高校野球 (Kokoyakyu)

Tokai is just about completed, with the urban Aichi to have their final games this weekend. All prefectures qualify 3 teams to the Super-Regional.

Shizuoka
Shizuoka wound up being fairly scratch - at least up until the semifinals.

Tokoha Tachibana had two straight scares in the prefecutrals beating Kakegawa Nishi in 10 innings, then needing 12 to defeat Iwata Higashi.  There was the possibility that they'd face their sister school Tokoha Kikugawa in the semfinals, but Gotenba Nishi actually quashed that in their first game.

In the end it wound up not being Gotenba Nishi, but Shizuoka Shougyou who also won 2 close affairs with a 6-5 win over Hamamatsu Shougyou then a 13-inning marathon over the aforementioned Gotenba Nishi.  And in that semifinal, Shizuoka Shougyou actually had a relative easier time winning 8-4 to secure a spot in the Super-Regional.

It actually wound up not being easy for any of the powerhouses early as on the other half Seisei and Shizuoka almost stumbled in their first game but made their way to the semifinals.  In that matchup Shizuoka would triumph with a 4-2 win, sending Seisei into a winner to Super-Regional game.  Sadly for Seisei, they would fall once again to Tokoha Tachibana 3-2 and be eliminated from contention.

And for the title and a bye, Shizuoka would win another extra inning affair with a 3-2 win in 11 innings.

Aichi
I won't even begin to say I understand how Aichi's Aki Taikai works.  52 teams qualified for the prefecturals.

There would be no repeat for Aikoudai Meiden though as they fell hard in the round of 16 to Touhou getting mercy ruled 12-3.  In fact, Touhou marched their way all to the final uncontested with their narrowest loss in the first round 5-0 to Komaki Minami!

As for the other half, Chuukyoudai Chuukyou seemed to be back on the rebound as they defeated Shigakukan and Aichi Keisei.  However, they were steamrolled in the semifinals by unknown Toyokawa 10-0 in just 6 innings!!  So they're sent to the 3rd place game to face Homare for the last bid.  Should be no trouble, but you never know...

Gifu
Oh man, I thought Aichi's qualification process was convoluted... Gifu's makes even less sense! Some regions have a semi-round robin where you don't face everyone, instead of separating groups into their own - appearing to make it even less equitable.

Despite all that, Oogaki Nichidai gained momentum in the prefecturals, culminating in a 4-0 win over unknown Gifu Seitoku Gakuen to claim their 6th title.

Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou didn't even make it to the prefecturals, and Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou narrowly lost to Seki Shoukou, who went on the 3rd place game defeating Gifu Kougyou 6-0.

Mie
Mie was totally controlled by Mie, with the only challenge in a win over Inabe Sougou Gakuen in the semifinals (they made a first inning run stick for the entire game).  Joining them in an automatic bid is Ise, who had some solid wins against Matsuzaka and Ise Kougyou, but like many couldn't keep up with Mie.

Not surprisingly, Inabe Sougou Gakuen took the 3rd place game easily against Tsuda Gakuen 9-1.

(My apologies to everyone reading the blog, I will probably not be able to finish these recaps before Natsu Koushien begins on Thursday.  I was unusually busy during the prefectural taikai's and was not able to keep up as in past years.  I will get to these when time allows, but I need to focus on Natsu Koushien itself.)

Gunma - Maebashi Ikuei (1st appearance)
-

Tochigi - Sakushin Gakuin (9th appearance, 3rd consecutive)
-

Saitama - Urawa Gakuin (12th appearance, 2nd consecutive)
-

Kanagawa - Yokohama (15th appearance, 1st in 2 years)
-

Aichi - Aikoudai Meiden (11th appearance, 2nd consecutive)
-

Shizuoka - Tokoha Kikugawa (4th appearance, 1st in 5 years)
-

Osaka - Osaka Touin (7th appearance, 2nd consecutive)
-

Hyogo - Nishiwaki Kougyou (1st appearance)
Oh my god.  First of all, can Hyogo figure out a better way to reschedule games than the current system?  Teams were reassigned to different stadiums, some who were playing before other teams originally got rescheduled for after those same teams.  It can't be that hard can it?

Yet despite rain-outs and bonkers rescheduling, 75% of the 16 block seeds actually advanced out of the block.  The 4 that failed was Block 4 Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku (!), Block 9 Himeji Kougyou, Block 10 Houjyou, and Block 15 Kakogawa Kita (!).  Of the seeds that advanced only Shiritsu Amagasaki and Yashiro actually blew through the block field.  Everyone else seemed to struggle:

• Block 2 Houtoku Gakuen? They had an 11 inning affair against Shiritsu Himeji.
• Block 5 Defending Champion Takigawa Dai-ni?  Ooh, not so good.  Two low scoring affairs versus Ikuno and Hyogo Shougyou.
• Block 8 Touyoudai Himeji? 2-1 over Touban Kougyou in their 2nd game.

The redraw for the round of 16 went rather smoothly.  None of the strong team wound up drawing each other.

However, our first major casualty from the Round of 16 was Takigawa Dai-ni.  They never led against Shiritsu Amagasaki, and despite a 2-run 8th fell 4-3.  Houtoku Gakuen tossed a 4-hit shutout over Suma Shoufuu, and Touyoudai Himeji despite just 3 hits defeated Sanda Shousei 2-1 (How??!).

The other surprising things was that 3 of the 4 no-seeds to advance to the Round of 16 advanced to the Best 8.  Though admittedly Block 4 Rokko Island has been an above average team.

The redraw for the Best 8 again had the powerhouse teams avoiding each other.

Mukonosou Sougou had the unfortunate draw of Houtoku Gakuen, and promptly were shutout - but not mercy ruled, which is good.  Shiritsu Amagasaki's run ended at the hands of Touyoudai Himeji.

Rokko Island met fellow no-seed Ikuei... and were mercy ruled.

And then there was the curious case of Nishiwaki Kougyou. Never heard of them, never been to Koushien before.

In block play they started strong with a mercy-rule win over Aboshi.  After that though, things got really hairy for them.  Starting off with a 14 inning 4-3 win over Awaji Mihara, they broke a scoreless draw in the 7th over Ichikawa with 4 runs to advance out of the block.  Then against Kakogawa Nishi, the fell behind 5-0, immediately clawed back to within 1, took the the lead late only to blow it in the bottom of the 9th - then won with 2 in the 10th.

If that wasn't enough, against Akashi Shougyou in the Best 8, they trailed 2-0 before rallying to win in the bottom of the 9th 3-2.

The cardiac kids decided comebacks were a bit too much, and while they gave up 2 runs in the first, quickly recovered and used a 5-run 7th to hold on for a 10-7 win.  Quite nuts.

Meanwhile, Touyoudai Himeji and Houtoku Gakuen actually had a more normal game, but Houtoku Gakuen couldn't recover from a 2-run deficit falling 4-3.

So realistically, it looked like Touyoudai Himeji would ascend to the throne, because surely Nishiwaki Kougyou couldn't pull off the upset...

Right?

Not so fast there.  In the 5th, Takami and Murakami would actually give Nishiwaki Kougyou a 2-0 lead.  Ace Outa (翁田) would give up back-to-back timely hits to tie the game.

But bottom 9, LF Murakami starts off with a base hit to left center.  He books it to 2nd and just beats the throw.  After a sac bunt, Nishiwaki Kougyou has the sayonara run 90 feet away.  They have no choice but to intentionally walk Nishizawa and Hieda to load the bases.  That would bring up last batter Ishii.  Nishiwaki would try the squeeze bunt, but Ishii popped it up and C Uraoka scampered back and made a great diving catch for two outs.

That left it up to leadoff batter Imai who was just 1-4 on the day.  Two foul balls meant he was behind quickly.  But on the very next pitch he'd hit a blooper to the right side.  2B Nishida would scramble back, dive.. but it would just be out of his reach!  It falls in for the sayonara RBI as Nishiwaki Kougyou heads to their first Koushien tournament!

And by that I mean I'm avoiding the bigger super-regions.  There's just so many games to update.

Niigata
Niigata has fallen slightly behind due to a full rainout on the 13th and a partial one on the 14th.  All but 3 9-16 seeded teams though have played.  Only seeded upsets so far have occurred on the 9-16 seeds which can be expected.  Matsudai, who in their first game scored 3 in the bottom of the 9th for the win after Arai scored 3 in the top of the inning, continued their ぎりぎり run defeating Tookamachi Sougou 2-1 while Mitsuke understandably fell to Teikyou Nagaoka 9-0.

Of the top 4 teams, only #2 Shibata Chuo really breezed through their first game.  #1 Murakami Sakuragaoka and #3 Nihon Bunri both won, but not necessarily convincingly..  And #4 Niigata Kenou Kougyou actually trailed Nagaoka Nougyou 2-0 before coming back to win 4-3.

Nagano began play on the 13th with Achi mercy-ruling Toyoshina 10-3 in 7 innings.

Over in Matsumoto the past couple of days we had one of the more uglier scores - Iwamurada annihilating Sonan 35-1 in 5 innings, followed by a nail-biting 3-2 sayonara victory by Suzaka over Matsumoto Misuzugaoka.

In Ueda, Toukai Dai-san overcame a 4-run 3rd from Komoro with a run in 5 of the first 6 innings for the win while Matushiro will look to make a miracle run with a 6-3 win over Koumi.

Meanwhile, over at Suwa-ko, in the battle of agricultural schools, Shimo-Ina Nougyou scores late defeating Minami-Adzumi Nougyou 7-4 while Okaya Minami walks off Shiojiri Shigakukan 2-1 in 11 and Chino's Kishima makes a lone run in the 2nd stick over Nozawa Minami.

And finally, in Olympic Stadium, both Nagano Nishi and Sakaki started the last two days with back and forth games before pulling away late to win 7-4.  Shimo-Suwa Kouyou used a run in the top of the 9th to beat Iiyama 3-2.

Toyama off to a rainy start as games were rained out at Toyama Prefectural and Kurobe Miyano.  Of the games that played, all were blowouts except for Kosugi who defeated Yatsuo 3-0.

The first full day of games were mostly close affairs highlighted by Toyama Hokubu who tied the game against Toyama Izumi at 4 in the 9th then broke out with 4 in the 11th for the win.  On the other hand, poor Chuo Nougyou was blown out by Uodzu 37-0.

