高校野球 (Kokoyakyu)

The all-Nagano final was not to be.  Chikyuu Kankyou (Nagano 2) gave Nihon Bunri (Niigata 1) a great fight, sent the semifinal into enchousen, but ace Hoshino couldn't hold on falling 4-3 in 10 innings.

Meanwhile, Toukai Dai-san (Nagano 1) continued their solid run leading Hokuriku (Fukui 2) wire-to-wire 5-2 to make the championship game.

The final finished up a couple of hours ago, and looking at the boxscore, it looks like Toukai Dai-san tried to take the fight to Nihon Bunri early on with a 4-0 lead, but Nihon Bunri rallied not once, but twice sending the game to enchousen tied at 5-5.

In the 11th, Hirabayashi would give it up for Toukai Dai-san, as with one out a walk, single, double steal followed by intentional walk would load the bases for 3B Ikeda who would deliver the sayonara hit to give Nihon Bunri the title.

While Toukai Dai-san's key games are both against the Niigata representatives, I expect them to be the 2nd representative out of Hokushinetsu.

The draw for the Hokushinetsu Super-Regional wound up being very lopsided.  Don't believe it?

Left Side

• Ishikawa-ken Kougyou (Ishikawa 2) vs. Chikyuu Kankyou (Nagano 2)
• Fukui Koudai Fukui (Fukui 1) vs. Shin-Minato (Toyama 3)
• Nagano Nishi (Nagano 3) vs. Toyama Dai-ichi (Toyama 1)
• Tsuruga Kehi (Fukui 4) vs. Nihon Bunri (Niigata 1)

Right Side

• Tsubata (Ishikawa 1) vs. Chuuetsu (Niigata 3)
• Toyama Shougyou (Toyama 2) vs. Hokuriku (Fukui 2)
• Komatsu Ootani (Ishikawa 3) vs. Toukai Dai-san (Nagano 1)
• Niigata Meikun (Niigata 2) vs. Harue Kougyou (Fukui 3)

And the left side of the bracket appears to be more stacked than the right side.

Well, oddly enough the games on the left side were mostly lopsided.  Chikyuu Kankyou, Toyama Dai-ichi and Nihon Bunri were not challenged by their opponents.  In the other game, Shin-Minato used a 5-run 3rd to take a 5-2 lead, but could not hold it the remainder of the game. They pulled within 1 in the 9th, but fell 7-6.

On the other half, it was a little better.  We won't see Harue Kougyou though as they were mercy ruled by Niigata Meikun 12-2 in 8 innings.  And as for Tsubata, they won the prefecture, but didn't get any further losing to Chuuestu 6-0.  But Toyama Shougyou forced enchousen after scoring a run in the final 3 innings.  Sadly in the 11th, the pitching would fall apart giving Hokuriku a 9-3 win.  And Toukai Dai-san made a run in the 1st and 2nd innings hold up in a 2-0 win over Komasu Ootani.

In the quarterfinals, Chikyuu Kankyou and Fukui Koudai Fukui played into enchousen - but just for 1 inning as back-to-back doubles gave Chikyuu Kankyou the win in the bottom of the 10th.  They will face a game Nihon Bunri squad as Toyama Dai-ichi couldn't repeat their performance of the summer as they were shutout 4-0.

We actually have a chance to have the 2nd straight year of Hokushinetsu representatives coming from the same prefecture (Nagano) because Toukai Dai-san pulled off a stunning upset of Niigata Meikun, taking a 7-0 lead before holding on to win 7-5.  They will play Hokuriku who scored a run in the 9th to defeat Chuuetsu 2-1.

Most of the participants for the Super-Regional have already been determined, with the exception of Nagano - check that, they just completed today.

Nagano
Mostly because they go probably though one of the most convoluted processes out there.

First, during Natsu Koushien, all teams are playing in "qualifiers" which only determines seeded teams. Then the actual qualifications start with a certain quantity advancing from each region into the prefecturals.

Sadly, Ueda Nishi's time in the sun has already passed. They couldn't get past the first game against Ueda, getting mercy-ruled 7-0.

Interestingly, while many of the familiar names advanced through the prefecturals, they all seemed to fall in the quarterfinals thus ensuring mostly newcomers would be advancing to the Super-Regionals.

First it was Matsushou Gakuen falling 3-1 to Toukai Dai-san. Then after Iiyama beat Nanshin top seed Okaya Minami, Chikyuu Kankyou upset Nagano Nichidai 4-2 and Nagano Nishi topping Saku Chousei 1-0!

But while the quarterfinals were close, the semifinals were anything but with Toukai Dai-san mercy-ruling Iiyama, and Chikyuu Kankyou holding Nagano Nishi to just 1 run in a 6-1 victory.

Nagano Nishi and Iiyama had one last chance, and it was all Nagano Nishi, leading wire-to-wire 8-3.

I don't have any score, but through twitter it appears that Toukai Dai-san has won their first fall title defeated Chikyuu Kankyou.

Niigata
It seemed to be the status quo for the 2 main powerhouses of the prefecture, though Niigata Meikun had the easier time of it getting to the finals with only a 4-1 win over Chuuetsu being the only main challenge.  Nihon Bunri on the other hand had to go sayonara against Hokuetsu and followed that up with another nailbiter against Sanjyou.

Nihon Bunri would have to play the cardiac kids again rallying with 3 in the 8th to defeat Niigata Meikun 4-3 to claim their 18th title.  Joining them would be Chuuetsu who edged Sanjyou 3-2 and made it seemingly an all-scratch representation.

Toyama
Eager to show their Koushien run wasn't a fluke, Toyama Dai-ichi blew through the early parts of the Toyama prefectural. But the last two steps were the most difficult, but in both cases they just passed the test - first with a 4-3 win over Shin-Minato, then a 2-1 win over Toyama Shougyou.

Shin-Minato would join the duo in the Super-regionals after defeating Toyama Kokusaidai Fuzoku 6-1 in the 3rd place game.

Ishikawa
The school responsible for sending home my friend's JET school (Komatsu Meihou) home this past summer, wound up being a one-school wrecking crew in the fall. Komatsu Ootani was single-handedly defeated Kanazawa and Seiryou... and still didn't make the finals! They wound up falling to Ishikawa-ken Kougyou 2-1 in the semifnals!

But that allowed them to demolish another team shutting out Yuugakukan 3-0 to take the final spot!

Question was, who was that other team who sent Yuugakukan to the last chance game anyways?

That school would be Tsubata, who basically survived on just 2 runs in 3 straight games versus Kanazawa Shougyou and Hakui before doing the same to Yuugakukan.

In the final, they would continue do just enough to defeat Ishikawa-ken Kougyou 4-3 to claim the title.

Fukui
Fukui is hosing the Super-regional this year and as a result will qualify 4 teams.

And the tournament went fairly scratch with one exception. Fukui Shougyou wound up being upset in the quarterfinals by Hokuriku 10-6.  Not only that, but they'd go on to upset Tsuruga Kehi as well actually mercy-ruling them 7-0!

They would almost pull off the full upset as they lead Fukui Koudai Fukui 5-1 heading into the final 3 innings, but could not close it out as they would score in each of the frames forcing enchousen and winning one inning later 7-6.

It would be more insult to injury for Tsuruga Kehi as they would lose the 3rd place game 6-4 to Harue Kougyou.  They'll still make it to the Super-regionals, but it's not a good way to enter it.

Hokkaido Super-Regional
Finishing up the first round, Hakodatedai Hakuryou edged out Obihiro Kita 2-1, while Towa no Mori San-ai continues to struggle on the big stage, mercy ruled by Hokushou.

The quarterfinals went almost as quietly.  Komadai Tomakomai mercy rules Hakodate LaSalle 8-1 in 8, Kushiro Kouryou was shutout 3-0 by Sapporo Nichidai, and so was the aforementioned Hakodatedai Hakuryou against Hokushou.

The only team tested was Komadai Iwamizawa, who trailed early 2-0, then 6-3 against Kitami Hokuto.  But even in weaker prefectures, either the teams who have been there before exert their experience or the teams facing them cave under pressure.  Komadai Iwamizawa rallies for 4 late to defeat Kitami Hokuto 7-6.

This left the possibility of an all-Komadai final.  Tomakomai obliged, keeping Sapporo Nichidai at arms length in a 7-4 win.  However, while Iwamizawa was able to take an early 3-1 lead, Hokushou would score in 5 of the final 6 innings to run away with a 10-4 win.

So the final once again featured two well-known teams.  Komadai Tomakomai took the first advantage with a 2-0 lead, Hokushou would level the score eventually in the 4th.  Tomakomai would pull away soon thereafter, scoring 5 unanswered runs to win 7-2 for their 4th spring title.

Tohoku Super-Regional
Tohoku perhaps went as planned, but perhaps questions still remain.

In Noshiro Shouyou's (Akita 1) fka Noshiro Shougyou's bracket, they easily handled a Morioka Dai-yon (Iwate 3) squad who earlier managed just two hits but defeated Sendai Dai-san (Miyagi 3) 1-0.  That set them up against a Fukushima Higashi (Fukushima 2) squad who surprisingly upset Rifu (Miyagi 2) 6-3.

