyama Seiryou would have to play catch-up against Tanbara. This time around though, they took the lead earlier on with a 3-spot in the 6th, and held on for the 6-4 win and the last spot.
Kochi
Kochi completely destroyed the field this fall taikai. How much? How about a run differential of 60 in just 5 games, and the narrowest margin of victory of 4 runs (against Tosa).
Is it also not surprising that the team that would finish 2nd would be Kochi Shougyou? They only had a run differential of 22, which included -6 from the final against Kochi.
So the battle was for 3rd place. The aforementioned Tosa would have to face a Kochi Minami team which had upset Meitoku Gijyuku earlier in the taikai 3-2 in 13 innings. Kochi Minami took the lead early, but Tosa kept it close and would up tying and pulling away late for a 10-6 win.
With an extra bid this year at stake, teams are more than ever focusing on this fall taikai for a chance to get to Koushien. The tournament is being held in Yamaguchi-ken this year, so they will get the 4th bid this time around.
Tottori
Tottori Jyouhoku, looking for a return ticket to Koushien, looked strong in its first couple of games, but wound up falling behind to Yonago Kita right off the get-go in the semifinals, and never recovered, falling 4-3.
Meanwhile, Yonago Shouin was working from the depths of the bracket (relatively speaking as there are just 24 teams) barely getting by Yonago Higashi and Tottori Nishi to reach the finals.
In those finals, they were outs away from upsetting Yonago Kita for the title, but surrendered a 2-0 lead in the 9th and would have to win it in extras. They almost did in the 12th when they plated a run, but once again the defense couldn't close out the game. Alas, in the 14th inning Yonago Kita scored the sayonara run and claimed the title.
Tottori Jyouhoku would claim the final spot, needing a 3-spot in the 9th inning to defeat Tottori Nishi 5-2.
Okayama
Okayama's prefectural taikai wound up being a predominantly low-scoring affair. Kurashiki Shougyou, Okayama's natsu representative, looked to reload for the new season. But after a 3-2 sayonara quarterfinal win over Okayama Ridai Fuzoku in 11 innings, it didn't look too good. And in fact it was as they fell to Kanzei (who themselves were reloading from a very successful 2011) 3-1.
Kanzei themselves though were facing very close games. In fact, that 3-1 win over Kurashiki Shougyou was their largest margin of victory, defeating Tamano Kounan 3-2, then walking off on Okayama Higashi Shougyou 2-1.
Their eventual opponent in the finals, Tamashima Shougyou, had it no better - not necessarily in the margin of victory, but that all their games prior to the final were enchousen affairs:
- 4-3 in 11 innings over Okayama Shoudai Fuzoku
- 2x-1 in 10 innings over Soushi Gakuen
- 3-0 in 11 innings over Koujyoukan
Koujyoukan almost took the 3rd spot, but let Kurashiki Shougyou rally late for the 4-3 win.
Shimane
Last year's Risshoudai Shounan appears to have been yet another 1-year wonder as the reached the 2nd stage, but fell 2-0 to Matsue Shougyou. Kaisei, the main elephant in the prefecture, only got one round further, losing in the 2nd stage final (by mercy rule!) to Shimane Chuo 8-0 in 7 innings! And Iwamichisuikan, who had made a deep run last year fell in the same round 2-0 to Hamada. Joining them in the semifinals would be Masuda Higashi and Masuda Shouyou.
From here on out, all the games wound up being decided by one run. Hamada would score the only run in the ballgame in the 4th to defeat Shimane Chuo. Masuda Shouyou had to rally twice to defeat Masuda Higashi 6-5 to secure a spot in the Super-Regionals. And in the finals they again rallied, this time in the final 3 innings of regulation as Hamada struggled to find someone to close the game. Hamada looked to close it out again, scoring a run over reliever Terado in the 12th, but their own reliever Ogose couldn't seal the deal, giving the run back. One inning later, Masuda Shouyou would score the sayonara run to win the title. Meanwhile, Masuda Higashi couldn't recover from the semfinal loss and failed to qualify, giving the spot to Shimane Chuo 2-1.
Hiroshima
In Hiroshima, once again Kouryou and Jyosuikan were placed in the same half of the bracket, meaning that there was yet another guaranteed spot as long as you reach the finals.
That spot would be taken by Soutoku who broke a scoreless deadlock against Setouchi in the 12th with a pair of runs, then had to hold off a counter-attack to win 2-1.
Meanwhile, Kouryou looked to have the championship in hand, leading Jyousuikan 4-1 going into the bottom of the 9th. But Shimoishi collapsed with just 3 outs to go, losing the game 5-4. Kouryou managed to turn the tables on Setouchi in the 3rd place game, scoring 3 in the 8th to reverse a 3-2 deficit to win 5-3.
Jyosuikan though must have taken the finals against Soutoku lightly as they never led, using 6 different pitchers in a 5-2 loss - almost guaranteeing that the two stalwarts of the prefecture will fall to opposite sides of the Super-Regionals.
Yamaguchi
Feel good story Ube Koujyou would have liked to gotten back to Koushien, but found themselves with an early matchup against young Hayatomo, and lost 7-4.
The road got no easier for Hayatomo. After a brief respite against Hagi, they rallied against Nanyou Kougyou, winning 6-5 in 11. Then they held off Ube Kougyou winning 6-4 to reach the finals.
Their opponent would be the unlikely Iwakuni Shougyou who pulled off the 3-2 upset of Iwakuni. They used that momentum 2 days later to defeat Hayatomo to claim only their 2nd ever fall title! (Their other one was in 1981!).
Iwakuni and Ube Kougyou thankfully would not have to fight for the final bid as they qualify 4 this year. But placement still may matter, and to that end Iwakuni led wire-to-wire - but still had to hold off a late charge to win 6-5.
Shikoku (3 bids)
Tokushima
Looks like Naruto has emerged as the dominant team in Tokushima. They completely blew through the brackets and never trailed in the prefecturals. They were challenged by Tokushima Shougyou in the finals when they scored 3 in the 8th to tie the game in the 8th. Naruto reclaimed the lead with a run in the bottom half and won 6-5.
Tokushima Shougyou actually had a tougher road, having to face Naruto Uzushio and Komatsushima on their road to the finals.
Rounding out the field is an Ikeda squad looking to give it's school relevance in the 2000s. They defeated Seikou Gakuen 11-4.
Kagawa
Kagawa went pretty much scratch, even though some of those teams struggled a bit advancing in the fall taikai. For instance, Takamatsu Shougyou barely beat Ootemae Takamatsu 7-6 in their very first game.
Joining Takashou would be Marugame and Jinsei Gakuen who had a much easier time of advancing to the semifinals.
The final team would be Eimei, who this time around wasn't ranked and had the benefit of a weaker road to the semifinals. They, along with Takashou would advance to the finals as each would handily defeat the two teams that had cruised to this point.
And in the finals, it would be the unseeded Eimei who would win, scoring 2 in the 10th inning as their ace Akagawa throws a shutout for the win.
In the battle for 3rd, Marugame allowed Jinsei Gakuen to rally twice, but somehow still managed to score 2 in the bottom of the 9th for the sayonara 6-5 win.
Ehime
There were several usual subjects who advanced to the Ehime prefecturals. Saibi, Uwajima Higahi, Imabari Nishi, Nitta, Teikyou Dai-go and Kawanoe all advanced. Saijyou was not as fortunate, but that was because they were in the same sub-bracket with Imabari Nishi.
