高校野球 (Kokoyakyu)

Ok, time to turn back on the switch as qualifying for the 98th iteration of the Natsu Koushien tournament gets underway, starting with the edges of the country.

Okinawa - Round of 16
Okinawa is always the first to get things started. Makes sense considering you're talking about schools in numerous different islands. You certainly can't run a schedule like other prefectures wherein games may go on consecutive days. Travel would be hell for the kids.

The first round has already concluded, with Itoman getting the first round bye. The draw was already bad enough for Yaeyama as 2 of their schools - Yaeyama and Yaeyama Shoukou, faced off in the first round (Yaeyama Shoukou won 8-2). Even worse yet is that they now have to face Itoman.

For Itoman, the road didn't look to get any easier. Should they win against Yaeyama Shoukou, Miyako comes next (a good tier 3 school), then a possible matchup with either Kadena or Kounan in the quarterfinals. Basically, almost all the good schools wound up on Itoman's quarter of the bracket.

And in the end, they couldn't even get past their first game. In fact, they never led in the game falling 3-2 to Yaeyama Shoukou. So instead they pick up the flag and march forward, but all the obstacles still stand in the way - Miyako in the round of 16, then either Kadena or Kounan, who scored double digit runs in their last games.

Whomever advanced would seem to have a straight shot to the finals as the bottom half of that side only had Maehara and Ginowan, who have both advanced to the Round of 16, but should provide little resistance.

The other half of the bracket is much easier to project. In the upper quadrant of that side, the only school in the bunch is Urasoe Shougyou, who have pitched 2 shutouts and should reach the semifinals - no problem.

In the bottom quadrant, Okinawa Shougaku pretty much stands alone. They didn't look all that sharp to start with a 9-4 win over Kumejima, but cleaned things up in the next round, a 6-0 win over Urasoe. Okinawa Suisan, the only other notable school - but who was a superpower back in the day, was eliminated by in the first round by an unknown in Shouwa Yakka Daigaku Fuzoku - though they too are in the round of 16.

Kita Hokkaido - Regional play completed
For the Hokkaido regions, if you're not familiar, because of the large size of the prefecture, they solve the travel issues by having regional qualifiers. Of course, if you happen to be in say the Muroran region and have to play Komadai Tomakomai, or in the Asahikawa region and have to face Asahikawa Minami, Asahikawa Kougyou, or Asahikawa Jitsugyou - or heck, if you are one of those schools and have to face another to get that one bid - it all seems a little unfair. Sure, even if they did one big bracket they could still draw into it, but the odds seems more against them in a regional.

Tokachi Regionals
In "A" Block, Shirakaba Gakuen had a 1st round bye, but defeated Obihiro Sanjyou 5-2 (who isn't that bad of a squad year after year, but they wind up running into someone like Shirakaba Gakuen and are eliminated) and Ikeda to advance to the prefecturals.

"B" Block should have been Obihiro Ootani's to win. Or at least on paper it should have. But when they faced Kouryou (No, not the one from Hiroshima obviously - this one is read 江陵) they ran into quite a pitcher in Furuya Yuuto (古谷 優人). Not only did they defeat Obihiro Ootani 6-1, but he was reported to hit 150 kph (though it probably is more like 145) with a standard slider/curve combo. However, the fact that he walked 5 while only striking out 5 could be cause for concern since we're barely into the qualifying process. With competition outside of the regionals getting presumably harder, and there's no indication that they won't make it, the walks are a bit of a concern. That was verified with a 12-5 mercy rule win over Obihiro Nougyou to take the block. Yes, it was a mercy rule win, but no, I don't expect them to go far.

"C" Block was won by Obihiro Hakuyou, defeating Honbetsu 8-3 after surviving 2 close games late.

Asahikawa Regionals
"A" Block was won by Asahikawa Nishi, but unspectacularly winning 10-4 and 7-4 over middling competiton.

"B" Block saw Asahikawa Higashi advance, but had to survive Asahikawa Kougyou 14-11 after going up 5-0, then behind 8-5 after just 1 inning. Rumoi provided no resistance in the block final.

"C" Block had both Asahikawadai and Asahikawa Ryuukoku drawn together, with Asahikawadai clawing back from a 3-1 deficit to win the block 4-3.

"D" Block almost was a breeze for Asahikawa Jitsygyou despite having to play 3 games to advance out of the block.

Kushine Regionals
Kushine kicked off their regionals on the 28th with 3 blocks of 6 teams. The only notable team is Bushuukan who resided in "C" Block. However, they faltered late in the block final and wound up falling to Kushiro Koryou 3-2 despite a last minute rally. Kushiro Meiki and Kushiro Kougyou won "A" and "B" blocks respectively.

Kitami Regionals
Kitami had uneven brackets due to number of teams, and the quality of play showed with the first two games of the regionals being 5 inning called games with Kitami Kougyou defeated Memanbetsu 10-0, and Monbetsu defeating the combined squad of Rubeshibe-Yuubetsu-Kunneppu 12-0.

For those wondering, because of declining populations in rural regions, schools are closing or consolidating across the country. To accommodate schools who may have baseball programs, but perhaps unable to field a team anymore, the JHBF has allowed schools to combine to form a team. Most for obvious reasons do not fare well, but there have been the odd exception who make a decent run.

As for the results, "A" Block's Kitami Hokuto, who had a great run last summer, may have seen their window close. They lost 1-0 in their opening game against Kitami Shougyou. But they couldn't build on that as Abashiri Keiyou shut them out 4-0 to win the block.

