高校野球 (Kokoyakyu)

Our opening match on quarterfinal day is a regional affair.  And yet, Fukuchiyama Seibi and Riseisha did not play each other in the super-regionals.

Fukuchiyama Seibi has not been challenged at all so far just putting pressure on their opponents right off the bat and cruising from then to victory.  I would be interested so see what would happen should they be involved in a tighter game as these easy wins can get someone complacent. Ishihara hasn't been dominant per se, but he has been useful enough to allow his team a chance to win - and that can be good enough.

Riseisha won with brute force in their last game.  Down 6-2, they relieved Mizota and sent in #10 Nagatani.  He did almost nothing but present a mid 140 fastball to the Komadai hitters and dared them to hit it.

They didn't.

And that allowed Riseisha to claw their way back in against spot starter long reliever Itou Harumi who had starter their first game.  And having gone through 2 pitchers already, I'm not sure they had anyone left - although they did have relievers in name on the bench.

I don't think brute force will work, so the pitching needs to figure itself out soon, because it will be a matter of when it all comes crashing down on themselves...

Fukuchiyama Seibi (Kyoto)
SS Nishida Tomonori
RF Kimura Noritsugu
C Sano Yuusuke
3B Maeda Ryouta
1B Nishimoto Masaki
LF Fujita Taisei
2B Oomura Ryou (#12)
CF Kimura Soutarou
P Ishihara Takeji

Riseisha (Osaka)
2B Inoue Kazuya
3B Tsuji Motomasa
SS Yoshida Yuuki
LF Nakayama Shouta
RF Nishimura Takahiro
C Hatta Natsu
1B Kinuta Shouta (#14)
CF Tateishi Satoshi
P Mizota Yuuto

First pitch, Nishida pops it right up.  Yoshida behind 2nd makes the catch.

Hm... Mizota falling behind Noritsugu 3-1.  Has his location struggles continued to today?

Well, Noritsugu attacking after that, fouling a couple off before flinching on the fastball down the middle for the 2nd out.

He does seem to be having issues, but has been throwing mainly fastballs though we finally see a slider to Sano.  Still, he gets a hold of another fastball but flies out to right.

Bottom 1st
Ishihara having his own issues early, falling behind Inoue 3-0 before finally walking him 2 pitches later.  Now, Ishihara appears to be barely missing low, which is really fine because there's other places you could miss that could be much worse.

Tsuji bunts him over to 2nd for Yoshida.

Yoshida blasts one to center!  Soutarou drifting back, now running!!  He leaps at the wall, but the ball bounces off of the top of the padding! It's bounces off of Soutarou before he can pick it up, but Yoshida's in with a stand up RBI triple!  Riseisha leads 1-0!

Nakayama up to try and add to the lead with any type of deep ball or base hit.

But Ishihara pulls out the changeup and gets Nakayama swinging for the 2nd out.

Ishihara throwing more offspeed stuff to Nishimura, but he's having trouble locating them, eventually walking him.  Control seems to be a slight issue on both fronts.

Hatta though goes after the first pitch and softly pops to to Oomura for the 3rd out, but Riseisha has the first strike!

Top 2nd
Grounder to 2nd for Inoue, he has a bit of a time securing it, but throws to 1st, AH!

He throws it high and wide!  Kinuta tries to make the swipe tag, but Maeda is already by!  E4 puts douten runner on.  Nishimoto lays down the bunt, and Mizota almost throws it away himself, but Kinuta saves it with the stretch.

The pitching gremlins come out again versus Fujita and Mizota walks him on 4 straight.

Oomura with the liner up the middle, but Yoshida catches it behind 2nd and beats Maeda back to the bag for the double play!  Almost nothing you can do about that, but it's bad luck for Seibi.

Bottom 2nd
Kinuta gives Riseisha another leadoff runner with a single back up the middle.  Tateishi bunts him over.

There's quickly 2 outs when Mizota flies out to center.

But then Ishihara can't find the zone again and walks Inoue for the 2nd time!

That's compounded when Tsuji singles to right, leaving it manrui for Yoshida.

あ。

Yoshida blasts yet another ball to center!  Soutarou having to sprint back again, leaps, but can't make the catch!  That'll clear the bases as he is in with another triple!  It's 4-0 Riseisha and Yoshida has all 4 RBIs!!

Nakayama wants to get in on the act and singles to right, scoring Yoshida to make it 5-0.

That's 4 hits in a row now after Nishimura singles to center!  #10 Adachi is scrambled to the bullpen, but it's way too late now.

Hatta sharp liner, but right to Maeda for the 3rd out.  Ishihara clearly in trouble as Rieseisha takes a commanding lead!

Top 3rd
Soutarou grounder to the left side, Yoshida slides over and makes the stop!  But his momentum affects his throw and Soutarou beats it out!

What's this?  Mizota wants to make it hard on himself?  He walks last batter Ishihara to put two runners on with no outs?

Nishida liner to right side, caught by Inoue!  Ishihara was running on contact and is doubled off!  It wasn't a hit and run, but Ishihara should have known better than to run immediately on a liner.

Noritsugu flies out to center and that's the inning.  Looks like it's going to be one of those games.

Bottom 3rd
Ishihara is not on at all as he walks Kinuta on 4 straight.  I'd ask if there were other options beside Ishihara, but I'm not sure any of them are actually viable.

Tateishi tries to bunt him along, but bunts himself into a K.

The misplays continue as Sano's throw to 1st is wide can't be handled by Nishimoto and it goes into right, advancing Kinuta.

2 down, and Inoue finally puts a ball in play, hitting a deep fly to right that Noritsugu has plenty of time to get to to make the catch.

Top 4th
Maeda gets a 1-out single to right.  After Nishimoto goes down on 3 straight, Fujita gives Seibi a small chance when his grounder up the middle takes an irregular hop over a diving Yoshida.

Mizota gives himself some trouble falling behind Oomura 3-1, but he comes back to full up the count and Kimura gets under a pitch and flies out to right for the 3rd out.

Bottom 4th
Ishihara finally retires Yoshida.  He only hits a flyball to deep right center that Noritsugu has time to get under.

But because of that Ishihara hashist 1st clean 1-2-3 inning of the game.

Top 5th
Seibi's batter are either missing Mizota's pitches just under or they have huge uppercut swings.  I say this because outside of Ishihara's grounder (and he's probably a pitcher's batter), Soutarou and Nishida hit very high pop flies.

Bottom 5th
Nishimura gives Riseisha their 4th leadoff runner with a hit to center.  He's bunted over to 2nd, and then a great foul catch from Noritsugu allows him to advance to 3rd.

Ishihara gets out of the mini pinch with a flyout to right, but as we hit the break, it seems to be all Riseisha today.

Top 6th
Nortsugu goes down looking for the 2nd time today, this time on a changeup inside.

Sano with a ball up the middle, Inoue successfully reaches the ball, but can't field it cleanly.  Base hit for Sano.