Kawanoe had to face Saibi in the first round, and lost - along with Imabari Nishi (to Imabari Kougyou no less) and Teikyou Dai-go. Imabari Kougyou would take down another named team in Nitta. Uwajima Higashi fell to Matsuyama Seiryou, which meant that only Saibi was the only favored team left.
And Saibi would have to face the very same Matsuyama Seiryou for a spot in the finals...
In that game, Matsuyama Seiryou had an answer for every Saibi score matching them run for run in three consecutive innings, forcing the game into enchousen tied at 4. In the 12th, Matsuyama Seiryou scored a run and actually threatened to upset the last major team remaining. But Saibi found a way to level the score yet again. Finally, in the 14th inning, Saibi would score the sayonara run to advance to the finals.
Their opponent would be the other giant killer - Imabari Kougyou. They dispatched Tanbara 8-1.
Imabari Kouyou would again give Saibi all it could handle taking the lead in the 4th with a run before Saibi tied it up in the bottom half of the inning. It would stay at 1 until the 9th when Imabari Kougyou score yet another run, and was on the precipice of winning the tournament. But ace Itou and his team perhaps let the moment get to them as Saibi rallied for 2 to claim only their 3rd ever fall title (and first since 2005).
As for the 3rd place game, Matsuyama Seiryou would have to play catch-up against Tanbara. This time around though, they took the lead earlier on with a 3-spot in the 6th, and held on for the 6-4 win and the last spot.
Kochi
Kochi completely destroyed the field this fall taikai. How much? How about a run differential of 60 in just 5 games, and the narrowest margin of victory of 4 runs (against Tosa).
Is it also not surprising that the team that would finish 2nd would be Kochi Shougyou? They only had a run differential of 22, which included -6 from the final against Kochi.
So the battle was for 3rd place. The aforementioned Tosa would have to face a Kochi Minami team which had upset Meitoku Gijyuku earlier in the taikai 3-2 in 13 innings. Kochi Minami took the lead early, but Tosa kept it close and would up tying and pulling away late for a 10-6 win.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Fall Taikai Quick Recap (Tokai & Kinki)
Tokai (3 bids)
Shizuoka
There were a lot of familiar players in the Shizuoka prefecturals. The natsu representative, Tokoha Tachibana reached the prefecturals, but but fell 4-3 to Hiryuu. I don't know much about them, but they worked their way from almost the bottom of one of the losers' brackets in the Toubu Regionals to qualify, then defeated the aforementioned Tokoha Tachibana, and narrowly lost to Tokoha Kikugawa 7-6 in the semifinals.
However, they kept their Koushien hopes alive with an 8-4 win in the consolation game over Shizoka Gakuen.
That was unfortunate for them as they were the 2nd team to give Shizuoka difficulty in the prefecturals, losing by the score of 2-1. Numadzu Higashi gave them a big headache right off the bat, holding them to just 1 run in a 1-0 loss.
Otherwise they had little difficulty, especially in the championship game against Tokoha Kikugawa, routing them 14-1.
Aichi
Aichi appears to be undergoing a bit of change this year. Aikoudai Meiden without their ace Hamada falls in the 3rd round 1-0 to Yatomi. That opened the door for Touhou to breeze through their quadrant. And Shigakukan's 4-0 loss to Nagoya Kokusai in the quarterfinals almost assured them of a spot in the Super-Regional. Still, Nagoya Kokusai gave them a great fight losing 7-5.
On the other half, Chuukyoudai Chuukyou looked to start a revival of their prior success posting two double-digit run totals, but was stymied in the quarterfinals against Toyokawa, losing 2-1. Toyokawa in fact looked really good reaching the finals, but falling 9-0 to Touhou.
And in the consolation game Aichi Keisei, who lost to Toyokawa, took the final bid with an 11-7 win over Nagoya Kokusai.
Gifu
In Gifu, there are almost 3 certainties - Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou, Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou and Oogaki Nichidai.
And who advanced? Yep, Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou, Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou and Oogaki Nichidai.
Kengifushou pretty much dominated the prefecturals, allowing just one run to Fujimi Kougyou in their opening game all the way to the finals where they faced their city counterpart. Shigifushou did not have as easy a road taking 13 innings to defeat Teikyoudai Fujimi in the semifinals, edging Nagara 2-1 before that and a 2-0 win over Gifu Kakamino.
Despite all that though, they apparently get up for the rivalry matchup of commercial schools going 11 innings before falling 4-3.
Oogaki Nichidai slides into the 3rd and final bid after barely getting by Minokamo in the quarterfinals, and then doing the same to Teikyoudai Fujimi in the 3rd place game holding off a late surge.
Mie
It looks like Mie is in one of those rebuilding phases at this point which means it opens the prefecture up to the rest of the field. For the record, Mie wound up losing in the quarterfinals to Inabe Sougou Gakuen 7-0.
In fact, Inabe Sougou Gakuen didn't yield a run until the 7th inning of championship game, which was somewhat unfortunate as they wound up not giving up 1, but 4 runs to Komono losing 4-3. Komono had only been challenged one other game, and that was a 1-0 nailbiter against Ujiyamada Shougyou.
Tsu Shougyou would claim the last bid with a dominating 10-2 win over Hisai.
Super-Regionals
The draw for the Super-Regional is out and games will commence on the 20th:
Conversely, the easiest is the Komono-Toyokawa-Hiryuu matchup. Komono is probably the weakest of the 4 top seeds and the other 2 teams are relative unknowns.
With an extra bid at stake, getting to the semifinals is key, having good performances up until that point is also vital to receive the bid.
Kinki (6 bids)
Shiga
With 16 teams in the Super-Regionals to even it out and 6 prefectures, 2 prefectures will be shorted a team each year. This time around, one of them is Shiga.
Kita-Ootsu and Hachiman Shougyou were on opposite sides of the bracket, so perhaps it would setup a finals matchup.
Except that Hachiman Shougyou lost to Youkaichi Minami 4-3 in their first game, and Kita-Ootsu lost to Youkaichi 6-5 in the quarterfinals! So the two Youkaichi schools were responsible for knocking out some of the perennial powerhouses!
So who was left? Well, Kousen remained as the only seeded team left in the bracket and would face Youkaichi. Shiga Gakuen, who not too long ago got to Natsu Koushien, would be the 4th team, defeating Hikone Higashi along the way.
Both of the Youkaichi schools actually lose in the semifinals (actually, they're both shutout!). So Shiga Gakuen and Kousen would represent Shiga in the Super-Regionals. But the title still matters (as well as possibly a favorable matchup), and Kousen would take their first ever fall title with a 9-6 win!
Kyoto
In Kyoto, the 3 major programs - Fukuchiyama Seibi, Ryuukokudai Heian and Ritsumeikan Uji all qualified for the prefecturals, but all wound up in the same half of the bracket! So it'd be guaranteed that one of the 3 wouldn't advance to the Super-Regionals. Heian caught a break and wouldn't have to face another strong team until the semifinals.
Fukuchiyama Seibi managed to win the first matchup of school 3-1, then proceeded to overpower Heian 5-1 to guarantee a spot in the Super-Regionals.
But they would be denied the title! Kyoto Shouei pretty much ran laps around the field save for a 9-7 win over Nissei. And in the final, they annihilated Seibi 22-3 for their first ever title!
The 3rd place game had my 2nd favorite team from Kyoto - Kyoto Subaru, looking for a spot at the table, would have to get past Heian. And while they kept the game close, they still lost 2-1 and will have to wait for the summer like all the other teams that failed this fall.
Nara
Nara is the other school to get just 2 bids. Fortunately for the field, Tenri and Chiben Gakuen would have to meet in the quarterfinals, meaning that at minimum one bid from the other half of the bracket would be up for grabs.