In comparison, the15th was the complete opposite with mostly lopsided games, one of the few exceptions being Fujikoshi Kougyou edging out Kouhou 2-1.  Not surprisingly, if I told you that the seeded teams played on the 15th and all advanced, that would probably explain it.  Only 5-8 seed Toyama Kokusaidai Fuzoku did not achieve a mercy rule win, though they did play Takaoka Kougyou.
Rain plagued Fukui on opening day.  For Asuwa, it sadly delayed the inevitable.  For facing Fukui Koudai Fukui who was not a seeded team was rather bad luck.  7 innings later, and they were sent home, losing 8-1.  Keishin took all that Kagaku Gijyutsu could give and passed 5-4.  There was almost an upset on day 1 of games as Usui fell behind Mikuni by as much as 4 runs, fought back to take the lead, then held off a late charge for the 9-8 win.

What's more surprising than seeing a non-seeded Fukui Koudai Fukui?  How about an unseeded Fukui Shougyou?  That was the case as Maruoka stepped in the opposing dugout.  They lasted 7 innings in an 8-0 loss.  Fukushou will face Wakasa who was almost level with Fujishima for the entire game, and though let a 1-run lead slip in the 12th made sure to advance with 6 runs in the 13th inning.

Should Fukui Koudai Fukui upset Tsuruga Kehi, and Fukui Shougyou defeat Wakasa, there will be a semifinal matchup that in most years might be a semifinal matchup or better.

Ishikawa started on the 13th and had Nonoichi Meirin rout Kanazawa Nisui 11-3 in 8 innings.

5 games on the full docket, and most were yawners except for Kanazawa Nishigaoka getting by Iida 3-1, and Kanazawa Shougyou outlasting Daishouji 3-2 in 11.

The 15th again was mostly the same with the exception of those at Benkei Stadium.  There, Kenritsu Kougyou won the battle of industrial schools, defeating Komatsu Kougyou 1-0.  Ootori Gakuen followed that up by using a run in the 6th and 7th innings to beat Kanazawa Kouyou 3-1.

Shiga's opening day was cut short.  After Rittou blew an early lead and had to scramble to defeat Katata 8-6, the rains postponed Higashi-Ootsu and Youkaichi Minami.

The next day Higashi-Ootsu would win 2-1, though again, the rains would cancel all remaining games at Oujiyama though Moriyama Kita and Kousei would play 1 scoreless inning before the umpires thought better of it.  Same over at Hikone with Kousen defeating Ootsu Shougyou 4-1 before games were cancelled.

The 15th was the first full day of games that were actually played, and over at Oujiyama Torahime rallies in the last 2 innings to beat Echiko 3-2, and Minakuchi uses a 2-run 8th for a gyakuten 4-3 win over Nagahama Kita.

Yamanashi has had no problems with the rain, and my team from this prefecture, Nihon Koukuu (i.e. Japan Aviation Academy) used a 6-run 4th to beat Shirane 7-3, then 2 days later traded huge blows with Ootsuki Tankidai Fuzoku before scoring 6 unanswered runs in the middle innings for a 13-7 win.  They will face 5-8 seed Nichidai Meisei next after they beat Koufu Dai-ichi 8-4.

In fact, all seeded teams that have played so far advanced without issue.  They include Yamanashi Gakuindai Fuzoku, Toukaidai Koufu and Fuji Gakuen.

In other action, Nirasaki Kougyou finds something in the well with their backs against the wall, scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Hokuto 2-1.

With games pushed back one scheduled game day, Blocks A and B got started on the 13th.  All 4 seeded teams within those blocks (Oogaki Nichidai, Teikyoudai Kani, Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou and Minokamo) advanced via mercy rule.  In fact of the 16 games played, only 3 were close.  Kanou got by Ikeda late 4-3, Gifu Dai-ichi using a 5-run 7th to break the game open late against Nakatsu Shougyou, and Kakamigahara Nishi also with 2 runs late for a gyakuten win over Gujyou Kita.

The games were much more tighter on the 14th in the C & D Blocks.  So much so that C Block seed Mashita Seifu lost 1-0 to Gujyou in their first game!  It wasn't the only close one in Takayama as Hida-Takayama tied it at 3 with Gifu Jyouhoku in the bottom of the 9th winning 3 innings later 4-3.  Over in Seki Municipal, Mugi won a 14-inning marathon over Kamo 5-4.  And in other action, a HR by Taniguchi was insufficient for Takayama Kougyou as they fell to Fuwa 2-1, and a 4-run flurry for Kani just fell short as they lost to seeded Nagara 5-4.

Back to Blocks A & B on the 15th and it was status quo for the seeded teams.  Kanou gets another mention after surviving another 1-run game, this time 1-0 over Oogaki Kougyou, while Seki Shoukou uses a pair of runs in each of the final 2 innings to beat Ginan Kougyou.

For Aichi, rounds go at a frenetic pace as each game day means over 20 games across the prefecture.

And with so many games, there are bound to be many interesting games.

Such was the case with Kouyou on the 13th.  After scoring 6 runs in the 6th to take a commanding 10-3 lead, Nanzan facing elimination replies with 7 runs in the next two innings to tie the game.  Kouyou would win it in the bottom of the 9th 11-10.  Sadly, Tokoname would dismiss them 2 days later 12-2 in 6 innings.  Toukai Shougyou would just about replicate the feat in the very next game at Atsuta Jingu - but the biggest difference being that they score 6 runs in the final 2 innings, take the lead 8-7 giving Nishin Nishi no chance to reply.

Over in Toyoda, Okazaki Jyousei let an early 5-0 lead slip away versus Gamagoori, but scored 2 in the top of the 9th to save the win.  However, their next opponent would be Shigakukan (who isn't a bad team in Aichi) and while they gave them a decent run, they would lose 4-0.

To the 14th and Nagakute bookended a 12 inning affair with Kira with 3 runs for a 6-3 victory.  Rather fortunate considering they allowed Kira to tie the game in the 8th.  Next up will be Seto Kita Sougou.  Ichinomiya Kougyou held off a 9th inning rally by Toyota Ootani just enough to win 3-2.  Chigusa is next on the docket.  And the alma mater of one of my new friends unfortunately lost as well with Nagoya Minami falling 3-2 to Shinjyou.

No seeded teams have played yet, thanks to Aichi's unique double-bye for those teams.

Shizuoka
Shizuoka is much the same, with games from the 13th to 15th representing 1st round play - so no seeded teams as of yet.

Opening day was not kind to Shimada as they were routed by Toukaidai Shouyou 12-2 in 6 innings.

Onto other 1st round action, and Hamamatsu Jyouhoku Kougyou rallied late against Kakagu Gijyutsu then thought to have the game won in the 10th before finally putting it away 8-4 in 12 innings.  5-8 seed Gotenba Nishi is next.  Seiryou will move on to face Hamamatsu Gakuin after scoring the only run in the bottom of the 9th versus Fuji Higashi.  The same can be said for Kakegawa Nishi and Nichidai Mishima - the only difference being that Nichidai Mishima scored a run in the top of the 9th before Kakegawa Nishi scored 2 to end the game. Itou trailed Shizuoka Shiritsu 5-0 after 2 innings, fought back to tie it in the 8th and would win 8-6 in 11.  Ina Sougou down 3 in the 9th would score 4 for the 8-7 win over Fuji.

But perhaps in one of the most heartbreaking games of all qualifying would be Kiga.  After tying it up in the 7th with Arai the game would go into extras.  In the 14th they would score 2 to take the lead, only to have Arai tie it in the bottom of the 14th.  And in the final inning, when all Kiga could play for is a draw, Arai scores one to win the game.

19 of 47 tournaments are now underway, and 2 of them are in the round of 16(ish).

Kita Hokkaido
Not too many upsets to speak of in regional play, and we're down to our final 16.  Asahikawa Kougyou is still alive for a 2nd straight appearance, but struggled against Asahikawa Shougyou in the regional block final.  In fact none of the teams that advanced look like they could run away with it all, and the teams that had blowouts in their final are from areas not known for strong teams.

This could open it for teams like Engaru, Kitami Hokuto, and Asahikawa Ryuukoku this year.  But as far as I'm concerned it's all up in the air.

Minami Hokkaido
We had some theatrics before reaching the final 15.  While it may not matter in the long-run, for Otaru Ouyou to rally from down 10-3 with just 9 outs left to win 13-12 over Otaru Kougyou in their 1st game is rather amazing.  Unfortunately, while they tried to pull it off again against Otaru Suisan and went from 4-0 to tied at 4, ace Tanabe couldn't keep it tied as they lost 5-4.

In the Sapporo regionals, Sapporo Dai-ichi led Shoushi Gakuen 3-0 going into the top of the 9th, but as they say, the final 3 outs are the hardest to get.  And despite Sapporo Dai-ichi being the more experienced team, they fell victim to the saying and 5 runs later, were eliminated.

For Sapporo Ryuukoku, who earlier pulled off a huge upset in Hokkai, they couldn't parlay that into a 2nd stage appearance, giving up 4 runs in the first to Sapporo Okadama losing 5-3.

The draw is out here for the 2nd stage as well, and Hakodate Chuubu gets the benefit of a 1st round bye.  It won't be much benefit though as they will have to play either Hakodatedai Yuuto or the aforementioned Sapporo Okadama.  Komadai Tomakomai gets a rather easy draw as they are on the opposite side of both Hokushou and Sapporo Nichidai (who could face each other in the quarterfinals).

I do like Hakodatedai Yuuto in this scenario.

Gunma
3 days in and quite a few seeded teams are underway.  Maebashi Ikuei and Kendai Takasaki both cruised as well as 5-8 seed Maebashi Kougyou.  Kiryuu Shiritsu Shougyou survived in walk-off fashion against Takasaki Shoudai Fuzoku and looks to be in a lot of trouble.

So does 3-4 seed Numata as today they needed a 4-run 7th to defeat Isesaki Kougyou 6-4.

Ibaraki
Ibaraki with mostly blowouts, though we had a couple of walk-offs on the first full day of action.  Tokiwadai couldn't hold a 1-run lead in the 9th, but won the very next inning over Toride Shouyou.  Tsuchiura Dai-san did the same to Iwase Nichidai in the 10th inning as well.

Highlights of today's action had Nakaminato Dai-ichi scoring 5 unanswered runs in the late innings to defeat Ryuugasaki Minami 6-5, at Hitachi Ibaraki Christian scoring 2 in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Hitachi Shougyou 5-4,and at Kasama Shimodate Kougyou outlasting Tskuba Kouka 2-1 in 11.

We won't see the seeded teams until the 12th.

