高校野球 (Kokoyakyu)

So three more prefectures in Tohoku started up yesterday, so let's get caught up on the region before moving on.

Ok, quite a bit has happened since Minami Hokkaido got the Natsu Qualifying started. The coverage here won't be as extensive, and I'll leave a lot of coverage on teams that had good runs, but fell short for another post. But this weekend, all but Shimane and Kochi have started play.

Kita Hokkaido - Regional Play & Round of 16 draw completed
Here's who advanced out of regional play:

Kushine

• A - Kushiro Kougyou (who gave up a 5-3 lead in the 9th to Kushiro Koryou and eventually won in 12.
• B - Kushiro Hokuyou
• C - Bushuukan (11-4 and 7-0? Still got it, so far at least)

With less than 2 weeks to Natsu Koushien, we get a flurry of teams qualifying for Koushien.  Here's what happened yesterday:

Fukushima - Nichidai Tohoku v. Seikou Gakuin
In this year where it seems like the underdog is finally giving the powerhouse teams their comeuppance, Nichidai Tohoku had a similar opportunity versus the king of the prefecture, Seikou Gakuin.

And it really looked like Nichidai would be able to pull off the upset.  Seikou went from pitcher to pitcher to stem the tide, but couldn't as Nichidai Tohoku put run after another on the board to build a 6-2 lead.  By the time the game hit the 9th, I was dead certain they would be able to do it.

And they were just one out away from doing it.  But with runners on the corners and 2 out, Seikou put 3 hits together, and that 6-2 lead turned into a 6-6 ballgame.

Any time you have the underdog giving up a lead like that, especially in the final, usually the collapse is complete in regulation, or even if they survive into enchousen they can't regain momentum.

2 innings later, Seikou got runners on 1st and 2nd with no out, #3 batter Yananuma delivered the final blow to send Seikou to Koushien for another year.

Chiba - Toukaidai Bouyou v. Senshuudai Matsudo
After the melee in Chiba, 2 Tier 3 schools found themselves in the finals.  As one of my twitter follows is wont to mention, Senshuudai Matsudo in prior years kept on losing late in the tournament in enchousen.

But in the round of 16, perhaps they exorcised the demons when they won a 3-2 win in 10 against Shiritsu Funabashi. That seemed to give them momentum as they put away Kisaradzu Sougou early, and then scored 5 early against Kashiwa Nittai to reach the finals.

Toukaidai Bouyou was the forgotten Toukai school in the prefecture - to Toukaidai Urayasu (they had defeated Narashino earlier).  But they were always a respectable squad and always made a modest run.

This year was different.  This time around they got some breaks.  In their 2nd game, they had to walkoff Seibudai Chiba 3-2.  Then was a very uncharacteristic 2-0 win over Sodegaura.  And instead of facing Chiba Keizaidai Fuzoku, they faced Kokubun instead and shut them out 5-0.

Wouldn't you know it, they would have to face sister school Toukaidai Urayasu in the semifinals.  And you had to think that Bouyou's run would end here.

Nope, not even close.

In fact the scoreline would have you believe Bouyou was the dominant Toukai school.  12-2 in 5 innings!!

And holy crap, it's like Toukaidai Bouyou was just saving themselves for the stretch run, because in the final, Senshuudai Matsudo was absolutely no match. 6 runs in the 2nd to demoralize them, and the 6 in the 8th for the finishing blow, and they punch their first ever ticket to Natsu Koushien with authority in a 13-2 win.

Toyama - Toyama Shougyou v. Takaoka Shougyou
Sadly for those of us who loved Toyama Dai-ichi's run last year (the prefecture's deepest in 30 years), they showed some cracks early, and went down in the semifinals to Takaoka Shougyou.  And outside of a 2-0 win in their 1st game over Toyama Kougyou, the run looked rather solid.

The same could not be said for Toyama Shougyou.  Yes, they had some easy games to start, but then in the quarterfinals against Takaoka, they would go scoreless through regulation before wining in 10.  And the semifinals against Fujikoshi Kougyou, they managed to keep them at arms length, but an 8-5 win going into the finals doesn't necessarily portend great things.

And early on, it looked like they would be had.  After a couple scoreless, Takaoka Shougyou built a 3-0 lead.  But that completely collapsed when Toyama Shougyou scored 6 in the 6th.  And just for good measure they added 3 more in the 9th to avoid possible drama, and Toyama Shougyou makes their 1st trip in 10 years with a 9-3 win!

Gifu - Oogaki Nichidai v. Gifu Kougyou
Gifu Kougyou admittedly got some help to reach the finals.  No Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou to deal with, and the other main players were on the other half of the bracket.

But they had earned their finals appearance with their performance, soundly defeating those in front of them with the exception of the semifinals where they had to use all 9 innings to defeat Gifu Sougou Gakuen 3-2.

But the prefecture was Oogaki Nichidai's to lose.  Despite a narrow 3-0 win over Motoshi Shouyou, they easily manhandled their opponents up until defeating Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou 3-1.

The finals were no match. Oogaki Nichidai claimed their 2nd consecutive title with an 11-2 win.

Kyoto - Kyoto Subaru v. Ryuukokudai Heian
I thought maybe this might be Kyoto Subaru's year.  Fukuchiyama Seibi fell, Kyoto Gaidai Nishi too.  They almost didn't make the finals after coming back to defeat Katsura 8-7 after falling behind 5-0 after the first inning.  A 10-0 win the semifinal over Yamashiro perhaps meant good momentum going into the finals.

But on the other side loomed the senbatsu champs Ryuukokudai Heian...

And let's just say that it wasn't pretty. 2 in the 1st and 3 in the 2nd and the rout was on.  When it was all said and done, Heian will have a chance to go haru-natsu with a 10-0 win over Kyoto Subaru.  Maybe next year guys...

Wakayama - Chiben Wakayama v. Shiritsu Wakayama
Chiben Wakayama has dominated the prefecture for a long time now.  In the last 27 years, they have relinquished the natsu title just 7 times.  For all the other schools in the prefecture that's rather frustrating knowing that the road to Koushien goes through them.

So it seemed this year too.  Outside of a 4-1 win over Touin, it was double digit runs the rest of the way to the finals.

The team to try and slay the monster this year was Shiritsu Wakayama.  They almost didn't even make it out of their first game, giving up a 2-0 lead to Wakayama Tousen before winning in 10.  It got easier after that, culminating in a 4-1 over Wakayama Shougyou to reach the finals.

Still, it's not like they were lighting the world on fire, and it was Chiben Wakayama after all.

But in the finals, Shiritsu kept Chiben off the board after giving up a run in the 1st.  That kept them in the game until the 7th, where it did indeed prove to be lucky for them.  Ooshima would deliver the game-tying RBI and the game would remain tied at 1 into enchousen.

In the 11th, Chiben would take the lead again 2-1, but Shiritsu found a response in PH Abe who hit another clutch single to center.

The unbelievable happened one inning later, when with runners on 1st and 2nd, Setoguchi would drive a ball to left center, scoring the sayonara run giving Shiritsu Wakayama the 3-2 victory!!

Shimane - Taisha v. Kaisei
Taisha has been that model Tier 3 school in Shimane.  Always good, never great.  This year though was completely different, scoring double digits against all opponents until the semifinals where they trailed Yasugi 4-0 going into the bottom of the 9th.  Yasugi's ace Saneshige couldn't close out the gae, and Taisha rallied for 4 in the 9th to tie the game.  And in the 10th, Shimizu's base hit would complete the comeback to reach the finals.

Kaisei's road was a bit more rockier, but then again it was a bit more difficult as well.  First was a 4-2 win over Risshoudai Shounan.  Then down 6-0 to Iwamichisuikan, they scored 11 unanswered runs to advance to the semifinals. And then against unknown Daitou, they were in an old-fashioned brawl where after a scoreless 2 innings there were multiple ties and lead changes and 4 ties, but the decisive blow was a 5-run 6th by Kaisei to take a 10-7 lead.  They would hold off a final charge by Taisei in the 9th, but they could only score 2 of the 3 runs needed to extend the game, falling 12-11.

In the final, Taisha would fight their best, but in the end another big inning by Kaisei would do them in.  Kaisei wins 9-4 and heads back to Koushien.

Onto the Tohoku Super-Regionals...

Aomori
Draw is set in Aomori, teams qualified are as follows:

Aomori Regionals

• Block winners - Aomori Kita & Aomori Yamada
• Repechage winners - Aomori Shougyou & Aomori Kita

 Goshogawara Regionals

• Block winners - Kidzukuri & Goshogawara
• Repechage winner - Goshogawara Shougyou

 Hirosaki Regionals

• Block winners - Hirosaki Higashi & Touou Gijyuku
• Repechage winner - Hirosaki Chuo

 Towada Regionals

• Block winners - Misawa Shougyou & Misawa
• Repechage winner - Sanbongi

 Hachinohe Regionals

• Block winners - Hachinohe Kita & (Hachinohe) Kousei Gakuin
• Block runner-ups - Hachinohe Nishi & Hachinohe
• Repechage winner - Takko

 Mutsu Regionals

• Block winner - Oominato
• Repechage winner - Mutsu Kougyou

Seiai joins the rest of the field in where the draw spreads out the major teams. Aomori Yamada and Kousei Gakuin are all in different quadrants. Should be interesting!