Tenri would win that battle of the Nara titans 4-2, pretty much clinching the #1 seed. They faced a very game Yamato Kouryou squad, who did not yield a run until they faced Tenri - which they proceeded to lose 5-1.
Wakayama
But the world was put back in order as outside of a 2-1 game over Minoshima, cruised to the title.
On the other half, Wakayama Shougyou and Shiritsu Wakayama, two of the above-average teams worked their way into a semifinal matchup. With a guaranteed spot at stake, the teams treated this like a final. Shiritsu Wakayama would prevail 5-4.
Wakayama Shougyou couldn't get up for the 3rd place game, falling to Kouyasan 3-1.
Osaka
Despite the loss of ace Fujinami, Osaka Touin still has offense for days against their opponents. They slashed their way through the prefecturals and into the finals where they faced a Riseisha squad who had equal success against their opponents.
But in the finals, the bats fell silent against ace Higashino. They could only watch as Riseisha put up a pair of runs in the 7th, which would prove to be the winning runs as Riseisha won 3-1.
The 3rd place game would be between Osaka Shougyoudai Sakai and Uenomiya Taishi. The game was close until the 7th inning where Sakai would plate 7 en route to a mercy rule win and a spot in the Super-Regionals.
Hyogo
Hyogo for the most part was also pretty routine. Houtoku Gakuen and Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku had relatively little trouble going through the brackets.
Kansei Gakuin appears to be the new Touyoudai Himeji (who btw lost to Houtoku Gakuen), surviving their first 4 games by the scores of 2-1, 2-0, 1-0 and 2-0 to reach the semifinals. There, they faced Houtoku Gakuen and doubled their run output scoring 4 runs. Only problem was that they gave up 8 and would have to qualify through the 3rd place game.
That game would be played against relative unknown Houjyou who had been blanked by Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku 7-0. True to form, Kansei reverted back to their low-scoring affairs, winning 1-0 and earning a spot in the Super-Regional.
As for the final, the game turned out to be a pitchers affair instead of an offensive showdown, and Houtoku Gakuen would prevail by the score of 2-1.
Super-Regionals
The Super-Regionals begin on the 20th, and the draw is as follows:
Chiben Wakayama, should they survive a low scoring game against Heian should be a shoe-in for Senbatsu.
Kyoto Shouei's prize for winning Kyoto? A matchup against Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku. Not really what they were hoping for, I bet. The other matchup looks interesting, but if Kansei Gakuin needs to be in a game where you have to take the under on 3.5 runs it's hard to pick them to go far...
Houtoku Gakuen may be in the same spot Chiben Wakayama is, but how hungry will Fukuchiyama Seibi be after losing so badly to Kousen?
And to bring it full circle, that hopeful weaker pairing after winning Shiga doesn't look so easy now. I bet after the draw came out, their first thought was "マジで？？”.
Shizuoka
There were a lot of familiar players in the Shizuoka prefecturals. The natsu representative, Tokoha Tachibana reached the prefecturals, but but fell 4-3 to Hiryuu. I don't know much about them, but they worked their way from almost the bottom of one of the losers' brackets in the Toubu Regionals to qualify, then defeated the aforementioned Tokoha Tachibana, and narrowly lost to Tokoha Kikugawa 7-6 in the semifinals.
However, they kept their Koushien hopes alive with an 8-4 win in the consolation game over Shizoka Gakuen.
That was unfortunate for them as they were the 2nd team to give Shizuoka difficulty in the prefecturals, losing by the score of 2-1. Numadzu Higashi gave them a big headache right off the bat, holding them to just 1 run in a 1-0 loss.
Otherwise they had little difficulty, especially in the championship game against Tokoha Kikugawa, routing them 14-1.
Aichi
Aichi appears to be undergoing a bit of change this year. Aikoudai Meiden without their ace Hamada falls in the 3rd round 1-0 to Yatomi. That opened the door for Touhou to breeze through their quadrant. And Shigakukan's 4-0 loss to Nagoya Kokusai in the quarterfinals almost assured them of a spot in the Super-Regional. Still, Nagoya Kokusai gave them a great fight losing 7-5.
On the other half, Chuukyoudai Chuukyou looked to start a revival of their prior success posting two double-digit run totals, but was stymied in the quarterfinals against Toyokawa, losing 2-1. Toyokawa in fact looked really good reaching the finals, but falling 9-0 to Touhou.
And in the consolation game Aichi Keisei, who lost to Toyokawa, took the final bid with an 11-7 win over Nagoya Kokusai.
Gifu
In Gifu, there are almost 3 certainties - Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou, Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou and Oogaki Nichidai.
And who advanced? Yep, Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou, Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou and Oogaki Nichidai.
Kengifushou pretty much dominated the prefecturals, allowing just one run to Fujimi Kougyou in their opening game all the way to the finals where they faced their city counterpart. Shigifushou did not have as easy a road taking 13 innings to defeat Teikyoudai Fujimi in the semifinals, edging Nagara 2-1 before that and a 2-0 win over Gifu Kakamino.
Despite all that though, they apparently get up for the rivalry matchup of commercial schools going 11 innings before falling 4-3.
Oogaki Nichidai slides into the 3rd and final bid after barely getting by Minokamo in the quarterfinals, and then doing the same to Teikyoudai Fujimi in the 3rd place game holding off a late surge.
Mie
It looks like Mie is in one of those rebuilding phases at this point which means it opens the prefecture up to the rest of the field. For the record, Mie wound up losing in the quarterfinals to Inabe Sougou Gakuen 7-0.
In fact, Inabe Sougou Gakuen didn't yield a run until the 7th inning of championship game, which was somewhat unfortunate as they wound up not giving up 1, but 4 runs to Komono losing 4-3. Komono had only been challenged one other game, and that was a 1-0 nailbiter against Ujiyamada Shougyou.
Tsu Shougyou would claim the last bid with a dominating 10-2 win over Hisai.
Super-Regionals
The draw for the Super-Regional is out and games will commence on the 20th:
- Shizuoka (Shizuoka 1) vs. Winner of Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou (Gifu 2)-Tsu Shougyou (Mie 3)
- Komono (Mie 1) vs. Winner of Toyokawa (Aichi 2)-Hiryuu (Shizuoka 3)
- Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou (Gifu 1) vs. Winner of Inabe Sougou Gakuen (Mie 2)-Aichi Keisei (Aichi 3)
- Touhou (Aichi 1) vs. Winner of Tokoha Kikugawa (Shizuoka 2)-Oogaki Nichidai (Gifu 3)
Conversely, the easiest is the Komono-Toyokawa-Hiryuu matchup. Komono is probably the weakest of the 4 top seeds and the other 2 teams are relative unknowns.
With an extra bid at stake, getting to the semifinals is key, having good performances up until that point is also vital to receive the bid.
Kinki (6 bids)
Shiga
With 16 teams in the Super-Regionals to even it out and 6 prefectures, 2 prefectures will be shorted a team each year. This time around, one of them is Shiga.
Kita-Ootsu and Hachiman Shougyou were on opposite sides of the bracket, so perhaps it would setup a finals matchup.
Except that Hachiman Shougyou lost to Youkaichi Minami 4-3 in their first game, and Kita-Ootsu lost to Youkaichi 6-5 in the quarterfinals! So the two Youkaichi schools were responsible for knocking out some of the perennial powerhouses!
So who was left? Well, Kousen remained as the only seeded team left in the bracket and would face Youkaichi. Shiga Gakuen, who not too long ago got to Natsu Koushien, would be the 4th team, defeating Hikone Higashi along the way.