Nishi Tokyo/Higashi Tokyo
Nishi Tokyo is rather quiet on their first day with little of note to speak of.  In Higashi Tokyo it was mostly the same, with a couple of exceptions.  Meguro Gakuin rallied from down 3-0 to tie it in the bottom of the 9th against Shinjuku and would eventually win in 12.  And over at Oota Stadium, Risshoudai Risshou scored 4 in the 9th to defeat Katsushika Shougyou 9-6.

Kanagawa
Kanagawa had their opening game at Baystars Stadium and Keiou Fujisawa had no problem with Kaiyou Kagaku 8-0 in a 7 inning game.

Gifu
It was a slow start to the Gifu tournament as games at Nagarakawa were called off due to rain.  This after they tried to get Chuukyou-Gifu in but was rained out with Chuukyou leading 2-0 after their part of the 3rd inning.

The only game of the opening day was played over in Oogaki as Oogaki Shougyou scored 7 unanswered runs to defeat Nourin 11-6.

Those rained out games were played the next day, pushing the scheduled games back a week.  Chuukyou still managed to win their game while Gizan blew out Kani Kougyou.

Aichi
Those who stayed at Mizuho Kouen for the opening game were treated to a low-scoring affair as Tougou eked by with a 1-0 win over the prefecture's namesake.

Aichi's first full day went without hitch with again mostly blowouts.  Inuyama Minami scored 4 runs in the final 3 innings to wipe out a 4-1 deficit to defeat Asahino 5-4.

At Kariya Stadium, Toyoda Kougyou pulled out to a 5-2 lead with 6 outs to go before Komaki Kougyou scrambled to level it at 5 in the bottom of the 9th.  However, they couldn't capitalize and would wind up losing in 13.  And in the game after that Iwadzu scored 2 in the 8th to tie it at 2 all over Kasugai Kougyou, but ace Shibata couldn't hold it, giving up the winning run in the bottom of the inning.

And over in Toyohashi, some home cooking was needed as Toyohashi Minami scored the only run of the game in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Kozakai.

Our second half of quarterfinal action begins with a bang.  It's a rematch of the Meiji Jingu final as Tohoku champion Kousei Gakuin squares off with Tokai champion Aikoudai Meiden.

In that prior game, Aikoudai Meiden had built a 5-2 lead before Kousei tied it up in the 7th, and scored the go-ahead run in the 8th.  Furthermore, the game may have had a Yokohama moment as a strikeout in the dirt ended the game, but it was apparently possible for the batter to have run around the bases had he and the runners been aware of it.

So fast forward 4 months and the two teams square off again, though this time for a spot in the semifinals.

Kousei Gakuin dominated Hokushou in a 3-0 win in the first game, then blitzed Oumi 13-1.

Aikoudei Meiden has had equal success, shutting out Miyazaki Nishi 8-0, and then Riseisha 9-2.

So both teams have shown themselves to be true title contenders, and yet here they are again, fighting for a spot in the Best 4.


2B  Kimura Toshiki
LF  Araki Yuuto
3B  Nakano Yoshiki
SS  Satou Daisuke
RF  Matsuoka Daisuke
1B  Torii Tatsunori
C  Nakamura Yuutarou
P  Hamada Tatsurou
CF  Matsubara Fumiya

RF  Ameku Shouto
LF  Murase Daijyu
C  Tamura Tatsuhiro
SS  Houjyou Fumiya
1B  Takeda Toshiki
3B  Oosugi Akinobu
P  Jyouma Ryuuhei
CF  Kimura Takumi
2B  Kishigawa Kenta

__________________________________________________

11:00 - First Pitch!

Top 1st
One down and Araki gets plunked by starter Jyouma.  Nakano up, and he tries the safety bunt!  Jyouma can't field it and Kishigawa is out of position!  All safe!

Early trouble for Kousei early, but then Satou can't lay down the bunt, and he has to swing away!  Jyouma strikes him out for the 2nd out!

SANSHIN!!!

And Matsuoka also goes down swinging as Jyouma gets out of an early pinch!

Bottom 1st
Two quick outs for Hamada to start the game, but then Tamura blasts a ball to center!  Matsubara back, watches it take a bounce to the wall!  Tamura in with a double.

Houjyou up, and he hits a ball to left!  Araki running in, has it... loses it!!!

He can't hold onto the ball after he stretches down to get it!  Tamura, running on 2 outs, scores easily and Kousei strikes first!  1-0!

And Nakai-kantoku starts the running game, sending Houjyou to 2nd, with no challenge from Nakamura!  Adding to problems, after an 8 pitch AB, Hamada walks Takeda adding to his pitch count!

And while he goes full on Oosugi, he gets him to chase to end the inning.  But a stressful inning for ace Hamada as Kousei takes the early lead!

Top 2nd
A really quick inning for Jyouma after the 1st.  10 pitches to record a 1-2-3 inning, and 6 of those were for Nakamura!

Bottom 2nd
Kousei gets a leadoff runner as Jyouma is hit by Hamada.  But Takumi can't advance the runner and is caught looking on a fastball at the knees!

Nakai-kantoku then looks for the one-timer with a sac bunt from Kishigawa.

But Ameku strikes out looking as well on a fastball on the outside corner!

Top 3rd
Jyouma doing a great job of neutralizing the Meiden lineup first time through.

Matsubara's struggles continue after being demoted to the bottom of the lineup.  Heswings over a slider.  Toshiki and Araki groundout and it's a 1-2-3 inning.

Bottom 3rd
Murase with a grounder to short.  Takes an irregular hop, but Satou adjusts in time before it hits his face!  Tamura works the count full, but Hamada gets him to fly out to left.  Houjyou becomes Hamada's 4th K as he watches a fastball go by him for the 3rd out.

It's a 1-2-3 inning, but none of his innings have been stress-free.

Top 4th
Nakano gets his 2nd base hit, a rope to right.

Bunt-and-run is on, but Nakano gets caught between 1st and 2nd!  Tamura throws for 2nd, instead of closing the gap and that allows Nakano to return to 1st!

Satou in effect bunts, as he hits a high chopper to 2nd.  Douten runner in scoring position.

Matsuoka hits a scorcher to 1st, but Takeda is there for the putout.  Nakano advances to 3rd.

Torii goes down on a slider and slices it to right center!  That's through the gap and to the wall!  Nakano scores as Torii has a stand-up triple!  1-1!

Eh??  Switch-hitting Nakamura bunts on the first pitch??  It's right to Jyouma who makes the play at 1st for the 3rd out.

Not sure about that call, but Meiden equalizes here in the 4th!

Bottom 4th
I don't know if Kousei's batters are seeing the ball well, because Takeda becomes Hamada's 6th K, and 5th looking as he watches a fastball hit the corner for the strikeout.

And Oosugi goes down swinging on a fastball outside!

Jyouma manages to make contact, but all he can do is hit a fly to left for the 3rd out.

Top 5th
One down, and Matsubara tries for a safety bunt.  And while he looked dead to rights, the ball is late getting to 1st and Matsubara dives in safely!  Not sure how that happened!

Hit-and-run!  Kurano-kantoku puts it on and Toshiki grounds it right where Houjyou was!  Matsubara stops at 2nd.

Araki up and... he's bunting??!

But he can't lay it down and he winds up looking at strike 3 inside!

Oh?

Nakai-kantoku calls for a pitching change!  With the heart of the Meiden order up, he sends in Kanazawa for Kishigawa and Jyouma goes back to 2nd!

And a slight rain comes down at Koushien...

Nakano bunting?  Must be feigning it to get balls?  And now at 1-1, Kurano-kantoku sends out #13 Itou to give instructions to Nakano?

Nakano with a hard grounder to 3rd, but Oosugi is up with it and makes the play at 1st for the out!

Bottom 5th
Hamada finally gets his easy inning.  Takuma quickly flies to right for the first out, Kanazawa hits a routine grounder to 2nd, and Ameku - though he got the count full, strikes out swinging to end the inning.

We hit the break tied at 1 with the pitchers dominating the action.  As to be expected in this matchup.

Top 6th
Satou starts off the 2nd half with a grounder past a diving Oosugi!  Leadoff single for Satou as Matsuoka bunts him along.

Nakamura with a slow chopper up the 3rd base side!  Kanazawa there to field it, and AHHHHHH!!!!!

Kanazawa throws it away!!  It goes up the right field foul territory as Satou comes in to score!  Meiden takes the lead on the error, 2-1!!

And now Nakamura is caught off 1st!  Tamura throws to 1st, but Nakamura avoids the tag!!

But he pushes his luck and tries to steal 2nd, and is caught to end the inning.

Bottom 6th
Hamada looking stronger as the game has continued, getting two quick outs and then freezing Houjyou on 3 straight to end the inning!

Top 7th
Kanazawa settling down retiring the first two batters before Toshiki singles to left.

Araki puts a charge on the ball, but Houjyou picks it before it hits the dirt for the 3rd out.

Bottom 7th
Takeda with Kousei's first hit since the 1st!  He lines one into the gap in right-center!  He doesn't stop heading for 2nd and he's in easily!

Douten chance for Kousei as Oosugi looks to bunt.  He lays it down and Kousei is a sacrifice away from tying the game!

Jyouma does one better, hitting one through a drawn in infield to right as Takeda scores! Douten!!  2-2!!!

Kurano-kantoku calls for time.

Takumi with another single through the right side!  Runners on first and second for Kousei!!  Still 1 down!

Kanazawa bunting!  Nakamura makes the play at 1st, but a base hit could score 2 now!  The lineup turns over for Ameku.

The Meiden battery is being careful with Ameku, apparently unintentionally intentionally walking him.  That is until he swings at a 3-1 pitch outside and fouls it off?  Now what will they do?

They go after him!  He hits one up the middle!  Satou with it, throws to 1st... just in time to beat Ameku!

But Kousei comes back in the lucky 7th to tie the game at 2!

Top 8th
Nakano is badly fooled on a ball in the dirt and goes down for the 1st out.

And after a flyout to center, Matsuoka manages to draw a walk on the 7th pitch of the AB.  That gets Nakai-kantoku to call times as Torii steps in.

Kanazawa gets ahead of Torii 1-2.  Torii fighting, fouling one off.  And another.  At this point any hit or walk is crucial.

Ball down and away.  Hit-and-run, and Torii is about to foul it off.  Holds off on another ball down and away!

Down the first base line, foul!  10th pitch of the AB, wild pitch!  Torii walks, but Matsuoka can't advance past 2nd.

Now a base hit could score 1!