And in a bigger surprise, Fukushima Higashi scores 3 in the first after giving up 2.  They'd score one more and held on to defeat Noshiro Shouyou 4-3!!

In Moriokadai Fuzoku (Iwate 1)/Aomori Yamada (Aomori 1) quadrant, both teams easily advanced via mercy rule over their opponents - Odaka Kougyou (Fukushima 3) and Kunori Gakuen (Yamagata 2).  But when push came to shove, Aomori Yamada once again falls flat, mercy ruled themselves 8-1 in 7 innings.

The only 1 seed to not advance past their first game?  My boys from Haguro (Yamagata 1).  In fact Hachinohe Koudai Dai-ichi (Aomori 2) dispatched them easily 8-2.  I won't make excuses, but to be fair, Haguro had the hardest 1st game.

Hachinohe Koudai Dai-ichi would face the dreaded Seikou Gakuin (Fukushima 1).  Apparently Honjyou (Akita 2) just can't catch a break.  Seikou Gakuin would easily pass through the Aomori squad with a 7-0 mercy win.

And finally, in Sendai Ikuei's bracket (Miyagi 1), they had no issues with Akita Chuo (Akita 3) with a 9-1 victory.  Their quarterfinal game would be against none other than Sakata Minami (Yamagata 3) who had no problems with Hachinohe Kougyou (Aomori 3) 8-2, then against Senshuudai Kitakami (Iwate 2) trailing 6-1, scored 9 answered runs then survived a 3-run 9th to win 10-9.

Sakata Minami couldn't pull one more upset, and was mercy ruled 9-1 in 8 innings.

So while we had a possibility of an all-Fukushima final, the chances were slim as Fukushima Higashi needed to upset Moriokadai Fuzoku, while Seikou Gakuin must face Sendai Ikuei - who is in all likelihood trying to redouble their efforts after a poor Haru Koushien showing.

Since we're all familiar with the other schools, I tried to find something on Fukushima Higashi.  All I could find were videos on their oen-dan, which aren't bad.

Indeed, both Fukushima teams lost rather handily.  Fukushima Higashi did score the first run against Moriokadai Fuzoku, but couldn't make it last after the 5th inning break as Moriokadai scored 6 runs afterwards.  Sendai Ikuei led wire-to-wire in a 6-2 win over Seikou Gakuin.

And in the final Sendai Ikuei had no trouble with Moriokadai Fuzoku, cruising to a 5-1 win for their 11th title - and 1st in 14 years.

So Sendai Ikuei wins another Super-Regional.  But the poor showing at Senbatsu still raises questions on their abilities outside of the Tohoku region.  It also could raise questions on the Tohoku region as a whole come time for Natsu Koushien.

Hokushinetsu Super-Regionals
In the Hokushinetsu Super-Region things did, and didn't go as planned.  Big statement, I know.

The draw for the super-regionals wound up as follows and did not necessarily play favorites:

• Seiryou (Ishikawa 1) vs. Winner of Harue Kougyou (Fukui 2)-Shibata Chuo (Niigata 2)
• Toyama Dai-ichi (Toyama 1) vs. Winner of Kanazawa Gakuin Higashi (Ishikawa 3/4)-Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri (Nagano 2)
• Ueda Nishi (Nagano 1) vs. Winner of Tsuruga Kehi (Fukui 1)-Kanazawa (Ishikawa 3/4)
• Murakami Sakuragaoka (Niigata 1) vs. Winner of Yuugakukan (Ishikawa 2)-Toyama Shougyou (Toyama 2)

That's right, Tsuruga Kehi got the short end of the stick, and drew Kanazawa - who isn't a powerhouse per se, but is definitely one of the upper level teams in the region.

In the opening round, Harue Kougyou continued to disappoint.  After taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 3rd, they quickly let Shibata Chuo level the score in the 4th, then a bases loaded walk in the 6th opening a 3-run inning from which they could not recover, falling 5-3.  Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri with the help of a 3rd inning, 3-run homerun by RF Ishihara.  Tsuruga Kehi went all out against Kanazawa, sending out ace Kishimoto.  CF Mine then helped out with a leadoff HR.  And while Kanazawa would tie the game in the 1st, hits by Asai, Hiranuma and Iwata gave the cushion they needed as Kishimoto struck out 10 in a 4-1 win.  And finally, Yuugakukan did what it normally does, mercy ruling Toyama Shougyou 10-1 in 7 innings.

Onto the quarterfinals where all 1 seeds are in play, and it was a mixed bag.  Seiryou expectedly had no trouble with Shibata Chuo mercy ruling them in 7 innings.  Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri tried a 9th inning rally, but could only cut the deficit in half, losing 5-3.  I truly wanted Ueda Nishi to succeed, but it will have to wait for the summer.  After fighting back to tie the game at 2 in the 7th, they would play 7 more as Tsuruga Kehi scored one in the 14th for the 3-2 win.  Also of note is that Kishimoto was not used in the game at all - which sadly may be a bigger notch against Ueda Nishi.  And while Murakami Sakuragaoka may have won Niigata, they were no match for the veteran Yuugakukan mercy ruled in 7.

So the semifinalists were well-known names.  Results though, were a bit surprising.  Seiryou continues to hit a ceiling, losing to Toyama Dai-ichi.  After taking a 2-0 lead, they give up the lead, only to fight back in the bottom of the 8th to tie it at 3... only to have Toyama score 5 in the 9th to wipe out the Ishikawa champions.

And Tsuruga Kehi?  Let's just say it wasn't a good day for Kishimoto.  He gives up 5 runs early, and while the team pulls within one, reliever Mosome couldn't keep his team in it, giving up a 3-spot in the 8th as Yuugakukan moves on with the 9-5 win.

Yuugakukan looked to be the favorite in the super-regional final, but it was Toyama Dai-ichi who scored first with a pair in the opening frame.  They couldn't hold the lead though for long as Yuugakukan struck back with 3 in the 3rd, and opened the lead to 5-2.  Toyama could only manage one run the rest of the game as Yuugakukan takes just their 3rd title, but first in two years.

Kinki Super-Regional
The Kinki Super-Regional is rather small given the prefectures involved.  Only host prefecture Nara qualifies more than just 1 team.  So it really is win and advance for most teams in the spring.

Oumi advances out of Shiga, but had to survive many close games against not so well known teams such as Oumi Kyoudaisha and Yasu, and some we have heard of such as Shiga Gakuen before rallying in the bottom of the 9th against Hachiman Kougyou for a gyakuten sayonara 3-2 victory.

In Kyoto, there were no surprises in the 1st stage of play as teams such as Kyoto Subaru, Ritsumeikan Uji, Kyoto Gaidai Nishi, Kyoto Seishou, Toba, and Fukuchiyama Seibi joined Senbatsu participants Ryuukokudai Heian and Kyoto Shouei.

It was almost amazing then that the aforementioned 8 teams were almost all separated.  The only exception was Kyoto Shouei and Kyoto Gaidai Nishi.  In that matchup, the Kinki fall champions routed Kyoto Gaidai Nishi 13-3 in 7 innings.  Other than that, all other teams had relatively little problems, except for Kyoto Seishou who gave up a 4-spot to Kita-Saga in the 3rd inning in a 5-3 loss.

Kita-Saga continued their run, and in rather shocking fashion.  I need to go back and see if I can't pull up particulars, but the game was tied 1-1 going into extras.  Kyoto Shouei scored 4 in the 13th and seemed to have the game in hand.  But much like the White Sox-Mariners game, Kita-Saga mounted a comeback.  Instead of tying the game though they score 5 to completely shock the fall champions 6-5!!

Elsewhere, Ryuukokudai Heian had no problems with Otokuni 6-4, Fukuchiyama Seibi surprisingly was nowhere to be seen against Toba, and Ritsumeikan Uji routed Kyoto Subaru in 7.

It would be a surprise for the finals as Toba defeated Ryuukokudai Heian 4-1, while Kita-Saga continued their surprising run, once again rallying late after giving up the lead in the bottom of the 8th for a gyakuten win against Ritsumeikan Uji.

In the final, Kita-Saga held a lead against Toba, but Toba would tie it up in the 6th at 3.  The game would go into enchousen, but not for long as Toba scores one in the 10th.  There would be no rally this time though as Toba would take it 4-3.  I would say though that Kita-Saga has surprised me here in the spring.  All I know so far is their pitchers are Katabuchi Wataru(?) (潟淵 亘) and Komori Naoki (小森 直己).

In Osaka, despite the large field, it was predominantly business as usual.  Despite 172 teams in the field, the Best 4 were all well-known names - Riseisha squaring off against Osaka Touin, and Konkou Osaka versus Daishoudai (aka Osaka Shougyoudai).  In the blockbuster semi, Riseisha had led right from the get-go until Osaka Touin's lucky 7 where they scored 3 to tie the game at 5.  The game would head to enchousen, but for just one inning as Riseisha scored 4 on starter Amimoto for the win.  They would play Konkou Osaka, who had little difficulty with Daishoudai.  And in the final, Konkou Osaka would give Riseisha all they could handle as Sakashita and Honno would limit them to a 1st inning run by Okita.  Unfortunately, that's all Riseisha would need as ace Higashino would spread out 9 hits in a complete game shutout to take the title.