That's wiped out. Maeda grounds into the 4-6-3 double play to retire the side.

Bottom 6th
Ishihara gets 2 quick outs, but ruins it when he walks Tsuji.  It proceeds to get worse as Yoshida singles to right.

...and then Nakayama singles to center, scoring a run to make it 6-0.  Nishimura grounds to 2nd to end the inning.

Top 7th
Despite the lead, Riseisha not playing a clean game.  After Nishimura makes a great diving catch on a dying ball from Fujita into right center, Yoshida shorthops the throw to 1st on a Oomura grounder.

Tsuji makes up for it a bit when he makes a good stop on a ball up the 3rd base line from Soutarou and the strong throw to 1st retires the side.

Bottom 7th
After this half inning, I think many would wonder where was this pitching the entire game.  He strikes out 2, and then gets a groundout from Tateishi to end the inning.

Top 8th
Ishihara's day is done as #14 Tadokoro comes in to hit for him.

And delivers a gapper to right center!  He's in with a double!  #17 Horie comes in to run for him.

Nishida pops out up to left.  Nakayama coming in, but the ball drops in!  Horie advances to 3rd, but Seibi can prevent the shutout.

Now #18 Nakajima comes in to hit for Noritsugu.  Anything to get the offense going now.

Ball deep to right!  Nishimura goes to the foul pole.... FOUL!!!  Oh, that was close.

Single back up the middle!  Horie scores and Seibi is on the board at 6-1!

That's going to be it for Mizota.  #10 Nagatani comes into the game with that heater mentality.

Sano challenges it immediately, but grounds to 3rd.  Tsuji chooses to go to 2nd for the out.

Maeda works the count full, taking some borderline pitches, but he pops it up!  Tsuji in foul territory makes the catch for the 2nd out.

And Nishimoto hits a grounder to 2nd, AHHHH!!

Inoue whiffs on the ball and it goes to the outfield!  Nishida scores on the error and it's 6-2!  Still a bit of a ways to go though.

Nagatani continues to challenge with the fastball, and Fujita falls behind 1-2...

SANSHIN!  Nagatani climbs the ladder on Fujita and ends the inning.  Seibi gets a pair of runs, but it's not nearly enough at this point.

Bottom 8th
Nakajima stays in to play LF, Fujita goes to RF.  and #10 Adachi comes in to pitch in the #9 spot.

And Adachi pitches a clean 1-2-3 inning in relief with no hiccups.

Top 9th
#13 Kanaoka comes in for Nakayama to take over in LF.

Last ups for Seibi, and they're taking their hacks.  Oomura chases the outside fastball.  Soutarou for some reason can't pull the trigger on the fastball and goes down for the 2nd out.

#13 Umeno the last chance for Seibi as he hits for Adachi.

But he goes down on 3 straight and that's the game.

Fukuchiyama Seibi just didn't feel competitive the entire game.  Yes, they were unlucky as well, but some things might have been preventable as well.   There will be plenty of things to shore up for the summer campaign.

As for Riseisha, their hitting continues to... well, continue.  It was muted a bit later on, but they still gave themselves opportunities.    In addition, the errors didn't hurt them today, but that won't necessarily be the case going forward.

The bigger question will be ace Mizota.  He seems to be getting less and less consistent on the mound, and I'm not sure how much they can ride reliever Nagatani. That will remain to be seen in the upcoming days.

Notable Players
Mizota Yuuto (Riseisha) - 7+ IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 3 K, 2 BB
Nagatani Nobuaki (Riseisha) - 2 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 4 K, 0 BB
Yoshida Yuuki (Riseisha) - 3-4, 2 3B, 4 RBI
Nakayama Shouta (Riseisha) - 2-4, 2 RBI
Ishihara Takeji (Fukuchiyama Seibi) - 7 IP, 6 ER, 9 H, 5 K, 5 BB
Tokoro Koutarou (Fukuchiyama Seibi) - 1-1, 2B
Nakajima Ryousuke (Fukuchiyama Seibi) - 1-1, RBI

We're onto round 2 now, and first up two of the first day winners - Kamimura Gakuen and Fukuchiyama Seibi.

Kamimura Gakuen pulled away from Chuugoku champ Iwakuni in the 2nd half of the game.  This after Yanagawa had pretty much keep the Kamimura offense in check early.  However, ace Azuma wasn't all too sharp, issuing 6 walks in the affair and going to numerous more full counts.  Of course, he had 4 full days of rest, so that should certainly help.

Fukuchiyama Seibi benefited from a big inning against Yamanashi Gakuindai Fuzoku ace Uehara and reliever Ushioku though they had opportunities all game.

Ace Ishihara was helped out by early swings from the opposition, but there was still a few times where he wound up going deep into counts.  The contact wasn't solid by the opposition, but Ishihara's control didn't seem to be exceptional.

These two schools certainly had the better pitching on the mound, and was part of the reason why they advanced.  This should be a decent test for both teams.

Kamimura Gakuen (Kagoshima)
CF Nakayama Kouki
SS Tokou Masao
3B Kojima Chikara
1B Yamamoto Takuya (#9)
P Azuma Michihiro
LF Kido Keiji (#17)
C Toyoda Shougo (#12)
2B Kawano Ryou
RF Nozaki Taisei (#7)

Fukuchiyama Seibi (Kyoto)
SS Nishida Tomonori
RF Kimura Noritsugu
C Sano Yuusuke
3B Maeda Ryouta
1B Nishimoto Masaki
LF Fujita Taisei
2B Oomura Ryou (#12)
CF Kimura Soutarou
P Ishihara Takeji
____________________________________________________________

12:00 - First pitch!!

Top 1st
Nakayama getting a feel of things, chases Ishihara's changeup low for the first out.

Tokou though hits a fastball back up the middle for a base hit.  There's no bunting from Oda-kantoku, and Kojima winds up hitting a popup to center. Oomura goes out to field it, but it's Soutarou that waves him off at the last minute to make the catch.

And we already see the difference between last game and this one as Yamamoto gets a slider up, but swings under it for the 3rd out.

Bottom 1st
A couple of balls to start off by Azuma, but Nishida flies out to Nozaki near the foul line.

Noritsugu gets a hold of a curve, but not good enough as Nozaki winds up in front of the fence to make the catch.

Azuma shakes off Toyoda several times with Sano at 1-2, and pays as he hits a comebacker up the middle for a base hit.

However Maeda, ahead 2-0 can't cash in as he flies out to left to end the inning.

Top 2nd
Both offenses who had success their prior games are expectedly struggling.  Azuma succumbs to the changeup.  And while Toyoda gets lucky when his fly to shallow center is allowed to fall between Oomura and Soutarou, it is sandwiched between to skied balls to Nishida.

Bottom 2nd
Azuma registers his first K of the day, getting Nishimoto to miss on the curveball.

He doesn't get the same luxury with Fujita as he takes the curve through the right side.  And again with bench starter Oomura!  First pitch swinging repeats the base hit!  Runners on 1st and 2nd for Soutarou!