Bunt?!  Wild pitch!!  Nakamura just freezes there as Tamura fires to 3rd.. SAFE!!    Now runners at the corners for Meiden as Nakai-kantoku calls time once again.

Can Nakamura get a hit now?  And will he be showing bunt still?

He's still showing bunt?  Why??

And now Kurano-kantoku sends out Itou to talk to him again!  What's going on???!

Bunt again, and it's down for a ball.  2-1.  There's no way he'd be bunting.

But he shows it again and takes it for a strike?!

Nakamura finally swings away and hits one down the right field line!  But it hangs up enough that Ameku is there to run it down for the 3rd out!  Kanazawa out of the jam!

Bottom 8th
Murase with a ball down the right field line.. fair!!  Matsuoka runs it down, but Murase continues going all the way for a leadoff double!

Tamura, not bunting as he fouls one off!  Camera goes to the over field view and the outfield is playing slightly in.

Oh?  Nakai-kantoku sends in #17 Sekiguchi now to run for Murase!

Ball inside for strike 2.  But Takura hits a deep fly to center!  Matsubara goes back for the catch, but Sekiguchi is able to tag up to 3rd!

Now Houjyou with the opportunity to get the gyakuten runner home!

But it looks like Hamada and Nakamura aren't going to touch Houjyou as they fall behind 3-0.

Check that Hamada does throw a strike, and Houjyou lines it foul.  And they still go after him as he fouls off another one.  Guess it wasn't an intentional walk after all.

Houjyou now fighting at the plate as he fouls one off.  He goes for the squeeze and it hits him!  The Meiden battery is arguing for a strikeout, but the umpire calls a dead ball!

That puts runners at the corners for Takeda.  He fouls one off!  Nakamura running towards the back screen, leaps to try and beat the ball to the fence, but can't!

And after a pitchout, Takeda swings and fouls it off!  No squeeze here!  (I think...)

Another foul!  Hamada needs the K or a double play.  Gotta keep the ball on the ground.  Fastball outside, misses wide.

SANSHIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hamada hits the outside corner with the fastball and Takeda is retired!  2 down! It'll be up to Oosugi, 0-2 so far today.

Houjyou takes off for 2nd, and gets no throw!  Hamada falls behind Oosugi 3-0.

He hits a ball to center!  Matsubara running over, makes a desperate dive...

MISSES!!!!

The ball goes all the way to the wall!  Sekiguchi and Houjyou easily score.  And Oosugi is being waved around!  The throw in is not in time and Oosugi has an inside-the-park homerun!  Kousei leads 5-2!!!!

And now Jyouma walks.  Have they given up?

Takumi strikes out to end the inning, but Kousei seems to have taken an insurmountable lead here with just 3 outs to go!

Top 9th
Has Kousei once again struck late against Meiden?  It'll be 8-9-1 batters up for Meiden.

Hamada leading off, no hits on the day.  He hits a comebacker to Kanazawa and goes down for the 1st out!

#16 Matsui coming in to hits for Matsubara.  Can he somehow start something?

No!  He grounds out to short!  Houjyou makes the play for the 2nd out!

It's up to Toshiki to keep the game going for Meiden...

But he hits one to 2nd!  Jyouma opens and ends the game as he throws to Takeda to end the game!

Aomori's Kousei Gakuin has made the semifinals by defeating Meiden for a second time!  And the game almost was a complete copy of the Meiji Jingu final as Meiden held the lead early, Kousei tied the game in the 7th and took the lead in the 8th!

To defeat a team in such a manner twice, you have to give credit to Nakai-kantoku for going with what works instead of trying a new strategy.  As a result, his team moves one step closer to the championship.

Meiden finally made a good run this year, but falls short yet again.  Kurano-kantoku will have to find something more for their pitching staff if they are to compete for the title.

Day 8 represents the 2/3rd's mark of the tournament, the filling of the Best 8, and the last day of 3 game sets (Thank God, I need the sleep).

First up is Riseisha (Kinki 3/4) vs. Aikoudai Meiden (Tokai Champs).

Riseisha received a challenge from Chikyuu Kankyou in the first 5 innings, but managed to pull away late in part perhaps due to Urushido's tiring on the mound.  They won 5-2, but was not terribly impressive.

As for their pitching, I don't know if using a triumvirate of pitchers is what they will be using going forward, but each of them brought something different and perhaps were used in an effective manner to prevent fatigue and perhaps prevent getting hard hit as some of them weren't as effective as others.

Aikoudai Meiden had no trouble with Miyazaki Nishi, winning 8-0 thanks in part to a 14K effort by ace Hamada.  That certainly won't continue, but seeing the hits spread around the players in the lineup is promising for future games.  Other than that, there's little to take away from the game.

I would say that Aikoudai Meiden has the advantage in the matchup, but we've seen before that a combination of pitchers can be effective (darn you Saga Kita!)


2B  Kimura Toshiki
CF  Matsubara Fumiya
LF  Araki Yuuto
SS  Satou Daisuke
RF  Matsuoka Daisuke
1B  Torii Tatsunori
3B  Nakano Yoshiki
P  Hamada Tatsurou
C  Nakamura Yuutarou

Riseisha (Osaka)
2B  Miyazaki Shin
3B  Shouno Yuuto
RF  Harada Ryouhei
1B  Kobone Makoto
SS  Kumamoto Hayato
LF  Okita Katsutoshi
CF  Hasegawa Seiya (#15)
C  Inui Hayato
P  Higashino Ryuuji (#17)

__________________________________________________

09:00 - First Pitch!

Top 1st
Kimura with a ringing double down the left field line to start the game against starter Higashino!

Matsubara with the bunt, Higashino fields, throw to 1st is not in time!  Runners at the corners immediately for Meiden!

Araki looking to cash in.  But he goes down swinging on a slider and there's one down.

Kurano-kantoku decides to get the running game going and sends Matsubara!  Throw to 2nd by Inui not in time!

Higashino gets Satou to pop it up!  Okita with the catch and the runners have to hold.  2 down!

All he needs now is to retire Matsuoka and he's out of the jam.  He gets ahead 1-2, check swing? 2-2.

SANSHIN!

Meiden can't capitalize on the early runners and Riseisha will look to take advantage in their half of the inning!

Bottom 1st
Miyazaki with a ball up the middle.  Satou dives, but can't quite field it.  Shouno sends him along to 2nd.

However, Harada and Kobone are retired quickly and the opportunity fizzles.

Top 2nd
Higashino having a much better 2nd.  Retires the first two batters before Hamada just about sneaks one through the right side.  Miyazaki is there to field it, but can't quite get a handle on it.

Nakamura though goes down swinging and he's settled down for now.

Bottom 2nd
Hamada gets two quick groundouts before Hasegawa singles through the left side.

Inui with a grounder that gets past Torii, but Kimura is there and makes the play to Hamada covering for the 3rd out.

Top 3rd
Back to the top of the order and Kimura blasts one to left again!  Okita running back and it bounces to the wall!  Kimura with his 2nd double of the game!

Matsubara lays down the bunt again, and though he's out at first, Kimura advances to 3rd once again.  Can someone get him in this time?

Araki tries for the safety squeeze, but he pops it up!  Shouno charging in makes the diving catch and there's two outs.

Against Higashino I would have expected them to still be aggressive instead of choosing for the traditional path.

The Riseisha battery elects to unintentionally intentionally walk Satou to get to Matsuoka who K'd in his last opportunity just like this in the 1st.

This time Matsuoka delivers, driving one to right and scoring Kimura!  1-0 Meiden!

Torii reaches down and gets a ball at the end of the bat, and Okita is running back?!  He's still running back??!

That's over his head!!??

It bounces to the wall!  Satou scores!  Matsuoka easily scores as Torii has a stand up triple!  How the heck did that ball go all the way to the wall??!  Either way, it's 3-0 Meiden!

Nakano with a grounder to the right side.  Somehow that gets by a diving Miyazaki and goes into right scoring Torii!  It's 4-0 Meiden!

And this time Higashino doesn't make it to the end of the 3rd.  Okada-kantoku sends in #11, RHP Sakamoto.

Sakamoto gets out of the inning when Nakano tries to steal 2nd and is thrown out by Inui.  But Meiden with 3 timely hits take a 4-0 lead over Riseisha!

Bottom 3rd
Hamada looking very good early, hitting the catcher's spots fairly close if not hitting it exactly. Sakamoto falls victim to a fastball on the inside corner.

Not afraid to back down either, as on a full count to Miyazaki he goes inside, but misses to issue his 1st walk.

Shouno chases a ball outside for the 2nd out.  And Harada suffers the same fate as he is fooled on a ball high and away.  3 Ks for the inning for Hamada.

Top 4th
He turns around now and picks up the bat and is frozen on a change down the middle.

After retiring Nakamura, Kimura fists a ball to the left side.  Shouno takes it in front of Kumamoto, but bobbles the ball!  Kimura on again with an infield hit!

Matsubara goes down on a fastball down the middle to end the inning.

Bottom 4th
Huh, must be a new thing to mimic Chiben's "C".  Riseisha has a yellow R on a blue background whose size actually rivals that of Chiben's.

Kobone takes a pitch away through the right side for a leadoff single.  Kumamoto appears to show bunt as Okada-kantoku may play for 1 at a time.  Though I'm immediately proven wrong as he swings away and fouls one off.

Kumamoto with a great eye takes a couple of pitches inside, working the count full.

Hamada gives in with a fastball down the middle and Kumamoto blasts it to center!  Matsubara stops as to play it off the wall, and it lands at the base!  Kobone scores on the double and it's 4-1 Meiden!

More importantly, no one down!

Okita grounds out to 2nd, allowing Kumamoto to advance to 3rd.

Hasegawa lines one to right!  Matsuoka there for the catch and his throw catches too much air.  Hamada cuts it off and Kumamoto scores easily to make it 4-2 Meiden!

Inui flies out to right and the inning is over.  But Riseisha cuts the deficit in half!

Top 5th
One down and Satou gets his 2nd walk.  Matsuoka with a chopper up the 1st base line and Kobone goes to Miyazaki at 1B for the 2nd out.

And Sakamoto gets Torii looking on a fastball down the middle for the 3rd out!  Sakamoto holds serve right after they gets 2 runs back!

Bottom 5th
Now can Riseisha close the gap further before the break?

Miyazaki with a slow chopper up the 3rd base side.  Nakano charges in, but can't handle the bounce!  Miyazaki with an infield single!  (Though the scorers charge an error)

Shouno bunts him over as Okada-kantoku will look for a one-timer to cut the deficit to 1.