The other favorites, Engaru ("B" Block) and Kitami Hokuryou ("C" Block), had no issues moving on to the prefecturals.

Sorachi Regionals
Clark Kokusai and Takigawa Nishi, who both had byes in their blocks, both advanced through the regionals with little issue. Clark Kokusai will be interesting to see because it appears they may have just incepted their baseball program in 2014.

Nayoro Regionals
Nayoro's regionals just had 8 teams, so win 2 games and you're in. Even still, they have 2 decent teams in Wakkanai Ootani and Shibetsu Shouun, who this year managed to avoid each other. Wakkanai Ootani, who is clearly the better of the 2 right now, had no problems in "A" Block. But Shibetsu Shouun had to scramble after giving up 8 runs to Nayoro in the 5th inning and pulled out a 14-13 win to advance to the prefecturals.

Minami Hokkaido - Regional play completed
There are understandably less regions in the southern Hokkaido region as they are centered around major cities - Hakodate, Muroran, Sapporo and Otaru.

Otaru Regionals
Otaru is sorta the northern-most regional in Minami Hokkaido - and the smallest. That aside, they do have Hokushou - and they advanced out of "A" Block.

Unfortunately for Otaru Chouryou, their time seems to have been last year. While they managed to draw the other block, they fell to Futaba 12-3 in the block final.

Sapporo Regionals
Sapporo is the major contributor to the prefecturals, having 8 blocks in all. Even still, each one just about has a well-known team.

"A" Block saw Sapporo Dai-ichi advance scoring double digits in their 2 games. Unfortunately for Sapporo Yamanote, another decent team is steamrolled.

"B" Block had Sapporo Nichidai, who doesn't disgrace, but is pretty much a tier 3 school. But they eked out two wins against no-names Sapporo Kousei and Sapporo Tsukisamu to advance.

"C" Block was one of the lucky blocks with no major names. With that opportunity, Hokkaido Kokusai Jyouhou put up two offensive games to advance out of the block, though future prospects don't look good.

"D" Block was Hokkai's to lose, and they almost did in their sandwich game, just getting by Sapporo Asahigaoka 4-3. Outside of that it was 2 easy shutouts.

"E" Block was where Toukaidai Sapporo resided, and while they did advance, their final win of 7-4 over Sapporo Ryuukoku might mean the run of last year was their best chance.

"F" Block I thought would be Sapporo Ootani's to win. But despite the quarterfinal run last year, and winning the spring taikai (which in reality doesn't mean a whole lot), they couldn't get out of the first round falling 4-3 to Ishikari Shouyou. In fact, they never led in the game. That allowed Kita-Hiroshima to drive right through the opening, thanking Ishikari Shouyou 10-4 as they motored to the prefecturals.

"G" Block had a rematch of sorts, with Sapporo Okadama and Sapporo Kiyota playing once again, this time in the block final. Kiyota certainly narrowed the gap from the 5-0 loss last year, but they faltered in the middle innings falling 6-4.

"H" Block saw Hokkai Gakuen Sapporo walk off Ritsumeikan Keiyou 2-1 to advance to the prefecturals.

Muroran Regionals
Muroran was no contest. Komadai Tomakomai wins "A" Block going away with back-to-back 13-0 wins. Over in "B" Block, Hokkaido Sakae went 11-1, 23-1, 15-7 to claim their bid. And in "C" Block Tomakomai Chuo went 13-0, 7-2, 8-0 to take the last spot.

Hakodate Regionals
Hakodate was the last regional to finish play. But here too were few surprises.

La Salle, who has been one of the more consistent Tier 3 schools, didn't yield a single run in their 2 victories in "A" Block. Hakodatedai Yuuto, who has had slightly more success, won "C" Block, but had to uncharacteristically hold on 5-4 against Hiyama Kita to do so.

Hakodate Kougyou rounds out the field, advancing out of "B" Block with a 4-1 win over Hakodatedai Hakuryou.

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)

And you guys may be better off following my twitter (see the left side of the page) to get relatively real-time coverage on the games, because work has been too busy to allow me to catch-up on the prior day's games.
Like many other prefectures, it seems like this is the year for the tier 3 schools to make hay.

FYI, when I say tier 3, I mean the following:

• Tier 1 - Schools that regularly make Koushien (Chiben Wakayama, Nichidai-san, Houtoku Gakuen, Ryuukokudai Heian, Osaka Touin, etc,)
• Tier 2 - Schools that have made it to Koushien, but generally run into the upper tier (Yokohama Hayato, Chiba Keizaidai Fuzoku, Nihon Koukuu)
• Tier 3 - Schools that regularly do well, but rarely, if ever reach Koushien (Bushuukan, Toukai Dai-yon, Kyoto Subaru, Kasukabe Kyouei, St. Ursula, Oberlin, etc.)

And so this final was a chance for both schools to get to Koushien.  And actually Kushiro Kougyou had made it once before back in 1979, but lost in the first round to Hieizan.

But the game wasn't close, Bushuukan put up 3 runs in the first inning and never really looked back.  Kushiro Kougyou made it close with a pair of runs in the 9th, but an 8-5 win means that they're making their first ever appearance at Natsu Koushien!

Aomori - Aomori v. Hachinohe Gakuen Kousei
Aomori had a magical run, defeating both Hachinohe Koudai Dai-ichi and Aomori Yamada to reach the final.  But then they had to face Kousei, and you would think that the run would end.