Early on though it seems like Ishihara is having the better of it as a lot of Azuma's pitches aren't really close, and Soutarou waits for his lining a shot to right loads the bases! Oda-kantoku calls time...

The one pitch that seems to be working is the curveball, but that's not necessarily a good thing...

He has to throw something else... and now the count runs full!

SANSHIN!!!  Azuma goes with the fastball and Ishihara chases what would have been ball 4!  2 down!

AH!!

Nishida first pitch swings and drives the ball to center! Nakayama running back, turning back, turning again, leaping and it's over his head!  Everyone will score with the runners taking off and it's 3-0 on the double by Nishida!  Nakayama made a complete mess of that ball, though to be fair it was right at him so it might have been hard to judge.

Noritsugu pops out to Toyoda to end the inning, but Azuma's issues from Game 1 haven't gone away...

Top 3rd
Nakayama, trying to make up for that hits a ball deep to left center for a double.

However, Ishihara gets Tokou and Kojima to pound the ball into the ground, and that takes care of the threat in the 3rd.

Bottom 3rd
Azuma gives up another free pass, this time to Sano to start the 3rd.  Tadokoro-kantoku not bunting, and Maeda winds up flying out to right.

Nishimoto one of the few batters struggling as he goes down for the 2nd time, this time thinking the curve was outside.

Fujita gets a hold of one and takes it the other way!  Nozaki has no chance at it as it falls in!  Sano comes around all the way from 1st to score and it's 4-0 Seibi!  Oomura pops out to retire the side, but Kamimura Gakuen already in real trouble early.

Top 4th
As shown by #10 Ueshin warming up.

Azuma grinding at the plate, earns his walk when Ishihara's slider misses the plate.  Kido just avoids the double play running out the play instead of diving into 1st.

He's rewarded as Toyoda gets his 2nd hit in as many ABs with a clean single to right.

And now it's Ishihara who can't find the zone!  He's missing everywhere against Kawano and though he manages to fill up the count, he walks him!  Manrui for Kamimura as Nozaki steps in!

Ishihara tries some offspeed pitches, but falls behind 2-0!  Comes back with some fastballs to even the count, but his changeup once again misses filling up the count!  Nowhere to put him!

And he gets him to pop up!  Nozaki gets under the fastball and pops up to 2nd!  Oomura in shallow center makes the catch and the chance for Kamimura goes begging!

Bottom 4th
Azuma goes into one of his hot-cold streaks as he retires both Soutarou and Ishihara, but then walks Ishida and Noritsugu.

He gets bailed out by Nozaki when Sano hits a ball into the gap in the right side.  Nozaki ranges over to get it, is out of position to throw to 1st, but notices that Noritsugu is off the bag at 2nd and fires there to get him for the 3rd out!

Top 5th
Fukuchiyama Seibi has been doing their homework.  Nakayama clobbers a liner to left, but Fujita already playing back goes to the wall and makes the catch.  Tokou and Kojima are retired not soon after and Kamimura might need a new game plan.

Bottom 5th
Maeda first pitch sends a ball to right center.  Nozaki over to field it, over runs it and it goes to the wall!  Maeda on his wheels gets to 3rd on the misplay!

And Nishmoto exacts revenge on Azuma as he singles to center to make it 5-0!

Fujita bunts him along to 2nd to try and tack on another run.  Meanwhile things go from bad to worse for Kamimura as a routine grounder to 2nd by Oomura becomes anything but when Yamamoto was charging in and Azuma was late covering.

Soutarou follows that up with a single to center making it 6-0 Seibi.

Ishihara bunts the runners along hoping Nishida can drive in more runs, but Azuma thankfully gets him to hit one off the end of the bat.  Nozaki secures it to retire the side, and as we hit the break, Seibi has completely dominated this matchup from the get go.

Top 6th
If there's any consolation, despite being down 6-0, Ishihara is approaching 80 pitches, so perhaps if they continue to work counts, they might get him to tire later on.

Yamamoto does just that, working the count full, but he foul tips the fastball into Sano's glove for the 1st out.

However, Azuma and Kido are retired on just 5 pitches, and that's the inning.

Bottom 6th
Azuma's time on the mound is over for now.  #10 Ueshin comes in for Nozaki and takes the hill.  Azuma goes to 3rd, Kojima goes to 1st, and Yamamoto goes to RF.

It's not a good start as Ueshin plunks Noritsugu.  Then Sano gets on safely for the 4th time with a single to left.

They catch a small break when Maeda grounds to Azuma.  He goes to the bag at 3rd to cut down the lead runner.

But the hits keep coming, Nishimoto continues on the rampage with a shot past Kojima down the 1st base line scoring Sano to make it 7-0. Fujita hits into the 6-4-3 double play to end the inning, but it looks like we might get back on track timewise given the score.

Top 7th
Ah... Well, there's a slight delay as Nishida is writing in pain near 2nd.  Turns out that on the throw to 2nd, the ball bounced up and hit him... in the family jewels.  He needs a moment but winds up being ok.

Toyoda continues to be a bright spot in the lineup as he singles to right.  But just as quickly it's snuffed out by a 4-6-3 double play.  Ueshin strikes out to retire the side.

Bottom 7th
#4 Miyazaki comes in to hit for Oomura, which leads me to believe it was him and not Nishida that got hit.

Miyazaki comes right in and singles to right - then gets replaced by #18 Nakajima who promptly steals 2nd.  After giving up a walk to Soutarou and then striking out Ishihara, #18 Shinzato comes in to pitch for Ueshin.

To which things continue to get worse for Kamimura.  Nishida drives a ball to right center that Nakayama sells out for and misses.  2 RBI triple makes it 9-0.

After another K, Shinzato gives up back to back hits, scoring one more to make it 10-0.  Azuma has a chance to end the inning on Nishimoto's grounder, but he doesn't field it cleanly, and his throw short hops Kojima who can't snag it.  Another run scores to make it 11-0.

With a walk to Fujita to load the bases, Shinzato is relieved by #11 Oomura.  It also brings up prior PR Nakajima for an AB.

He grounds to 2nd and the inning is finally over.

Top 8th
#15 Kondou comes in for PR Nakajima to take over at 2B.

Kamimura possibly looking to finish the game as quickly as possible are retired in order on just 7 pitches.

Bottom 8th
Soutarou with his 3rd hit of the game, a triple to right center.  One down, and #17 Horie comes in to hit for Nishida and grounds out.  Tokou can't field the grounder from Noritsugu cleanly and that tacks on another run, 12-0.  He gets caught stealing 2nd, so that'll be it for the scoring.

Top 9th
#16 Tanimoto comes in for PH Horie and takes over at SS.

Ishihara having some control issues late, should haven been shut down earlier due to blowout.

Yamamoto draws a walk, but Azuma and PH #2 Kodama go down on strikes.

Toyoda finally is retired as he pops out to Nishimoto to end the game.