But Hamada falls behind Harada 3-0 with Kobone on deck.

And he loses him!  Hamada will have to deal with Riseisha's cleanup batter! Kurano-kantoku calls for time.

Hamada jams Kobone!  Torii under it for the catch and Hamada preserves the lead at 2 as we head to the break.

Top 6th
Nakano leads off the 6th with a double to left center.  As expected, Hamada is showing bunt, but fouls his first attempt.

He pulls it back and swings on the next ball, but pops up to Kumamoto in shallow center, though the catch is a bit scary.

Nakamura tries to bunt, but he fails and falls behind 0-2.  And so he fouls off a couple before reaching down and putting one just over the infield to right for a base hit!

Runners at the corners for top batter Kimura!

Nakamura takes off for 2nd and he's in there safely with a delayed throw!

SQUEEZE!  Kimura lays down the squeeze!  Sakamoto's only play is to 1st!  One run scores!

Miyazaki at 1st fires home!  They were sending Nakamura!  The throw is in plenty of time to get Nakamura at home.  They were trying for the 2-run bunt!  However, Riseisha is prepared for it and gets the trailing runner to end the inning.

But Meiden tacks one back on to lead 5-2.

Bottom 6th
Kumamoto with a comebacker that Hamada doesn't field!  Satou charges late, but makes the play at first for the out.

Okita gets on the board with his first hit, lining one to center.

Hasegawa follows that up with a liner to left and Riseisha's got 2 runners on.

Okada-kantoku tries the hit-and-run, but Inui pops it up!  Satou on the outfield grass in center makes the catch.

#13 Uji pinch hits for Sakamoto as Higashi will as planned enter the game for the final 3 innings.

He falls behind 2-2, and fouls off a couple of hard pitches before working the count full.

But Hamada gets him to ground to 3rd!  Nakano goes to 1st and the inning is over!

Top 7th
Ace Higashi does enter the game to hold the fort while the offense regroups.

One down, and right before Araki grounds out to 1st, I notice that Meiden's oen-dan has a small golden "M" on a purple background.  It's much smaller than Riseisha's, that despite Meiden having more students (though Riseisha IS closer to Koushien than Meiden).

And Satou with a defensive swings on a ball inside lines out to 2nd for Riseisha's first 1-2-3 inning!

Bottom 7th
Why is Riseisha playing the graduation song at most graduations here??!

Miyazaki with good contact, but gets under it and Matsubara can camp under it in deep center for the out.

#14 Miyamoto comes in to hit for Shouno, but goes down on 3 straight pitches.

Hamada gets his first 1-2-3 inning as Harada hits a high fly to right to end the inning.

Top 8th
Miyamoto stays in the game at 3B.

Higashi issues his first walk to Matsuoka.  Torii bunts him to 2nd.

Nakano with an opposite field drive!  Okita running back and that's over his head again!  Matsuoka coes to score on the double and Meiden regains their 4-run margin.  It's 6-2!

Hamada pops one out to new 3B Miyamoto for the 2nd out.  And Nakamura lines out to Miyazaki to end the inning.  But the gap widens with just 2 innings left to go!

Bottom 8th
Kobone gives a good fight, fouling off 4 pitches before missing on a high fastball for the first out.

Kumamoto with a grounder that hops over the glove of Nakano into left for a base hit.  Now, Hamada grazes Okita and Riseisha has two runners on!

Hasegawa hits a short fly down the right field line!  Matsuoka running in strafes the line and makes the catch for the 2nd out!

Hamada perhaps laboring a bit falls behind Inui 3-0 before filling up the count.  Runners will take off, but Inui flies out to right!  Matsuoka there for the catch and Riseisha is retired!

Top 9th
Kimura with his 4th hit of the day, a single through the right side!

And he takes off for 2nd!  Throw by Inui, and he's safe!  (Dunno about that one.  Looks like Kumamoto may have had the tag there)

Compounding things is that Matsubara works a 9-pitch walk!

Araki with a grounder to 3rd.  Miyamoto's throw to 1st is high!  It goes over Kobone and into foul territory!  Kimura scores!  Matsubara being waved home!  Throw in and Matsubara gets around the swipe tag! 2-run error makes it 8-2 Meiden!

 Okada-kantoku pulls Higashi and brings in #10 Suzuki to finish the inning.

Full count to Satou and he's hit right on the knee.  Runners on 1st and 2nd as Okada-kantoku calls time.

Passed ball by Inui advances the runners.

Matsuoka crushes a liner to right!  Harada with the catch and Araki scores to make it 9-2.

Nakano collects his 4th hit with a single past a diving Kobone.  Runners at the corners for Hamada, though I'd just take him out at this point.

But he grounds out to short and the inning is over.  Meiden adds 3 more runs to what is now a mere formality.

Bottom 9th
#18 Oosuka takes over for Matsuoka in RF.

 #8 Fujiyama in to get his hacks as he PH for Suzuki.  Instead he goes down looking on 3 straight.

Miyazaki flies to right, and #16 Ueda grounds to 3rd to end the game.

A fairly dominating performance by the Meiji Jingu runner-ups as they rout Riseisha 9-2.  The battery of pitchers were unable to hold back the Meiden offense, and while they made it close in the middle innings, they couldn't keep it up.

Perhaps given some more time with their pitching, Riseisha may have something for the summer.  For now, they'll head home and continue to build on their Koushien experience.

As for Meiden, we have the Meiji Jingu rematch in the quarterfinals!  While revenge is not necessarily a Japanese trait, I don't think they'd mind giving one back to Kousei Gakuin here at senbatsu.

We'll get that game in 2 days time!

Wrapping up Day 4 has a surprise invitee facing what was the 2nd best team in the fall.  Yes, yet another underdog battle.

Miyazaki Nishi probably wasn't imagining being invited to Koushien after losing in the quarterfinals 2-0 to Kyushu Gakuin.  I mean, they invite 4 teams and generally it's those that make the semifinals.

Yet when the announcements came out, the committee maybe to (a) get another 21st century team invited since they were the Kyushu nominee and (b) make it appear that it's not automatic to get an invitation, punished Souseikan for their 9-0 loss in the semifinal by giving Miyazaki Nishi a bid.

It's rather remarkable that they even made it as far as they did.  Their offense is on par with Takasaki's offense.  They have a team batting average of 0.246, and just 8 extra base hits of the 56 hits overall.  They don't walk and they rarely steal bases.

Their ace Todaka isn't terrible at allowing baserunners, but probably posts the lowest strikeout rate of all the ace number pitchers in the tournament (2.36 K/9!!).  That means a lot of balls in play and a lot of pressure on the defense.  Even then in 7 games they committed just 7 errors.

But something tells me that their defense will be pushed to the limit, because they've drawn Aikoudai Meiden.

If there was any team that probably had been tested this past fall, it was Ichiro's alma mater.  They played 20 tournament games this past fall.  20!  And went 19-1 with their only loss being the Meiji Jingu final to Kousei Gakuin!

Now, 13 of them were played in prefecture, so there's a good chance a lot of the numbers are skewed a bit.  But on the surface, the numbers look absolutely sick.  The offense (in 20 games) has a slash line of 0.362/0.458/0.603!  Ace Hamada recorded slightly more than a K/inning, while allowing less than a baserunner/inning!  And as for the defense, they only committed 6 errors in those 20 games (sorry, there's no way I can do sabermetrics to evaluate defense, so this is all you get for analysis).

Now certainly, the offense isn't as good as that, and the pitching isn't as dominant as shown either.  But it has to be good to a big extent, and regression from such a high level would still suggest a title-contending team.

Which is not good news for Miyazaki Nishi...


CF  Okamoto Taito
SS  Hiwatashi Satoru
LF  Gotou Kouhri (#9)
C  Harada Taiki
P  Todaka Tatsurou
1B  Tomita Hiroki
3B  Takahashi Yuuta
RF  Takahashi Ryou (#7)
2B  Watanabe Ryuutarou

2B  Kimura Toshiki
CF  Matsubara Fumiya
LF  Araki Yuuto
SS  Satou Daisuke
RF  Matsuoka Daisuke
1B  Torii Tatsunori
3B  Nakano Yoshiki
P  Hamada Tatsurou
C  Nakamura Yuutarou

__________________________________________________

13:24 - First pitch!

Top 1st
Aw!  Miyazaki Nishi has "宮西" in white on a red background in their oen-dan!

Okamoto fouls off several pitches before being frozen on the outside corner for the 1st out.  And after a groundout, Hamada strikes out Gotou on a slider away

Bottom 1st
Kimura with a swinging bunt.  Harada with the strong throw and that beats a diving Kimura.

*sighs*

And Todaka retires the next two batters on groundouts and it's a scoreless first frame.

Top 2nd
After two quick outs, Tomita singles to right.  And while Yuuta lines a ball, Nakano makes a leaping catch for the 3rd out.

Bottom 2nd
Well, that can't be right, can it?  Todaka's fastball is in the high 110s??  And he has a slider in the 100's and a slow curve in the high 70s-low 80s???!!!

This might be a problem for Meiden in that they've probably never seen anything that slow as a fastball, and thus their timing might be off?

After a flyout by Satou, Matsuoka grounds out to 2nd, except that Tomita loses the ball?!  So man on via the error.

Hit-and-run!  Kurano-kantoku starts the hit and run and Torii singles to left!  Matsuoka heads for 3rd and the throw isn't in time!

Nakano with the safety bunt, but fouls it off!  Count goes to 2-2.

Nakano swings away and hits one to left.  Gotou coming in making the catch, and they're sending the runner home anyways!  Gotou's throw isn't in time and Nakano gets the sac fly.  Meiden takes a 1-0 lead!

Hamada gently placing a hit into right and runners are at the corners again for last battter Nakamura!

Nakamura tries a safety bunt, Todaka throws to first... and just gets him!  Three outs and Todaka gives up just the one run.

Top 3rd
Hamada's fastball isn't that fast (low-mid 130s), but he's very effective with them, locating them with great accuracy.  Combine that with the slider in the high 110-low 120s and I can see why.

He tries out Ryou swingin and Watanabe looking on 2 fastballs on the outside corner.  Okamoto grounds to short and it's an easy 1-2-3 inning.

Bottom 3rd
Kimura leads off the 3rd slicing a ball past a diving Hiwatasi for a base hit.

Matsubara pops it up on the hit-and-run, but Kimura doesn't notice to return!  Watanabe flicks the ball to 1st, and Tomita makes the stretch for the double play!