Both of the Youkaichi schools actually lose in the semifinals (actually, they're both shutout!). So Shiga Gakuen and Kousen would represent Shiga in the Super-Regionals. But the title still matters (as well as possibly a favorable matchup), and Kousen would take their first ever fall title with a 9-6 win!
Kyoto
In Kyoto, the 3 major programs - Fukuchiyama Seibi, Ryuukokudai Heian and Ritsumeikan Uji all qualified for the prefecturals, but all wound up in the same half of the bracket! So it'd be guaranteed that one of the 3 wouldn't advance to the Super-Regionals. Heian caught a break and wouldn't have to face another strong team until the semifinals.
Fukuchiyama Seibi managed to win the first matchup of school 3-1, then proceeded to overpower Heian 5-1 to guarantee a spot in the Super-Regionals.
But they would be denied the title! Kyoto Shouei pretty much ran laps around the field save for a 9-7 win over Nissei. And in the final, they annihilated Seibi 22-3 for their first ever title!
The 3rd place game had my 2nd favorite team from Kyoto - Kyoto Subaru, looking for a spot at the table, would have to get past Heian. And while they kept the game close, they still lost 2-1 and will have to wait for the summer like all the other teams that failed this fall.
Nara
Nara is the other school to get just 2 bids. Fortunately for the field, Tenri and Chiben Gakuen would have to meet in the quarterfinals, meaning that at minimum one bid from the other half of the bracket would be up for grabs.
Tenri would win that battle of the Nara titans 4-2, pretty much clinching the #1 seed. They faced a very game Yamato Kouryou squad, who did not yield a run until they faced Tenri - which they proceeded to lose 5-1.
Wakayama
- Champion - Chiben Wakayama (12th title, 1st in 2 years, 19th appearance overall)
- Runner-Up - Shiritsu Wakayama (9th appearance, 1st in 8 years)
- 3rd Place - Kouyasan (3rd appearance, 1st in 23 years)
But the world was put back in order as outside of a 2-1 game over Minoshima, cruised to the title.
On the other half, Wakayama Shougyou and Shiritsu Wakayama, two of the above-average teams worked their way into a semifinal matchup. With a guaranteed spot at stake, the teams treated this like a final. Shiritsu Wakayama would prevail 5-4.
Wakayama Shougyou couldn't get up for the 3rd place game, falling to Kouyasan 3-1.
Osaka
Despite the loss of ace Fujinami, Osaka Touin still has offense for days against their opponents. They slashed their way through the prefecturals and into the finals where they faced a Riseisha squad who had equal success against their opponents.
But in the finals, the bats fell silent against ace Higashino. They could only watch as Riseisha put up a pair of runs in the 7th, which would prove to be the winning runs as Riseisha won 3-1.
The 3rd place game would be between Osaka Shougyoudai Sakai and Uenomiya Taishi. The game was close until the 7th inning where Sakai would plate 7 en route to a mercy rule win and a spot in the Super-Regionals.
Hyogo
Hyogo for the most part was also pretty routine. Houtoku Gakuen and Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku had relatively little trouble going through the brackets.
Kansei Gakuin appears to be the new Touyoudai Himeji (who btw lost to Houtoku Gakuen), surviving their first 4 games by the scores of 2-1, 2-0, 1-0 and 2-0 to reach the semifinals. There, they faced Houtoku Gakuen and doubled their run output scoring 4 runs. Only problem was that they gave up 8 and would have to qualify through the 3rd place game.
That game would be played against relative unknown Houjyou who had been blanked by Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku 7-0. True to form, Kansei reverted back to their low-scoring affairs, winning 1-0 and earning a spot in the Super-Regional.
As for the final, the game turned out to be a pitchers affair instead of an offensive showdown, and Houtoku Gakuen would prevail by the score of 2-1.
Super-Regionals
The Super-Regionals begin on the 20th, and the draw is as follows:
- Shiga Gakuen (Shiga 2) vs. Yamato Kouryou (Nara 2)
- Chiben Wakayama (Wakayama 1) vs. Ryuukokudai Heian (Kyoto 3)
- Riseisha (Osaka 1) vs. Kansei Gakuin (Hyogo 3)
- Kyoto Shouei (Kyoto 1) vs. Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku (Hyogo 2)
- Shiritsu Wakayama (Wakayama 2) vs. Osaka Shoudai Sakai (Osaka 3)
- Houtoku Gakuen (Hyogo 1) vs. Fukuchiyama Seibi (Kyoto 2)
- Tenri (Nara 1) vs. Kouyasan (Wakayama 3)
- Kousen (Shiga 1) vs. Osaka Touin (Osaka 2)
Chiben Wakayama, should they survive a low scoring game against Heian should be a shoe-in for Senbatsu.
Kyoto Shouei's prize for winning Kyoto? A matchup against Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku. Not really what they were hoping for, I bet. The other matchup looks interesting, but if Kansei Gakuin needs to be in a game where you have to take the under on 3.5 runs it's hard to pick them to go far...
Houtoku Gakuen may be in the same spot Chiben Wakayama is, but how hungry will Fukuchiyama Seibi be after losing so badly to Kousen?
And to bring it full circle, that hopeful weaker pairing after winning Shiga doesn't look so easy now. I bet after the draw came out, their first thought was "マジで？？”.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Fall Taikai Quick Recap (Hokkaido-Hokushinetsu)
Hokkaido (1 Team)
First of all is a school that had faded into the background in recent years - Komadai Tomakomai. They actually faced little opposition until the semifinals when they squared off against Hokkai. Down 4-1, they rallied for 7 unanswered to win 8-4. It was much the same against Hokushou rallying from down 4-0 to tie the game, but 3 runs late were too much for Komadai to overcome.
Still, it's nice to see them back in prominence.
Another surprise was the 4th semifinalist. It was Engaru - who seemed to have lost out on their chance to advance last summer. They had no problems in the Kitami regionals, but rallied in all their games to defeat Takigawa Nishi and Furano before falling to Hokushou.
Tohoku (2 teams)
But in the Tohoku Super-Regionals, they fell in the quarterfinals to Sakata Minami 14-7, ruling out any chance of them being invited for the spring.
The field for the Tohoku Super-Regionals seemed rather weak, and by weak I mean littered with unfamiliar teams:
Aomori - Aomori Yamada, Aomori Kita, Kousei Gakuin
Akita - Noshiro, Nishime, Oodate Kougyou
Iwate - Moriokadai Fuzoku, Mizusawa, Ichinoseki Dai-ichi
Yamagata - Sakata Minami, Yamagata Chuo, Yonezawa Chuo
Miyagi - Sendai Ikuei, Tohoku, Ishinomaki Shougyou
Fukushima - Seikou Gakuin, Shirakawa, Kounan
That is a lot of new teams. For Akita, it speaks to how weak the prefecture really is. In Fukushima, it's not surprising that Seikou Gakuin continues to dominate the region - the tsunami and exodus probably has cemented them as the top team in the prefecture for years to come.
In the Super-Regional though, they were involved in close games throughout, first against Oodate Kougyou (2-0), then against Yamagata Chuo (4-2), and then Moriokadai Fuzoku (5-4).
While Seikou Gakuin has represented Fukushima at Koushien for what seems like forever, that 5-4 game against Moriokadai Fuzoku may give the selection committee pause.
That's because they played close against Seikou Gakuin and defeated Tohoku in the first round 4-2. However, they barely beat Mizusawa for the prefectural title 3-1, and before that survived a 4-3 game against oft-spurned Ichinoseki Gakuin in the semifinals.