Thankfully for everyone (except Kousei) they didn't get the memo.  In fact, they were the ones to strike first, with 3 runs in the second no less.  And when Kousei replied with 3 of their own the 3rd, they scored another in the 4th.  But after Kousei tied it yet again in the 5th, you had to wonder if Aomori was going to have another burst in them.

The answer seemed to come 2 innings later when Kousei would score 4 in the 7th to seemingly take a commanding 8-4 lead.  Aomori made one final push in the 9th, but it would fall short as Kousei goes yet again to Koushien with a 8-6 win.  Now if only they could win Koushien itself...

Iwate - Hanamaki Higashi v. Moriokadai Fuzoku
If there is one name that you need to know from this matchup, it is ace Matsumoto Yuuki.

No, not Hanamaki Higashi, but Moriokadai Fuzoku!

Because in the 1st inning, he blasted a 2-run HR to deep right to the 2nd fence (the one actually bordering the entire ballpark!).

Now, it was obviously still early, and Hanamaki as they are wont to do, started scrapping runs together, first with a run in the 2nd, and then 3 more in the 4th.  You had to wonder if Moriokadai would be able to mount another charge against the vaunted squad.

Fast forward 1 inning later, and Moriokadai had managed to score a run to cut the lead to 4-3.  And wouldn't you know it, Matsumoto stepped in once again, this time with runners at the corners.  After a SB, a base hit could give the team back the lead.

Matsumoto drives a ball to deep center, and somehow over the fielder's head yet again!  2 runs do score and Moriokadai Fuzoku took the 5-4 lead!

The rest of the game was hang on time.  Matsumoto was by no means dominant on the hill, but he was doing just enough to get by, with some help from Hanamaki at times.  For instance in the 6th runner on 2nd, bunt is placed, but right to Matsumoto who wheels to 3rd for the tag.  They get a 2-out double in the 7th, but a great diving catch by Moriokadai's LF saved the game.

Once that catch was made, I think the rally in Hanamaki Higashi was dashed.  The last 6 outs went by without a whimper and Moriokadai Fuzoku (or rather Matusmoto Yuuki) claims the Iwate title!

Yamagata - Sakata Minami v. Yamagata Chuo
Yamagata Chuo had claimed their only title 4 years ago, and if you go back and look at the records, it wasn't against the top competition the prefecture had to offer (Sakata Minami, Nichidai Yamagata, Tsuruoka Higashi, etc.).  So while they were here in the finals, it was against the aforementioned Sakata Minami, and you had to think that they would fall short again...

It certainly looked that way.  Despite ace Ishikawa eventually recording 12 K's, it was Sakata Minami who held the 2-0 lead going into the 9th.

But in that 9th, Okuyama would start off with a double,  couple of batters later Aoki would hit a 2-RBI double to tie the game.  And Nagai and Takahashi would complete the comeback with timely hitting on their own.  5-runs later and Sakata Minami and their supporters were shocked to see themselves down 5-2 with just 3 outs to go!

There would be no rally as Yamagata Chuo would truly break their curse of Koushien and punch their second ticked with a 5-2 win!

More prefectures have entered the round of 16 (and some who were already there have gone further):

Kita Hokkaido - Best 8 (en route)
With the taikai wide open as it is, teams remaining know they have a chance to head to Koushien.

Bushuukan, no stranger to the stage (though not in the end successful), did enough at the beginning and end to defeat Fukagawa Nishi 4-1.  They will be a tough test for Teshio, who finds them in unknown territory having used 2 big innings and holding off a 9th inning rally to defeat Rumoi 8-5.

Engaru got no favors drawing Shirakaba Gakuen right off the bat.  7 runs in the 3rd and 4th innings suddenly found themselves clear.  Shirakaba would not go quietly of course, and a 4-run 6th pulled them within 3.  They further culled that deficit to 2 after 2 in the 8th.  But time would run out as Engaru would win 9-7.  While it won't get any easier facing Asahikawadai in the next round, they got a surprising challenge in Kouryou.  They were shutout for most of the game, and it wasn't until a 2-run 7th that they cleared the way to the quarterfinals.

In an unfortunate battle between two Kushine regional schools, Kushiro Kougyou beat Kushiro Hokuyou 7-3. They will face an Iwamisawa Higashi squad that shutout Shibetsu Shouun 2-0.

The final 2 games of the round of 16 will be played today.

Minami Hokkaido - Best 4 (en route)
Unlike Kita Hokkaido, there was no drama at all in the first round of the prefectuals.  Urakawa, Eniwa Minami, Otaru Chouryou, Sapporo Dai-ichi, Sapporo Dai-ichi and Komadai Tomakomai all advanced.  The one surprise was Hakodatedai Yuuto who certainly was facing a tried and tested team in Toukai Dai-yon, was mercy ruled 7-0!

We had 2 of the quarterfinals yesterday, and the bye almost helped Sapporo Sousei.  Leading for most of the game, ace Hirose just needed 3 more outs to send his team past Urakawa to the semifinals.  By the time he recorded those 3 outs though, Urakawa had plated 4 runs and his team found the tables reversed.  They couldn't come back, falling 6-4.

Otaru Chouryou continues to defy the odds.  After defeating Hokushou back in the prefecturals, they managed to keep Shiriuchi at arms length in the latter innings to win 9-4.  The run perhaps looked to be at a close after they gave up 5 in the first 2 innings.  But they rallied back with 5 unanswered in the middle innings, and made it stand up for an 8-6 win.  Urakawa stands between them and a shot at the title.

Today the heavy hitters step in.  Toukai Dai-yon's trip will look familiar now as they must fight through Sapporo Dai-ichi.  Meanwhile, Komadai Tomakomai must go toe-to-toe with Sapporo Nichidai for the right to advance.