And Araki's timing n the slow curve is all off and he grounds out to 1st to end the inning!

Top 4th
Hamada continues to pound the outside corner as he strikes out Gotou for the 2nd out of the inning.

But he leaves one just a little fat and Harada singles to center.

But now that he's getting the outside corner, he's getting batters to chase, just like Todaka to end the inning.

Bottom 4th
Satou takes the first pitch away and bloops it to left for a single. Finally they go for the straight steal and Satou makes it in easily.

Todaka then loses Matsuoka and now there's runners on 1st and 2nd for Meiden.

Torii goes for the safety bunt, Todaka to field it, but can't field it cleanly!  The throw is late and it's manrui for Meiden as Kodama-kantoku calls for time.

SQUEEZE!!!!

They try the squeeze!  It goes up the 1st base line, Tomita charging, quick throw home... OUT!

Harada's foot blocks the slide and he makes the stretching pick for the force!

Hamada with the grounder to 1st.  Tomita throwing home again, and they get the force again! 2 down!

Nakamura with a hard grounder to the left side, under a diving Hiwatashi!  One run scores, two runs score and Meiden now leads 3-0!

Kimura flies out to left, but they finally get that timely base hit to extend the lead!

Top 5th
There's a delay as it appears that Satou was injured when his slide home was blocked by Harada's foot.

After a while, Kurano-kantoku gives the maru signal, and soon thereafter he takes the field.

8th K for Hamada as Tomita goes down swinging.  Yuuta goes down looking on the outside corner.

And make it 3 K's in the inning as Ryou is a victim of the outside corner - much like everyone else it seems.

Bottom 6th
One down, and Todaka give up just his 2nd walk to Araki.

Satou with a base hit over Takahashi down the line, Gotou there, AND IT GOES UNDER HIS GLOVE!

He has to turn around, but Araki easily scores as Satou gingerly gets to 3rd on the error!  4-0 Meiden!

Matsuoka with a soft base hit to left, and that makes it 5-0.

They're putting the pressure now as Matsuoka takes and steals 2nd.  It's getting to them as a wild pitch sends the runner to 3rd.

Torii with a hard hit past the drawn in infield makes it a 6-0 ballgame.  Nakano tries the safety bunt, though it ends up looking like a regular one.

Todaka can't get out of the inning yet though.  He walks Hamada to put runners at 1st and 2nd.

Nakamura tries the safety bunt, but fails for the 3rd out.  To the break, and Todaka has probably been figured out.

Top 6th
Post-break, and #17 Uomoto comes in to PH for Watanabe, but grounds out to 1st.  Nakano makes a nice running pick on a grounder from Okamoto.  And Hiwatashi hits a hard ball up the middle, but Kimura makes a great sliding block and his throw just beats out Hiwatashi.

Bottom 6th
#11 Kutsukake comes in for PH Uomoto and takes over on the mount.  Todaka goes to 2nd.

Kutsukake doesn't seem any different than Todaka, but induces 2 comebackers for 2 quick outs.  Araki reaches out on a ball outside and flies out for a 1-2-3 inning.

Top 7th
Harada gets Miyazaki Nishi's 3rd hit, taking a ball away to left. Todaka's woes extend to the plate as he strikes out for the 3rd time.  And Tomita grounds into a fielder's choice.  Miyazaki cannot do anything about Hamada's control of the outside part of the plate.

Bottom 7th
Satou lines one over Todaka and into right for a base hit!

#16 Matsui comes in to PH for Matsuoka.  But Matsui grounds into the 1-6-3 double play.

Torii continues the inning as he singles past a diving Todaka.  Nakano follows that with a single to left.  Hamada hits a hanging fastball to right center.  Ryou runs it down, but both baserunners score to make it 8-0.

Nakamura with a drive to left...  Gotou runs back and makes the catch just as he stumbles!  But it's clear that Miyazaki's run will end hee.

Top 8th
#18 Oosuka comes in for PH Matsui.

One down and #18 Hidaka comes in to PH for Ryou, but goes down swinging.  Kutsukake becomes Hamada's 13th victim and it's been a clean game.

Bottom 8th
#10 Yokogami comes in for PH Hidaka and takes over in RF.

Kimura just gets the ball on the end of the bat and lines it over Hiwatashi for a leadoff single.  Matsubara tries the safety bunt, but it's just a sac bunt in the end.

Araki with a liner at 2nd, Todaka reaches out and it deflects off the glove!  Everyone's safe.  He then takes 2nd on indifference.

Kodama-kantoku calls for time.

Kutsukake gets Satou to hit a comebacker.  Runners have to hold and there 2 down.  Oosuka walks on 4 straight and it's manrui for Torii.

Torii makes contact, but at the end of the bat and he flies out to left.  Three out, and three more left to go barring a comeback.

Top 9th
#6 Satou finally leaves the game as #14 Wakahara comes in for him and takes over at 2B while Kimura goes to SS.

Okamoto's grounder finds the new SS but Kimura makes a nice pick and throw... #16 Kawagoe PH for Hiwatashi, but becomes the 14th K for Hamada... And Gotou grounds to short to end the game.

Miyazaki Nishi certainly earned their bid, but had the unfortunate fortune of facing Aikoudai Meiden.  They can be proud of what they accomplished this past fall in reaching Koushien, and now can proudly say they were the first team from Miyazaki Nishi to get to Koushien.

Next up for Aikoudai Meiden... Riseisha.


Notable Players
Hamada Tatsurou (Aikoudai Meiden) - CG, 0 ER, 3 H, 14 K, 0 BB - 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB
Torii Tatsunori (Aikoudai Meiden) - 3-4, 2 R, RBI
Satou Daisuke (Aikoudai Meiden) - 3-5, R
Harada Taiki (Miyazaki Nishi) - 2-3

Niigata
With games spaced out, Niigata wasn't affected as much by the rain. Round of 16 action at Sanjyou Kikai wound up being a surprise as both seeded teams, #3 Nagaoka Oote and 5-8 Sado both lost! Nagaoka Oote gave up 4 in the 1st and never recovered against Niigata Kenou Kougyou while Niigata Meikun scored all 3 of their runs in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Sado 3-2!

Nihon Bunri led 4-0 over Teikyou Nagaoka before Teikyou scored 6 to take the lead! But Nihon Bunri had time to recover, tied the game in the 6th and won 10-6.

#2 Hokuetsu too would fall at Shibata Ijimino as Shirone scores 3 in the bottom of the 8th for the gyakuten 6-5 win.

Onto the quarterfinals and Nihon Bunri got involved in one heck of a battle with Murakami Sakuragaoka! After falling behind 3-0 in the top of the 1st, they score 5, then give 4 right back! Things got worse in the 6th after Murakami scored 2 more. That meant they were trailing 9-5! But Nihon Bunri would finally respond. 3 in the 6th and one more in the 7th finally brought them level. And in the bottom of the 9th, they score the winning run, but a rather unusual game from them here in the quarterfinals.

Shirone on the other side surprised yet another team as Katou shut out Gosen 2-0!

To the semis, and Nihon Bunri struggled again, this time against Chuuetsu. Managing just 1 run early, Chuuetsu took the 2-1 lead in the 6th. It would be 1 inning later where they'd take a 3-2 lead, but even though they reach the finals, I don't know if they can get away with it against Niigata Meikun. They mercilessly end Shirone's run with a 9-1 mercy game.

Nagano
In what could be considered a big upset, unknown Komoro Shougyou and ace Niimi(?) shutout Saku Chousei 3-0! That still leaves some big name teams, but it sure opens the door!

Joining Komoro Shougyou would be Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri, who scored 4 in the 4th but that was all they needed to beat Toukai Dai-san 4-3.

Meanwhile, emerging power Nagano Nichidai goes down in a shocker to to Matsumoto Dai-ichi 6-4!

Matsushou Gakuen does advance to the semis, but with a less than convincing 4-2 win over Iiyama.

In the semis, Matsushou Gakuen advanced to the finals with little resistance from Komoro Shougyou. It would seem like no matter the opponent, they should have no problem. After all, neither of them had been to Koushien before.

Their opponent would be Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri who won 2-0...

In the beginning though, it was Shidai who took the lead first. 3 runs in the 2nd and Matsushou was on their heels. It wouldn't be until the 6th inning when Matsushou would finally get on the board against ace Aibara. And the very next inning they knocked him out and scored 3 runs to boot to take the lead.

Things looked well for Matsuhou after that. All Kumatani had to do was close it out. But in the 9th he faltered. Shidai would score 3 runs in the 9th to take a 1 run lead. Matsushou once again was on the verge of being knocked out. Once again, they manufactured a run against reliever Kaneko to send it into extras.

That would be it for starter Kumatani as Miwa would relieve him, but 2 hits and only 1 out later, he would be relieved by their 3rd pitcher Hara. He gets them out of the mess, but he may be the end of the line for Matsushou.

As the game progressed, neither team was able to manufacture a run.

That was until the 13th when Shidai was able to push in a run, once again putting Matsushou on their heels.

This time though, there would be no comeback. The middle of the lineup couldn't deliver for Matsushou and Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri earns their 1st ever Koushien appearance!

Toyama
Toyama had the benefit of going slowly given the number of teams. They've actually been able to go through just 2 games a day each at 2 sites.

One of those games was in the 2nd round when Sakurai and Shin-Minato go extras, with Sakurai taking a 2-1 lead in the 12th only to have Fukushima falter in the end giving up 2 for the loss.

Shin-Minato's next game against Fushiki was even crazier. Down 4-0 before getting their first AB, they quickly got 3 back. After trading some runs in the next couple of innings, Shin-Minato scores 6 in the 6th to take a 11-6 lead! That lasted all of... almost nothing. Fushiki scores 5 in the lucky 7 and we were tied! Shin-Minato finally puts it away with 3 in the 8th for a 14-11 win!

Even by the Best 8, things had going pretty much as normal. The top 2 seeds advanced, but certainly not convincing. Toyama Kokusaidai Fuzoku managed just 6 hits against Namerikawa but scored the only run. Takaoka Shougyou limited Fujikoshi Kougyou to just 2 hits, but won 4-1.

Shin-Minato's quarterfinal game had to be pushed back due to rain, but when it finally got underway, it was another nail-biter. Takaoka Nishi kept the game close until the 8th when Shin-Minato scored 3 for the eventual 5-3 win.