Sendai Ikuei won without much trouble, though they almost lost to Ishinomaki Shougyou in the semifinals, then struggled against Aomori Yamada but advanced 5-3 in the quarterfinals.
Kanto ex Tokyo (4 teams plus floating bid w/Tokyo) - Super-Regional starts 10/27
Since the Super-Regional hasn't started yet, we can at least cover who has advanced out of each prefecture:
Gunma
Maebashi Ikuei dominated the Gunma prefecturals, never giving up more than 1 run except for their 2nd round game against Tatebayashi - where they gave up 2.
The 2nd team to qualify is no surprise either - Takasaki Kenkoudai Fukushi. They almost certainly ran rings around the early competition, but the scoring slowed down as they advanced, defeating Kiryuu Dai-ichi 3-1 in the semis before being shutout 2-0 in the finals.
With Gunma hosting the Super-Regional, they get an extra bid. So Kiryuu Dai-ichi and unknown Oota Kougyou battled for the final spot. Sadly for Oota Kougyou, they couldn't advance, losing by the same 2-0 score.
Tochigi
In those finals, Utsunomiya Shougyou and Sano Nichidai were neck and neck the entire game. Utsunomiya Shougyou led 3-2 going into the bottom of the 9th, but Sano Nichidai would find a way to rally for 2 and win 4-3.
Ibaraki
The final was no contest as Jyousou Gakuin routed Kasumigaura 7-0.
Saitama
Urawa Gakuin's road was not as smooth. In the quarterfinals, they had to win in sayonara style 7-6 over Ageo, then needed 3 in the 8th in the semifinals to defeat Seibou Gakuen 4-1. And while they advance to the Super-Regionals, an 8-2 thud in the finals does not bode well. Also, my beloved Kasukabe Kyouei lost 2-1 in the quarterfinals to Kawagoe Higashi. Boo.
Chiba
But Narashino almost didn't even get out of their first game in the 2nd round against Kemigawa. Down 1-0, they managed to score 2 in the 7th for the win. So it was smooth sailing book-ended by very tough games. Choushou Shougyou, despite their status as a top tier team in Chiba, did not fare as well through the bracket. They too struggled in their 2nd round game, defeating Sawara by the same 2-1 score, then in the quarterfinals shutting out Chiba Eiwa but only by the score of 2-0, and in the semis 3-1 against Senshuudai Matsudo.
Kanagawa
...is what you might be asking. Well, that's why perhaps you saw that outpouring of emotion when they finally lost. Even with a great pitcher, a great team - in a prefecture as large as Kanagawa, it is a tough road to the title.
And for Toukou Gakuen, it ended in the quarterfinals as their offense could only manage just 3 hits against Hiratsuka Gakuen as they fell 2-1.
So the one man that set last year's Koushien on fire will not be present at all this spring.
However, it's not to say that Toukou Gakuen got unlucky. Hiratsuka Gakuen was a seeded team and actually built a good body of work. Prior to defeating Toukou Gakuen, they had defeated Yokohama 4-3.
And in the semifinals they held a tenuous 1-0 lead over Yokohama Hayato. But in the final 2 innings, the teams combined for 7 runs, 2 of which were in the bottom of the 9th by Hiratsuka Gakuen to extend the game. It would be 2 innings later where Yokohama Hayato would pull away to win 6-4.
Oddly, Yokohama Hayato and fellow quarterfinalist Yokohama Shoudai Fuzoku had the easier of the roads. Their only speed bump was their 3rd round game against Nichidai Fujisawa where they trailed 2-1 before scoring 3 late to advance.
They couldn't however summit the mountain this fall as Toukaidai Sagami wins their 2nd fall title in 4 years. A 5-run second inning was just too much for Yokohama Hayato to overcome.
Toukaidai Sagami though earned the victory as they had to go through Keio Gijyuku, Tachibana Gakuen (橘学苑) and Touin Gakuen before the finals.
Yamanashi
But it was in the finals against Hikawa (who were not challenged all tournament), that really tested them. Hikawa pressed the initiative early, and never trailed. But Toukaidai Koufu managed to tie it in the 7th at 5 all and force it into extras. But again, Hikawa with a run in the 12th threatened to end it, only to give it up in the bottom half. Hikawa tried again with 3 runs in the 13th, and almost gave up that lead as well. However, they somehow held on for the 9-8 win and hopefully a favorable pairing in the Super-Regional.
Teams will have plenty of time to rest before the Super-Regional which starts on the 27th.
Tokyo (1 bid, plus 1 possible floating)
Tokyo has just started their prefecturals after finishing block play. Many familiar teams are present such as Hino, Teikyou, Kokugakuin Kugayama, Kanto Dai-ichi and Nichidai Tsurugaoka (who played each other), the strange Seiritsu Gakuen, Kousei Gakuen, Kokushikan, Oberlin, Toukaidai Sugao, Shuutoku, Toua Gakuen, Nichidai-san and Iwakura.
So far, Nichidai Tsurugaoka defeated Kanto Dai-ichi 5-3, Kousei Gakuen survived Fujimori 5-4, while Seiritsu Gakuen lost to Toritsu Sougou Kouka in a slow 2:13.
St. Paulo Gakuen and Oberlin had good showings early, but it is yet to be seen if it means anything. Toua Gakuen pinged Shouwa Dai-ichi Gakuen for 1 run in 3 straight innings for a 4-1 win. Shuutoku seemed to have it in the bag against Hachiouji leading 2-0 going to the top of the 9th, but they couldn't hold the lead, giving up 4 runs and falling right off the bat.
Kokugakuin Kugayama had no trouble in their first games. Hino did one better, upsetting Teikyou 4-2 in 10 innings - this after letting them tie the game in the bottom of the 9th. Same goes for Kokushikan.
Sanko certainly showed they're ready early, defeating Ueno Gakuen 7-0 in 8 innings.
Still a lot of baseball to be played.
Hokushinetsu (2 bids)
Niigata
With Niigata hosting the Super-Regional this time around, Niigata gets the benefit of 4 bids. That means all you have to do is reach the semifinals, and you're in.
But oddly enough, the prefecture went as expected as all seeded teams advanced to the Best 8. The two favorites, Niigata Meikun and Nihon Bunri, were placed on the same side of the bracket and wound up facing each other in the semifinals. Before that, Nihon Bunri had struggled only against Teikyou Nagaoka, winning 4-1 by pulling away in the 2nd half of the game. Niigata Meikun though struggled throughout. In their first game in the 2nd round, he gave up 2 2-run leads before winning in the bottom of the 9th. Next was a barnburner against Bunsui, eventually winning 10-7. They couldn't get any offense against Murakami Sakuragaoka until late advancing by just a score of 3-1. And finally, the offensive woes continued against Hokuetsu, but fortunately, ace Murayama pitched a shutout.
It finally caught up to them against Nihon Bunri as they fell behind 5-0 in the first. Well, that's what it seemed anyways. A 5-run inning of their own in the 6th gave them a 7-6 lead. That was short-lived though as they promptly gave up 3 runs and eventually fell 11-7.
With the hard part out of the way, Nihon Bunri defeated Niigata Kenou Kougyou 9-1 for their 17th fall title and 2nd consecutive.
And in the 3rd place game, Niigata Meikun's struggles continue, giving up 7 runs in 2 innings to fall to Gosen 7-5. All teams advance though, so Niigata Meikun is still safe.. and perhaps in a better position??
Toyama
All 8 seeded teams, with the exception of Fujikoshi Kougyou, advanced to the quarterfinals (they lost 8-7 in 12 innings to Tonami Kougyou - certainly no slouch in the prefecture). Tonami Kougyou continued their run by defeating Nanto Sougou Fukuno in a rout 13-3 in 6 innings.