Akita
Akita regionals are completed and they are in the quarterfinals of the prefecturals. Missing from the list is Natsu representative Akita Shougyou who did not even make the prefecturals losing in the 2nd round of the Chubu regionals 8-4 to Nishime.

And the power vacuum was filled in by teams who were more resourceful than the other powerhouse teams. Oomagari Kougyou rallied from down 5-1 to defeat Oodate Houmei 6-5. Akita Chuo mercy ruled Noshiro Shougyou 9-0! Oomagari won a 13-12 bloodbath versus Akita Minami, and Akita was walked off by Kakunodate 7-6.

For Kakunodate's sake I hope they get to the super-regionals and more. They were so close in the summer.

Iwate
Iwate's regionals are done and the teams to advance are as follows:

Kuji Regionals

• Winner - Kuji Kougyou
• Repechage winner - Kuji

Ninohe Regionals

• Winner & Runner-up - Fukuoka & Ibonai
• Repechage winner - Kuzumaki

Morioka Regionals

• Winner & Runner-up - Moriokadai Fuzoku & Morioka Chuo
• Semifinalists - Morioka Dai-yon & Iwate
• Repechage winners - Morioka Dai-san & Morioka Shiritsu

Hanamaki Regionals

• Extra winner - Hanamaki Higashi (they played the block winner and won 12-0)
• Block winner & Runner-up - Touno & Hanamaki Kita
• Repechage winner - Hanamaki Nougyou & Hanakita Seiuun

Hokuou Regionals

• Winner & Runner-up - Senshuudai Kitakami & Mizusawa
• Repechage winners - Kurosawajiri Kougyou & Mizusawa Dai-ichi
• 2nd Repechage winner - Mizusawa Kougyou

Ichinoseki Regionals

• Winner & Runner-up - Ichinoseki Gakuin (Again...) & Daitou
• Repechage winner & runner-up - Ichinoseki Dai-ni & Ichinoseki Dai-ichi

Engan Minami Regionals

• Winner - Oofunato
• Repechage winner & Runner-up - Takada & Kamaishi

Engan Kita Regionals

• Winner & Runner-up - Yamada & Miyako Kougyou
• Repechage winner - Miyako Shougyou

Yamagata
Nichidai Yamagata plus several others got a free pass to the prefecturals, and has reached the finals only having to face Tsuruoka Higashi. Their finals opponent is Yamamoto Gakuen who rallied to defeat Sakata Minami 3-2.

In the 3rd place game the aforementioned Sakata Minami will probably have an easy time against Sakata Kouryou.

Miyagi
Sendai Ikuei will head to the Super-Regionals as the Miyagi champion... just. They escaped with a 3-2 10 inning win over Matsushima in the quarterfinals, then edging Touryou 2-1 in the finals.

Surprisingly, Rifu did not win the 3rd place game. Instead they lost 6-5 to Shibata.

Fukushima
There was a bombshell in Fukushima, well, sort of.

I say sort of because Seikou Gakuin still advanced out of the prefecture. However, they had to get in through the backdoor after losing 5-1 to Nichidai Tohoku in the semifinals. Nichidai Tohoku would win the prefecture with a convincing 6-2 win over Sukagawa.

All right, for all the remaining prefecutures (well part of them anyways):

Fukushima - Seikou Gakuin (10th title, 7th consecutive)
With Chiben Wakayama's loss, the longest current consecutive streak to reach Koushien belongs to Seikou Gakuin who had 6 straight coming into this year.

The interesting thing is, despite Fukushima not necessarily being known as a strong prefecture, Seikou Gakuin has been able to hold their own at Koushien (even to my surprise).  If we looked at their last 8 appearances over the last 9 years, they have reached the Best 8 twice, and only exited after their first game just one in 2009.  They actually have a winning record (11-8) during that time span.

With that in mind, we enter the taikai.  But it so came to pass that one of the seeded teams would fail to reach the Best 8.  #7 seed Shouin Gakuen Fukushima would lose to Hobara 7-6 in their very first game.

But the remaining teams needed to see if Seikou Gakuin would falter.  And against #8 Gakkouhoujin Ishikawa it looked like they might.  Starter Ishii was rocked for 8 runs in just 1.1 innings and Seikou trailed 8-4.  The lead however would be short-lived as Seikou would respond with 5 unanswered runs to overtake.  Reliever Ima would shut the door (just) to win 10-9.

In comparison the #5 seed Odaka Kougyou was a breeze advancing to the finals yet again.

Their opponent would be #6 Nichidai Tohoku.  They had relatively little opposition in reaching the finals, including an 8-2 win over #2 Fukushima Higashi.

Seikou Gakuin would actually be in jeopardy again.  Nichidai Tohoku got out to a 2-0 lead, and then when Seikou leveled the score in the 6th, Nichidai would score a pair in the top of the 8th to perhaps seal the upset.

But as is the case when you are dealing with a dynasty of any sort in kokoyakyu, the team trying to break through has not learned how to win the big game (because if they did, well... there'd be no dynasty, right?).

And so it was that in the 8th, Seikou would claim one of those runs back.  Bottom 9, yep, you guessed it - they tied the game.

Once you lose the lead, the underdog is pretty much doomed unless they can immediately reply.

Nichidai Tohoku did not, and Seikou bid farewell to them just one inning into enchousen.

*One thing I did want to note, there has been a combined team consisting of the players from Futaba, Haramachi and Souma Nougyou borne out of the earthquake and tsunami of 2011.  Referred to as Sousou Fukushima (相双福島), they successfully won their first game, a 6-4 win over Adachi Higashi.  In their next game against #5 seed Odaka Kougyou, they went 12 innings before the pitching finally gave up in the 13th as they fell 4-1.  But it was a rather great effort in my opinion and wanted to give them their due credit.

Miyagi - Sendai Ikuei (24th title, 2nd consecutive)
Sendai Ikuei felt like a disappointment in the Haru Koushien.  Having won the Meiji Jingu Tournament and earning their super-region an extra bid, they looked rather average up until their quarterfinal loss to Kochi.

Did that wake them up?  Well, they won the Spring Tohoku Super-Regional tournament, though in their Miyagi taikai , had a real close call versus Shibata, then later was in a brawl versus Rifu.

Now in the Natsu taikai, they continue to soldier forward.  Yes, there was a quick scare when they spotted Oosaki Chuo 5 runs in the 1st during their quarterfinal game, but they quickly recovered and went on to win 9-5.

Before we proceed though, I want to give credit to Kesennuma.  Considering what their city has had to deal with since the 2011 earthquake & tsunami, the fact that they got to the quarterfinals - while defeating Tohoku (yes, I know they're not as good nowadays, but still) is an accomplishment to be proud of.  I hope for future success for their school in the years to come.

Remember I mentioned Shibata earlier, in that they gave Sendai Ikuei a scare in the Haru Taikai?

Well, what do you know, they worked their way through the bracket.  An enchousen game against Tohoku Gakuin did scare them, but otherwise they reached the finals in a revenge match against Sendai Ikuei - but this time it really mattered.

Shibata made a statement right off the bat, battering relief starter Baba for 5 runs in the 1st inning.  I was watching other games, but thought that perhaps Sendai Ikuei were getting their just desserts. But when I checked the score again it was 5-3 after 6 and now we were in the danger zone where the underdog could collapse due to the pressure. (see Fukushima)

Next thing I know I see that Uebayashi has hit a HR, I switch to the game just to see Sendai Ikuei tying the game in the bottom of the 8th.

Shibata ace Iwasa looked done.  But after a scoreless top of the 9th, he'd be sent out again for the 9th.

Leadoff batter Kumagai would get on base.  Kikuna would bunt him along, but in a complete lapse of judgement there was no one covering 3rd and Kumagai would take it outright.

Iwasa and Shibata had no choice but to put Kikuna and Uebayashi on to create the force.  Any successful sac fly or squeeze would end the game.  PH Abe would come in, but Iwasa induced a foul fly up the 1st base line that would be caught for the 2nd out.

That would bring up C Kobayashi Ryou.  Iwasa would fight, but the count would run full.  The payoff pitch... would be thrown high.

An oshidashi sayonara walk would end Shibata's season - perhaps one of the saddest, most heartbreaking ways to lose.