Aomori - Best 4 (en route)
The top 4 advanced to the Best 8 with mostly no problems.  Hachinohe Gakuin Kousei mercy-ruled Aomori Kita 9-0 in 7, Hachinohe Koudai Dai-ichi went just 5 to defeat Hirosaki Jitsugyou.  Those that needed a little more help, Aomori Yamada needed 4 pitchers to defeat Mutsu Kougyou 5-1 and Seiai needed a 4-run 7th to defeat Goshogawara 7-3 to setup the following matchups:

• Hachinohe Gakuin Kousei v. Hirosaki Kougyou
• Hirosaki Chuo v. Seiai
• Hachinohe Koudai Dai-ichi v. Aomori
• Goshogawara Shougyou v. Aomori Yamada

The first two games were played yesterday, and to no surprise they did not go the full 9.  Kousei won 14-1 and Seiai won 8-0, both in 7 innings.  That will be a must-see semifinal.

Akita - Best 8
The top 4 seeded teams were first up in the round of 16.  Oomagari Kougyou and Akita Minami both advanced with double digit wins.  Nishime had a tough test against Akita Shougyou but held off a 9th inning rally to win 3-2.  Yokote was the first seeded team to fall, falling to unknown Yuri Kougyou 5-1.

Oomagari Kougyou catches a break as Akita's run with close games catches up to them, shutout by Oomagari Nougyou 3-0.  Oomagari couldn't make it 3 schools from the city, but can't be blamed for losing 7-1 to Noshiro Shougyou.  Nishime better have their A-game ready.

Now here's a surprise - Yuzawa, more know for their onsen, sees their baseball team beat a well-known baseball school in the prefecure in Oodate Houmei 6-1!  With a matchup against Yuri Kougyou next, there is a prime opportunity to advance at such a late stage.

Finally, Kakunodate put Noshiro away early in the game ton win 7-3 and will need to get past 2nd seed Akita Minami.

Iwate - Best 8 (en route)
I suppose it would come as no surprise to anyone that Hanamaki Higashi as the top seed has given just 1 run in each of their 3 games so far.  They will play 5-8 seed Kuji Higashi, whose only real scare was a 8-5 win over town rival Kuji.

Oofunato had a great story going as a 5-8 seed.  3 years after the earthquake, they reached the round of 16 after rallying twice against Ibonai and then giving up a 2-run lead, to finally advance in 13.  Despite the long game, they came back and gave Senshuudai Kitami a challenge despite trailing for most of the game.  Sadly they would fall 4-3.  They will play a Mizusawa team defeated another disappointing Ichinoseki Gakuin team 2-1.

The other round of 16 games will be played today with Morioka Dai-san and Moriokadai Fuzoku taking the field.  Both have shown their opposition no mercy so far.

Yamagata - Best 8
Nichidai Yamagata appears to be back on track, recording a 13-0 win over Kaminoyama Meishinkan.  Next up will be Sakata Kouryou who have scored 4 runs in each of their games so far.

Sakata Minami still doesn't seem to be hitting their stride just yet, as it wasn't until a 6-run 8th that they distanced themselves over Kunori Gakuen 11-2.  Yamagata Jyouhoku is up next after they rallied with 3 in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Yamagata Shougyou 7-6.

Tsuruoka Minami has played nothing but close games so far, including their 3-2 upset over 2nd seed Yamamoto Gakuen.  A well-respected Yamagata Chuo will be on the other side of the field next.

The other, more well-known Tsuroka team, Tsuruoka Higashi has yet to yield a run, and will play Nagai next.

Miyagi - Best 4
The prefecture is probably Rifu's to lose.  Tohoku trailed twice against the, but when Rifu put the 3rd run up in the 6th, Tohoku could find no answer and lost 3-2.  The feel good story for Kesennuma continues as a 5-run 5th put them clear of Ishinomaki 5-3.  However, it is very hard to see them making it past this round.

Tohoku Gakuin's run didn't last long after the upset win over Sendai Ikuei.  They couldn't plate a run against Sanuma and will have to wait until next year.  Meanwhile, Shiogama's magical run continues.  After tying the game at 2 in the 6th versus Izumi Shougyou, it isn't until 7 innings later that they are able to put up 3 runs to win and advance 5-2.

So, because I can't work on the brackets at work, it really makes it difficult to get them prepared.  These are all done manually and it took a lot of my free time back then.

Anyways, almost all prefectures are underway, and some are in the final stages:

Okinawa - Best 4

• Semifinal 1 - Okinawa Shougaku v. Ginoza
• Semifinal 2 - Itoman v. Urasoe Shougyou

So we are underway in qualifying for Natsu Koushien with the extreme ends of the country starting play.

In Okinawa, as mentioned by one of my readers, Kounan is gone, gone at the hands of Maebaru in sayonara fashion 2-1.  Good teams still need to reload, and some have advantages over others.  Kounan... is not one of them.

Back on opening day, a power of the past in Okinawa Suisan barely got through their first game 2-1 over Yaeyama.

The draw was cruel to 2 former Koushien participants as Kadena and Yaeyama Shoukou drew each other in the 1st round.  Far from being an exciting game, Kadena put them to bed early with a 10-0 mercy rule win in 6 innings.

We had our first crushing loss on Day 2 when Okinawa Tousen scored 4 in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Chubu Nourin 8-7 while Urasoe and Urasoe Kogyou both advanced.