Toyama Kougyou meanwhile wouldn't be able to follow up on their success in the summer as they fell to Toyama Dai-ichi 6-2. Toyama Dai-ichi would end Tonami Kougyou's bid for the title with the go-ahead run in the bottom of the 8th to advance 2-1.
On the other side, Shin-Minato had another charmed run as they survived several close games to reach the semifinals. But they'd have to fight for the 3rd bid after losing 7-3 to Takaoka Shougyou. Fortunately, they would find a way to prevail 3-2 in 10 innings vs. Tonami Kougyou. And in the final, Toyama Dai-ichi used a 3-run first to hold on for a 4-3 win.
Nagano
For instance, in Nagano, there is regional play that determines the field for the prefecturals. But before the regionals - during Koushien, each region has it's own qualifier to determine the seeded teams in each region! So you can win up to 3 games in the qualifier to play one less game in the actual regionals to advance into the prefectural?! How worth it is that?
So to the regionals where 6 teams advance from each. In the Hokushin Region, only Nagano Nichidai appeared to separate themselves from the field, but even then it was tempered with a 2-1 win over Iiyama Kita. In the Nanshin Region, Suwa Seiryou won back-to-back 3-2 games to win the region, while doesn't speak well for the region as a whole. The Toushin Region probably has more good schools within it than any other region. Chikyuu Kankyou still has some remnants from their senbatsu squad from last year, but were annihilated by Saku Chousei in the semis 10-2 in 7 innings. They in turn were soundly defeated in the regional final 6-1 by Ueda Nishi. Ueda Chikuma, who generally does well in the region, advanced to the semis as well before losing to the aforementioned Ueda Nishi. And Maruko Shuugakukan snuck in with a win in the 5/6 set of games vs Komoro. Finally, the Chuushin Region saw Matsushou Gakuen gaining momentum throughout the bracket, easily winning it all by the end. Only other notable team was Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri who lost to Matsushou in the semifinals.
To the prefecturals where with 24 teams, the top finalists from each region got an opening round bye, meaning that they only needed one game to reach the quarterfinals. All but two of those teams advanced - the two losing being the #2 seeds from Hokushin and Chuushin regions.
By the semifinals it was clear that the top 2 teams in the prefecture were from the Toushin Region. Ueda Nishi and Saku Chousei would once again meet in the prefectural finals, this time to try and receive a favorable spot in the Super-Regional. And much like a rematch, the finals ended with a 1-0 victory for Saku Chousei. In the crucial consolation game, Nagano Nichidai couldn't get up for the game against Matsushou Gakuen and fell 5-1.
Ishikawa
My friend's JET school, Komatsu Meihou did well last year, but this time around was routed 10-1 in 7 innings versus Komatsu in the 2nd round.
As for the main participants, the all important matchup between Yuugakukan and Kanazawa was handily won by Yuugakukan 8-2, so it was readily assumed that they and Seiryou would advance.
Seiryou though almost didn't get past their first game. In their 2nd round matchup against Rokusei they couldn't gain any separation throughout the game, and in fact lost the lead when Rokusei scored 3 in the 7th. But a 3-spot of their own in their half of the lucky 7 put them back out in front, and Murayama blasted a solo HR in the 8th to finally win 7-6.
In that semifinal, Seiryou never led until the bottom of the 9th when they scored 2 for the sayonara 4-3 victory over Yuugakukan.
The final was a formality as Seiyou blanked Kanazawa Gakuin Higashi 9-4 to secure the victory. Yuugakukan's victory in the consolation game was also a formality as they won 7-0 in 7 innings over Daishouji.
Fukui
The draw for the Fukui prefectural placed both Tsuruga Kehi and Fukui Shougyou in the same half. That left Fukui Koudai Fukui as the only real notable name on the other half. But they lost to Keishin in the quarterfinals, who in turn lost to Harue Kougyou 1-0 thus securing them their 1st ever Super-Regional appearance.
Tsuruga Kehi and Fukui Shougyou faced off in the other semi and in another 1-0 score, Tsuruga Kehi advanced. The final was one more formality as they won 15-2 to secure their 18th title. As for the 3rd place game, Keishin and Fukui Shougyou traded a run in the 7th, and went into enchousen with that 1-1 score. Fukui Shougyou would end it one inning later in sayonara fashion.
Super-Regional
The draw for the Super-Regional is out, and it's as follows:
With no pressure to win the 3rd place game, I wonder if this was a gamble by Niigata Meikun. I don't know if there is more of a methodology to the draw, but if in fact the 4 seed of the host prefecture faces the "weakest" #1 seed, then punting the 3rd place game may be a good thing as they now host Toyama Dai-ichi.
And better yet, with Nihon Bunri winning the Niigata prefectural, it can setup a rematch of the Niigata semifinal in the Super-Regional semifinal! That is, as long as no one else has a say about it.
Elsewhere, Shin-Minato and their traveling masses are set to make their bid to return to Koushien. However, it is running into a buzzsaw in Seiryou. Good luck to you.
I have a soft spot for Ueda Nishi, and they may have a chance against Niigata Kenou Kougyou, but next up would be the winner of the aforementioned matchup. Oy.
- Hokushou - Otaru-shi, Hokkaido - 2nd consecutive, 5th overall)
First of all is a school that had faded into the background in recent years - Komadai Tomakomai. They actually faced little opposition until the semifinals when they squared off against Hokkai. Down 4-1, they rallied for 7 unanswered to win 8-4. It was much the same against Hokushou rallying from down 4-0 to tie the game, but 3 runs late were too much for Komadai to overcome.
Still, it's nice to see them back in prominence.
Another surprise was the 4th semifinalist. It was Engaru - who seemed to have lost out on their chance to advance last summer. They had no problems in the Kitami regionals, but rallied in all their games to defeat Takigawa Nishi and Furano before falling to Hokushou.
Tohoku (2 teams)
- Champion - Sendai Ikuei - Sendai-shi, Miyagi
- Runner-up - Seikou Gakuin - Koori-machi, Fukushima
- Other consideration - Moriokadai Fuzoku - Morioka-shi, Iwate
But in the Tohoku Super-Regionals, they fell in the quarterfinals to Sakata Minami 14-7, ruling out any chance of them being invited for the spring.
The field for the Tohoku Super-Regionals seemed rather weak, and by weak I mean littered with unfamiliar teams:
Aomori - Aomori Yamada, Aomori Kita, Kousei Gakuin
Akita - Noshiro, Nishime, Oodate Kougyou
Iwate - Moriokadai Fuzoku, Mizusawa, Ichinoseki Dai-ichi
Yamagata - Sakata Minami, Yamagata Chuo, Yonezawa Chuo
Miyagi - Sendai Ikuei, Tohoku, Ishinomaki Shougyou
Fukushima - Seikou Gakuin, Shirakawa, Kounan
That is a lot of new teams. For Akita, it speaks to how weak the prefecture really is. In Fukushima, it's not surprising that Seikou Gakuin continues to dominate the region - the tsunami and exodus probably has cemented them as the top team in the prefecture for years to come.
In the Super-Regional though, they were involved in close games throughout, first against Oodate Kougyou (2-0), then against Yamagata Chuo (4-2), and then Moriokadai Fuzoku (5-4).
While Seikou Gakuin has represented Fukushima at Koushien for what seems like forever, that 5-4 game against Moriokadai Fuzoku may give the selection committee pause.
That's because they played close against Seikou Gakuin and defeated Tohoku in the first round 4-2. However, they barely beat Mizusawa for the prefectural title 3-1, and before that survived a 4-3 game against oft-spurned Ichinoseki Gakuin in the semifinals.