Wow that was a blowout.  Not much to say there other than Fukuchiyama Seibi dominated the entire game.  However, the one caveat is that ace Ishihara threw a lot of pitches in the game - many unnecessary perhaps  as they might have wanted to save his arm for the next game.  We shall see.

Notable Players
Ishihara Takeji (Fukuchiyama Seibi) - CG, SHO, 5 H, 8 K, 3 BB
Sano Yuusuke (Fukuchiyama Seibi) - 4-4, 3 R, BB
Kimura Soutarou (Fukuchiyama Seibi) - 3-4, 3B, 3 R, RBI, BB
Azuma Michihiro (Kamimura Gakuen) - 5 IP, 6 ER, 11 H, 4 K, 3 BB
Toyoda Shougo (Kamimura Gakuen) - 3-4, 2B
Nakayama Kouki (Kamimura Gakuen) - 1-4, 2B, K

Well, while the opener perhaps wasn't as exciting or unexpected, perhaps things will pick up in the 2nd game today between two experienced squads in Fukuchiyama Seibi and Yamanashi Gakuindai Fuzoku.

But the stats on paper suggest we have the same type of game at hand.  Fukuchiyama Seibi has the run-production issues while Yamanashi Gakuindai's staff can't help but put runners on base.

The difference is that these teams are from stronger super-regions, so one team isn't handicapped if you will.  It may though give a bellwether on the other teams in their regions though.

Yamanashi Gakuindai Fuzoku (Yamanashi)
CF Kinjyou Tsutomu
RF Watanabe Takumu
SS Kikuchi Kaito
3B Inaba Kousuke
1B Uehara Susumu
C Kasahara Masaya
P Yamaguchi Daisuke
1B Tomiyama SHouki
2B Tanaka Kouki

Fukuchiyama Seibi (Kyoto)
SS Nishida Tomonori
RF Kimura Noritsugu
C Sano Yuusuke
3B Maeda Ryouta
1B Nishimoto Masaki
LF Fujita Taisei
CF Kimura Soutarou
2B Kondou Shouki (#15)
P Ishihara Takeji

____________________________________________________________

13:10 - First pitch!!

Top 1st
Well, Kinjou scorched a ball right at Nishida. All he does is slow it down with the glove as it trickles into left for a base hit.  Watanabe moves him quickly to 2nd.

And now Kinjyou takes off for 3rd!  Throw from Sano is way late and Yamanashi has a great chance to start.

Kikuchi sensing blood still exhibits a modicum of patience as he works the count and draws a walk bringing up the cleanup batter Inaba who goes up hacking.  The doesn't fit him well against Ishihara who gets him to chase a ball up for the 2nd out.

Uehara with 2 down also goes up swinging, going after two high pitches and falling behind 0-2.

Ishihara can't keep the ball down as almost everything to Uehara is up.  Which is apparently fine with him as he continues to swing.

But it's a good slider down that Uehara puts in play and grounds to short for the 3rd out.

Bottom 1st
Curve in at 108 for Yamaguchi to start versus Nishida.

Is that a fastball in the low 120s?  Nishida grounds it to short where Kikuchi's throw one hops Tomiyama, but he secures it for the out.

Not quite, but apparently Yamaguchi can't go any faster than the high120s and his slider and curveball are 10 kph descending.

And so it's no surprise that Noritsugu can foul pitches off until he sneaks one between Tomiyama and Tanaka for a base hit.

Tadokoro-kantoku goes for the hit-and-run, and Sano hits one right to Inaba.  In a little, he catches the short hop in front of his face and goes to 1st for the 2nd out.

But Yamaguchi puts pressure on himself as his curveball comes up short and Kasahara loses it allowing Noritsugu to advance to 3rd.  Not wanting anything to do with the #4 batter, he walks Maeda on 4 straight.  Yoshida-kantoku calls time.

And now it's Yamaguchi who can't keep the ball down, falling behind Nishimoto 2-0.  And I stand corrected, there's a fastball at 133.  But another ball and he's really asking to put himself in a bind.

But Nishimoto is jammed and dribbles one to the right side.  Tanaka comes in and makes the play at 1st to retire the side.

Top 2nd
Ishihara meddles with a 96 slow curve before he gets Kasahara to fly out to center.

Yamaguchi tries to inside-out an inside pitch, but winds up grounding right to Maeda. And promoted 1B Tomiyama looks at a slow curve to strike out on 3 straight to end the inning.

Bottom 2nd
Yamaguchi looked to have been a little squeezed there when perhaps Kasahara didn't frame a pitch right, but snags the chopper by Fujita for the 1st out.

But he falls behind Soutarou 3-0, and despite the high strike call, walks him.

Yamaguchi's going to his off-speed stuff, but it's not in the zone and the batters aren't swinging.  And with the slow pitches, Soutarou takes off for 2nd and a double clutch allows him to reach easily.

Kondou keys in on the fastball, but gets under one.  Tanaka, Kinjyou and Watanabe all converge, but it's Watanabe who's finally tasked to catch the ball for the 2nd out.

Last batter Ishihara looks to try and turn over the lineup, and his patience allows the count to go full.  But he immediately turns back to the dugout when he lets a fastball go for the 3rd strike.

Top 3rd
Tanaka tries to surprise with the drag bunt, but it goes foul.

Despite throwing in the low 130s, Ishihara likes to throw that slow curve in for a strike.  Tanaka takes a hack, but weakly flies to left.

Kinjyou gives a fastball a rip, but Maeda makes the nice pick of the bounder and retires Kinjyou for the 2nd out.

Watanabe up and he's given 2nd life when a popup in foul terrirtory drops in between Sano and Maeda.  It proves costly as on the next pitch Ishihara just misses low for a walk.

It's not too bad though as 2 pitches later, Kikuchi grounds to short to end the inning.

Bottom 3rd
It certainly looks like Yamaguchi will be running the counts deep the entire game with his pitches.  He jams Nishida, but Nishida gets enough on it to drop it in front of Kinjyou for a base hit.

Noritsugu tries to bunt him along, but winds up behind 0-2.  And Yamaguchi gets one right on the outside corner to record his 2nd K.

Sano with a ball to 3rd, Inaba with a great grab, goes to 2nd for 1, throw to 1st... not in time!  Sano hustles and beats out the throw.

Maeda liner back up the middle off Yamaguchi's glove! It deflects to Kikuchi, but he has to stop to prevent overrunning it! All he can do is block it as the runners reach base.  Slightly bad break there for Yamanashi.

And Nishimoto winds up in front of a slider and grounds it to 2nd to end the inning.

Top 4th
Inaba goes after the first pitch, but it's a routine grounder to short.

Ishihara gets the first pitch fastball in for a strike and goes immediately to the curve.  After a couple of those, Uehara goes on the high fastball and hits it to 1st.  Nishimoto has to shovel to Ishihara who barely beats out Uehara for the 2nd out.

One more grounder from Kasahara and it's a 1-2-3 inning.