Rounding out the first weekend of competition in Okinawa, Chinen and the peculiar Showa Yakkadai Fuzoku (A pharmacy university senior school) advanced easily.

Up in the more milder north of Hokkaido, Kita Hokkaido started play just yesterday.  After shutout wins by Shibetsu and Kushiro Meiki on opening day in Kushiro, the Kushine region is off to a wild start.  Over in Kushiro Shimin, the combined team of Akan, Kiritappu, Kushiro Higashi and Shiranuka, called 阿霧釧東白, let an early 2-0 lead slip away to Kushiro Tousen before tying the game in the 8th.  They had another chance to win after scoring in the 11th, but allowed Kushiro Tousen back in.  They would finally win 5-4 one inning later.

The other game had Kushiro Shougyou let a similar lead slip away to Teshikaga in the 8th.  That game too would head to enchousen where Kushishou would score 4 to put the game away for good.

The only other game is in progress with Kushiro Konan about to mercy rule Nemuro up 7-1 after 5 full innings of play.

Minami Hokkaido got off to a cruel start as in Hakodate Oceans Stadium, Minami-Kayabe gave up 13, 9 and 13 runs to 2nd tier Hakodatedai Yuuto.  They showed mercy after that scoring no runs to win 35-0.

The carnage continued on day 2 as of the 5 games on tap that day, only 1 was decided by less than 5 runs as Shizunai ruined Ootani Muroran's comeback bid with a run in the 8th to win 4-3.

Day 3 finally saw some competitive games, as for example Hakodate Ootani blew a 4-1 lead to Hakodate Suisan only to win in 12 by the score of 5-4.

The first recognizable name showed up on Day 4 with LaSalle defeating Yakumo handily 9-1 in 7.  Komadai Tomakomai finally made their appearance today defeating Muroran Shimizugaoka 5-2 in what probably was a game where the regulars sat.

Yes, that's right, we have our first ticket punched and it's from the northern most region!  Here's how we got there:

On the 2nd day of the round of 16, Asahikawa Kougyou, expected to be one of the favorites advanced though pulling away late against Shibetsu.  What was more surprising was that in the other 2 games on the 14th, both Obihiro Sanjyou and Obihiro Hakuyou won their games against Engaru and Memanbetsu respectively - not an easy feat.

Finishing up the opening round of the 2nd stage, Komadai Iwamizawa looked rather beatable in a 5-4 win over Kushiro Koryou.  Their next opponent Asahikawa Minami, would 10-run rule Nayoro and looked rather good throughout.  And in the final game of the 15th, Obihiro Ootani would blitz Takikawa Nishi late 15-4 in 8 innings and reaching the semifinals perhaps thought that they might have a chance.

And boy did the 16th blow things wide open.  First Asahikawa Kougyou was shocked as Asahikawa Ryuukoku's ace Oohashi threw a 4-hit shutout, upsetting one of the favorites 4-0!  After Obihiro Sanjyou made easy work of fellow school Obihiro Hakuryou, Asahikawa Minami floored the followers yet again, putting the foot down on Komadai Iwamizawa leading from wire-to-wire 11-8!!

This meant that all of the recent powerhouses were eliminated and a team would represent Kita Hokkaido at 夏甲子園 for the first time in at least 10 years!

In the semifinals, Obihiro Ootani would take an early 2-0 lead over Asahikawa Ryuukoku.  However, immediately after taking the lead, Ryuukoku would the lead with a 3-run 2nd.  It would stay that way until the 6th when 3B Kado Yuuhei (角 雄平) scores 2 to retake the lead!  Reliever Satou Kazuma (佐藤和真) would close out the game for Obihiro Ootani as they advanced to the finals!

The other semifinal had Obihiro Sanjyou trading blows with Asahikawa Minami pulling out to a 3-1 lead before a 3-run 7th would give Minami the lead.  But Sanjyou would comeback in the 8th and 9th innings to take a 5-4 lead.

But with 2 down, ace Morikawa would walk cleanup batter (and ace) Tsujimoto and #5 batter Kashima (translation ?).  That brought up Mizobuchi who drove one over the outfield for a game-winning sayonara triple!

That setup the final between Obihiro Ootani (looking for their first title) versus Asahikawa Minami (who was at 夏甲子園 only once before in 1964.

As perhaps expected, Asahikawa Minami took the lead early from Obihiro Ootani, building a 3-run lead in the 4th.  That was wiped out by Obihiro in the bottom of the 4th.  It would stay tied until the 8th when with the bases loaded, Tsujimoto would hit the aforementioned Kado to bring in the gyakuten run.  Satou would close the game out for Obihiro Ootani thus securing their first ever Koushien appearance!!

Congratulations go to the boys from Obihiro on their first ever trip to Koushien!  Carry your flag proudly!

...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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I do like Hakodatedai Yuuto in this scenario.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(FYI, all updates on the brackets can be found in the opening Natsu Koushien qualifying post.)

Ok, so here's where the ends of Japan stand.  And just for kicks we'll start from the south in Okinawa.

Only one of the seeded teams played on opening weekend, and it didn't look good.  Koza may be no slouch, but they almost upset Yaeyama falling 3-2.  Yaeyama Shoukou looked good in their opening game while Urasoe Shougyou did not edging Ginowan 4-2.

We've had really exciting games as Naha scores a run in the 8th, 9th and 10th innings to bid Nanbu Nougyou sayonara 7-6.  Gushikawa looked to be in the clear with 2 in the 12th over Urasoe Kogyou but almost gave it up winning 3-2.  And in a compete barn-burner, Miyako Kougyou led Yaeyama Nougyou 11-0 after 3, then held on for dear life as they won 12-10!