Moving on to Hyogo, they only sent in 36 teams - no Nishinomiya Kita for me (sorry Haruhi).

Anyways, the main players were there, but the first to fall is the always precarious Touyoudai Himeji.  After uncharacteristically getting through their first game easily, they lost another low-scoring affair to Shiritsu Amagasaki 3-2.  Amagasaki's run didn't last much longer sadly as they found themselves on the wrong end of the 3-2 score in the next game versus Yashiro.  Looking back, they've gone to just one Koushien, the 2004 Haru where they got to the semifinal game, losing to Aikoudai Meiden.  Interestingly, they used a two pitcher system in Oomae and Tsuboi.  This time around, it looks like the same thing, with dual aces Niimi and Hirauchi.

Joining Yashiro would be Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku and Houtoku Gakuen - though Houtoku had to come back against Takigawa Dai-ni.  The final semifinalist would be Akashi Shougyou, who literally outlasted Suma Shoufuu (who apparently has a radio station) with 5 runs in the 15th for a 7-2 victory.

What was more interesting was that both semifinal games would head to enchousen.  For Akashi Shougyou, that would be bad news - especially against Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku.  After fighting back to tie the game in the 8th, they would lose 4-3 in 11.

As for Yashiro, they and Houtoku Gakuen would go 15 innings without a winner.  In the replay the next day, Yashiro's kantoku would go into their bullpen and started Nagao (永尾).  That didn't work out as Houtoku would score 3.  Another Nagao (長尾) and Niimi held down the fort, but the offense couldn't muster a run as they fell in the replay 3-0.

To add insult to injury perhaps, while the game didn't count for qualification for the super-regional, the 3rd place game between Akashi Shougyou and Yashiro would also go into enchousen.  14 innings in fact before Akashi Shougyou finally ended it 4-3.

As for the final, Houtoku Gakuen's 4th game in 4 days took its toll against Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku as they fell behind quickly and lost 8-2.

Chiben Wakayama's hold on Wakayama prefecture may be waning.  Despite breezing through to the semifinals, Minoshima's triumvirate of Ueshiba, Takagawa and Susami defeated them 2-1.  They would go on to defeat Kinkidai Shinguu in the final despite blowing a 6-0 lead 11-7.

And as for host Nara, the prefectural tournament was a mess - if you were a big name.  Tenri was unceremoniously ousted 5-2 by Nara Suzaku in the first round.  Haru Koushien participant Yamato Kouryou had the unfortunate task of playing Chiben Gakuen right off the bat, and were routed 10-1 in 7 innings.

So Chiben Gakuen remained the big name remaining and their title to lose.

And they did.

In uncharacteristic fashion, they let Naradai Fuzoku score in 5 consecutive innings with the nail in the coffin a 5-run 7th which led to them winning 11-10!  In the 3rd place game, Kashihara Gakuin defeated Kashihara 4-3 to take the final spot in the super-regionals.

Onto the Super-Regionals, and it's no surprise that of the 3 Nara teams that qualified, only veteran Chiben Gakuen advanced to the semifinals.  However, they blew a 4-1 lead to Minoshima in the top of the 9th before Nakanishi delievered the sayonara manrui hit to win 5-4.  Naradai Fuzoku actually gave Riseisha a challenge though tying the game a 2-2 in the 8th before Okita delivered the sayonara hit for Riseisha.  Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku and Toba had no problems in their games.

The semifinals were no-contests as both Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku and Riseisha breezed through Chiben Gakuen and Toba respectively.

The finals were a completely different story.  After taking a 3-0 lead early, Kobe Kokusaidai yielded 5 runs in the 3rd, only to claw back in the 5th.  The teams traded a run in the 8th, and then Takahashi for Kobe would blast his 2nd HR of the game, giving his team the 7-6 lead.  But like the 8th they couldn't hold it as Inoue delivered the sayonara 2-run double with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th for the sayonara gyakuten victory.  Interestingly, this is Riseisha's 1st ever Haru title.

(Chuugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu recaps to come shortly)

So, here's what's going on in the Haru Taikai's.

Hokkaido Super-Regional
In Hokkaido, it's much of the same process, each region qualifies a team - Sapporo has 4 blocks, Hakodate 2.  Hokushou and Engaru automatically advance having played at Haru Koushien.

They still won their regionals, but since they got automatic bids, the losers of the finals were guaranteed to advance - Otaru Ouyou out of the Otaru region, and Kitami Hokuto out of Kitami.

Many familiar names reached the 2nd stage.  Both Komadai Tomakomai and Komadai Iwamizawa advanced, along with Hokkai and Sapporo Nichidai.  Lesser known teams such as Towa no mori san-ai and Hakodate LaSalle both advanced as well.

Missing from the list of teams is Asahikawa Jitsugyou, who lost 4-1 to Asahikawa Ryuukoku as well as Shirakaba Gakuen who fell 8-7 to Obihiro Kita after they rallied for 5 in the 7th before hanging on by the slimmest of margins.

The super-regionals started the other day and we already have a few casualties.  Hokkai fell 7-5 to Hakodate LaSalle while Engaru couldn't get past the first round falling to Sapporo Nichidai 4-3.  In other games, Komadai Tomakomai had no problems with Wakkanai Ootani, while Otaru Ouyou's reprieve lasted just one game, losing to Kushiro Koryou.  Kitami Hokuto and Komadai Iwamizawa has also advanced.

Tohoku Super-Regional
Prefectures have finished up their qualifiers, and there are not many surprises.

In Aomori, Aomori Yamada cleans up on Hachinohe Koudai Dai-ichi with Hachinohe Kougyou taking the 3rd spot.

No Hanamaki Higashi in Iwate, instead Moriokadai Fuzoku outlasts Senshuudai Kitami 7-3 to take the title while Ichinoseki Gakuin loses out yet again, this time a 5-1 loss to Morioka Dai-yon.

Newly formed Noshiro Shouyou (merger between Noshiro Shougyou and Noshiro Kita) takes Akita in sayonara fashion in the 10th over tough-luck Honjyou with Akita Chuo winning the 3rd place match.

We haven't really heard from Haguro recently out of Yamagata recently, but they defeat Kunori Gakuen 5-2 to take the spring title.  Sakata Minami was relegated to 3rd after an 11-4 win over Yonezawa Chuo.

Miyagi is still missing Tohoku.  Meiji Jingu champ Sendai Ikuei and Rifu have filled the gap in the meantime - though a 16-9 score doesn't exactly instill confidence in the prefecture in the summer.  Sendai Dai-san blanked Sendai Shougyou 4-0 to take the last spot.

And in Fukushima, status quo is maintained.  Seikou Gakuin wins once again, this time a 25-2 whitewashing over Fukushima Higashi.  Odaka Kougyou finishes in 3rd.

Kanto Super-Regional
Kanto for the spring includes Tokyo, so they're grouped in with everyone else in the region.  Play has been completed, and it perhaps sheds some light for the summer.

With Tochigi hosting, they receive 4 bids while all others get 1.  No real surprise from those 4 teams - Sano Nichidai, Ootawara, Sakushin Gakuin and Hakuoudai Ashikaga.

Urawa Gakuin got a free pass but still won Saitama in an 8-0 win over Hanasaki Tokuharu. That meant that the 3rd place team advanced from Saitama and that team was Washinomiya in a 5-3 win over Saitama Sakae.  Going over the results, my Kasukabe Kyouei squad had to face Urawa Gakuin and gave them the best fight in-prefecture, losing 2-1 in 12 inning.  I was going to hope those two teams were going to be split up this year (Saitama will be split up this time around along with other major prefectures), but with Kasukabe Kyouei an ~20 min drive to Urawa Gakuin... my guess is no.  Darn.

Elsewhere...

• In Ibaraki Kasumigaura held on for dear life to defeat Jyousou Gakuin 3-2.
• Shifting to Gunma, Takasaki Kenkou Fukushidai re-emerges but cannot hold a lead late and falls just short against Maebashi Ikuei losing 5-4 in 12.
• To the southwest in Chiba, Toukaidai Bouyou finally wins the prefecturals, overcoming a 3-0 deficit to Senshuudai Matsudo winning 5-4.
• Tokyo qualified 2 familiar faces with Teikyou defeating Nichidai-san.  Teikyou survived back-to-back enchousen games against the aforementioned Sanko and Nichidai Tsurugaoka.  Their schedule was littered with Koushien-brand teams - before Nichidai Tsurugaoka was Kanto Dai-ichi, Yasuda Gakuen, and Kokushikan.
• Ace Matsui out of Toukou Gakuen struggles to get more support as they cannot win it all as they fall to Touin Gakuen in the Kanagawa final.  This after defeating Yokohama, Yokohama Hayato and Nichidai Fujisawa.
• And finally in Yamanashi, Fuji-kawaguchiko - a team that has done fairly well in the prefecture, reached the final, but couldn't overcome Yamanashi Gakuindai Fuzoku.