Bottom 4th
Fujita lines up Yamaguchi's slider and shoots it past Inaba for a leadoff single.  Soutarou looking to bunt, pulls it back and singles past Tanaka into right.

And now a bouncing ball by Yamaguchi allows lead runner Fujita to advance to 3rd!

Kondou with a grounder to 3rd!  Fujita has to hold up as Inaba goes to 1st!

AHH!!!

Inaba's throw is short and Tomiyama can't pick it!  Fujita charges home and there's no throw! Seibi opens the scoring on the error, it's 1-0!  Yoshida-kantoku calls time.

Ishihara lays down the bunt, Yamaguchi quickly considers going to 3rd, but goes to 1st instead.

Nishida with a ball through the drawn in infield and Soutarou scores as Uehara gets the ball in.  It's 2-0 now for Seibi!

Noritsugu tries to bloop one into left, but a charging Uehara makes the shoestring catch.  To which Sano discards all pleasantries and takes the first pitch past a diving Kikuchi into left.  Kondou scores to make it 3-0.

Maeda with swinging bunt up the 3rd base line!  Yamaguchi charges in, throws to 1st, but it's too high and glances off of Tomiyama's glove!  Nishida scores to make it 4-0 now.

And now a wild pitch from Yamaguchi puts both runners in scoring position...  Fujita will get a 2nd AB in this inning as Nishimioto walks on 4 straight to load the bases.

Fujita with a sharp shot to 3rd, Inaba makes the diving grab!  His throw take a couple of hops... but Tomiyama secures this one to end the inning!  But Yamaguchi is in a whole lot of trouble as hot bats and errors compound for 4 runs.

Top 5th
Yamaguchi manages to work the count full, but takes an abbreviated swing and grounds to short.  Tomiyama can't buy a vowel as he chases a fastball away for his 2nd K in as many ABs.  Ishihara does the same to Tanaka who is late on the ball and it's another 1-2-3 inning for the Kyoto ace.

Bottom 5th
Seibi meanwhile is letting Yamaguchi come to them, and Soutarou draws the walk as Yamaguchi continues to jump around the zone.  Kondou moves him into scoring position.

Ishihara follows that strategy going from behind 0-2, to level at 2-2, and then full.  Fastball shoulder-high means the #9 batter walks.  The lineup turns over as Yoshida-kantoku makes a change, sending in Uehara from left while Yamaguchi goes to left.

Uehara right off the bat throws 2 quick strikes to Nishida, and almost gets strike 3 when his shuuto goes a bit low.  Never mind though as Nishida goes on a slider and flies to right.

Uehara supposedly has a curve and change to go with his low 130s fastball.  But the more important thing is that he appears to be able to locate.

Noritsugu hits a slow grounder up the middle that Kikuchi runs down, he steps on 2nd for the 3rd out, and we hit the break with Fukuchiyama Seibi taking advantage of Yamaguchi to the tune of 4 runs.

Top 6th
Meanwhile, Yamanashi's batters are having a devil of a time between his low 130s fastball and his 90s curve.  Kinjyou for his part work the count full after falling behind 0-2, then lasers one to left for a leadoff single.  Watanabe tries the drag bunt, but it goes foul up the 1st base line.  He does lay it down, and perhaps a tick hard as Nishimoto considered going to 2nd, but took the sure out at 1st (good job).

Kinjyou advances another 90 feet when Kikuchi flies out to Soutarou in RCF, but there's 2 outs now for Inaba.

And perhaps Yamanashi is finally getting it because Inaba squares the fastball over Nishida's head and into the LCF gap for a double!  Kinjyou scores to make it 4-1!

Uehara just gets ahead of one and pulls it foul, but then he takes the fastball the other way!  Fujita charging in towards the line, but it falls in!  Inaba scores to make it a 4-2 ballgame!

Kasahara pulls out the slider (finally) and gets Kasahara on 3 straight, but the top of the lineup comes through with some hits and cut the deficit in half!

Bottom 6th
Perhaps I jinxed Uehara as Sano takes the shuuto that goes back across the plate through the right side for a base hit.  Cleanup batter Maeda actually bunts the first pitch, and it goes foul.  And now, Uehara's missing all over the place.  Guess I did jinx him.

Uehara comes back to strike Maeda out looking on the shuuto, though Maeda will take that as Sano steals 2nd on the pitch.

Nishimoto helps out a little more, going after a very high changeup and pops out to Kikuchi behind 2nd base.

Fujita gives Uehara quite the bit of trouble fouling off several pitches before finally striking out on the change to end the inning.  A little shaky there, but still putting up 0's for his team.

Top 7th
Well, now it looks like Ishihara's looking for his command, though I think the ump may have squeezed him on the last pitch to walk Yamaguchi.  Tomiyama tries to bunt the runner along, but it's too short and Sano fires to 2nd and gets the lead runner.  In fact, they almost get 2 if Nishimoto could pick the throw from Nishida.

Despite the respite, Ishihara goes and walks the #9 batter Tanaka on 4 straight, prompting a mound visit by Tadokoro-kantoku.

Kinjyou goes after the first pitch, but can't get level on it and flies out to right.  Tomiyama advances 90 feet, but again there's 2 outs.

Watanabe standing his ground on the mound, gets ahead quickly 2-0 as #10 Adachi warms up on the bullpen.  Ishihara gets an inside fastball for a called strike, then levels the count on a foul ball.  Ishihara pulls the slider out and Watanabe goes down on 1 knee swinging to end the inning.

While they've managed to make the deficit manageable, they're running out of time.

Bottom 7th
Soutarou looks more like a leadoff hitter than an #7 hitter.  He draws his 3rd walk of the match, and has a single in his only official AB.  Kondou does his duty and bunts him along.

Uehara has excellent control at times, it might get better if he was converted into a pitcher.

Ishihara takes quite a few pitches from Uehara, then slices one past him into center for his first hit of the game.  Runners at the corners for leadoff batter Nishida.

Nishida taking his time with Uehara, gets the count full as Uehara just misses the outside corner.

And speaking of which, Uehara backed into one leaves one over the plate as Nishida singles through the left side, scoring Soutarou to make it 5-2.  Looking for the KO, Tadokoro-kantoku has Noritsugu bunt the runners into scoring position for Sano.

But Uehara gets Sano to hit the ball off the end of his bat to 2nd for the 3rd out.

Top 8th
Kikuchi on the first pitch goes to center for a base hit!  Inaba too goes on first pitch, but flies out right to Fujita.

Yamanashi is going on early pitches, and making decent contact, but not good enough.  Uehara and Kasahara are retired quickly and Saibi is looking dormy with a 3-run lead.

Bottom 8th
Maeda gets his 2nd hit as he singles back up the middle.  Nishimoto moves him over to scoring position.

With the game perhaps out of reach, Yoshida-kantoku sends in #11 Ushioku to take the hill, taking Tomiyama's position in the lineup.  Uehara goes to 1B.