Nishi Tokyo - Nichidai-san (16th title, 4th consecutive)
Ugh, I refuse to recap in detail this taikai.  Nichidai-san outscores their opponents 75-9 and are not contested.

AT ALL.

Hino reached the finals looking really good, and had a statement game in the semfinals.  In the same manner as Nichidai Tohoku, Hino blows a 6-1 lead in the final 2 innings, but unlike Nichidai Tohoku scores 3 in the 10th to defeat Kokushikan.  But they get 2-hit in the finals, and it's all for naught.

Ugh.

Nagano - Ueda Nishi (1st appearance)
Nagano is another random place where I have an interest in.  Now, they're not known for their baseball.  In the last decade, representatives from Nagano have won a total of 3 games - Matsushiro one in 2009, and a pair for Nagano Nichidai in 2009.

But I take an interest because I've traveled there several time thanks to anime.  As a result of being there and how beautiful it is, I root for the area.  Specifically, I root for both Ueda-Chikuma and Ueda Nishi because they're near where my friends runs a ryokan.  Both are actually above average teams, but neither have been to Koushien despite the fact that only Matsushou Gakuen has been the only team in the past decade to have gone to Natsu Koushien more than once.

Nonetheless, Ueda Nishi was the #1 seed, while Ueda-Chikuma was a 5-8 seed.

Now, despite the fact that there has been generally a lot of flux in the Nagano representative, of the 8 seeded teams, only 5-8 seeds Ina Yayoigaoka and Nagano Higashi would fall before the Best 8 to Tagawa and Iida OIDE Osahime respectively.

However, the roads for almost all of the seeded teams were not without some games a bit too close for comfort.  Ueda Nishi almost lost in their first game against Matsumoto Dai-ichi if not for a 3-run 9th.  After that was a 1-0 nail-biter against Anan.  Interestingly, after that the games were actually a little easier for him, even against #4 Chikyuu Kankyou in the semifinals - and they probably looked like one of the more impressive teams up until the loss.

Interestingly their finals opponent would be someone they would be very familiar with.  Defending champs and #3 seed Saku Chousei actually was scheduled to be the game after Ueda Nishi up until the quarterfinals.  As Ueda Nishi progressed, so did Saku Chousei, which included a mercy rule win over Ueda-Chikuma.  Yet in the semifinals, against unknown Nagano Shougyou, they somehow managed to win despite scoring just 1 run on 4 hits.

The finals would be just as offense starved.  However, Ueda Nishi would make the most of their 6 hits, scoring 3 runs while the tandem of Yanagaizawa and Urano combine for a 4-hit shutout - thus securing their first ever title!

Mie - Mie (11th appearance, 1st in 4 years)
Mie has been a rather chaotic prefecture over the past decade.  No school has claimed the title more than twice (Mie, Komono, Uji-yamada Shougyou), and as a result of no team dominating has done rather poorly at Natsu Koushien.  Ujiyamada Shougyou would be the only team to not initially lose to Saga Kita (they played to a 4-4 draw), and Mie had defeated Kumamoto Kougyou in extras back in 2009 before being wiped out by Miyakonojyou Shougyou.

And yet even still, the 3 schools that had the most success wound up in the Best 4.  Mie went off to a slow start in a 2-0 win over Matsusaka Shougyou, then were able to upset seeded Inabe Sougou Gakuen 2-1 in the very next round.  It was smooth sailing after that to the semifinals.  Komono had a similar stumble edging Yokkaichi Minami 4-3, but was fine otherwise.  Uji-yamada Shougyou had no such hiccups, incurring 4 mercy rule wins - even one against seeded Kinkidai Koutousen.

The final team to make it was seeded Tsu Shougyou.  They wound up playing one less games after Ishiyakushi forfeited to them in the first round, then broke ties in the 9th against Shiroko and Kaisei to get to the semis.

Mie's Wakabayashi would shut down Uji-yamada Shougyou in their game cruising to a 6-0 win.  Komono would score 5 straight unanswered runs in the middle innings to reverse a 3-0 deficit as Yamanaka made the lead stick winning 5-4.

The final however would be a bit of a letdown.  Mie scored 5 in the 4th to put the game into an eventuality as they would win 7-1.

Nara - Sakurai (1st appearance)
So I'll just remind you anyways that in Nara, Tenri (7) and Chiben Gakuen (5) have claimed the title the last 12 years.  Being a school from Nara looking up at these two behemoths must be rather discouraging.

But if there seemed to be a chink in the twin towers, it was this year.  It was Yamato Kouryou, not either of the stalwarts, who represented Nara in senbatsu, and Tenri wasn't even seeded for the natsu taikai! So the rest of Nara probably had one eye on their game and another to see if the two would fall and finally open the gates for someone else to walk through.

Tenri would be the first to fall, losing 12-4 to Naradai Fuzoku in the 3rd round.  Only Chiben Gakuen remained, and perhaps in a bit of irony, lost in sayonara fashion to senbatsu representative Yamato Kouryou 4-3 in the quarterfinals!

Which meant that the spell would be broken and all would be up for grabs!  But by the time Chiben Gakuen lost, just 3 other teams would remain - Sakurai and Yamato Kouryou who already advanced, and soon thereafter the only seeded team left in Naradai Fuzoku, and Nara Suzaku who soundly defeated seeded Kashihara 7-2.

You'd think that Yamato Kouryou would be the favorite now -they did go to Senbatsu after all.  But before that Chiben Gakuen upset, they had endured two 11 inning games.  And so it was against Sakurai that C Shimada would deliver the sayonara hit in the 10th inning to send them home.  In the other semifinal, Naradai Fuzoku would keep Nara Suzaku at bay long enough to wear out Suzaku's ace Iwaki to score 6 runs late winning 11-6, guaranteeing that we would have a first time winner out of Nara.

The final would not be dominated by Sakurai as the triumvirate of Takeno, Kinoshita and Kaji would clamp down the 4-1 and claim their first title!

Hiroshima - Setouchi (2nd appearance, 1st in 13 years)
Hiroshima, for most of the past decade has been dominated by either Jyosuikan or Kouryou.  They account for 7 of the last 10 titles.  It's not to the level of say a Chiben Wakayama or a Tenri/Chiben Gakuen, but it's pretty impressive nonetheless.

Last year Hiroshima Kougyou was able to break through.  Could a team breach the twin towers for the 2nd straight year?

Well, both were one of the 8 seeded teams assigned by the baseball federation.  And once we had reached the Best 8 where if all went scratch it would be populated by seeded teams, they were still around.  Jyosuikan did need late runs to defeat Shiritsu Kure in their first game, while Gion Kita kept the game close against Kouryou in the 2nd round.

There were 3 casualties.  Onomichi (who I'm guessing will need to reload now to make another run at Koushien), Kouyou Higashi, and Hiroshima Kokusai Gakuin.  The former 2 were eliminated in their very first game.

Replacing the three were (in order), Eishin (who isn't a bad team at all), Kinkidai Fukuyama (which is out of my friend's city, but he's teaching in Daimon), and Gokou.

Oddly enough, while Gokou looked the best score-wise getting to the Best 8, they were the worst routed, losing 12-0 in 5 to Hiroshima Kougyou.  Eishin didn't play bad, but lost 4-1 to Hiroshima Shinjyou.  And Kinkidai Fukuyama did best of all, actually holding a 6-4 lead over Jyosuikan... until they scored 5 in the 6th to take the lead for good.

The only fully seeded matchup was Setouchi and Kouryou.  Kouryou was having a devil's of a time, and when Setouchi took a 3-1 lead with a pair in the top of the 8th, Kouryou was done for!  They'd fall 3-2 and one of the pillars had fallen.

The 2nd pillar would fall unceremoniously as Jyosuikan went through 7 (yes 7!) pitchers as they flailed for 7 runs in a 7-2 loss to Hiroshima Shinjyou!  In fact, only 2 pitchers actually went over 1 inning, and 3 of them actually just recorded 1 out!

So we would have a first time winner in Hiroshima Shinjyou, or Setouchi going for just their 2nd time.

But something happened on the way to the title.  Setouchi's Yamaoka would pitch a one-hit shutout, striking out 15 batters while walking 3.  Hiroshima Shinjyou's ace Taguchi would give up 13 hits while striking out 19.

The only problem?  He also gave up no runs!

That's right, somehow with all the opportunites Setouchi had, and the performance their ace gave them, the teams actually played to a 0-0 draw!  And so the game would have to be replayed - though the game was not scheduled for the next day, but the day after.

Certainly, in the replay the pitchers would not be as sharp, and they werent.  Both aces did take the hill to start the game, and Yamaoka struck out just 6 while Taguchi only 3.  Both aces gave up just 5 hits, though Yamaoka offered 3 free passes to Taguchi's 0. And as the game progressed, I bet the attendees were wondering if they were watching the same game - because the game was again deadlocked at 0 through 7!