Moving on to Minami Hokkaido, and there was a shocker early.  At Sapporo Maruyama, Sapporo Ryuukoku upset Hokkai thanks to a 6-run 6th and are still alive with one more game against Sapporo Okudama before reaching the 2nd stage.  Elsewhere Sapporo Dai-ichi and Sapporo Nichidai got off to a good start in their first game.

In Otaru, only Hokushou really is relevant, and they just finished their first game with no issues in a 10-0, 5 inning win over Kucchan Nougyou.

Moving south to the Muroran region, Komadai Tomakomai has advanced to their block final, but have not looked impressive and will need to get past Tomakomai Higashi to reach the 2nd stage.  Hokkaido Sakae also looks poised to advance as well.

And in Hakodate, the two top seeds - Hakodatedai Hakuryou and Hakodate LaSalle will play tomorrow to advance out of their respective blocks.  LaSalle though is in more jeopardy having survived a 3-2 14-inning game against Hakodate Shougyou, then surviving 12-7 over Hakodate Tousen.  And in the final block, both of the secondary seeds have lost, though you can't blame Hakodate Ootani as they lost to a surprisingly unseeded Hakodatedai Yuuto.

Finally, in Kita Hokkaido realistically won't begin until the 2nd stage.  Yet, you still have to get there, and Komadai Iwamizawa almost got tripped up in their very first game. Against Takigawa Kougyou, they went into extras and fell behind 4-2 in the 13th inning.  It could have been the pressure of beating a well known team but whatever the case they couldn't hold it and Komadai came back for the 5-4 win.

In the Asahikawa regionals, Asahikawa Ryuukoku breezed through their first game, while Asahikawa Jitsugyou as a seeded team were blanked in their first game 6-0.    Kitami has gone rather normally with Engaru and Kitami Hokuto looking solid to start.  And Shirakaba Gakuen just needs to get past Obihiro Sanjyou to get out of Tokachi into the 2nd stage.

So nothing really of note there I guess for the major teams.  But for those who toil and probably are longshots, winning games and getting as far as they can means something.  Furano Ryokuhou led Rumoi 5-0 after the top of the 7th.  But Rumoi found a second gear and scored 4 in the 7th, 2 in the 8th and the sayonara run in the 9th to win 7-6.  Nakashibetsu was 3 outs away from the block final but gave up 4 runs to Kushiro Koryou to lose 5-3.  Kami-Furano looked to upset Asahikawadai, but fell apart in the 12th to lose 7-3.  Shiranuka led Kushiro Hokuyou 4-3 going into the bottom of the 9th but ace Sakimoto couldn't close it out and lost 5-4.

And finally, Komadai Iwamizawa's block final opponent, Sunagawa, trailed 4-1 going into the bottom of the 9th against Iwamizawa Higashi, found a way to tie it up and then won it in the 10th.

So, as I mentioned in a prior post, my coverage of Natsu Koushien will focus less on mentioning as many teams as possible and instead highlighting games and teams from each region.

With that being said, Okinawa and both Hokkaido regions are underway, and all 3 are in the round of 16/prefectural play.

And without further ado, we set off for Koushien!

Regional qualifying has been completed and the prefectural draw is out.

In the Asahikawa regional, Asahikawa Jitsugyou struggled through their block, barely defeating Rumoi Senbou 1-0 in their first game.  Down 3-0 to Furano in the block final, they scored 3 in the 9th to send it into extras.  But Furano would be successful, scoring the sayonara run one inning later.

Probably the best representative would be Asahikawa Kougyou, winning their two games 9-0 and 8-0.  But that may not be saying much...

In Sorachi, it's Komadai Iwamizawa that has taken the torch from famed Komadai Tomakomai and even reaching the 3rd round.  They have no trouble in their block and advance to the prefectual qualifiers.

Moving over to the Nayoro region, Wakkanai Ootani once again reaches the prefecturals, winning their two games by a total of 30-0.  Again though, the battle for them begins now.

Perhaps the most intriguing team in the field is last year's runner-up Engaru.  They got a bad deal being placed in the bracket with 2 good teams in Kitami Ryokuryou and Memanbetsu.  But Memanbetsu was upset in their first game by Monbetsu, and Engaru easily dispatched Kitami Ryokuryou 12-4 en route to advancing out of the block.  May this year be the year that Engaru makes it to Koushien?

Meanwhile in Tokachi, last year's representative continues to chug along.  They have no trouble in their two games easily making the prefecturals.

And finally in Kushine, another above average team Bushuukan has no trouble in their block, scoring double digits in each of their 3 games to advance.

In the draw, Shirakaba Gakuen and Engaru wound up on different sides of the bracket.  So we could very well see a rematch in the final.

That is of course if Shirakaba Gakuen makes it there in the first place.  You see, they drew Bushuukan in the first round.  Should they win that, a game with Komadai Iwamizawa is probably looming.  And while perhaps not as strong, they could still face Asahikawa Kougyou in the semis.  All that before facing Engaru!

What that means is that Engaru has probably one of the easiest roads to the finals.  It's possible Wakkanai Ootani might stop them, but I think they'll have to trouble at all.  But should they lose, whichever team survives the other bracket (as long as it's one of the main players), should advance.

If Kita Hokkaido's prefectural bracket was wacky, Minami Hokkaido's was just as bad.

First off, in the Sapporo regionals, Hokkai, Sapporo Nichidai, Toukai Dai-yon, and Sapporo Dai-ichi dismissed their opposition.