Ushioku's delivery isn't fast, but he goes right over the top on his pitches, for better or worse.  He bounds one in front of Kasahara allowing Maeda to reach 3rd.  Fujita then lines a ball to right in front of Watanabe to make it 6-2.

But the downhill works when Soutarou grounds right into a 6-4-3 DP to end the inning.  Not too bad, but their time is just about up.

Top 9th
Ishihara is left out to finish the game, but begins by walking Yamaguchi.  #13 Hagikura comes in to hit for Ushioku, and promptly send the first pitch right to Soutarou for the 1st out.

Meanwhile, that curve is not going over for a strike anymore, so if the batters can key in on something else, it might help.

Sadly for Tanaka, Ishihara gets the slider on the outside corner for the 2nd out.

Kinjyou gives the ball a run, but very foul.  Then takes it the other way... also foul.  Sadly, when he does put it in play, it a soft pop to Nishida to end the game.

Once again, it's the team with pitching issues that suffers the loss as Yamaguchi struggled with the Seibi lineup up until he was pulled.  By that time it would be too late as the dramatic change in speed by Ishihara (and control) help up long enough for the win.

Fukuchiyama Seibi will advance to face Kamimura Gakuen in the next round 5 days from now.

Notable Players
Ishihara Takeji (Fukuchiyama Seibi) - CG, 2 ER, 5 H, 7 K, 5 BB
Maeda Ryouta (Fukuchiyama Seibi) - 3-4, R, BB, K
Nishida Tomonori (Fukuchiyama Seibi) - 3-5, R, 2 RBI
Kimura Soutarou (Fukuchiyama Seibi) - 1-2, 2 R, 3 BB
Yamaguchi Daisuke (Yamanashi Gakuindai Fuzoku) - 4.1 IP, 0 ER, 8 H, 2 K, 4 BB
Uehara Susumu (Yamanashi Gakuindai Fuzoku) - 3 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 K, BB
Kinjyou Tsutomu (Yamanashi Gakuindai Fuzoku) - 2-5, R
Inaba Kousuke (Yamanashi Gakuindai Fuzoku) - 1-4, 2B, R

I remember seeing Fukuchiyama Seibi back in 2006, and thought they were one of the established powers at Koushien, and with my penchant for rooting for the underdog, wanted some other team to advance.  Little did I know that was anything but the case.  Combine that with suspensions resulting from violence within the club set them back a couple of years.  Hopefully kantoku Tadokoro Kouji (田所 孝二) has cleaned house and bringing them back to Koushien means the program is on the level.

Road to Senbatsu
Kyoto Prefecturals

• def. Nissei 11-8
• def. Otokuni 4-0
• def. Murasakino 5-1
• def. Ristumeikan Uji 7-2
• lost Ryuukokudai Heian 10-5

Kinki Super-Regionals

• def. PL Gakuen 3-2
• lost Houtoku Gakuen 1-0

By virtue of being the Natsu Koushien representative, Fukuchiyama Seibi got a free pass through block play and straight to the prefecturals.  They did not however, get a first round bye.  In that first game against Nissei, they went out to an 11-4 lead and let Nissei stay around for the full 9 innings.  Then there were some rather pedestrian efforts against Otokuni and Murasakino.  The score looks better versus Ritsumeikan Uji, but that was just because they had a 6-run inning.  They would then have their own big inning against Heian in the final but starter Adachi, in place of ace Ishihara Takeshirou (石原 丈路), couldn't get out of the 7th inning as Heian would go on to score 6 runs, take the lead and never look back.

Ishihara would retake the hill for the super-regionals, eking by PL Gakuen first.  Then he was involved in a defensive battle against Houtoku Gakuen as both sides put the ball in play often, but it would be Hotoku who would push through the only run to advance.

Thanks to Ishihara's twitter account, I know he doesn't throw particularly hard.  In a picture of some type of pitching session, his max was 131 kph.  Now the gun could be slow, but I would imagine he's around the low 130s.  But I have no isolated videos of Ishihara, nor any information on Adachi - not even his first name!

Offensively, Seibi is mainly a station-to-station team, and given the fact that without their 2 big innings vs Ritsumeikan Uji and Ryuukokudai Heian their scoring is low, it will appear that Ishihara will have to limit scoring in order to give his team a fighting chance.

If I had to pick out some players on offense, it would be summer starters C Sano Yuusuke (佐野 友亮) and SS Nishida Tomonori (西田 友紀).  But again, no isolated videos of either person.

Seibi may have made it to senbatsu, but if you took away the name on the uniform they'd look like just another team. And sadly for them that's probably what they are. Now, their name or an easy draw might help them get a game, but it will be an uphill climb right from the get go.

Tomorrow, the final Kinki Super-regional representative, Chiben Gakuen.

Our second game features two schools who have something to prove.

Fukuchiyama Seibi has had a bit of a struggle in recent years.  After seeing their impressive run in person back in 2006, they fell out of the picture due to suspensions that cost the team their 2010 season.

They've been working their way back since, and finally put it all together this summer, including revenging a 22-3 loss last fall to eventual super-regional champs Kyoto Shouei.

Now, while the offense was in high gear early, it slowed down starting in the quarterfinals where Kita-Saga forced enchousen in the bottom of the 9th and almost extended it even after Seibi scored 2 in the top of the 11th.

I keep on harping pitching, but it is a necessity.  It is much harder to hit your way to a title than pitch your way through the field.  So ace Nakanrakari Kouta will need to shoulder the load.  He throws in the upper 130s with a slider, curve and forkball.  And while his twitter account is protected, what is it with HS players with twitter accounts?

Okinawa Shougaku successfully defended their fall taikai title, but survived some close calls against Kitanakagusuku and Mawashi.  They definitely have something to prove because despite winning the Kyushu Super-Regional last fall, they looked awful in an 11-2 loss to Tsuruga Kehi.

The biggest thing will be ace Higa Kenichirou and how he fares on the mound.  He doesn't throw particularly hard, so he'll need to locate his fastball - along with the slider, curve and changeup to be successful.  I'm still skeptical though as I don't think you can change that much in a couple of months.

Except surprise! Ura is starting instead of Higa!

Fukuchiyama Seibi (Kyoto)
3B Kusakabe Kouhei
CF Kuwahara Taiki
C Sano Yuusuke
1B Sakamoto Yoshinori
LF Kimura Noritsugu (#15)
P Nakanrakari Kouta
RF Deguchi Eito
SS Hiramoto Shouya
2B Nishida Yuuki

Okinawa Shougaku (Okinawa)
SS Moromizato Takumi
CF Chinen Yuuya
LF Naka Shouji (#9)
1B Shibahiki Yuuma
RF Akamine Ken (#17)
2B Taira Yuuki
3B Kubo Shuuto (#16)
P Ura Atsushi (#10)
C Gushiken Hideki

____________________________________________________________

10:40 - First Pitch!

Top 1st
First pitch from Ura goes over Kusakabe's head over Gushiken, over a lot of things.