In the bottom of the 8th though C Oomachi would actually drive in a run with his only hit of the game.  Yamaoka managed to record the final 3 outs to finally claim the title.

Yamaguchi - Iwakuni Shougyou (4th appearance, 1st in 27 years)
For as few teams as there are in Yamaguchi, the top teams dominated the field once again (well, almost).

1-4 seeds Hayatomo, Iwakuni Shougyou and Takagawa Gakuen all advanced to the semifinals without much resistance.  The only exception was Ube Kougyou who had played several low scoring affairs before being unable to rally against 5-8 seed Iwakuni falling 3-2.

Iwakuni would try to give Takagawa Gakuen a run for their money with a 5-run 3rd.  However, ace Azuma would soon fritter that lead away, and with their own 5-run inning, Takagawa would take a 9-5 lead and never relinquish it. That would actually be the close game of the bunch as Hayatomo was completely railroaded by Iwakuni Shougyou.  10 runs, and a 3-hit shutout later, Iwakuni Shougyou was in the finals.

The final was delayed a day due to rain, but Takagawa Gakuen, looking for their first Natsu title, surely gave Iwakuni Shougyou a run for their money.  Ace Hamamoto struck out 11, and only gave up a pair of runs in the 4th.  However, his offense could fare no better as they could just claim back one of those runs 2 innings later.  Iwakuni Shougyou would be able to follow up their senbatsu appearance with a return here in the summer.

...at least for the Tohoku region.

Kita Hokkaido
So, Kita Hokkaido restarts on the 13th.  And perhaps surprisingly, mostly blowouts.  Obihiro Ootani and Asahikawa Ryuukoku both advanced via mercy rule, Takikawa Nishi passed by Kitami Hokuto by the score of 3-1.

Aomori
The rain had prevented games from being held at Haruka Yume Stadium for 2 days.  And on the 11th, the final games at Aomori Municipal and Hachinohe Nagane were rained out.

All stadiums were able to hold games on the 13th, and for Hirosaki who had to wait 2 days they needed one more inning at Maple to defeat Touou Gakuen 3-2.

A lot of seeded teams also kicked off on the 13th.  1-4 seed Hachinohe Kougyou needed extras to defeat Towada Nishi, while 5-8 seed Oominato became the first casualty, losing to Aomori 9-4.

Aomori managed just 1 game on the 12th, with is too bad for Hirosaki Jitsugyou as they led Tsuruta 16-0 after Tsuruta's half of the 4th when the game was called due to rain.  In the battle of Hachinohe Koudai schools, it was seeded Hachinohe Koudai Dai-ichi, who defeated their younger counterpart Hachinohe Koudai Dai-ni 16-4... though with games called off elsewhere, I'm betting that the 10-run 5th that put the game on mercy status was partially due to the weather.  Which may have been a shame for the underdog.  Even Maple Stadium succumbed on the 12th, with only the first game finishing as Noheji managed to make a 4-1 lead stick, defeating Goshogawara 4-3.

Only 2 close games back on the 11th and both were at Maple Stadium - Towada Nishi just down 1-0 to Momoishi in the bottom of the 9th ties the game and then wins it 2 innings later.  Takko trailed Misawa Shougyou 3-0 after the 1st inning, but came back to win 4-3.

Akita
Akita was rained out on the last two days, but finally got games in on the 13th.

Mostly blowouts, but 2 games excitingly went into extras.  Akita Hokuryou managed to tie the game at 2 in the bottom of the 9th, however things all went awry in the 12th when Yokote Seiryou scored 5 and put the game out of reach.

In the other game Yashima, trailing Oomagari Nougyou Oota 5-3, mounts 2 rallies in the 7th and 8th after their opponents try to extend the lead, tying it at 8-8!  But they couldn't immediately capitalize and Oomagari would win with a run in the 12th.


Iwate
Iwate meanwhile, has been totally rained out so far.  Who knows when they'll be finally able to get started.

Yamagata
Yamagata opened play on the 12th, and with a 10-run 1st Yamagata Jyouhoku easily got by Oguni.  The 13th saw more blowouts, but games were rained out at Tsuruoka Dream Stadium.

Miyagi
Miyagi opened yesterday at Ishinomaki Municipal with Shiogama defeating Tsukidate 9-2 in 8 innings.

Fukushima
Fukushima opened on the 11th, and while I don't necessarily get to see pictures of opening ceremonies across the prefectures, Fukushima is the first I've seen to have teams march in with their school flags (photo credit Asahi).

And the opening game was a heartbreaker for Iwase Nougyou.  Leading 4-3 with just 3 outs to go, Kiyota for Haramachi hits a running gyakuten 2-run home-run and they win 5-4.

First full day of games followed on the 12, and there are quite a few close 1st rounders.  Fukushima Nishi pulls out the 2-1 win a run in the bottom of the 8th over Nakoso Kougyou.  Aoi breaks a 3-3 deadlock with Sukagawa Touyou with 2 in the 10th.

The theme continued on the 13th with Souma Higashi rallying in the bottom of the 9th with a pair of runs to tie the game at 5.  And when Asaka Reimei scored 3 in the 10th, Souma Higashi almost pulled it off again, but fell short losing 8-7.

It was a relatively good day for the combined teams as well.  Sousou Fukushima (Futaba, Haramachi, Souma Nougyou) held off Adachi Higashi for the 6-4 win.  Aidzu Nishi Rengou (Nishi-Aidzu, Kitakata Higashi, Bange) made a 4-0 lead barely stick with a 4-3 win over Shuumei.  It was not a clean sweep though as the combined team of Nakoso-Toono-Onahama were mercy ruled by Kooriyama Kita Kougyou.

One game was rained out, and that was Aidzu Kougyou vs. Shoushi at Aidzu Stadium - this despite Aidzu Kougyou holding a 3-2 lead after 6 innings.

Next on the docket may prove to be a good game.

Yokohama and ace Yanagi completely made Kochi look like a normal ordinary team in a 4-0 win.  Of course, it could also be Shikoku in general (though looking at Naruto yesterday it may not be the case).

Even still, Yokohama's offense may be of some concern as the bottom of the lineup failed to do a whole lot against Sakamoto/Tagashira.  That'll probably mean that Yanagi will need to shoulder a bit more of the load for them to make a championship type run.

Seikou Gakuin meanwhile got a good challenge from Toba in that they were limited to 2 runs.  However, ace Okano at the same time limited Toba to just 2 hits.

Now, Okano's not really that much different from other pitchers other than perhaps having better control than others.  I don't think I can really say that he's the pitcher the statistics bear him out to be, so it'll be interesting how he will do against Yokohama.

But in terms of pressure, I think the onus will be more on Okano than Yanagi to carry their respective teams.  Seikou's offense appears to be a bit weaker than Yokohama.

CF  Haizaki Ryou
LF  Shishikura Kazuma
RF  Tahara Keigo (#11)
1B  Yamauchi Tatsuya
2B  Higuchi Ryuunosuke
SS  Aoki Rikito (#16)
C  Ozeki Ikki
3B  Takahashi Ryouken (#6)
P  Yanagi Yuuya

CF  Saitou Yuuki
SS  Hirano Yuuma
C  Nagai Ryou
1B  Sonobe Satoshi
RF  Anzai Satoshi
LF  Kawai Shoutarou (#17)
3B  Kyouda Seiki
2B  Minowa Masato
P  Okano Yuuichirou

__________________________________________________

12:00 - First Pitch

Top 1st
One down for Yokohama and Shishikura singles to left.

Shishikura tries to steal 2nd, but Nagai calls for the pitchout and they get him easily.  Too bad as Tahara singles past a diving Sonobe.

Yamauchi also singles to right and is Yokohama's rare hit parade going to start?

Saitou-kantoku calls for time.

Higuchi with a liner to right!  Anzai running back, leaps!  It's off his glove!  He gathers it in, but Tahara scores to give Yokohama the early 1-0 lead!

Aoki follows that up with a liner to left!  Kawai sprinting to his right dives, and makes the catch!  He faceplants as his body bends uncomfortably above him, but he makes the catch save 2 more runs!

Bottom 1st
Hirano with a comebacker, off Yanagi's glove and into center for a one-out single!

And he goes for 2nd!  Throw is short and he's in safely!  Nagai follows that up with a single through the left side and Seikou Gakuin looks to strike back!

But when Sonobe grounds back to Yanagi, Hirano is caught off 3rd!  He's run down but then there's no one covering 3rd so he's back safely!  But Nagai didn't notice and head back to 2nd, so now he's caught!  He goes to 3rd, but then Hirano vacates 3rd.  Eventaully Hirano is run down as orginally done and the trailing runners advance as far as they can go.

Anzai hits a comebacker to Yanagi, and while he doesn't field it cleanly, he has plenty of time to make the out to end the inning.