Sendai Ikuei won without much trouble, though they almost lost to Ishinomaki Shougyou in the semifinals, then struggled against Aomori Yamada but advanced 5-3 in the quarterfinals.
Kanto ex Tokyo (4 teams plus floating bid w/Tokyo) - Super-Regional starts 10/27
Since the Super-Regional hasn't started yet, we can at least cover who has advanced out of each prefecture:
Gunma
Maebashi Ikuei dominated the Gunma prefecturals, never giving up more than 1 run except for their 2nd round game against Tatebayashi - where they gave up 2.
The 2nd team to qualify is no surprise either - Takasaki Kenkoudai Fukushi. They almost certainly ran rings around the early competition, but the scoring slowed down as they advanced, defeating Kiryuu Dai-ichi 3-1 in the semis before being shutout 2-0 in the finals.
With Gunma hosting the Super-Regional, they get an extra bid. So Kiryuu Dai-ichi and unknown Oota Kougyou battled for the final spot. Sadly for Oota Kougyou, they couldn't advance, losing by the same 2-0 score.
Tochigi
- Champion - Sano Nichidai - 4th title, 1st in 2 years, 7th overall appearance
- Runner-up - Utsunomiya Shougyou - 9th appearance, 1st in 34 years(!)
In those finals, Utsunomiya Shougyou and Sano Nichidai were neck and neck the entire game. Utsunomiya Shougyou led 3-2 going into the bottom of the 9th, but Sano Nichidai would find a way to rally for 2 and win 4-3.
Ibaraki
- Champion - Jyousou Gakuin
- Runner-up - Kasumigaura
The final was no contest as Jyousou Gakuin routed Kasumigaura 7-0.
Saitama
- Champion - Hanasaki Tokuharu (3rd title, 1st in 4 years)
- Runner-up - Urawa Gakuin
Urawa Gakuin's road was not as smooth. In the quarterfinals, they had to win in sayonara style 7-6 over Ageo, then needed 3 in the 8th in the semifinals to defeat Seibou Gakuen 4-1. And while they advance to the Super-Regionals, an 8-2 thud in the finals does not bode well. Also, my beloved Kasukabe Kyouei lost 2-1 in the quarterfinals to Kawagoe Higashi. Boo.
Chiba
- Champion - Narashino - 7th title, 1st in 4 years
- Runner-up - Choushou Shougyou
But Narashino almost didn't even get out of their first game in the 2nd round against Kemigawa. Down 1-0, they managed to score 2 in the 7th for the win. So it was smooth sailing book-ended by very tough games. Choushou Shougyou, despite their status as a top tier team in Chiba, did not fare as well through the bracket. They too struggled in their 2nd round game, defeating Sawara by the same 2-1 score, then in the quarterfinals shutting out Chiba Eiwa but only by the score of 2-0, and in the semis 3-1 against Senshuudai Matsudo.
Kanagawa
- Champion - Toukaidai Sagami (4th consecutive appearance!)
- Runner-up - Yokohama Hayato
...is what you might be asking. Well, that's why perhaps you saw that outpouring of emotion when they finally lost. Even with a great pitcher, a great team - in a prefecture as large as Kanagawa, it is a tough road to the title.
And for Toukou Gakuen, it ended in the quarterfinals as their offense could only manage just 3 hits against Hiratsuka Gakuen as they fell 2-1.
So the one man that set last year's Koushien on fire will not be present at all this spring.
However, it's not to say that Toukou Gakuen got unlucky. Hiratsuka Gakuen was a seeded team and actually built a good body of work. Prior to defeating Toukou Gakuen, they had defeated Yokohama 4-3.
And in the semifinals they held a tenuous 1-0 lead over Yokohama Hayato. But in the final 2 innings, the teams combined for 7 runs, 2 of which were in the bottom of the 9th by Hiratsuka Gakuen to extend the game. It would be 2 innings later where Yokohama Hayato would pull away to win 6-4.
Oddly, Yokohama Hayato and fellow quarterfinalist Yokohama Shoudai Fuzoku had the easier of the roads. Their only speed bump was their 3rd round game against Nichidai Fujisawa where they trailed 2-1 before scoring 3 late to advance.
They couldn't however summit the mountain this fall as Toukaidai Sagami wins their 2nd fall title in 4 years. A 5-run second inning was just too much for Yokohama Hayato to overcome.
Toukaidai Sagami though earned the victory as they had to go through Keio Gijyuku, Tachibana Gakuen (橘学苑) and Touin Gakuen before the finals.
Yamanashi
- Champion - Hikawa - 5th title, 1st in 36 years
- Runner-up - Toukaidai Koufu
But it was in the finals against Hikawa (who were not challenged all tournament), that really tested them. Hikawa pressed the initiative early, and never trailed. But Toukaidai Koufu managed to tie it in the 7th at 5 all and force it into extras. But again, Hikawa with a run in the 12th threatened to end it, only to give it up in the bottom half. Hikawa tried again with 3 runs in the 13th, and almost gave up that lead as well. However, they somehow held on for the 9-8 win and hopefully a favorable pairing in the Super-Regional.
Teams will have plenty of time to rest before the Super-Regional which starts on the 27th.
Tokyo (1 bid, plus 1 possible floating)
Tokyo has just started their prefecturals after finishing block play. Many familiar teams are present such as Hino, Teikyou, Kokugakuin Kugayama, Kanto Dai-ichi and Nichidai Tsurugaoka (who played each other), the strange Seiritsu Gakuen, Kousei Gakuen, Kokushikan, Oberlin, Toukaidai Sugao, Shuutoku, Toua Gakuen, Nichidai-san and Iwakura.
So far, Nichidai Tsurugaoka defeated Kanto Dai-ichi 5-3, Kousei Gakuen survived Fujimori 5-4, while Seiritsu Gakuen lost to Toritsu Sougou Kouka in a slow 2:13.
St. Paulo Gakuen and Oberlin had good showings early, but it is yet to be seen if it means anything. Toua Gakuen pinged Shouwa Dai-ichi Gakuen for 1 run in 3 straight innings for a 4-1 win. Shuutoku seemed to have it in the bag against Hachiouji leading 2-0 going to the top of the 9th, but they couldn't hold the lead, giving up 4 runs and falling right off the bat.
Kokugakuin Kugayama had no trouble in their first games. Hino did one better, upsetting Teikyou 4-2 in 10 innings - this after letting them tie the game in the bottom of the 9th. Same goes for Kokushikan.
Sanko certainly showed they're ready early, defeating Ueno Gakuen 7-0 in 8 innings.
Still a lot of baseball to be played.
Hokushinetsu (2 bids)
Niigata
With Niigata hosting the Super-Regional this time around, Niigata gets the benefit of 4 bids. That means all you have to do is reach the semifinals, and you're in.
But oddly enough, the prefecture went as expected as all seeded teams advanced to the Best 8. The two favorites, Niigata Meikun and Nihon Bunri, were placed on the same side of the bracket and wound up facing each other in the semifinals. Before that, Nihon Bunri had struggled only against Teikyou Nagaoka, winning 4-1 by pulling away in the 2nd half of the game. Niigata Meikun though struggled throughout. In their first game in the 2nd round, he gave up 2 2-run leads before winning in the bottom of the 9th. Next was a barnburner against Bunsui, eventually winning 10-7. They couldn't get any offense against Murakami Sakuragaoka until late advancing by just a score of 3-1. And finally, the offensive woes continued against Hokuetsu, but fortunately, ace Murayama pitched a shutout.