Onto Muroran and the aforementioned Komadai Tomakomai.  Despite two blowouts, they couldn't advance out of the block, losing 2-1 to Tomakomai Higashi.  It was a great 3 year run, but they're now relegated back to the realm of the forgotten.

A quick stop north puts us back in Otaru where seasoned Hokushou resides.  No troubles here advancing to the prefectural bracket.  Joining them, as usual, is Otaru Suisan.

And finally, on the last stop to the main island, my rooting interest Hakodatedai Yuuto is still alive.  Just...

You see, in the final against Hakodate LaSalle, they trailed 3-0.  Then they scored 2 in the 8th and 1 in the 9th as ace Shimizu couldn't close the door.  This time though, Yuuto completed the comeback, winning in sayonara fashion 4-3 in 12.

So the draw came out, and wouldn't you know it, it was almost completely lopsided.  You see, Hokushou, Sapporo Dai-ichi, Hokkai, Hakodatedai Yuuto (and to a lesser extent Toukai Dai-yon) all wound up on the same side of the bracket.  Not only that, but all 4 were in different matchups (Toukai drawing Yuuto).  That means after one easy game (except for Yuuto), it will be a bloodbath.

The one contender avoiding the massacre is Sapporo Nichidai.  They should have a clear path to the final, but they'll be in for the fight of their lives no matter what when they get there...

Okinawa was the first prefecture to start play, and why not considering the great weather they get (in reality I think it's because schools are separated by a good margin thanks to the islands).

Anyways, seeded teams this year were given to Okinawa Shougaku, Okinawa Suisan, Kounan and Urasoe Kougyou.  Last year's representative Itoman drew itself into the other part of Okinawa Suisan's bracket and has advanced into the round of 16 with wins over Tomoshiro Minami and Naha Kokusai.

The same however cannot be said for 3 of the 4 aforementioned seeded teams.  Okinawa Suisan were shocked by unknown Hokuzan, getting shutout 5-0!  Kounan couldn't stop the bleeding.  Facing a strong opponent in Urasoe Shougyou, they trailed 4-0 with just two innings left to go.  They then mounted a furious comeback, rallying with 3 in the 8th and 1 in the 9th to tie the game. But ace Hanasiro couldn't hold the tie as Urashou sent Kounan home 5-4.  And finally Urasoe Kougyou fell 3-1 to Maehara.

That means that Okinawa Shougaku remains as the last seeded team, though they seem poised to reach at least the semifinals at least with weak opponents remaining.  They may however face Itoman in that semifinal.

On the other half, Urashou should reach the quarterfinals where a familiar opponent in Kadena may await.  However, they have not impressed so far, and may prove little defense should they make it against Urashou.  In fact, Urashou may have a clear path to the finals as Maehara doesn't appear to be strong despite defeating Urakou.  Perhaps Chinen could provide a challenge in the semis should they make it, but they seem inconsistent at best.

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.

And now for Kita Hokkaido, the last region to have qualifying games so far.

Kitami
Kitami block play overall was dominated for the most part by 3 teams - Engaru, Memanbetsu and Kitami Hakuyou though Kitami Hakuyou did need a 5-run 5th to hold off Kitami Kougyou
9-6 in the Block C final.

Asahikawa
The Asahikawa region has actually had quite a few Koushien participants - Asahikawadai, Asahikawa Jitsugyou, and Asahikawa Kougyou. The former team wound up in Block B, the latter 2 in Block C.

So Block A was a bit open for all, and the block started out with some nice games. Asahikawa Touei scored the only run in the top of the 9th to defeat Kami-Furano. Haboro led Rumoi Senbou 4-1 before Rumoi clawed back to level in the 8th. Haboro closed the door though with 2 in their half of the 8th inning for the win.

In round 2, Asahikawa Nishi finally got their turn on the field and proceeded to dispatch Kamikawa 10-3 in 7 innings. Their opponent in the final would be Asahikawa Touei who defeated Haboro 4-1.

And in the block final, Asahikawa Nishi pulled out to a 2-0 lead. When they scored 4 in the 5th, it looked all but over. Touei though wanted to make a game out of it and scored 4 of their own also in the 5th. But outside of that one offensive outburst, they could manage no more, falling 6-4.

Asahikawadai in Block B started off with a slim 1-0 win over Asahikawa Tousen. In fact, all 1st round games in Block B were relatively low scoring. That changed when Asahikawa Minami played their 1st game in round 2. They mercy ruled Asahikawa Ryuukoku 7-0 in 7 innings perhaps putting themselves in the driver's seat to advance. Their opponent would be Asahikawadai as the offense picked up ace Nozawa after he blew a 3-0 lead late scoring the sayonara run in the bottom of the 9th.

In the block final, Asahikawadai would send up reliever Sasaki to start the game... which ended disastrously. Asahikawa Minami was spotted 3 runs from the 1st inning, and never recovered. 3 runs in the 8th inning ended the game 9-2 in favor of Minami.

Finally, in Block C Asahikawa Kougyou and Asahikawa Jitsugyou were on an immediate collision course after winning their 1st round games. In that matchup, Jitsugyou came out to an early 2-0 lead. Kougyou would tie it up quickly in the 3rd and then blew it open with 5 runs between the 6th & 7th innings. Last year's representative had no answer to the offensive outburst and fell 7-3.

Their opponent in the final would be Furano Ryokuhou who edged out Asahikawa Higashi 3-2 in the semifinal. But Asahikawa Kougyou ace Miyano would throw a 1-hit shutout to send his team to the prefecturals.