As for the super-regional, the games were for the most part were close.  Teikyou couldn't get past their first game, falling to Jyousou Gakuin 5-4.  Toukou Gakuen, with no Matsui almost got to the semifinals, but a 4-run 7th by Maebashi Ikuei squashed their chances.

Uragaku had an immediate test in the Super-Regionals facing ever-present Sanko.  However, they were able to shut them down in a surprising 2-0 score.  In fact, Ojima was used just twice.  Once in part against Sanko, and then again in the semifinals against Toukaidai Bouyou as Urawa Gakuin took the Kanto Super-Regionals over the aforementioned Maebashi Ikuei.

Hokushinetsu Super-Regional
Ishikawa is the host this year for the Hokushinetsu Super-Regional, so they qualify 4 teams while all others send 2.

And Godzilla's alma mater is trying their darnest to get to Koshien this year.  Well, if the spring taikais are any indication.  Seiryou had to survive two 8-7 ballgames against Kanazawa and Yuugakukan to take the spring title.  On a slightly unrelated note, they also defeated my friend's JET assignment Komatsu Meihou.  Joining the trio is Kanazawa Gakuin Higashi.

In Fukui, the secret is out.  Tsuruga Kehi is good.  So while I suppose you can hide some things, there probably isn't a whole lot to hide anymore.  With that said, they won the rematch against Harue Kougyou 6-3 in the final.

I really wish Ueda Nishi would get to Koushien one day.  I don't know why Ueda Nishi other than that Ueda was used for bits of the Onegai Twins! series.  I guess for now a spring prefectural victory will have to do.  They defeated both Matsushou Gakuen and Chikyuu Kankyou before defeating Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri 2-1.

Over in Toyama, Toyama Dai-ichi will look to challenge this summer after defeating both Tonami Kougyou and runner-up Toyama Shougyou.  A 3-0 11 inning win though in the final means they'll probably have their hands full.

And finally in Niigata, there are two names I am not totally familiar with.  Murakami Sakuragaoka almost fritters away a 6-0 lead, but holds on to defeat Shibata Chuo 6-5.  I haven't really been able to find anything about either team, so I will be curious to see the summer taikai as both Nihon Bunri and Niigata Kenou Kougyou both reached the semifinals.

Tokai Super-Regional
Tokai has already completed play and I can't say I'm completely surprised by the teams that made it.

Since it's a non-Koshien taikai, each prefecture sends just 2 teams to the super-regional.

Shizuoka is always a focus for me because of Tokoha Kikugawa and Tohoha Tachibana.   Sadly, both were in the same half, and wound up facing each other in the semifinals.  Tachibana held the slim 2-1 lead before Kikugawa scores a run in the 8th, then walks off in the 9th to reach the super-regionals.  Joining them will be Shizuoka, who never really competed with Kikugawa in the final.

Gifu brings back one of the possible contenders at Haru Koushien - if not for injuries.  So how did Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou bounce back?

Well, they did win Gifu, but it looks like they didn't use Fujita. It showed as they went through several close games against many seemingly non-contenders... and still won the prefecture.  Oogaki Nichidai joins them, but don't look to be serious contenders at this moment.

In Mie, Inabe Sougou Gakuen takes out a possible contender in Komono in the quarterfinals, then almost coughs up the victory against recent newcomer Tsu Shougyou before winning 6-5 in 11 innings.  Not sure that Tsu Shougyou has in their arsenal that has made them contenders in Mie at least, but I don't think we've seen the last of them.

(I did try to look up players from Tsu Shougyou, and all I can find is the battery of Moriyama Takuma 森山　拓魔, and Shimizu Tomoki 清水　智貴 - who happen to be the 3-4 batters for the team)

Aichi happens to be the only surprise out of the 4.  Both Chuukyoudai Chuukyou and Aikoudai Meiden both lost in the quarterfinals, opening the field up for the title - which would be taken in spectacular walkoff fashion by Haruhigaoka 3-2 over Eitoku.

Onto the super-regionals and it looks like Fujita isn't 100% yet.  He started versus Shizuoka, but did not last long as they got to him early and often in an 8-3 loss.  Oogaki Nichidai proved my premise right about Gifu as they lost to Inabe Sougou Gakuen, while Tsu Shougyou only yielded a 9th inning run against Haruhigaoka.

Much to perhaps all the other prefectures' dismay, it was an all-Shizuoka final as Tokoha Kikugawa and Shizuoka squared off yet again.  After trading 3-spots in the 1st, another 3-run inning by Kikugawa in the 5th proved to be just enough as they take the spring Tokai tournament 6-5.

The biggest concern has to be for Kengifushou and Fujita.  If he's not 100%, they're just another team.  They need him to be fully ready for the run this summer... or it really was a pyhrric victory over Osaka Touin.

Hokushinetsu (2 bids)

• Champion - Harue Kougyou - Sakai-shi, Fukui (First title)
• Runner-up - Tsuruga Kehi - Tsuruga-shi, Fukui
• Other Consideration - Ueda Nishi - Ueda-shi, Nagano, Niigata Meikun - Niigata-shi, Niigata

Uh oh.  The selection committee may have a problem.

So, let's go through the brackets first, and if you haven't identified the problem yet, I'll spell it out for you later.

So if you looked at the brackets, you'd think that the "right" teams won.  Though if you put rankings in, they may seem more like an "upset".

• Takaoka Shougyou (Toyama 2) 0-3 Yuugakukan (Ishikawa 3)
• Gosen (Niigata 3) 2-3x Tsuruga Kehi (Fukui 1) - How Tsuruga Kehi barely beat Gosen I don't know...
• Shin-Minato (Toyama 3) 2-3x (10) Seiryou (Ishikawa) - Shin-Minato puts together a 2-run rally in the 9th to send it to enchousen, but this time can't finish the job.
• Ueda Nishi (Nagano 2) 1-1 (15), 6-1 Niigata Kenou Kougyou (Niigata 2) -  The teams play to an exhaustive draw in their game, then have to turn around the very next day where Ueda Nishi wins easily.  Probably because Ueda Nishi used 4 pitchers for the 15 inning draw while Niigata used the same 2 pitchers for each game.
• Nihon Bunri (Niigata 1) 0-15 (5 inn) Matsushou Gakuen (Nagano 3) - That was an uncharacteristic ass-kicking of a generally solid Nihon Bunri squad.
• Kanazawa Gakuin Higashi (Ishikawa 2) 4-5 Harue Kougyou (Fukui 2) - Not surprising.  2 middle-of-the-road teams play a back and forth game where Harue Kougyou scores a run in the top of the 9th to advance.
• Saku Chousei (Nagano 1) 0-3 Fukui Shougyou (Fukui 3) - Fukushou's shutout of Saku Chousei leaves Ueda Nishi as the only team left - and they needed 2 games to advance out of the 1st round!
• Niigata Meikun (Niigata 4) 4-3 Toyama Dai-ichi (Toyama 1) - Toyama is completely eliminated from the Super-Regional as the "4th place" Niigata Meikun holds off a last minute rally from Toyama Dai-ichi to advance.

Moving to the quartefinals, Tsuruga Kehi and Yuugakukan struggled to find any offense as the teams combined for 9 total hits.  But despite drawing more walks, Yuugakukan would lose 1-0 in 10 innings.

Probably more surprising is the fact that Harue Kogyou went and defeated Matsushou Gakuen 2-1 after the showing they had against Nihon Bunri.

Rounding out the first day of quarterfinal games, home-cooking probably helped Niigata Meikun put up a 6-spot in the 8th to reverse a 2-0 deficit and win 6-3.

The other shocker was that Ueda Nishi, playing it's 3rd game in 3 days went and defeated Seiryou 4-3.

So teams had the rest of the week off before games resumed this past Saturday.  Ueda Nishi got rest, but perhaps didn't want it.  Against Tsuruga Kehi, they fell behind in the bottom of the 8th 1-0.  Facing elimination, they found a run in the 9th to send it to enchousen (again).  This time though they couldn't find the winning run and lost 2-1 in 11 innings.

Meanwhile, the #4 seed for Niigata - Niigata Meikun was leading 3-1 over Harue Kougyou and was just about ready to punch their ticket.  But inexplicably things fell apart in the 8th inning and Harue put up 4 runs, turning a 2-run deficit into a 2-run advantage.  Niigata Meikun couldn't put together a rally that quickly and lost 5-3.

So the Hokushinetsu final is the rematch of the Fukui final!  In that first matchup, it was all Tsuruga Kehi as they blitzed Harue Kougyou 15-2.

But this time around things were much different.  Ace Tsubota limited them to just 5 hits while striking out just one.  And while they only managed just two more, they managed to turn that into one extra run, defeating Tsuruga Kehi for their first ever Hokushinetsu fall title.

Now if you haven't figured out what the problem is, it's this:

Will the selection committee give both of the bids from one Super-Regional to the same prefecture?