In the semifinals, Toyama Kokusaidai Fuzoku uses a 4-run 5th to distance themselves from Tonami Kougyou for a 6-3 win. Shin-Minato will be their opponent as they win 15-6 over Takaoka Shougyou. Interestingly, it's Shin-Minato who's been to Koushien before, and seeded Takaoka Kokusaidai Fuzoku who hasn't!

Fukui
Not surprisingly, 3 of the 4 semifinalists were Fukui Koudai Fukui, Fukui Shougyou and Tsuruga Kehi. The 4th seeded team, Nyuu, who seems to at least be above average, lost to Takefu Shougyou in the round prior.

So in the semis, Koudai Fukui had no trouble with the outlier of the bunch as they won 6-0. The Fukushou-Tsuruga Kehi game on the other hand was close as expected. Neither team was able to scratch out a lead bigger than 2 until the bottom of the 8th as Fukushou got to Tsuruga Kehi's ace Yamamoto for 2 to get a 3-run lead. It was left to Fukushou's Yamamoto to shut things down. Except he wasn't able to cleanly. 1 run was in for Kehi, then 2... But Yamamoto managed to record the 3rd out and it setup a familiar final between two powerhouse schools.

Sadly though the finals were all Fukui Shougyou. Despite keeping the deficit at 1 early, they couldn't stop Fukushou from scoring in the middle innings. When all was said and done, Fukushou had earned their 2nd consecutive appearance and 21st overall.

Ishikawa
As the tournament moved into the round of 16 we could start noting some of the favored teams such as Kanazawa and Yuugakukan though you could be assured they'd advance far.

Looking at the other teams, there were some interesting battles. Komatsu defeats Hakui 3-2 in 12, Kanazawa Sakuragaoka rallies from down 6-0 to defeat Kanazawa Izumigaoka 9-6.

But in the end it would be Kanazawa and Yuugakukan who would meet in the final. Kanazawa would build a 4-0 lead early and not relinquish it, winning 8-5 for their 13th appearance and first since 2008.

Shiga
Much like other rural prefectures, certain teams dominate the area. Here in Shiga, it's primarily Kita-Ootsu and Oumi.

Yet this year they didn't seem as dominating. While Oumi won their first games 4-1 and 5-0, Kita-Ootsu won 3-1, then won 1-0 in 12 over Hikone Higashi (who really isn't that bad of a team).

That meant the door was possibly opened for other teams. Takashima, down 5-1 to Youkaichi in the bottom of the 9th score 5 to win the game and earn a crack at Kita-Ootsu.

Surpringly, it was not Kita-Ootsu, but Oumi who would fall first. Seta Kougyou scores 4 in the 8th and 9th innings to win 9-6! Kita-Ootsu survived yet again with a 3-1 win over Takashima.

Perhaps the only team that showed some domination was a different seeded team - Hachiman Shougyou who had won their first games combined 15-2 before defeating Kawase 4-1.

In the semis, Hachiman Shougyou flexed its muscle again, mercy-ruling Seta Kougyou 7-0 in 7. Kita-Ootsu makes it to the final with another close game against Oumi Kyoudaisha 4-2.

To the finals, and Kita-Ootsu seemed to be destined to be one of those teams who liked playing low scoring affairs. They build a 3-0 lead early, and looked to be in control. But in the 5th, Hachiman Shougyou out of nowhere goes on a run and scores 6 runs! Kita-Ootsu, who has played a low scoring strategy suddenly needs to keep up. But trying for runs at this point is difficult and as a result they lose 6-4 and Hachiman wins their 7th title and heads to Koshien for the first time in 5 years!

Yamanashi
So in the semifinals, Yamanashi Gakuindai Fuzoku had no trouble with Koufu Shougyou after pulling off the upset on A seed Toukaidai Koufu. Meanwhile Nihon Koukuu had their own upset to pull off against Koufu Kougyou and succeeded 6-4. Interestingly, all 4 semifinals were a Natsu Koushien representative in each of the last 5 years except last year (Hikawa).

In the finals, Gakuindai opened the scoring in the 4th with a run but JAA responded with 3 in their half. But Gakuindai started chipping away in the 6th, tying it in the 7th then blowing it open with 7 runs in the last 2 innings for the 10-3 win. This is their 5th title, and 1st in 2 years.

Gifu
Well, for almost all seeded teams remaining in the block semifinals, they all advanced. Though for teams like Seki Shoukou, they went from tied at 1-1 into the 9th, to down 4-1, to a sayonara 5-4 win!

The only seeded team remaining not to advance was Tounou Jitsugyou. They fell 9-5 to Gujyou.

To the block finals, and the shocker of them all came in the first game. Block A saw Seki Shoukou take a 4-1 lead over Oogaki Nichidai with 4 in the 5th! After extending it to 4 with a run in the 7th, ace Naijyou(?) gave it all right back, and was knocked out. And so, Oogaki Nichidai with new life, seemed to be back in control of the game. But Oogaki's 3rd pitcher of the game, Ueki, couldn't record an out. 2 hits later, and Kassai was tasked to save the inning.

Yet, he would be unable to do so. Seki Shoukou plates a run and takes the lead once again. Reliever Yasue shuts the Nichidai offense down, and they pull off the 6-5 upset!

Joiing Seki Shoukou would be Oogaki Shougyou, Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou, and Gujyou.

In the redraw for the semis, the expected blockbuster matchup game not in the finals, but the semis. Yes, Oogaki Shougyou and Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou drew each other. The game started off competitive as Oogaki Shougyou nudged out to a 2-1 lead. But in the 7th, Oogaki Shougyou scored 6 runs putting Kengishou on mercy watch. And sure enough, they were unable to score and Oogaki Shougyou advanced to the finals.

And though Seki Shoukou advanced to meet them, it was all but a certainty that Oogaki Shougyou would go to Koushien.

Whoops.

No one told Seki Shoukou that...

In the 2nd and 3rd innings, Seki Shoukou scores 2 runs apiece to take a shocking 4-0 lead on the favorites! Meanwhile, Naijyou scatters 7 hits across the board as he gives his team their 1st ever Koushien appearance!

Aichi
Almost 2 full weeks after the first games started in Aichi, the seeded teams finally start their games in their blocks. This is because the format chosen means these teams get not 1, but 2 bye rounds before they even play a game.

All the seeded teams did advance, though some not without some difficulty. Block A, Shigakukan scored 4 in the 9th to beat Douhou 10-7. In Block D, Kikuka needed all 15 innings before scoring the sayonara run to beat Niwa 3-2. And in Block F, Oobu gave up a 1-run lead to Bihoku before winning in 10.

In other block games, Kira scored in each of the last 3 innings to defeat Kariya Kita 3-2. Meijyoudai Fuzoku and Shouwa played to a 2-2 draw. The following day, it would be Meijyoudai who jumped out to an early lead and win 8-5.

There'd be more trouble for the seeded teams in the block semis. Shigakukan got into trouble yet again, but not in the way you'd think. Down 3-0 To Aichi Sangyoudai Kougyou they score 7 in the 7th and the game seems to be under control. Yet the very next half-inning Sangyoukou scores 6 to retake a 2-run lead! Well, with just 2 innings to go, and getting punched in the mouth like that it seemed like this time it would be the end. Yet they score 3 in the bottom of the 9th and advance 10-9!

Oobu too was in trouble. Down 3 to Tojyaku in the bottom of the 9th, they find a way to tie the game up and win 5-4 in 10.

Aichi was not so lucky in Block B. They fall 3-2 to Toyokawa and become the first casualty. Next, and perhaps most surprising of all was 2009 Natsu Koushien winner Chuukyoudai Chuukyou who lost to Jishuukan 3-2!

We also had our 2nd draw as Chiryuu and Aichi Shougyou played to a 5-5 draw. Chiryuu would win the replay 6-2.

Of the 8 seeded teams, the 6 remaining after the upsets did advance.

Perhaps the weakest of the bunch may have be Oobu who though seeded played 3 consecutive enchousen games, including their block final against Chiryuu. That went the full 15 before they scored 2, and yet almost blew it again (Chiryuu scored 1).

The Final 8 was redrawn, and it was very lopsided. The 2 favorites, Aikoudai Meiden and Touhou were on one side of the draw, along with Aichi Keisei who while never has to Koushien, has fared really well in the prefecture. On the other side the only team to have advanced to Koushien was Oobu.

Aikoudai Meiden and Touhou did win their games, though by margins of 5-2 and 3-1. Oobu's run did indeed run out against Toyokawa 6-3, and Shigakukan went 14 innings against Kikuka before winning 2-1.

In the semis, Aikoudai Meiden was able to edge out Touhou 6-5 through a 5-run 5th. Shigakukan would be their opponent as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead after 1 and used the cushion to win 10-7.

The finals were held the very next day amidst not to friendly clouds. The conditions seemed to favor Shigakukan as they overcame a 2-0 deficit in the first to lead 4-2 when the game went into rain delay at the end of 5. When the game resumed, Aikoudai Meiden would immediately pull within 1 against 3rd pitcher Iwata.

But Iwata would be able to shut down Ichiro's alma mater and Shigakukan earns their 1st ever Koushien appearance with a 4-3 win!

Shizuoka
As Shizuoka moved on in their tournament, the teams to watch out for would be Tokoha Kikugawa, Shizuoka and Seisei.

In the meantime, the other teams needed to keep advancing to even have a shot, no matter how small. Iwata Kita almost blew that chance twice. First, they lose a 2-run lead to Seikei in the top of the 9th, then Seikei scored a run in the 11th. Iwata Kita was able to score 2 to advance 6-5. Fuji Shiritsu had to go 15 innings against Hamakita Nishi to win 3-1.

Seeded Hamamatsu Nishi was not so fortunate, having to rally against Touyou from down 3-0 early, but lost 4-3 in the bottom of the 9th. Shizuoka Shougyou was next in the round of 16, falling 9-1 in 7 innings to Iwata Higashi!

So on one side of the best 8, all 4 seeded teams advanced. On the other side, only Nirayama remained.

The quarterfinals saw Nirayama and Iwata Higashi advancing on one side with 5-0 victories, Shizuoka defeating the weak link Hiryuu, and Tokoha Kikugawa and Seisei battling the full 9 innings before Tokoha Kikugawa made the sayonara victory 3-2.

In the semis, the last seeded team on the left side of the bracket finally fell as Nirayama lost to Iwata Higashi 6-3. But to win their first ever natsu title, they'd have to go through Shizuoka who dominated Tokoha Kikugawa 12-4.