Top 2nd
Ozeki with a hard grounder to short that bounces off Hirano.  But his throw beats out a diving Ozeki for the out.  Because diving at first for outs is the cool thing to do.  (No, no snark to see here, move along.)

Takahashi with a liner to left.  Kawai leaps and has it, no he doesn't!  He scurries back to get it and Takahashi's on with a 2-base error!

Yanagi follows that on the next pitch with a single to left!  Runners at the corners!

Haizaki with a liner to center!  Saitou makes th catch, and Takahashi holds!  Saitou's throw hits home on the fly!  2 down!

Shishikura up and gets locked into a battle with Okano going the full count and pulling some hard hit balls foul.  9th pitch of the AB he hits one to short.  Hirano double clutches and his throw short hops 1st!  Sonobe can't make the pick and Shishikura is safe! Takahashi scores to make it a 2-0 Yokohama lead!

Tahara grounds to short, but Yokohama tallies another run on the board.

Bottom 2nd
Kyouda gives Seikou another one-out baserunner when he works a walk on Yanagi.  But Minowa grounds into the 4-6-3 double play.

It would appear that Yanagi does not necessarily have his off speed pitches going for strikes unless the batter swings.  May want to key in on the straight.

Top 3rd
Higuchi connects for his 2nd hit, a liner to left.

Aoki with a short fly to center.  Saitou charges in, slides, but can't make the catch!  Higuchi advances to 2nd on the play.

Ozeki pops it up in the infield, but no one's calling for it!  Okano makes the catch though finally and there's 2 down.

Takahashi with a grounder to 1st, and it gets by Sonobe!  How did he miss that?!  Higuchi scores on the error and it's 3-0 with runners at the corners.

Yanagi grounds to 2nd to end the inning, but while Yokohama earned their 1st run, Seikou has given them the next 2, digging themselves a bigger hole to get out of.

Bottom 3rd
Okano with a grounder to Aoki.  He has to hurry his throw a bit to get the hustling Okano out.

Saitou connects on a fastball and singles to right.  It does look like if you're looking for a pitch to hit, hit the fastball.  His changes are connecting.

And Saitou is picked off 1st!  Yanagi catches him in between hops and throws him out!  He's definitely not happy.  Even more so probably when Hirano singles to right.

Hirano takes off on a slow curve and he takes 2nd!  2nd stolen base of the game!

Nagai though grounds to short, no, make that 3B as Hasegawa cuts in front to make the play at 1st.

Top 4th
Shishikura makes a bid for his 3rd hit, but Minowa makes a great stop and throw to just beat out a diving Shishikura!

Kawai secures a foul fly from Tahara to give Okano his first 1-2-3 inning and more importanly, keep Yokohama off the board.

Bottom 4th
Sonobe leads the 4th taking a slow curve through the left side.  Let's see if the can't get one back here.  Anzai tries the safety bunt, but it becomes a regular one.

But Kawai can't even advance the runner as he grounds to short.

Kyouda works the count full and takes a change high to put runners on 1st and 2nd.  That prompts Watanabe-kantoku to call for time.

It'll be up to Minowa again to try and score the runs or extend the inning.

However, Minowa doesn't listen to my advice to look for only a fastball, and strikes out on a slider.  Two more runners left on base.

Top 5th
#7 Sekine in for Kawai in LF.

Yamauchi connects on a ball left up in the zone by Okano!  Sekine to the wall, and it bounces off the top of the wall!  He's in with a double!  Higuchi bunts him to 3rd and Yokohama is threatening again.

SQUEEZE!

Aoki tries for the squeeze, but pops it up!  Okano running to the 3rd base line dives, and makes the backhanded catch!  Yamauchi's meat at 3rd and Okano calmly tosses to Kyouda for the inning-ending double play!

Bottom 5th
Can Seikou capitalize on this momentum?

Okano starts it off taking a hanging curve back up the middle!  Man on and the top of the order up!

Saitou up and he gets ahead 3-0.  Will he try for the walk?  Takes a fastball just high enough for a strike.  Swings at the next one, and Yokohama gets the leading runner.

Hirano tries for the safety bunt, but that goes foul!  So he hits a single past a diving Higuchi to right!

Nagai with a scorcher!  But Hasegawa makes the lunging catch!  Saitou is meat at 2nd and the inning is over!  We head to the break with Yokohama leading by 3, but most of that was of Seikou's own doing.

Top 6th
Two quick outs for Okano, but he hangs one to Yanagi!  He connects and sends one to left!  Sekine back to the wall...


HAITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yanagi helps his own cause with a homerun!  It's 4-0 Yokohama!

Haizaki with a ball up the middle.  Hirano over to field it, but can't cleanly get it!  He eats it as Haizaki reaches first.

Shishikura chops one back to Okano for the 3rd out, but Yokohama adds to their lead.

Bottom 6th
Seikou is trying to get runners on any way possible.  Sonobe works the count full, but strikes out swinging.  Anzai gets plunked, but it's called a ball because he didn't make an effort to get out of the way (not that people have gotten on for less).

And Sekine grounds back to Yanagi to end the inning.

Top 7th
Tahara does something the Seikou batters were unable to do last half-inning... walk.

Yamauchi is swinging away instead of bunting and drives one deep to center!  Saitou runs back to his right, then back to his left... and makes the catch!

Higuchi and Aoki are also retired via fly balls to Anzai and their lucky 7 comes and goes.

Bottom 7th
Minowa finally gives them a baserunner with a liner past Aoki to center.  Saitou-kantoku calls for Okano to bunt looking for a one timer.

But even though he's successful, Saitou swings on the first pitch and flies out to 1st to end the inning.

Top 8th
Ozeki connects on a slider and it one-hops to the wall for a leadoff double.

Takahashi pulls back the bunt, reaches out and stabs one over the infield to right for a single!  Runners at the corners for ace Yanagi!

Yanagi singles to right!  That sends home Ozeki.  5-0 and runners at the corners again for Haizaki.

Saitou-kantoku calls time, but it probably won't help anymore.

He hits a fly to right.  That'll get Takahashi home to make it 6-0.

Shishikura with a liner to center to put runners at the corners.

Saitou-kantoku mercifully pulls Okano out for #11 Iitaka.

But Tahara lines one to right to the wall!  Watanabe-kantoku seemingly puts the brakes on and only Yanagi scores to make it a 7-0 game.

Iitaka retires the next 2 batters, and the game seems well in hand.

Bottom 8th
Hirano up and he drives a ball deep to right!  Tahara chases the ball down near the foul pole as Hirano has a leadoff triple!

Nagai singles to center and Seikou avoids the shutout, making it 7-1.

However the struggles in the middle of the order continue.  Sonobe is caught looking on a fastball, and Anzai grounds into a 5-4-3 double play.

Top 9th
#12 Nomoto in for Sonobe at 1B.

And while Nomoto yields a single to Takahashi, he strikes out Yanagi looking to end the inning.

Bottom 9th
#9 Nakase in at RF for Yokohama.

Sekine and PH Nakata (#18) are retired before PH Sakatani (#16) singles back up the middle.

Captain Ujiie (#15) comes in to PH next.  And he works a walk.

Still a long ways to go for Seikou as Watanabe-kantoku calls time.

And indeed, Saitou looking for a hit instead of trying to get on base, grounds into the fielder's choice at 3rd to end the game.

Seikou Gakuin was under pressure from Yokohama's bats the entire game and with timely hitting and some errors from the defense scored 7 runs.  However, they had their own opportunities and were unable to convert on them until it was far too late.

No scare this time around for Yokohama as they advance to the best 8 to face the winners of our final game of the day.  However, Yanagi didn't look particularly sharp today, and he may need to be if they want to win senbatsu this year.

As for Seikou Gakuin, Okano's stellar ERA was a bit deflated due to perhaps the region and the like, and while he wasn't terrible, he wasn't as good as perhaps the statistics showed.  They'll pack up and work on improving for the summer.

Our matinee game will be another one of those possible David vs. Goliath type matchups.

Sorry Toba, but that's kinda what you are.  I believe they basically qualified by process of elimination.  of the 4 quarter-finalists that lost Osaka Touin was almost guaranteed a bid.  Naradai Fuzoku would lose out because they would be the 3rd team from Nara.  And Mizoguchi eliminated themselves with a 15-3 loss to Riseisha.

So Toba, sorry but you were by default the last team from the Kinki region invited.  Though for what it's worth, you did beat Fukuchiyama Seibi.

Seikou Gakuin made the Tohoku super-regional finals by defeating Hanamaki Higashi.  But that's the only notable win on their schedule.  They did limit Kousei Gakuin to 3 runs though, so that has to mean something.  Problem is, we just don't know what - especially considering the below-average performance Hanamaki Higashi put up compared to prior years.

Seikou Gakuin, by their performance and schedule should be the favorite in this game.  Though with little else to go on, it's just a paper David vs. Goliath.