Harue Kougyou will definitely get one.  But what about Tsuruga Kehi?

If the committee has no problems with it, they will invite them to come.  But if they don't?  Who do they pick?

Ueda Nishi played one extra game and still defeated Seiryou and narrowly lost to Tsuruga Kehi.  Niigata Meikun actually led Harue Kougyou before giving up the lead late.

It's possible all teams are worthy for the spot, but Tsuruga Kehi must be kicking themselves right now because that final game was probably the most important one for them to win precisely because they were facing someone from their own prefecture.

Gotta start flying through these, we're 2 days away from the announcement of the field!

Hokushinetsu Super-Regionals (2 bids)
This year, the Hokushinetsu Super-Regionals were held in Nagano, so they received the extra bid as the host prefecture.  So once again, let's begin with the hosts!

Nagano
The regional qualifiers saw Matsushiro and Nagano Nichidai advance from the north... but in the 3rd and 4th positions, Ueda Nishi taking the eastern region in a close game against Chikyuu Kankyou, Matsumoto Dai-ichi and Matsushou Gakuen take the central region as expected while last year's representative Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri just making it, and Toukai Dai-san heading up the weaker southern region.

The prefectural draw saw 3 quadrants with pairs of known teams - Ueda Nishi and Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri in the upper left (they drew each other), Matsushou Gakuen and Nagano Nichidai in the lower left (they also draw each other), and Matsushiro and Matsumoto Dai-ichi in the upper right (yes, they too drew each other).  Only the lower left quadrant had no real notable names outside of Chikyuu Kankyou, but while they've been above average in the prefecture as of late, they still haven't proven anything.

And almost as expected, the winners of each of the pairs would advance to the semifinals.  Ueda Nishi outlasted Tokyo Shidai 8-6, then Nagano 8-5.  Matsushou Gakuen just beat out Nagano Nichidai 6-5 before handling Toukai Dai-san 6-1.  Matsushiro continues to fade into the background with a 10-0 loss to Matsumoto Dai-ichi who in turn handled Komoro Shougyou.  And in the final quadrant, Chikyuu Kankyou at least did perhaps what was expected with two wins over Tagawa and Iiyama Kita.

What happened next was shocking.  In looking at the recent history of the prefecture, one would have expected an all-Matsumoto final.

You would be dead wrong.

Ueda Nishi was up first, taking the game to Matsushou Gakuen as ace Shiba would pitch a complete game shutout winning 3-0!

Next was Chikyuu Kankyou.  Having been unable to break the ceiling the last couple of years, they finally put their stamp on the prefecture as their ace Shitsudo pitches his own shutout against Matsumoto Dai-ichi!

So both Matsumoto schools go down (though they both qualify this year) and 2 teams desperate for a title get a chance at it!

In the final, both go to their bullpens.  Chikyuu Kankyou to Sakai, and Ueda Nishi to Urano.  Turns out that perhaps Ueda had the deeper bullpen.  Chikyuu Kankyou gives up 10 runs in the 2nd-4th innings and that was all she wrote.  Ueda Nishi clinched their 3rd title and 1st in 11 years.  Meanwhile, Chikyuu Kankyou (a secret pet favorite of mine) earns their 1st ever birth to the super-regionals!  And in a bit of formality, Matsumoto Dai-ichi bests Matsushou Gakuen in their re-match (they played in the regional final) 5-4.

Niigata
In the large draw for the Niigata prefecturals, Hokuetsu, Chuuetsu, and Nihon Bunri occupied one quadrant setting the "directional schools" up for a quarterfinal match, Niigata Meikun had a quadrant to themselves, and Niigata Kenou Kougyou having a full half to themselves save for maybe Jyouetsu.

It would indeed be Nihon Bunri and Hokuetsu in the quarterfinals.  Despite mowing down the previous competition Hokuetsu would fight back, and hard.  Nihon Bunri would score 8 runs, but it wasn't enough as they would be eliminated 9-8.

Niigata Meikun and Niigata Kenou Kougyou also had no trouble reaching the semis.  The final team to round out the quartet was Takada.

Hokuetsu looked to make a run for their 1st Koushien bid and this put Niigata Meikun away 8-4 in the semifinals.  Takada indeed was the odd man out in the foursome, falling 7-1.

In the finals, Hokuetsu would not be stopped.  They defeat Niigata Kenou Kougyou 3-1 for their 3rd title, and 1st in 61 years!

Joining the twosome would be Niigata Meikun.  They dispatched Takada 7-0.

Toyama
Toyama has been a muddy mess as of late.  Toyama Shougyou has been the regular entrant from the prefecture, but you had to love the story of Shin-Minato this past summer.  I'm not sure I'll ever see such a large contingent dressed up in the school's colors ever again at Koushien.

Both teams could be found on the same half of the bracket.

That left the other half up for grabs.  Toyama Dai-ichi and Fujikoshi Kougyou reached the semifinals, and thanks to a 4-run 3rd, Fujikoshi advanced to the finals.

Meanwhile, Shin-Minato looked good in it's first two games, but then had to face Tonami Kougyou.  Unfortunately, their offense suffered a power outage at the wrong time as they lost 2-1.  While strong, they posed a lesser threat to Toyama Shougyou as they were mercy ruled 7-0 in 7 innings. Toyama Shougyou would take their 18th title (1st in 3 years) with ease demolishing Fujikoshi Kougyou 15-3.  Tonami Kougyou defeated Toyama Dai-ichi 10-6 in the 3rd place match to advance.

Ishikawa
Ishikawa perhaps has a void now that Kamata has left Kanazawa.  Yuugakukan had challenged for a couple of years so it's possible they may fill the gap.  Or perhaps it's finally the time of the cycle where Matsui's alma mater Seiryou to rise to the top again.

Or, it's quite possible the prefecture becomes up for grabs.

Of the three, Yuugakukan is the first to fall losing 2-0 to Kanazawa Shougyou.  Next to go was Seiryou who lost in a barn-burner 8-7 to Kanazawa Gakuin Higashi.

That left Kanazawa as the last remaining team.  But they too would fall.  In a disastrous 6-run inning, the aforementioned Kanazawa Gakuin Higashi forced Kanazawa to fight for their bid as they fell 9-3.

Who would be KG Higashi's opponent?  Turns out it would be Kanazawa Nishi.  After almost stumbling in the first 2 games, they managed to right the ship culminating in a 13 inning nailbiter against Kanazawa Shougyou which included a swap of runs in the 10th and both aces going all 13 innings!

You'd think then that Kanazawa Gakuin Higashi would have the upper hand, especially since Kanzawa Nishi sent out ace Tsuji once again.  And in fact, KG Higashi built a 5-0 lead and the title seemed all but secure.

But perhaps in a twist of irony, KG Higashi suffers their own 6-run disaster in the 7th inning.  Trailing 6-5, KG Higashi couldn't find a reply.  One more insurance run in the 8th sealed the deal.  Kanazawa Nishi would win just their 2nd title (their first was in 2004).

Kanazawa would eventually get their ticket to the super-regional with a 5-1 win over Kanazawa Shougyou.

Fukui
For as long as the schools can remember, 3 teams dominate the small ~30 school prefecutre.  Fukui Koudai Fukui (fka Fukui), Fukui Shougyou, and Tsuruga Kehi.

Not surprisingly, the trio along with Hokuriku were the 4 seeded teams.  Also not surprisingly, all 4 made the semifinals.

Now unfortunately I don't have information on the games, but if the scores are an indication, perhaps the other schools are finally catching up.  All 4 teams experienced at least 1 close game en route to the semis.  Schools like Usui or Nyuu had been seeded teams in years past, so perhaps there's some parity coming along in the future.

But that's for the future.  For now, it would seem that the usual trio would make yet another appearance in the super-regional.  It would just be a matter of order.

For Tsuruga Kehi, their time to reign over the prefecture doesn't seem to be over yet.  Though in their semifinal game, they fell behind Fukui Koudai, managed to rally with 2 in the lucky 7 to tie the game at 4, and eventually win it in 10 on a sayonara walkoff.

Their opponent however would not be Fukui Shougyou.  No, Hokuriku schocked Fukushou by replying to a 1st inning 2-run deficit with 4 runs of their own.  And when Fukushou pulled within 2, Hokuriku re-extended the lead to 5.  Fukushou would mount one last comeback in the last 2 innings, but fall 1 run short at 10-9!  That meant that one of the powerhouses wouldn't receive an invite to the super-regionals!

That odd team out would be Fukui Shougyou.  Perhaps as a punishment for failing to keep the trio together, Fukui Koudai Fukui embarrassed them to the tune of 23-3!

As for the final, Hokuriku actually struck first, going out to a 2-0 lead after 5.  But a 3 spot in the 6th for Tsuruga Kehi left Hokuriku playing catch-up to which they could never recover.  Tsuruga Kehi wins 8-3 to claim their 3rd consecutive fall title and 24th overall.

Super-Regionals
Now that we had our representatives, the draw would come out and well, it looked odd.