Not a promising start as Ura walks Kusakabe on 4 straight.  Kuwahara bunts him over to 2nd as expected.

Sano with a fly to right that Akamine fields.  Kusakabe breaks for 3rd, and yet the throw in almost gets him on the slide!

Ura still having control issue but goes ahead 0-2... and gets Sakamoto to chase ball way out to end the inning!  It's a much better start than in the spring.

Bottom 1st
Nakanrakari off to a decent start as well, though the control isn't quite there yet it seems.  No matter though as Moromizato fouls out to Sakamoto, Chinen with an easy grounder to Nishida, and Naka fouls out to Hiramoto.  Stressless first inning.

Top 2nd
Noritsugu with a grounder to the right side, Taira to his left dives and just out of his reach for a base hit.

Nakanrakari show bunt, swings and just rips it foul up the 3rd base line.

Now he goes for the bunt, but fouls it off of Gushiken.

OH!  Ura leaves one over the plate and Nakanrakari hits a laser to left!  Naka goes to play it off the wall, bu it deflects to center!  Naka has to run it down and Noritsugu scores to make it 1-0 Seibi!

Deguchi with a bunt!  Ura charges in, wants to go to 3rd, but Kubo points to 1st as no one is covering!  So Seibi threatening to score again.

But Ura gets Hiramoto to pop up!  Shibahiki catches it for the 2nd out!

Last batter Nishida stepping in, Ura might get out of the jam with just one run damage.

NO!  Nishida with another line shot that goes off the wall!  Nakanrakari comes in to score and it's 2-0 Seibi!

Back to the top of the order and Kusakabe.  Ura laboring out there falling behind 3-1.  But he gets Kusakabe to hit a pop fly to end the inning.  But the pitching is letting Okishou down yet again it seems

Bottom 2nd
Shibahiki attacking first pitch, pops out to Kusakabe.

Akamine with a grounder to short, but Hiramoto boots it!  E6 and Okishou has their first runner.

Taira not bunting, hits another grounder to short.  Hiramoto again has difficulty but at least gets the lead runner.

Higa-kantoku now calls for Taira to run!  He takes off and beats the throw!

And now Kubo lines a ball down the right field line... Fair!  Taira rounding 3rd, he scores and Okishou gets a run back at 2-1!

Ura's stint on the mound is over.  #15 Nishihira comes in to hit for him... and gets hit by Nakandakari.  Can Okishou get the douten run in?

Not this inning.  Gushiken hits a high fly to right.  Deguchi secures it to retire the side, but an error gives a run back to Okishou!

Top 3rd
Ace Higa in the game now taking over Ura's spot in the lineup.  But his control is shaky to start, walking Kuwahara (though at one point he though he walked on 3 pitches)

Anyways Sano showing bunt, but pops it up!  Gushiken easily makes the catch for the first out.  Sakamoto pops out to Shibahiki near the dugout.

So Tadokoro-kantoku tries to put the game in motion, but Gushiken fires a seed to 2nd to gun down Kuwahara for the 3rd out.

Bottom 3rd
Ah...

Moromizato leaves a fastball up and Moromizato with a ball to left.  Noritsugu running back, turning, twisting, looking up...

HAITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With a swing of the bat, the whistles of the Okishou ouen-dan go in full force!  We're tied at 2!

You had to figure that with Nakanrakari's control not all there so far, he'd get hit.  Not necessarily like that though!

Chinen with a safety bunt! Nakanrakari and Sakamoto converge, but Nishida is late to get to 1st!!

Hit-and-run!  Naka with a single through to right!  Chinen heading to 3rd!  Throw from Deguchi... goes off Kusakabe!  Nakanrakari backs it up but Naka heads to 2nd!  Big chance for Okishou!

Shibahiki comebacker to Nakanrakari!  Looks back runners, goes to 1st for the out.

SQUEEZE!!!

Akamine going for the squeeze, pops it up!  Sakamoto catches it goes to 3rd... Double play!

Failed squeeze leads to double play and the end of the threat!

Top 4th
Well, the troubles on the mound continue on both sides.  Higa walks Noritsugu to start the inning.

What's this??!!  Nakanrakari with a drive to left center!  That's to the wall as Noritsugu is being sent home!  Throw cutoff and Fukuchiyama Seibi retakes the lead at 3-2!

Deguchi laying down the bunt to put the Nakanrakari 90 feet away for Hiramoto.

And he delivers!  Single to center and it's 4-2 Seibi!

Nishida up, and he's turning out to be pesky at the plate having spoiled 4 pitches in this AB.

He's rewarded!  Hard ball to 3rd eats up Kubo and everyone's safe!

Kusakabe trying for it all, gets under one and flies out to deep center.  Hiramoto advances to 3rd.

Moromizato comes in to talk to Higa as Kuwahara steps in.

Kuwahara though puts a dribbler in front of the plate. Gushiken fields and throws to 1st for the 3rd out.  But Fukuchiyama Seibi retakes their 2-run lead!

Bottom 4th
Taira with a liner over a leaping Hiramoto!  Taira's going for 2nd!!  Kuwahara fires it back in, but Taira slides in ahead of the ball!  Okinawa Shougaku looking to fire right back.

Now Nakanrakari hits Kubo!  2 on, no out for Okishou!

Higa showing bunt to put the douten runner in scoring position.  But he rolls two of them foul!  What now Higa-kantoku?

Three-bunt!  And it's foul!  One down.

Pitch from Nakanrakari in the dirt.  Sano blocks but Taira takes off!  Throw to 3rd... Safe!! (Just.)

Gushiken tries the safety bunt, but it runs foul.  Swings away, but it's a shallow fly!  Kuwahara fires it back in on the fly and Taira has to hold!  2 out!

Moromizato jammed and rolls one to 3rd!  Kusakabe fumbles it a bit, but fires to 1st for the 3rd out!  Chances again for Okishou, but in the end a big donut!

Top 5th
Routine fly from Sano to start the inning.

Not a routine swing from Sakamoto!  Deep drive to left!  Naka running to the pole...

HAITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seibi checks in with a HR from Sakamoto!  We're at 5-2!

Higa then turns around to retire both Noritsugu and Nakanrakari for the first time this game to end the inning.  Such is the life of inconsistent pitching.

Bottom 5th
Surprisingly, despite Nakanrakari's continues problems with control, Okinawa Shougkau's batters can't take advantage like Seibi's batters are.  Chinen flies out to center.  Naka pops out to Sano on top of home, and Shibahiki looks rather silly reaching out on a slider.

So we head to the break with the same story for Okinawa Shougaku.  Below average pitching and a decent deficit to have to come back from.  The question will be if they can somehow take advantage of Nakanrakari, because he's not pitching like a top ace either.

Top 6th
Well, that's surprising.  Higa puts together a rather solid inning, retiring the bottom of the Seibi in proper order hitting the glove and getting weak contact - or in Nishida's case none at all.