1B  Eda Yuuki
2B  Kanzaki Tomoki
RF  Isaka Tomonori
P  Gomi Takuya
CF  Hanada Keisuke
SS  Arai Kouji
LF  Matsuzawa Kazuki
3B  Matsumiya Yoshiki
C  Kitagawa Rukiya

CF  Saitou Yuuki
SS  Hirano Yuuma
C  Nagai Ryou
1B  Sonobe Satoshi
RF  Anzai Satoshi
LF  Sekine Ryou
3B  Kyouda Seiki
2B  Minowa Masato
P  Okano Yuuichirou

__________________________________________________

11:20 - First pitch!

Top 1st
I'd be interested to see how Okano carried a sub-1.00 ERA this past fall.  I wonder if part of it is because teams lost players or lost teams altogether due to last year's disaster...

After Okano assists on the first two outs, he walks Isaka in front of cleanup batter Gomi.

But Gomi looks at strike 3 and that's the inning for Okano.

Bottom 1st
Saitou with a comebacker that is about to go under Gomi, but he deflects it with the glove!  It goes to his SS, but Arai has no play at 1st.

Hirano tries laying down the bunt, but can't and the count goes to 0-2.

Hit-and-run is put on and Hirano singles through the left side!  Saitou holds at 2nd, but a chance developing for Seikou.

Bunt is put on and the runners advance.

Sonobe walks and now it's manrui for Anzai as Yamada-kantoku calls for time.

Gomi gets Anzai to swing at a garbage pitch (sorry, had to put that pun in there) and the infield fly is called.

Sekine flies out to center, and Toba's out of the jam!

Top 2nd
So apparently the KSMS on their left sleeve, and the ones that some of the older folk at the top of oen-dan represents "Kyoto Secondary Middle School", which was the original name of the school.

And in the time it took me to write that, Toba goes 1-2-3

Bottom 2nd
And in the time it took me to fix parts of this entry, Seikou Gakuin goes down 1-2-3.  Boy, that was a quick 1-2-3 inning.

Top 3rd
Ok, so about Okano.  Stuff-wise, it's about the same as most others.  Fastball in the mid 130s with a slider & shuuto.  But he exhibits good control, which is more than what others could say.

But Eda gives Toba their first hit, a single under the diving Hirano for a 2-out single.

Yamada-kantoku tries the hit-and-run, but Kanzaki again hits a comebacker to Okano, ending the inning.

Bottom 3rd
So from what I can see, Gomi has a fastball in the high 120s occasionally hitting 130-131 and a slider in the 110s and a change of some sort in the 100s.

Hirano collects his second hit on another single to left.

Nagai hits a grounder to short.  Arai starts the 6-4-3 double play, but Kanzaki's throw is high and wide and Eda can't get the sweep tag.  2 down.

Sonobe with a base hit just past the dive of Arai and will that failed DP cost them?

No!  Anzai can't check his swing on a slider in the dirt and the inning is over!

Top 4th
2 quick outs for Toba, and Hanada with a hard liner to left!  Sekine running back, leaps...

and makes the catch!  WOW!  Otherwise that's a double (it was getting close to the wall, but still)

Bottom 4th
This game is going about as fast as the first one.  4 innings in the books, and were averaging 10 minutes per inning!

Gomi is showing good control and mix of pitches.  Seikou's batters are unable to make good contact right now as Sekine-Kyouda-Minowa go down in order.

Top 5th
In an interesting play, Okano's pitch hits the bottom of Arai's bat and stays in fair territory.  He's thrown out 2-3.

Toba still cannot put any pressure on Okano and go down in order yet again.

Bottom 5th
We finally get a baserunner when Saitou collects his second hit, this one to center.

Hirano isn't called on to bunt like so many other times, but the hit-and-run does the same thing as he grounds out to 2nd.

And Nagai grimaces as he hits a fly ball to center.  Hanada camps under it for the out, and we hit the break with a scoreless draw so far and just 5 hits between both teams!

Top 6th
Eda with a blast to center!  Saitou running back, but it's over his head!  Eda settles in with a 1-out double!

No bunt from Kanzaki yet.  Instead he grounds out to 2nd, but does advance the runner.  Up to Isaka to deliver a one-timer to take the lead.

He takes a good hack, but misses on the 3-1.  But on the full count pitch he flies out to left.  The best scoring opportunity on both sides since the 3rd, and it goes begging.

Bottom 6th
Now it's Seikou's turn for a chance!  Anzai lines a hanging fastball into left center!  It goes all the way to the wall for a one-out double!

Sekine with a comebacker to Gomi.  But he sees Anzai caught in between and starts the rundown!  Gomi to Matsumiya to Arai to Gomi to Kanzaki...

But Sekine's slide tangled himself with Kanzaki and he's called out and Anzai goes back to 2nd!  Gomi needs one more out.

Kyouda with a ball of the end of his bat back up the middle!  It gets past Gomi and goes into center!  Anzai's being sent home!  The throw from Hanada isn't in time and Seikou Gakuin finally score the first run of the ball game!  It's 1-0!

Minowa flies out to left, but Toba needs to find enough offense for one run with just 3 innings left to go.

Top 7th
And who better than their cleanup batter (and ace) Gomi to start the inning!

Gomi's hit to SS is bobbled by Hirano and Gomi dives in with a single (he really didn't have to do that, but yes, showing one's guts etc.)

Hanada up and he's swinging away.  Wouldn't this be one of those times bunting would be a good idea?

Instead, Hanada grounds into the 6-4-3 double play...

And Arai can't check his swing on a high full count fastball, and Toba is turned away.

Bottom 7th
Gomi may be leaving pitches in the zone now as Okano hits a solid single past a diving Eda.

But Saitou-kantoku has Saitou swing away, and he twirls himself into a K on a slider in the dirt.

Now they try the bust-and-run, but Hirano fouls it off.  He then lays down the bunt successfully as Saitou-kantoku looks for the insurance run.

Huh, I didn't notice until now, but there's a guy wearing a Toba uniform in the first row behind home just 2 seats away for Laga-san.

Whoops.  Didn't pay attention there.  Gomi loses Nagai after getting ahead 1-2.

Sonobe with a ball back up the middle.  Just like Kyouda's it goes through to center!  Okano is sent home, and the throw is again late!  Seikou gets the insurance run to make it 2-0!

Anzai flies out to right to end the inning, but they get that all important run.

Top 8th
Yamada-kantoku goes to the bench early here in the 8th calling #12 Kuramuro to PH for Matsuzawa.

He's lucky a pitch was called a ball when he called time, but didn't notice.  He ends up hitting a soft liner back to Okano.

Okano's pace is speeding up now as Matsumiya looks at a fastball on the outside corner for strike 3.

Kitagawa flies out to right, and time is running short for Toba.

Bottom 8th
#18 Oooka comes in for PH Kuramuro and takes over in LF.

Sekine with a grounder to 1st, but Eda can't field it cleanly.  Sekine hustles down the line and they have no play.  Kyouda plays a game of chicken after bunting down the 1st base line, but no further advancement than 2nd for Sekine.

Gomi though retires the next two batters, and if this is his final line, it's not bad at all.  It's just bad that the offense is unable to do anything.

Top 9th
Though I suppose it's one of the reasons why Okano carried that sub-1.00 ERA.

Well, it's the top of the order and Eda, who's 2-3 on the day.  Swings on the first pitch, but gets under it and pops out to center.

#17 Uchida comes in for Kanzaki, and flies out to left on the first pitch.

And Iisaka pops up to short, and Okano shuts out Toba!

It's a great performance by Okano has he lives up to his fall rep.  And if not for some timely hits, Toba could have had a chance for the upset.

Gomi did a great job on the mound, just left a couple of pitches too fat and gave up 2 runs.  But 2 over 8 is nothing to be ashamed of.  It was a good game, just not good enough.


Notable Players
Gomi Takuya (Toba) - CG, 2 ER, 8 H, 3 K, 2 BB
Eda Yuuki (Toba) - 2-4, 2B
Okano Yuuichirou (Seikou Gakuin) - CG, 0 ER, 2 H, 5 K, BB
Saitou Yuuki (Seikou Gakuin) - 2-4, 2 K
Sonobe Satoshi (Seikou Gakuin) - 2-3, RBI, BB

Ok, we're at the point now where I can throw out the dates and just cover the games.

Minami Hokkaido
As much as Komadai Tomakomai dominated the early-mid 2000's as of late they've struggled to get back there since 2007 - the year after Tanaka Masahiro left.

Yet here they are in 2011, just one game away from returning to Koushien.

Just one problem.

Hokkai and their 34 appearances stood in their way.

So off we went in the championship game. While Komadai Tomakomai scored the opening run in the bottom of the 1st, Hokkai would score one in the next half inning. Then proceed to score 2 in the 5th and one in the 9th for a 4-2 lead. But Komadai would find a way against ace Tamakuma to score 2 and extend the game!