• Tsuruga Kehi (Fukui 1) oddly would get a first round match against Matsumoto Dai-ichi, but only because they were Nagano 3.
• Fukui Koudai Fukui would actually get a easy draw despite being Fukui 3, with only Niigata Meikun (Niigata 3) perhaps a challenger.
• Even stranger, Matsushou Gakuen, Nagano's 4-seed, was put in a draw with Kanazawa, who was Ishikawa's 3-seed!
• And Tonami Kougyou, despite being Toyama's 3-seed seemed to get an easy draw, with perhaps the breakthrough team of the super-regionals Chikyuu Kankyou (Nagano 2) in the way.

Tsuruga Kehi would get past Matsumoto Dai-ichi 7-2, and thus breezed to the semifinals.  Meanwhile, with Niigata Meikun's complete collapse in the late innings to Kanazawa Gakuin Higashi (9 runs in the last 3 innings!), Fukui Koudai's path to the semis was complete.

On the other half, Matsushou Gakuen had no trouble with Hokuetsu, and then proceeded to blank the rebuilding Kanazawa team 3-0 for their spot in the semis.  And finally, Tonami Kougyou would actually be embarassed with a 15-5, 5-inning mercy rule game to Kanazawa Nishi.  That opened the door for Chikyuu Kankyou who beat Hokuriku 8-1, then turned around and mercy-ruled Kanazawa Nishi in the minimum 5 innings.

Onto the semis then, and a rematch of the Fukui prefectural semifinals between Tsuruga Kehi and Fukui Koudai Fukui.  This time around, this would not be a close match.  Instead, ace Yamamoto for Tsuruga Kehi pitches a complete game shutout against their rivals, slotting them into a probable automatic bid.

The other semi had Chikyuu Kankyou facing another demon in Matsushou Gakuen.  They didn't meet in the prefecturals, but it was like they were being tested once again to prove that they belonged.  A loss now meant that they would fall short yet again, despite advancing to the super-regionals for the first time.

Instead, Shitsudo goes out and limits Matsushou's offense to just 7 hits in a 4-0 shutout!

So the finals would be Tsuruga Kehi and Chikyuu Kankyou.  Pretty much a no-brainer here.

But once again, Chikyuu Kankyou rose to the occasion.  Shitsudo takes the hill once again, and throws blanks onto the scoreboard!  He continues to keep his team in it as the innings turn to the 8th, 9th, and onto the 10th!  Would it be possible that a first time qualifier to the super-regionals actually wins the title?

Sadly no.  Bottom 13, 2 outs for Tsuruga Kehi and runners at the corners.  Chikyuu elects to walk reliever Yamamoto Shou to get to Yamamoto Ryuu.  But in that AB, Shitsudo hits Ryuu, forcing in the sayonara run.

Shitsudo would set records for the longest scoreless innings streak in the super-regional (32), and longest scoreless innings streak in a championship game (12), but in the end his team would fall short as Tsuruga Kehi claims their 1st title in 24 years (5th overall).  However, I think despite Chikyuu Kankyou's loss, they will receive their 1st ever bid to Koushien in their 1st ever opportunity.

Automatic Bid - Tsuruga Kehi (Fukui) - 4th appearance, 1st in 2 years
Projected Bid - Chikyuu Kankyou (Nagano) - 1st appearance

By the way, if you were to translate Chikyuu Kankyou's name (地球環境), you'd get "Global Environment".  Yep, it's an environmental school.  You gotta dig their uniforms, and they even have the word Earth on their hats!  And now you know why I root for them.


Now to one of the more all-around competitive regions.  Of course, there's only 4 prefectures in this region (yes, I know Shikoku has 4 as well) but the teams are generally competitive.

No additional bids are awarded to host teams (prefectural winners got a 1st round bye).

Shizuoka
Shizuoka too has a form of pool play with repechages that get us to our 25 prefectural qualifiers.

Included in the teams that qualified were both Tokoha Tachibana and Tokoha Kikugawa (though we haven't really heard from them recently), Shizuoka (who's come on as of late), and yet another Toukai school - Toukaidai Shouyou.

The teams were almost separated into different parts of the bracket, but Tokoha Kikugawa and Shizuoka drew the same region.

Of the 4 teams, only 2 advanced to the semifinals.  Tokoha Tachibana advanced with little problem, and Shizuoka blanked Tokoha Kikugawa 6-0 to reach the semis.  Toukaidai Shouyou lost in their first game to Kakegawa Higashi who in turn lost to semifinalist Fuji Shiritsu while Shizuoka Shougyou advanced from the final quadrant.

Fuji Shiritsu continued to play the role of spoiler in the semifinals, using a 2-spot in the lucky 7 and a great performance by ace Tsukamoto on the mound to send Shizuoka to the 3rd place match.  The other semi was not as close.  Shizuoka Shougyou put up their own 2-run inning in the 1st and never looked back against Tokoha Tachibana, winning 4-1!

In the final, experience would win out as Shizuoka Shougyou would score in 3 of the first 4 innings as ace Nakamoto gives up just one run in a CG effort.  The 3-1 victory would give Shizuoka Shougyou their 12th fall title and first in 2 years.  Fuji Shiritsu should still be happy about their efforts as they earned their first trip to the super-regionals, and the Tokoha schools are shutout again as Shizuoka eliminates them in the 3rd place game 3-1.

Aichi
When you talk Aichi, there's really only 2 schools you talk about - and they're about 20 minutes trip from each other - Aikoudai Meiden and Chuukyoudai Chuukyou.  Touhou and Shigakukan can be inluded in the conversation in recent years, but they still play second fiddle.

All 4 teams advanced out of round-robin play though, and drew 3 parts of the bracket (Meiden had the upper left, Shigakukan and Chuukyoudai the lower left, and Touhou had the entire right half to themselves).

Fast-forward to the quarterfinal matches, and Aikoudai Meiden pitches yet another shutout, but only in a 2-0 win over Sakuragaoka.  Shigakukan continues to try and establish a foothold with an 11-3 win over Chuukyoudai Chuukyou, who perhaps doesn't look the same after the retirement of Oofuji-kantoku.  And Touhou does indeed own their half of the bracket, defeating semifinalist Aichi Sangyoudai Kougyou 6-3.

Touhou would face Aikoudai Meiden as they force Shigakukan into a loser-out match with a 6-0 shutout.  Meiden would then win their 2nd consecutive title, and 5th overall(!) with a handy 9-6 win.  Shigakukan would join them with a 7-0 shutout in the 3rd place game.

Gifu
Gifu has their own triumvirate of Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou, Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou and Oogaki Nichidai. All 3 advanced out of round-robin play, however Ken Gifushou and Oogaki Nichidai wound up drawing the same quadrant.  Shi Gifushou were on the other half.

Ken Gifushou and Oogaki Nichidai would meet in the quarterfinals with Nichidai being blanked 3-0.  They then perhaps relaxed a bit against Oogaki Nishi because they needed a run in both the bottom of the 8th and 9th innings to reach the finals 2-1!

Shi Gifushou didn't have such trouble, with an average margin of victory of a little over 7 runs, advanced to the finals with a 12-0 win over Oogaki Shougyou.

So it was a battle of business schools in the finals.  And in a pitcher's duel, the city school (Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou) outlasted the prefectural school 1-0 for just their 2nd ever fall title!  (Their 1st was back in 1974)

And despite being blown out in the semis, Oogaki Shougyou is the 3rd team to advance with a 7-4 win in the 3rd place game.

Mie
Mie also has a soft spot for me, not sure why, perhaps it's because I visited Ise back in 2006 and loved it.  And perhaps they're not any different than other rural prefectures, but there was a clip I watched with Mie's 3rd base coach emphatically waving around a runner that seemed to connect with me.  So I root for Mie, both the team and the prefecture, though they've only won 1 Haru and Natsu title, and that was almost 50 years ago.

Nowadays, Mie has had to share the spotlight with teams like Komono, Inabe Sougou Gakuen (love their hats) and Uji-Yamada Shougyou.

Uji-Yamada and Komono wound up drawing the same quadrant setting up a quarterfinal match that would in all likelihood determine a qualifier, while Mie and ISG should guarantee themselves a bid should they both reach the semis.

And indeed, after Komono defeated Uji-Yamada Shougyou 8-4, they dispatched Kinkidai Tousen 7-0 in 7 innings.  Flipping to the other half, Mie and ISG were in a dogfight of a semifinal with the teams exchanging blows.  In the end though, Mie would be victorious 4-3.

Despite having not been to Natsu Koushien in several years, Mie continues to make the super-regionals, winning their 5th straight fall title (and 17th overall) with a 3-1 win over Komono.  Joining the pair would be ISG with a 3-2 heart-stopper against Kinkidai Tousen.

Super-Regionals
So the nice thing about being in a 4-prefecture super-regional is that as a prefectural champion, you get a first-round bye, and you only need to win 3 games to get an automatic bid to Haru Koushien.  So it behooves teams to get a first-round bye.