And in looking at Miyano, I'll be interested to see how he does. Why?

He throws a knuckleball.

Tokachi
The Tokachi draw this year was unfortunate in that the two main teams from this region, Shirakaba Gakuen and Obihiro Ootani were put in the same block. So the winner of that matchup in the semifinals would in all likelihood would be the Block A winner.

Shirakaba would jump out to a 3-0 1st inning lead. But by the 3rd, Ootani would tie the score. Shirakaba once again scored 3, this time in the 5th. And when Ootani tried to claw back, they scored 4 more to make it a 10-4 game.

There was no quit though from the Obihiro squad, and a 4-spot in the 8th made it 11-8. However, that would be the final margin giving Shirakaba Gakuen the keys to the prefecturals.

All that was left was a formality against Obihiro Nougyou. Except that Obihiro ace Murosaki wouldn't let them get away that easy, yielding just 1 run in the 5th early on. However, his offense couldn't score for him, and when Shirakaba added an insurance run in the top of the 9th, it was too much. Obihiro Nougyou would get back that run, but only that run, falling 2-1.

Block B was full of blowouts save for the first game between Obihiro Ryokuyou and Obihiro Sanjyou. That game saw respective aces Oowada and Hirayama pitch 9 shutout innings. Then 10... 11... 12... and 13 innings! With the game so close to the 15 inning limit, I'm sure both teams couldn't afford a replay.

And so Ryokuyou concludes things by scoring 3 in the top of the 14th for the win.

After that, the blowouts started. Honbetsu, Shimizu and Obihiro Minami Shougyou all shutout their opponents to the tune of a combined 28-0.

In the semis, the extended inning game didn't seem to phase Ryokuyou at all as Honbetsu was outplayed 9-2 in 8 innings. Their opponent would be Shimizu who won their semi 10-1 in 7 innings.

However, the Sasaki duo from Shimizu couldn't hold off Obihiro Ryokuyou as they advanced with a 8-0 win in 7 innings.

Sorachi
The sister school of Komadai Tomakomai, Komadai Iwamizawa has had more success reaching Koushien as of late. They headlined Block A in Sorachi and had absolutely no stressful games as the pitching staff throws 3 shutouts of 10-0, 15-0 and 6-0 to advance to the prefecturals.

Takikawa Nishi was looking for yet another prefectural appearance in Block B, but stumbled a bit coming out of the gate against Iwamizawa Ryokuryou. Ace Iwasaki couldn't stop their offense from pinging them with single runs. He was unable to hold a 2-run lead and in fact gave Ryokuryou a 5-4 lead. But the offense picked him up, scoring 2 in the bottom of the 8th and he was able to hold that for a 6-5 win.

In the semis, they had a much easier time, mercy ruling Ashibetsu 15-5 in 6 innings. That setup a matchup in the block final against Iwamizawa Higashi whose semi had a flurry of runs but when the dust cleared, had a 9-5 win.

Takikawa Nishi would send out their relief corps to start the game, but that didn't go well. Much like Asahikawa, Takikawa would give Iwamizawa 3 runs to start the game. However, unlike that game, Takikawa would get all those runs back in the 3rd.

And when Iwamizawa scored a run in the 5th, Takikawa leveled it again in the 6th.

However, when they were asked to come back for a 3rd time after Iwamizawa scored 3 the next inning, there was nothing left for Takikawa. Iwamizawa Higashi advances with a 7-4 win.

Nayoro
Nayoro was the first region to start and finish in the Kita Hokkaido region, and the games pretty much went without much excitement. Teshio did give Wakkanai a good run in the Block A final, tying the game at 1 in the 5th, but when Wakkanai scored 2 in the bottom of the 8th Teshio couldn't scramble a quick response.

In Block B, Wakkanai Ootani didn't have any problems in their 2 games, mercy ruling Wakkanai Shoukou and yielding just a run in the 9th to Hamatonbetsu in a 5-1 win to advance to prefectural play.

Kushine
Kushine is home to Bushuukan, who perennially seems to be in the prefectural brackets had some competition in Block C. Kushiro Shougyou blew out their first 2 opponents 28-7 and looked to play spoiler.

Bushuukan did get out to a 2-0 lead after 2 innings. But a run in the 2nd pulled Kushiro within 1, and another run in the 5th tied things up. Ace Ookubo couldn't keep the game tied, giving up a run in the 7th and 8th innings, falling 4-2.

Block A started off uneventful except for the Betsukai-Kushiro Koryou game where Betsukai scored 2 in the 7th to pull out a 4-3 win. And after 2 7-inning mercy ruled games, we had Kushiro Hokuyou and Kushiro Kounan in the block finals.

Kounan jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 1st only to see Hokuyou score 3 in the next half inning to take the lead. Ace Oota though couldn't hold it for long, giving up the douten run in the 3rd. Two innings later he would give up the go-ahead run, and that's where it ended with Kushiro Kounan advancing with a 4-3 win.

And finally in Block B, after a blowout to start the block, Kushiro Meiki shuts out Shibecha 3-0 in the middle game while Shibetsu and Teshikaga decided to do all their scoring in the 2nd half of their game. Teshikaga led 3-0, then Shibetsu led 4-3 the next half inning, and then it was tied the half-inning after that. 5 in the 8th for Shibetsu ended things though.

Two more blowouts in the semis meant that Kushiro Kougyou and Shibetsu would play for a spot in the prefecturals.

The game though was anti-climatic though as Kushiro Kougyou had their 3rd mercy-ruled game, winning 10-3 in 7 innings.