It finally caught up to them against Nihon Bunri as they fell behind 5-0 in the first. Well, that's what it seemed anyways. A 5-run inning of their own in the 6th gave them a 7-6 lead. That was short-lived though as they promptly gave up 3 runs and eventually fell 11-7.
With the hard part out of the way, Nihon Bunri defeated Niigata Kenou Kougyou 9-1 for their 17th fall title and 2nd consecutive.
And in the 3rd place game, Niigata Meikun's struggles continue, giving up 7 runs in 2 innings to fall to Gosen 7-5. All teams advance though, so Niigata Meikun is still safe.. and perhaps in a better position??
Toyama
- Champion - Toyama Dai-ichi - 4th title, 1st in 9 years (12th appearance, 2nd consecutive)
- Runner-up - Takaoka Shougyou - 46th appearance, 1st in 3 years
- 3rd Place - Shin-Minato - 18th appearance, 1st in 4 years
All 8 seeded teams, with the exception of Fujikoshi Kougyou, advanced to the quarterfinals (they lost 8-7 in 12 innings to Tonami Kougyou - certainly no slouch in the prefecture). Tonami Kougyou continued their run by defeating Nanto Sougou Fukuno in a rout 13-3 in 6 innings.
Toyama Kougyou meanwhile wouldn't be able to follow up on their success in the summer as they fell to Toyama Dai-ichi 6-2. Toyama Dai-ichi would end Tonami Kougyou's bid for the title with the go-ahead run in the bottom of the 8th to advance 2-1.
On the other side, Shin-Minato had another charmed run as they survived several close games to reach the semifinals. But they'd have to fight for the 3rd bid after losing 7-3 to Takaoka Shougyou. Fortunately, they would find a way to prevail 3-2 in 10 innings vs. Tonami Kougyou. And in the final, Toyama Dai-ichi used a 3-run first to hold on for a 4-3 win.
Nagano
- Champion - Saku Chousei - 13th title, 2nd consecutive (25th appearance)
- Runner-up - Ueda Nishi - 13th appearance, 1st in 2 years
- 3rd Place - Matsushou Gakuen - 48th appearance, 1st in 2 years
For instance, in Nagano, there is regional play that determines the field for the prefecturals. But before the regionals - during Koushien, each region has it's own qualifier to determine the seeded teams in each region! So you can win up to 3 games in the qualifier to play one less game in the actual regionals to advance into the prefectural?! How worth it is that?
So to the regionals where 6 teams advance from each. In the Hokushin Region, only Nagano Nichidai appeared to separate themselves from the field, but even then it was tempered with a 2-1 win over Iiyama Kita. In the Nanshin Region, Suwa Seiryou won back-to-back 3-2 games to win the region, while doesn't speak well for the region as a whole. The Toushin Region probably has more good schools within it than any other region. Chikyuu Kankyou still has some remnants from their senbatsu squad from last year, but were annihilated by Saku Chousei in the semis 10-2 in 7 innings. They in turn were soundly defeated in the regional final 6-1 by Ueda Nishi. Ueda Chikuma, who generally does well in the region, advanced to the semis as well before losing to the aforementioned Ueda Nishi. And Maruko Shuugakukan snuck in with a win in the 5/6 set of games vs Komoro. Finally, the Chuushin Region saw Matsushou Gakuen gaining momentum throughout the bracket, easily winning it all by the end. Only other notable team was Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri who lost to Matsushou in the semifinals.
To the prefecturals where with 24 teams, the top finalists from each region got an opening round bye, meaning that they only needed one game to reach the quarterfinals. All but two of those teams advanced - the two losing being the #2 seeds from Hokushin and Chuushin regions.
By the semifinals it was clear that the top 2 teams in the prefecture were from the Toushin Region. Ueda Nishi and Saku Chousei would once again meet in the prefectural finals, this time to try and receive a favorable spot in the Super-Regional. And much like a rematch, the finals ended with a 1-0 victory for Saku Chousei. In the crucial consolation game, Nagano Nichidai couldn't get up for the game against Matsushou Gakuen and fell 5-1.
Ishikawa
- Champion - Seiryou - 27th appearance, 1st in 3 years
- Runner-up - Kanazawa Gakuin Higashi - 3rd appearance, 2nd consecutive
- 3rd Place - Yuugakukan - 9th appearance, 1st in 2 years
My friend's JET school, Komatsu Meihou did well last year, but this time around was routed 10-1 in 7 innings versus Komatsu in the 2nd round.
As for the main participants, the all important matchup between Yuugakukan and Kanazawa was handily won by Yuugakukan 8-2, so it was readily assumed that they and Seiryou would advance.
Seiryou though almost didn't get past their first game. In their 2nd round matchup against Rokusei they couldn't gain any separation throughout the game, and in fact lost the lead when Rokusei scored 3 in the 7th. But a 3-spot of their own in their half of the lucky 7 put them back out in front, and Murayama blasted a solo HR in the 8th to finally win 7-6.
In that semifinal, Seiryou never led until the bottom of the 9th when they scored 2 for the sayonara 4-3 victory over Yuugakukan.
The final was a formality as Seiyou blanked Kanazawa Gakuin Higashi 9-4 to secure the victory. Yuugakukan's victory in the consolation game was also a formality as they won 7-0 in 7 innings over Daishouji.
Fukui
The draw for the Fukui prefectural placed both Tsuruga Kehi and Fukui Shougyou in the same half. That left Fukui Koudai Fukui as the only real notable name on the other half. But they lost to Keishin in the quarterfinals, who in turn lost to Harue Kougyou 1-0 thus securing them their 1st ever Super-Regional appearance.
Tsuruga Kehi and Fukui Shougyou faced off in the other semi and in another 1-0 score, Tsuruga Kehi advanced. The final was one more formality as they won 15-2 to secure their 18th title. As for the 3rd place game, Keishin and Fukui Shougyou traded a run in the 7th, and went into enchousen with that 1-1 score. Fukui Shougyou would end it one inning later in sayonara fashion.
Super-Regional
The draw for the Super-Regional is out, and it's as follows:
- Takaoka Shougyou (Toyama 2) vs. Yuugakukan (Ishikawa 3)
- Gosen (Niigata 3) vs. Tsuruga Kehi (Fukui 1)
- Shin-Minato (Toyama 3) vs. Seiryou (Ishikawa 1)
- Ueda Nishi (Nagano 2) vs. Niigata Kenou Kougyou (Niigata 2)
- Nihon Bunri (Niigata 1) vs. Matsushou Gakuen (Nagano 3)
- Kanazawa Gakuin Higashi (Ishikawa 2) vs. Harue Kougyou (Fukui 2)
- Saku Chousei (Nagano 1) vs. Fukui Shougyou (Fukui 3)
- Niigata Meikun (Niigata 4) vs. Toyama Dai-ichi (Toyama 1)
With no pressure to win the 3rd place game, I wonder if this was a gamble by Niigata Meikun. I don't know if there is more of a methodology to the draw, but if in fact the 4 seed of the host prefecture faces the "weakest" #1 seed, then punting the 3rd place game may be a good thing as they now host Toyama Dai-ichi.
And better yet, with Nihon Bunri winning the Niigata prefectural, it can setup a rematch of the Niigata semifinal in the Super-Regional semifinal! That is, as long as no one else has a say about it.
Elsewhere, Shin-Minato and their traveling masses are set to make their bid to return to Koushien. However, it is running into a buzzsaw in Seiryou. Good luck to you.
I have a soft spot for Ueda Nishi, and they may have a chance against Niigata Kenou Kougyou, but next up would be the winner of the aforementioned matchup. Oy.
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