Bottom 6th
Akamine checking in with a hit through the right side.  Higa-kantoku will have Taira bunt to play for the single run.

But Kubo in a fit of patience, draws a 4 pitch walk!  Runners at 1st and 2nd!

Higa's day is done!  #18 Asato will come in to hit for him.

First pitch liner to center!!! Akamine holds at 3rd, manrui Okinawa Shougaku!!

Haisai Oji-san whistles in the ouen-dan as Gushiken steps in.

But Gushiken is looking for a hit and falls behind 1-2!  And he chases a change outside for the 2nd out!  Where's the patience?

Moromizato hit!  Nakanrakari forces in a run and we're at 5-3!

Chinen coming in to bat and Tadokoro-kantoku is emphatically calling his outfield in a bit.

Nakanrakari struggling with command falls behind 2-1 before a ball catches enough of the plate to Chinen's liking - but fouls it off.

Grounder to short.  Hiramoto with it and .. eh?

Hiramoto inexplicably bounces it to 2nd and it goes into right!  Kubo scores!  Asato rounds 3rd... he scores!  We're tied 5-5 on something I just can't explain!!

Naka trying to give his team the lead, and Chinen takes off for 2nd!  Sano fakes the throw to 2nd in case Moromizato comes home but he doesn't.

Nakanrakari though strikes out Naka looking and the side is retired!  But we have a new ballgame!

Top 7th
Sadly for Okinawa Shougaku, #12 Yamashiro is no better on the mound in control  One out and he plunks Kuwahara, then leaves on just a bit too fat for Sano who singles through the right side.

And then he walks Sakamoto on 4 straight to have manrui, 1 out for Noritsugu.  Higa-kantoku calls time.

But whatever was working for Noritsugu isn't working now!  He waves over a forkball and goes down for the 2nd out!

Up to Nakanrakari who has had less success on the plate as of late.

SANSHIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nakanrakari makes a half-hearted swing and goes down for the 3rd out!  Wow, wasn't expecting that.

Bottom 7th
Shibahiki waves hi to a pitch on the outside part and walks back to the dugout.

Akamine is the opposite of Noritsugu.  He turns on the switch late as he singles through the right side!

Taira with a blast to left center!  Noritsugu and Kuwahara have to run it down!  Akamine being sent home!  Throw in... late!  Taira goes to take 3rd!  Throw there... Kusakabe can't handle it and it rolls into foul territory!  But Taira doesn't know where it is and can't head home!  But Okinawa Shougaku takes the lead at 6-5!

Could things be falling apart for Seibi?   Nakanrakari walks Kubo on 4 straight and there's runner at the corners!

Well, small reprieve for him as Yamashiro swings and misses on a fastball for the 2nd out.

Gushiken with a ball to the gap in short.  Hiramoto runs it down, turns and throws... OUT!  It's a perfect throw to 1st to end the inning!

But!  A booming double by Tairy gives Okinawa Shougaku their first lead of the game!

Top 8th
I don't know if there's enough time to size up Yamashiro.  Deguchi decides late to swing and pops out to Shibahiki.

Hiramoto with his 2nd hit clean through to left.

But just as an opportunity shows up, the door is shut!  Nishida grounds right to Taira who starts the 4-6-3 double play to end the inning!

Bottom 8th
Moromizato grounder to 3rd, Kusakabe boots it!  Forces throw to 1st, and of course throws it away!  Moromizato takes 2nd with no out!

Chinen with the bunt, Nakanrakari with it, no he doesn't!

He loses the grip on the ball and everyone's safe!! 2 errors and Fukuchiyama Seibi is in a world of trouble!

Chinen takes off for 2nd, and no throw from Sano!  Base hit now makes this game possibly out of reach!

But Naka pops it up!  Kusakabe in foul territory makes the catch for the first out!

Shibahiki with a rocket to Hiramoto!  Goes home and Moromizato in a rundown!  Chinen advances to 3rd on the out, but there's 2 down!

But Akamine is stepping in with 2 hits in his last 2 ABs.

Liner to right.... falls in front of Deguchi!  Chinen scores and it's 7-5 Okinawa Shougaku!

Taira with a ball through the right side into center!  Kuwahara comes up throwing but Sano doesn't get the ball before trying to make the tag!  Shibahiki scores and Taira goes to 2nd on the throw/missed catch!  8-7!

And that's the end of the day on the mound for Nakanrakari.  #11 Kimura comes in for Deguchi and takes the hill and Nakarakari goes out to right.

Kimura gets Kubo to fly out to center, but Seibi has a LOT of work to do in just 3 outs.

Top 9th
Top of the order up for Fukuchiyama Seibi.

Kusakabe behind 0-2, fouls out to Shibahiki near the bullpen.  One down.

Kuwahara with a drive to deep right center  Akamine and Chinen converge... Akamine makes the sprinting catch for the 2nd out!

So it's up to Sano to keep the game going.  He does with a single back up the middle.

Sakamoto up now, and he's jammed!  But he gets enough to put it into shallow center for a hit!  Seibi is able to send the douten runner up now as Higa-kantoku calls time.

Noritsugu will step in now.  He was successful earlier, but not as of late.  Can he continue the momentum?

Scorcher up the 1st base line... past Shibahiki!  Sano scores... Sakamoto being waved home!  Throw in....  LATE!!  Noritsugu scores 2 and it's 8-7!!

Douten runner on 2nd as the pitchers battle it out!

Nakanrakari taking some big swings, but missing!  He's behind 0-2!!

1-2 and the go inside, Nakanrakari just fouls it off...

Fastball outside, just ticked off by Nakanrakari... still alive.

Slider way outside, no swing, 2-2 count...

Fastball, outside corner... SANSHIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Home plate umpire Ike calls out Nakanrakari and Okinawa Shougaku holds on to win 8-7!!

It's an amazing finish to a rather sub-average game by the teams' pitching staffs!

Neither side looked rather sharp today and as a result runs were able to be had if you can put the hits together.  The first half of the game seemed to belong to Fukuchiyama Seibi.  But after the break, Okinawa Shougaku claimed the momentum.  But just when you thought the game was over, Fukuchiyama could mount one final rally against the beleagured pitching.  And in pure kokoyakyu style, it was pitcher on pitcher with Yamashiro prevailing over Nakanrakari - who was certainly under a lot of pressure.

Okinawa Shougaku does get to advance, but the flaws from the spring still remain and probably will be taken advantage of.


Notable Players
Akamine Ken (Okinawa Shougaku) - 3-4, 2 R, RBI
Taira Yuuki (Okinawa Shougaku) - 3-4, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI
Moromizato Takumi (Okinawa Shougaku) - 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI
Kimura Noritsugu (Fukuchiyama Seibi) - 2-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB
Sakamoto Yoshinori (Fukuchiyama Seibi) - 2-4, R
Nakanrakari Kouta (Fukuchiyama Seibi) - 2-5, 2 2B, 3 K (including final out)