But Iwata Higashi put up a great fight. Ace Abe kept Shizuoka to 1 run early, and allowed them to tie it up in the 4th with a HR from 1B Moriguchi. Except he'd give the 1-run lead right back to them. An insurance run in the bottom of the 8th spelled doom for the potential first-timers as Harazaki gives Shizuoka their 22nd title and first in 8 years!

Yamanashi
Yamanashi has advanced to the semifinal stages. Let's see how they got there:

Completion of Round 1 saw A seed Koufu Kougyou barely beat out Koma 3-1. My favorite team, A seed Nihon Koukuu (aka Japan Aviation Academy), got a scare from Koufu Shougyou as they rallied with 2 in the top of the 9th to tie the game. But in the end they scored the sayonara run in the 10th. And both Minobu and Nichidai Meisei both won meaning all A & B seeds advanced. In other games, Nirasaki Kougyou blows open a 5-5 tie with Yamanashi Nourin doubling their run total.

Round 3

• Toukaidai Koufu takes their slight 3-1 win and takes it out on their next opponent Hokuto. 13 runs and 5 innings later they're in the semis.
• Yamanashi Gakuindai Fuzoku looks to make a return appearance to Koshien and passes Fujikawaguchiko 9-6.
• Teikyou Dai-san's run ends against A seed Koufu Jyousai but not without a fight. They were tied 2-2 after 8 before Jyousai scored 4.
• B seed Yoshida becomes the first seeded team to fall as Koufu Minami scores 5 in the 5th in a 7-4 upset.
• Koufu Kougyou one again wins by the skin of their teeth scoring the winning run in the bottom of the 8th against Koufu Dai-ichi to win 2-1.
• Nihon Koukuu apparently wants me to sweat out the prefecture as much as possible. Nirasaki Kougyou stays step for step with them then even takes a 4-3 lead. Thankfully (for me anyways), Nihon Koukuu ties it immediately there after then takes the lead for good in the 8th to win 5-4.
• Over at Prefectural Fujihoku, Minobu has no trouble with Hikawa, but Nichidai Meisei has problems with Tsuru. They take a 4-0 lead, then fall behind 5-4. Then they get ahead 9-5 then immediately fall behind again 10-9. They immediately tie the game, but then fall behind by one in the 9th. Then... they lose 11-10.

Quarterfinals - With the typhoon hitting, the games on the 20th were pushed to the 21st so all 8 teams were in play.

• Toukaidai Koufu found themselves behind Yamanashi Gakuindai Fuzoku 4-0. Things started to look bleak until the 8th where they scored 4 to tie the game! Shocking of all though was that Yamanashi scored the sayonara run in the 9th to send them home!
• Koufu Minami kept the upset theme up after ace Tamagawa 3-hits A seed Koufu Jyousai!
• Minobu looked to make it 3 in a row. When they gave up 2 to Koufu Kougyou in the top of the 1st, they scored 2 of their own. Then they scored a run in the 5th to take the lead! However, Koufukou would fire right back with 2 of their own to take the lead, tack on another in the 7th and one more in the 9th for good measure. Not to mention that in doing so they hit 4 HR's!!
• And as if to taunt me, Nihon Koukuu had trouble with their 3rd straight opponent in Tsuru. After leading 1-0 early, Tsuru scores 3 unanswered to take the lead. It would stay that way until the bottom of the 9th when they score 2 to push it into enchousen! Then in the 11th Tsuru scores the go-ahead run. Nihon Koukuu though doesn't give up, score two of their own for the sayonara win which is... yeah, you guessed it 5-4. Stop giving me heart attacks!!
  

Gifu
I always wondered about Gifu's qualifying in that they separate the first full round of play into 2 weekends. That means while some teams get about a week off, others get just 2 days. You can justify perhaps 2 days versus 3, but 2 versus 6??

Anyways, to the recap:

Round 1

• D Block's 2 seed Tounou Jitsugyou starts with a 9-2 win over Hashima.
• Oogaki Kougyou scores 6 unanswered late to beat Nakatsugawa Kougyou 6-2.
• Gujyou down 4-1 to Ginan Kougyou in the bottom of the 9th makes a comeback marked by Shimizu's 3-run HR!
• C Block's 2 seed Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou(!) mercy ruled Reitaku Mizunami 12-3 in 8.
• C Blocks top seed Gifu Dai-ichi actually trailed Oogaki Higashi 2-0, then 3-1 before scoring 4 in the bottom of the 8th for the win.
• D Block's top seed Ginan scores 2 in the 1st which would be the final margin of victroy as they beat Gifu Kakamino 3-1.
• Ena Minami lets a 3-run lead slip away to Gifu Kita, and while they eventually win 5-4 in 12, the extra innings with just 1 full day off may cost them.

Round 2

• A Block's 2 seed Seki Shougyou barely gets by Kaidzu Meisei with a run in the 9th, while top seed Oogaki Nichidai mercy rules their 2nd opponent Mizunami in 5 innings.
  
• B Block's top seed Oogaki Shougyou gets a 4-1 victory over Oogaki Minami and Gifu Sougou falls to 2 seed Chuukyou. And Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou who has been to Koshien recently but unseeded defeated Kanou 4-2.
  
• C Block started the next day. Oogaki Kougyou needed 10 innings, but made no doubt about the winner scoring 4 in the extra frame to win 5-1 over Nakatsu Shougyou. Top seed Gifu Dai-ichi couldn't shake off Gifu Jyouhoku. Everytime they'd score runs, Jyouhoku would score the same one inning later. Then in the 8th Jyouhoku sprung out and scored a run to take the lead! Now it was Dai-ichi who needed to play catch-up! And they did in the top of the 9th tying the game and playing for extras. Except that Jyouhoku wouldn't let them. They score the sayonara run to send the top seed home! Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou wins 10-1 in 7.
  
• D Block's top seed Gizan also got the short end of the stick. Having to play from behind, they tie the game at 2 in the 8th. In extras, they get a run in the 12th only to have Minokamo square it up again. And in perhaps the most heartbreaking manner, Minokamo wins the game in the bottom of the 15th inning, the last possible moment. Tounou Jitsugyou had more trouble in their 2nd game unable to pull away until 3 in the 9th over Hashima Kita.

Aichi
With so many games to cover at this point, I'm going to have to condense my coverage a bit to try and catch up...

Round 1

• Agui and Kouyou were scoreless in 11 before Agui scores 1 and then Kouyou scores 2 for the win.
• Ichinomiya Minami scores 3 in the 9th for a gyakuten victory over Nisshin.
• Okazaki Higashi scores a run in the 1st and makes it stick against Anjyou Gakuen.
• Chiryuu Higashi scores the winning run in the bottom of the 8th to beat Toyota 7-6.
• Shouwa blows a 4-0 lead, then has to (and does) scores 2 to tie the game at 6 versus Kouzouji. Then they win 9-6 with 3 in the 12th.
  

Round 2

• Anjyou holds off a late surge by Anjyou Higashi for a 6-5 win.
• In the battle of Aichi Sangyoudai schools, Kougyou defeats Mikawa 9-2 in 8.
• Kounan scores 3 in the 8th to reverse the deficit against Seto Kita Sougou for a 6-5 win.
• Toyota Kita scores 6 in the 8th to beat Kagaku Gijyutsu Toyota 10-8.
• Bihoku winds 2-1 in 11 over Toyohashi Kougyou.
• Tsushima Kita scores 4 runs late to defeat Anjyou Minami 5-4.
• Kariya Kita gets a lead against Kasugai, loses it ties it up then wins in 11.

Shizuoka
Round 1

• Gotenba Nishi and Shizuoka Kita go 14 innings before Gotenba wins 5-2.
• Fujieda Meisei scores 2 to tie it up at 2 versus Itou Shougyou, but Itou prevails in 12 3-2.
• Hamamatsu Oohiradai took a 3-0 lead against Yoshiwara, saw it evaporate into a 1-run deficit, then tied and eventually won 5-4 in 10.
• Hamamatsu Kotou scores in each of the last 5 innings, including 2 in the 10th for a 6-4 win over Kagaku Gijyutsu.
• Itou's Maeshima throws a 1-hitter against Hamamatsu Kaiseikan as they advance 3-0.
• Hamakita Nishi scores a run in the top of the 9th to defeat Hamamatsu Jyouhoku Kougyou 3-2.

Round 2

• Well, there goes one of my teams. Tokoha Tachibana loses in their 2nd round game to Nirayama 3-2, though it did take them scoring the 3 runs late for the win.
• Seikei scores 5 runs in the last 2 innings, including 3 in the bottom of the 9th for the 7-6 sayonara win over Izu Sougou.
• Fukuroi bids sayonara to one of the Nichidai teams in Nichidai Mishima 3-2.
• Hamamatsu Tousen pulls it out against Shizuoka Taisei 3-2.
• Seeded Shizuoka Shougyou has no trouble in their first game, dispatching Gotenba Minami 7-0. Mikkabi, Shizuoka and Hamamatsu Nishi follow suit.
  
• Hiryuu on the other hand had issues with Shiritsu Numadzu. Tied 1-1 going into extras, it took 2 tries to put them away. They would finally win 3-2 in 12.
• My other team, Tokoha Kikugawa started off their summer with a 4-0 win over Shimada.
• Seisei, who was at senbatsu, won their first game 12-5 over Haibara.
• St. Christopher (aka Seirei) scores all 7 of their runs in the last 3 innings, then hang on for dear life as Gotenba Nishi rallied to within one in the bottom of the 9th.
• Shizuoka Minami scores 1 to tie against Shizuoka Higashi, then fires off 2 runs after Minami gets one in the 10th.
• Hamamatsu Minami with 5 in the bottom of the 8th to beat Fujinomiya Nishi 5-3.
• Yoshiwara Kougyou and Kakegawa Higashi finish out our coverage of round 2. Down 2, bottom 9, Yoshiwara finds a way to tie the game and send it into extras. Kakegawa Higashi was already on their 2nd pitcher, Yoshiwara would send in their reliever in the 10th. The innings would go by, another reliever would be brought in on both sides, yet the game would end in a 4-4 draw! The replay wouldn't be for another 3 days, giving both sides time to rest. Once again it would be a back and forth affair as Kakegawa jumps out to a 2-0 lead then Yoshiwara firing back with 3 in the middle innings. After a 3 spot by Kakegawa and 2 from Yoshiwara in the 8th inning, they were tied once again. Kakegawa would try to end it in regulation by scoring a run in the 9th, except that it was Yoshiwara who would end it scoring 2 for the 7-6 win!