Mie got perhaps the easiest possible 2nd round opponent before possibly facing Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou (though Touhou or Inabe Sougou Gakuen might have something to say about it).

On the other side, the winner of the Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou-Shigakukan match might advance to the semis because that's where Shizuoka winner Shizuoka Shougyou resides.  Finally, Aikoudai Meiden might have the hardest 2nd round matchup as they will either face Komono or Shizuoka.

The first upset occurred when Shigakukan usurped Ken Gifushou 3-1.  After that, 3 of the 4 top seeds advanced to the semis with the only exception being the aforementioned Shizuoka Shougyou who put up a good fight, but fell 4-3 to Shigakukan.

In the semis, Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou couldn't hit Mie's ace Miura.  He would scatter 5-hits in a complete game 5-0 shutout.  Aikoudai Meiden found themselves in a rematch against Shigakukan, and the results were about the same.  Meiden advances to the final with a 4-1 win over their in-prefecture rival.

And in the super-regional championship, Mie's Hamada would spot the Aichi champions 3 runs in the opening innings.  Despite making a furious late-inning rally, Mie would come up just a run short losing 4-3 and giving Ichiro's alma mater just their 5th ever super-regional title (their first in 7 years)

Automatic Bid - Aikoudai Meiden (Aichi) - 9th appearance, 1st in 7 years
Projected Bid - Mie (Mie) - 11th appearance, 1st in 2 years

And finally, before we head up north to Hokkaido, let's wrap things up on the mainland with the Hokushinetsu region.

Home cooking is always good. And for Niigata it was no different. 2 of the 3 lower seeds from Niigata advanced to the quarterfinals as Nagaoka Oote shocked Kanazawa and Nagano's champion Saku Chousei couldn't find an answer against Chuuetsu.

Only #2 seed Hokuetsu was unable to advance, but you could easily forgive them as they faced Tsuruga Kehi and lost 1-0.

These teams would now have to face the remaining prefecutral champions. And for the most part, none of them were able to stay with them. Yuugakukan, Nihon Bunri and Fukui Koudai Fukui all advanced via the mercy rule. Again there was one exception and that was Toyama Kokusaidai Fuzoku. Tsuruga Kehi got yet another team shutting them out 4-0.

Now it's off to the semifinals where Nihon Bunri and Fukui Koudai Fukui squared off. After trading a pair of runs in the 1st, Koudai Fukui dug a 6-2 hole that they could never quite recover from. They would get within 2, but Nihon Bunri prevailed 7-5.

In the other semifinal, it was Yuugakukan and Tsuruga Kehi. Yuugakugan had the better of the scoring early going up 2-1, but in the last third, Tsuruga Kehi flipped it right around and the teams found themselves tied at 3 heading into extras. And yet again, the teams found themselves in a deadlock as each inning passed. Finally Yuugakukan broke though the impasse with a run in the 14th inning. Tsuruga Kehi couldn't reply and Yuugakukan advances to the finals!

Two familiar faces in the final, and it didn't disappoint. Nihon Bunri seemed to hold all the cards, taking the lead 1-0 in the 4th and adding an insurance run in the 8th. Up 2 with just 3 outs to go, and the now famous team seemed to be on their way.

Yuugakukan thought otherwise. They mounted a rally with 2 down in the 9th inning capped off with a bases loaded triple by Taniguchi which made the score 4-2 and completely turned the tables! Now it was Nihon Bunri who was down 2 with just 3 outs to go!

Nihon Bunri could only get back one of those runs, giving Yuugakukan their 3rd ever title and first in 6 years!

Onto the Hokushinetsu Region, another rural region, but perhaps one that I wish did better. I loved being in Nagano, wished Nihon Bunri really did finish that comeback, and secretly wish that Ishikawa, Fukui and Toyama went just a little further.

The draws for the super-regionals are out, but first the prefecturals:

Niigata
With games being held in Niigata this year, they earn 4 bids.

They have one big qualification, like the rest of the year. The final 4 from the fall (Nihon Bunri, Hokuetsu, Tookamachi and Sado) earned top seeds.

As usual, Nihon Bunri quickly ran through the field to the semifinals with their closest game being a 10-3 win over Sekine Gakuen in the quarterfinals.

Hokuetsu too was able to get through their quadrant, though not as easily with a notable win against Teikyou Nagaoka 7-5.

Meanwhile Nagaoka Oote, who had actually given Hokuetsu a run in the fall, finally got the better of a good team, defeating Tookamachi 8-1!

Chuuetsu, who had the unfortunate early draw with Hokuetsu, finally got a draw to themselves, and faced off with Sado in the quarterfinals. They broke through with a 2-0 win to earn a bid.

So at this point all 4 teams that will advance have been determined, but now it was a matter of who would receive the first round bye.

Nagaoka Oote couldn't stop the Nihon Bunri express, losing 7-0 in 7 innings. Chuuetsu lost to their neighbors to the north 9-0.

So it would be a rematch of the fall semifinal. And once again, Nihon Bunri showed their dominance throwing their 4th shutout of the tournament winning 7-0 for the 2nd consecutive title and 15th overall.

And in the consolation game, Nagaoka Oote defeated Chuuetsu 3-2.

Toyama
Again, like Niigata, the top 4 from the fall - Shin-Minato, Sakurai, Toyama Dai-ichi, and Fukuoka all earned seeds in the spring taikai.

However. the teams here were not as able to defend their ranking. Sakurai immediately got into a 2-2 draw against Takaoka Minami, and won the replay 3-1. But that result immediately did not bode well as they lost to Kosugi 4-2 in the next round.

Fukuoka started off well with a 14-2 win over Toyama Kousenmon Hongou, but then was routed 7-0 by Namerikawa.

Shin-Minato got the quarterfinal stage, but then was upset by Toyama Kokusaidai Fuzoku 3-1.

Only Toyama Dai-ichi made it to the semifinals, and that was despite a 12-11 win over Toyama Shougyou. Even then though, they were eliminated by the aforementioned Toyama Kokusaidai Fuzoku 12-0 in 6 thanks to 2 6-run innings.

On the other side, the teams who upset the seeded teams were not able advance any further. Kosugi lost 6-1 to Toyama Higashi, while Namerikawa lost to Takaoka Shougyou 5-3. Those two teams faced off in the semis where Takaoka Shougyou won 6-1.

That setup an interesting final which wound up being a pitchers duel. The teams were scoreless through 7 with Toyama Kokusaidai breaking through in the top of the 8th. With little time left, Takashou managed a 9th inning rally to tie it and send into extras. When Kokusaidai scored in the 11th, ace Gotou couldn't slam the door again as Takashou was able to find an equalizer. But when Kokusaidai scored yet another run in the 12, Gotou wouldn't let them extend the game any further. Toyama Kokusaidai Fuzoku wins 3-2 in 12 innings for their 1st ever spring title!

Ishikawa
There are no seeds in the Ishikawa spring taikai, however the Best 4 in the fall did find themselves in separate quadrants.

More notably though, the 2 powerhouse schools in Ishikawa (although they don't have a death grip) in Kanazawa and Yuugakukan were placed in opposite sides of the bracket.

So in all likelihood it would be those two in the finals, although last year's spring winner Seiryou wanted to have a say in it. They squared off against Yuugakukan and used a trio of pitchers - Oono, Moriyama and Nishikawa. Combined, they held Yuugakukan to just 2 runs.

Unfortunately, they only managed to score 1. So in fact it was Kanazawa and Yuugakukan in the finals.

In the championship game, Yuugakukan got to ace Kamata early taking a 2-0 lead. However Kanazawa would take the lead in the middle innings thanks in part to a HR by Kamata himself. Leading 3-2 in the bottom of the 9th, Kanazawa looked to close it out...

... except leadoff batter Kobayashi had other plans. He hits a ball off the right field pole to tie the game at 3 sending it into extras. But neither team could score a run thereafter meaning that the teams would have to replay the game.

Yuugakukan's ace Kurohagi would take the hill again, while Kamata who had thrown over 180 pitches in the draw would not come out. With both staffs short or fatigued, there was bound to be more scoring.

In fact there was, with the lead changing several times. After Yuugakukan took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 2nd, Kanazawa sniped right back with 2 in the bottom half. When Yuugakukan scored 2 in the 4th to retake it, 2 from Kanazawa in the 5th took it right back... and then 2 more from Yuugakukan in the 6th gave them the lead once again at 5-4. Got that?

Kanazawa would again score, this time finding an equalizer in the bottom of the 6th. And right back, Yuugakukan scored one in the 7th to re-take that slim 1-run margin.

And that's how it would end. Kurohagi would pitch a complete game to give Yuugakukan their 8th title and first in 3 years.

Fukui
Fukui too is primarily dominated by 3 schools - Fukui Shougyou, Tsuruga Kehi, and Fukui Koudai Fukui. Joining them for this go-around is Nyuu.

All 4 were given seeds for the spring taikai, and all 4 made it to the semifinals with ease - except for Nyuu who won 1-0, 2-0 and 2-1.