Except that in the next half inning Hokkai would put the pressure once again on Komadai. They'd score a run in the 10th.

Tamakuma would not let Komadai Tomakomai extend the game. He shut them down to give Hokkai their 35th appearance and 1st in 3 years.

Aomori
In the final 2 quarterfinals, Kidzukuri pulls off their 2nd upset in as many games by defeating Top 4 seed Towada Kougyou 8-4!

And in a surprising twist, the game between Kousei Gakuin and Aomori Yamada is not a low scoring affair, but a high scoring one! After Aomori Yamada scores 2 in the bottom of the 1st, Kousei scores 9(!) in the 2nd and 6 more in the 4th! That's a 15-2 lead after 4!

Aomori Yamada isn't a team to give up, and facing the mercy rule go into action. 3 runs in the 4th cut the deficit to 10, which still isn't enough. So they score 5 more in the 5th to make it 15-10 and thus avoid both mercy rules (10 after 5 or 6 innings, 7 from the 7th to 9th).

But just as surprising, no further scoring is done! The final score is 15-10 in favor of Kousei Gakuin!

Onto the semifinals. Kousei Gakuin Noheji Nishi and Seiai battled in the first one. It seemed like Noheji Nishi had the game in control after 2 runs in the 7th gave them a 8-2 lead. But ace Kobayashi Taisei couldn't hold the lead. 3 runs in the 7th and 3 in the bottom of the 9th meant that they'd have to played extras. The game would remain at 8 until the 14th inning where Noheji Nishi would score 3 for the 11-8 win.

The question then would be, would they face their parent school Kousei Gakuin?

The short answer is, yes.

Kidzukuri's run was impressive, but when facing prefectural stalwart Kousei Gakuin, it ran into a wall.

Hard.

Kousei Gakuin wins 10-0 in 6 innings setting up a sibling rivalry of sorts for the title.

Iwate
The championship game was all that was left between Morioka Dai-san and Hanamaki Higashi. And while Morioka Dai-san kept up early with Hanamaki Higashi, they would give up 3 runs in the 5th and 2 in the 6th. 5 runs would be all that ace Ohara(?) would need as he shuts out Morioka's offense. Hanamaki Higashi earns their 6th appearance and 1st in 2 years.

Yamagata
Yamagata had their 2nd set of quarterfinals. 4 seed Yamagata Chuo was barely able to get by Shinjyou Kita 2-1. And my Haguro squad mercy ruled Toukaidai Yamagata 8-0 in 7!

Miyagi
Oh my....

I wasn't expecting this.

In the semifinals of Miyagi, top seed Tohoku... lost! 4 seed Furukawa Kougyou and their tandem of Uemura and Katagai limit Tohoku to just 1 run! And combined with 3 runs scored against Tohoku ace Yamada, and Furukawa Kougyou advances to the finals, not Tohoku!

Their opponent, not surprisingly will be Rifu after all. 6 runs in the 1st means they were able to cruise to a 7-2 win.

Both teams will be playing for their first Natsu Koushien appearance.

Fukushima
Fukushima had their quarterfinal action. On one end, Seikou Gakuin easily handles Shirakawa 7-1. They'll play Iwaki Kouyou who defeated Higashi Nippon Kokusaidai Shouhei 3-2.

The other semifinal will have Sukagawa, who upset #2 seed Shouin Gakuin Fukushima 4-3, versus Odaka Kougyou who too pulled off an upset against #3 seed Nichidai Tohoku 6-3!

That means that only Seikou Gakuin, the top seed, is the only seeded team left in the tournament!

Ok, so I still haven't been able to get to the Kinki prefectures. I need to quickly double back and do Hokkaido and Tohoku before prefectures finish. (Too late)

Kita Hokkaido
Round of 16

• Asahikawa Kougyou kicked off play with a 7-3 win over Wakkanai. They'll play Komadai Iwamizawa who shutout Obihiro Ryokuyou 3-0.
  
• Kushiro Kounan down 3-0 to Kitami Hakuyou in the bottom of the 9th scores 3 to tie the game! And they then go on to win the game 4-3! They get Engaru who blew out Hiro-o.
• Memanbetsu handles Kushiro Kougyou and will play Iwamizawa Higashi who scored a minor upset in beating Bushuukan 3-2.
• Shirakaba Gakuen, one of the teams on the inside track, used a 5-run 1st inning to cruise over Asahikawa Minami 9-5. Asahikawa Nishi looks to avenge them in the quarterfinals after almost blowing an 8-0 lead to Wakkanai Ootani.

Quarterfinals

• Komadai Iwamizawa continues on a collision course with Shirakaba Gakuen with a mercy win over Asahikawa Kougyou. The last obstacle to the finals is Engaru who recorded their 2nd mercy win and 2nd double digit offensive output.
• Memanbetsu moves one step closer to the finals with a convincing 8-2 win over Iwamizawa Higashi. Only problem is, Shirakaba Gakuen stands between them and a finals appearance.

Semifinals

• Engaru ace Furugoe(?) Tomoaki (古越 友章) seems to come out of nowhere in terms of being able to manage a game. Despite giving up 9 hits and 5 free passes, he limits Komadai Iwamizawa to just 2 runs! Combine that with their 3 in the 3rd and it's Engaru who finds themselves in the finals!!
• It started to look like it was going to be an all-new final as Engaru has never been to Koushien, and neither had Memanbetsu. Yet here was Memanbetsu holding a 2-1 lead over Shirakaba Gakuen! But in the 4th Shirakaba showed they have staying power, scoring 3 and putting Membanbestu behind the 8-ball. Surprisingly though, Memanbetsu did not fold. They scored one in the lucky 7 to pull within 1. However, that would be as close as they would get as ace Kobayashi would shut them down.

So it's rookie Engaru versus the one-timers Shirakaba Gakuen for the Kita-Hokkaido bid!

But in reality, feel good stories only go so far. Engaru fought hard, but in the end was shutout by Shirakaba Gakuen who will make their 2nd appearance at Koushien! But kudos to Engaru. I really wish they made it this year.

Minami Hokkaido
Round of 15

• Hokkai gets a bye here, but needs to rest up as they're matched up with another favorite team of mine, Hakodatedai Yuuto who won their game over Toukai Dai-yon 4-0.
• Tomakomai Chuo used a 5-run 8th to defeat Eniwa Kita 7-3. Next up will be Shiriuchi who went on a 3-0 run for a gyakuten victory over Otaru Chouryou.
• On the other side of the bracket, Sapporo Minami edges out Hokkaido Sakae 3-2, but will have their hands full with Sapporo Dai-ichi who had a 5-inning mercy win over Sapporo Kousei.
• And in the last pairings, Komadai Tomakomai was tasked with a difficult challenge in Hokushou, but was able to pull it out with a 5-3 win. Shoushi Gakuen will have to take up the flag against them next after they beat Hakodate Chuubu 3-1.

Quarterfinals

• Sadly for my team, Hakodatedai Yuuto can't keep up with Hokkai. They fall 6-2. Tomakomai Chuo will step into the ring next as they defeat Shiriuchi 4-1.
• Sapporo Minami's Ooma 4-hits Sapporo Dai-ichi and will look to reach the finals with a victory over Komadai Tomakomai who won 6-3.

And finally to the semis. Once could almost see it coming given the teams involved. Komadai Tomakomai may finally be surging once again after 4 years of anonymity. They shutout Sapporo Minami 4-0 to advance to today's final. As for Hokkai, they take it to Tomakomai Chuo 7-0 in 8.

So we're back to the days of umm.... last decade? Hokkai and Komadai Tomakomai for the Minami Hokkaido bid!

Aomori
As the first 2 rounds ended, we had some interesting games such as Goshogawara Nourin scoring 4 in the 9th for a gyakuten victory over Shoufuu Jyuku, Aomori Toyama giving up a 5-1 lead to Hirosaki before winning 6-5 in 11, St. Ursula and Hachinohe Suisan in a barnburner with Hachinohe winning 12-11 in 10, Hachinohe Koudai Dai-ichi needing 4 in the 8th to beat Goshogawara 5-4, and biggest of all A seed Hachinohe being mercy ruled by Seiai 11-2 in 7!

So all seeded teams outside of A seed Hachinohe advanced to the round of 16...

...and for the most part, things went status quo. B seed Touou Gijyuku was the next seeded team to fall, losing 3-2 to Kidzukuri. And those teams that pulled off upsets (Noheji Nishi and Seiai) continued on with convincing victories.

In the quarterfinals, the trend continued. So far Noheji Nishi fell behind Aomori 2-0, scored 3 to take the lead, watched Aomori tie it in the bottom of the 8th and plated the winning run in the 9th. Seiai ace Naraoka held Hachinohe Nishi to just 1 run, and their 2 runs was just enough to advance to the semis.