Sadly Nyuu's pretender status was confirmed as they lost 9-0 in 7 innings to Tsuruga Kehi. Fukui Koudai Fukui used a flurry of runs in the middle innings for a 6-2 win over Fukushou.

So it was Tsuruga Kehi and Fukui Koudai Fukui in the finals. After scoring 4 runs in the 3rd, Koudai Fukui would rally to with 1. But after an insurance run in the 6th, things looked a bit bleak.

Instead, the pitching for Tsuruga Kehi would collapse in a big way. Koudai Fukui would put up a 6 spot in the bottom of the 8th to take a 10-6 lead. That deficit that late would be too much for Tsuruga Kehi as Fukui Koudai Fukui would win their 11th title and 1st in 2 years.

Nagano
Nagano is the only prefecture in the region that uses regional play to determine their final participants.

Notably missing from the final 16 was Matsushou Gakuen, who actually lost in their 1st game inthe Chuushin regionals 4-1 to Matsumoto Arigasaki!

All the other regulars however did make it - Matsumoto Dai-ichi, Saku Chousei and Nagano Nichidai.

A local team that I root for, Ueda Chikuma, also made it but wound up paired against Matsumoto Dai-ichi and lost 10-4. :(

Nagano Nichidai was the first of the three teams to fall, losing to Tokyo-to Shidai Shiojiri 6-2. They would get involved in a shootout against Ina Yayoigaoka for a spot in the finals rallying with 6 runs late for a 10-8 win.

Their opponent would either be Matsumoto Dai-ichi or Saku Chousei. While Matsumoto Dai-ichi scored 3 runs to take a lead, Saku Chousei's bookended pairs of runs proved to be enough for a 4-3 win and more importantly a spot in the Hokushinetsu super-regionals.

Tokyo-to Shidai Shiojiri tried its best to stay with the Nagano powerhouse, but to no avail. They fell behind 2-0 in the first and was eventually shutout 4-0 giving Saku Chousei their 11th title and 1st in 4 years.

Super-Regionals
So onto the draw. With 5 prefectures, one representative would get the short end of the stick and have to play an extra game. That would go to Saku Chousei.

Yuugakukan (Ishikawa 1) vs. Chuuetsu (Niigata 4)-Saku Chousei (Nagano 1) winner
Yuugakukan will have their hands full with Saku Chousei. As much as I like Nagano, Yuugakukan may advance.

Toyama Kokusaidai Fuzoku (Toyama 1) vs. Hokuetsu (Niigata 2)-Tsuruga Kehi (Fukui 2) winner
Toyama Kokusaidai Fuzoku is probably not the favorite here. Rather it may be Tsuruga Kehi.

Nihon Bunri (Niigata 1) vs. Tokyo-to Shidai Shiojiri (Nagano 2)-Takaoka Shougyou (Toyama 2) winner
Nihon Bunri shouldn't have too much trouble, though I'd like see how the transplanted Tokyo school does.

Fukui Koudai Fukui (Fukui 1) vs. Nagaoka Oote (Niigata 4)-Kanazawa (Ishikawa 2) winner
Fukui Koudai Fukui, while a powerhouse in its own prefecture, will not be the favorite. Instead it will be Kamata and Kanazawa that will be expected to advance.

Over to the Hokushinetsu Region, and things didn't quite turn out the way people expected...

But first the recap of the remainder of the prefectural qualifiers from the last update.

Nagano
Sadly, the draw was not favorable to the well-known teams. Matsushou Gakuen and Nagano Nichidai faced off right off the bat. So did Matsushiro and Maruko Shuugakukan.

Nagano Nichidai won it's battle, but then fell to Saku Chousei 8-1. Matsushiro won a barnburner 9-7, but then lost to Iida Fuuetsu 2-1.

That blew the field wide open.

Saku Chousei faced off against Ueda Nishi in one semi, with Saku Chousei winning 7-0 in 7 innings. Nagano met Iida Fuuetsu and also won convincingly 7-1 setting up a final of relative unknowns.

In the final, Nagano jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Saku Chousei tied it in the 5th, but Nagano scored 7 in the 7th and 3 more in the 9th to win 12-2. In the consolation game, Ueda Nishi advanced over Iida Fuuetsu 7-2 to the Super-Regionals.


Toyama
Nanto Sougou Fukuno couldn't make it out of the 2nd round, losing to Takaoka 8-4.

Interestingly enough, the brackets were pretty much chalk. By the time we reached the semifinals, we had Sakurai and Tonami Kougyou in one, and Fujikoshi Kougyou and Takaoka Shougyou in another. Tonami jumped out to a 4-0 lead after 2 en route to a 8-4 win while Takaoka Shougyou dispatched Fujikoshi 13-4 in 7 innings.

In the finals, Takaoka Shougyou scored 3 in the 1st and didn't look back winning 4-2. And in the more important 3rd place game, Fujikoshi Kougyou had no trouble with Sakurai 9-1.


Fukui
Tsuruga Kehi and Fukui Shougyou had an early clash in the 2nd round. While Fukusho was the seeded team, it was Tsuruga Kehi that prevailed 6-0! And with that momentum they marched to the finals.

Fukui Kodai Fukui had no trouble through its side of the bracket making the finals without yielding a single run!

That changed in the finals when Tsuruga Kehi scored 4 in the 5th inning against ace Teraoka and held on for a 4-2 win.

Kagaku Gijyutsu edged by Asuwa 5-4 to take Fukui's final bid for the super-regionals.


Ishikawa
Out of the 4 teams I had mentioned in my last comprehensive review - Nihon Koukuu Ishikawa, Kanazawa, Nanao and Seiryou - only 1 didn't make the Best 4. Nanao fell to Yuugakukan 7-6 in the quarterfinals.

And with 4 teams qualifying out of Ishikawa, all that was to be determined was the seeding. I kind of discount the seeding as while a #1 seed doesn't play a #1 seed in the first round, it doesn't mean you're playing a weaker team.

Apparently though, the 4 teams were equally matched.

Yuugakukan and Seiryou would go into extras as Yuugakukan scored a run in the bottom of the 9th to tie it up at 2. It wouldn't be until the 12th when the tie would be broken by Yuugakukan.

Nihon Koukuu Ishikawa was 6 outs away from defeating Kanazawa, but lost the lead forcing extra innings. It didn't last long as Nihon Koukuu scored the sayonara run in the 10th.

With the teams surely suffering from some fatigue, it was another low scoring affair between Yuugakukan and Nihon Koukuu. Once again, Nihon Koukuu couldn't hold a slim lead late as Yuugakukan scores a run in the 8th to tie it at 1, then took the lead in the 9th with 2 runs to win 3-1.

As for the 3rd place match, Kanazawa was just out of gas and was blanked 11-0.


So we hit the super-regionals...

And so much for the home field advantage... All of the Ishikawa schools lost in the first round.

• Yuugakukan managed to tie the game 3-3 against Bunsui only to see them score 2 in the top of the 9th.
• Seiryou was routed by Tsuruga Kehi 8-0 in 7 innings.
• Nihon Koukuu Ishikawa was blanked by Fukui Kodai Fukui 3-0
• And 4th seed Kanazawa fared the best, although they blew a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the 9th, they lasted until the 13th where Takaoka Shougyou scored the sayonara run.

In the quarterfinals, Saku Chousei and Tsuruga Kehi advanced with little trouble while Fukui Kodai Fukui and Takaoka Shougyou needed an 8th inning run to pull ahead just in time. This meant a semifinal with powerhouses Takaoka Shougyou and Fukui Kodai Fukui, and Tsuruga Kehi perhaps with an easy matchagainst Saku Chousei.

Takasho scored 2 runs in the 2nd inning, and it managed to hold up winning 2-1. Meanwhile, Tsuruga Kehi took the 3-0 lead after 2, only to see Saku Chousei tie it in the top of the 3rd. When Tsuruga scored a run in the 5th, Saku once again tied the game in the 6th! Their persistance seemed to pay off as Saku took the lead in the top of the 9th 5-4! Only needing 3 outs, ace Kouno couldn't hold the lead as Tsuruga Kehi scored 2 runs to win 6-5!

This pretty much guarantees that Takaoka Shougyou and Tsuruga Kehi will get a spot in the finals. But bragging rights would eventually go to Takaoka Shougyou as they shutout Tsuruga Kehi 5-0.

Going over to platforms 20-23 at Tokyo-eki, we take the Joetsu Shinkansen north to Niigata for the 119th Hokushinetsu tournament.

And what a championship game it was! Nihon Bunri (Niigata) was facing Toyama Shougyou (Toyama) for the title. Toyama built a commanding 7-1 lead early and was headed for victory, but in the 8th inning down 7-3, Nihon Bunri rallied for 7 runs for a 10-7 comeback win!

Unfortunately, there were not many familiar teams on display in the 16 team field, and the games seemed to indicate a lack of depth in the Hokushinetsu area...

• Tsuruga Kehi (Fukui) - Lost to Niigata's #4 seed Niigata Shougyou 5-3 in the 2nd round.
• Fukui Kodai Fukui (Fukui) - Lost to Nihon Bunri in the semi-finals 10-7.