Akita
Teams started to stumble as early as the 2nd round. First of those was actually the top seed Oomagari Kougyou who could only muster just 6 hits and 1 run on Nishime as they lost 2-1! 5 seed Akita Kougyou almost lost too if it weren't for a 3-run 9th for a gyakuten victory over Oodate Kokusai. 7 seed Akita Hokuyou did lose, getting shutout 2-0 by Akita Chuo.

In the round of 16, Akita Kougyou did lose but not just to any team though. Noshiro Shougyou, last year's representative, defeated them 4-1.

Even though Akita Shougyou was a #3 seed, the team has had so much experience, it's no surprise that they're advancing through the brackets with as much relative ease as possible. The same can't be said for #2 seed Honjyou as they were the next team to fall. Akita Chuo took them to the limit, scoring 2 runs in the 11th after Honjyou did the same, and slayed their 2nd seeded team, 5-4 in 12 innings! In other games, Nishime's run ends at the hands of #8 seed Kanaashi Nougyou 7-4 and Noshiro Shougyou continues their repeat bid with an impressive 7-1 win over 4-seed Oodate Houmei.

The semis continued to impress. Noshiro Shougyou moves just one game away from a back-to-back appearance defeating Kanaashi Nougyou 6-3. In the other semi, Akita Shougyou looked to be in full control of the game early, getting 4 runs in the 2nd and another in the 7th to lead 5-1 over Akita Chuo. But if there was a time perhaps to have a lucky 7, it was now. Chuo scored 4 runs to tie the game and now Shougyou had to be nervous. They had every right to because 1 inning later, they'd plate another run and take a 6-5 lead! Shougyou tried to comeback, but could not - meaning that Akita Chuo will face Noshiro Shougyou for the title!

In the final again, it was a nice run for Akita Chuo, but in the end it was the "favorite" in Noshiro Shougyou that prevailed. They get 2 in the 1st, and 4 more in the 4th spelled doom. Noshiro Shougyou earns their 2nd consecutive appearance and 3rd overall.

Iwate
Running through the 2nd round we had Daitou breaking a 2-2 tie against Iwate with 4 runs in the 9th, but needing all 4 as Iwate scored 3. Morioka Kita allowed Morioka Nougyou to score 3 in the bottom of the 9th extending the game, but 5 runs in the 10 settled matters.

Round 3 saw Hanamaki Higashi get their 2nd mercy rule game in as many played. Miyako Kougyou brings some joy to their city as they move on with a 5-4 win over Ichinoseki Kougyou. Oofunato does the same as they mercy rule Kitakami Shounan. Karumai scores 7 runs in the last 4 innings to bid sayonara to Morioka Shougyou 9-8.

Onto round 4 and Kamaishi does their town proud as they score 4 in the 8th to pull off the upset over Ichinoseki Gakuin 7-6!

As we entered into the Round of 16, those nice stories start facing realities. Kamaishi fall 5-2 to Ichinohe. Miyako Shougyou is mercy ruled by Morioka Dai-san. Kuji Higashi gives Hanamaki Higashi the fight of their lives, but Hanamaki Higashi scores the sayonara run to win 5-4. Morioka Chuo ends Miyako Kougyou's run with a 12-5 win. Only Oofunato remained, though they had to beat Kuji 6-4 to do so.

Quarterfinal play say Morioka Dai-shi with 3 runs in the luck 7 to defeat Ichinohe 4-3. They will play Hanamaki Higashi as they end Oofunato's run 6-2.

In the battle of Morioka schools, Dai-san shuts out Dai-ichi 4-0 to advance to the semifinals. They will play Moriokadai Fuzoku as they win over Morioka Chuo 4-1.

So Hanamaki Higashi was the "odd man out" as it were. 3 Morioka schools and 1 Hanamaki school. To boot we could have had something similar to Nichidai-san v. Nichidai-ni a couple of years back if Morioka Dai-shi and Morioka Dai-san had won their games.

That was not to be though as Kikuchi Yuusei's alma mater crashed the party. They built a 4-0 lead on Dai-sh1 but almost frittered it away in the top of the 9th. Dai-shi pulls within 1, but reliever Ohara shuts it down just in time.

The other semifinal was hotly contested. Moriokadai Fuzoku and Morioka Dai-san were tied at 1 until the lucky 7th. That's when Moriokadai Fuzoku scored 1 to break the deadlock, but then Dai-san responded with 4. That would prove to be the difference as Dai-san advances to face Hanamaki Higashi 5-2.

Yamagata
Yamagata's first full day included Kunori Gakuen and Yamagata Shougyou playing to a 4-4 draw! In the replay, Kunori Gakuen would advance with a 3-1 win.

In other games in the 1st round, Yamagata Meisei rallied for 3 in the 9th, but fell short 4-3 to Shinjyou Higashi. My irrational favorite team here, Haguro had to go 12 against Yamamoto Gakuen to win 6-5.

Round 2 saw the first seeded teams to fall. 5-8 seed Kita-Murayama falls to Yamagata Jyouhoku 5-1. Fellow seed Sakata Kougyou lost 3-1 to Toukaidai Yamagata as well as Tsuruoka Kougyou who lost 6-5 to Yonezawa Chuo. Haguro continued shutting out their opposition as Tateoka failed to score.

Outside of that it was mainly status quo to the Best 8 with one exception. My Haguro upset Sakata Minami to the tune of 9-3!! Toukaidai Yamagata will be next up in the quarterfinals.

The first day of quarterfinal action was yesterday. Tsuruoka Higashi finally was put to the test by Yamagata Kougyou. Ace Furuichi(?) was up to the task still, limiting them to 1 run on 9 hits. The offensive output was limited to 3 runs, but was more than plenty. Their opponent will be 4-seed Nichidai Yamagata who mercy ruled Yamagata Jyouhoku.

Miyagi
As the field of 16 started to form we saw some familiar names. Tohoku made it without breaking a sweat. So did the other seeded teams - Sendai Ikuei, Touryou, and Furukawa Kougyou. Joining them was Rifu - who almost let the game slip away against Shibata.

Because of the rainouts, they condensed Round of 16 play into 2 days with all seeded teams in play on the 21st. All 4 advanced. In the other games:

• Tome def. Sanuma 6-3
• Sendai Shougyou def. Sendai Dai-ichi 5-2
• Tohoku Gakuin def. Kogota Nourin 3-2
• Rifu def. Ishinomaki Kougyou 3-2

Yesterday was quarterfinals, with all teams at Kleenex Stadium Miyagi. First up was top seed Tohoku, who had no trouble with Tome 13-1 in 5. 4-seed Furukawa Kougyou was up next and while they never trailed Tohoku Gakuin, it took 2 runs in the 8th to finally stay ahead and win 6-5. Doubt they'll be able to get away with that against Tohoku.

Afternoon session began with Touryou playing Rifu. Needless to say Rifu as of late has been a very good team in Miyagi. Rifu's Katou shuts the 3-seed out 6-0 and advances to the semis!

And if one upset wasn't enough, we had 2! 2-seed Sendai Ikuei was in a fight with Sendai Shougyou early. But then Sendai Shougyou scores 3 in the 6th to pull away! Ace Kome doesn't allow a run after the 3rd and it's a 5-1 upset!

Fukushima
As Round 2 concluded, there we had some interesting games such as Iwaki Kaisei who rallied from down 5-1 scoring 2 in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Fukushima Minami. Fukushima Higashi stems the scoring from Yotsukura with 4 in the bottom of the 8th and hangs on to win 9-8.

The 21st saw all teams in play across 7 stadiums. Aidzu and Hobara were involved in a scoring affair, with Hobara scoring in the middle innings, but it's Aidzu's bookend scoring that leads to a 10-8 win. Iwaki Kouyou wins late with a pair of runs over Fukushima Shougyou. And Shirakawa Asahi scores the only run in the bottom of the 8th over Futaba.

After a day off, the round of 16 saw all teams in play, and the games were either blowouts or close affairs.

• Top seed Seikou Gakuin records their 3rd mercy and double-digit game.
• 4-seed Haramachi is unceremoniously upset as Higashi Nippon Kokusaidai Shouhei scores 8 in the 6th to win 12-2.
• Shirakawa defeats Aidzu 8-0 in 7.
• Despite only getting 4 hits, Iwaki Kouyou scores the only run versus Gakkouhoujin Ishikawa.
• Odaka Kougyou mercy rules Naganuma 13-1 in 7.
• Sukagawa holds off a 9th inning charge from Shirakawa Asahi to win 4-3.
• Nichidai Tohoku needs 10 to defeat Aidzu Kougyou 2-1.
  
• 2-seed Shouin Gakuen Fukushima scores a run in the 1st and ace Yachi makes it stick over Kooriyama Shougyou.