So, this will be short, mostly because I'm still disgusted about what happened yesterday (it looks like perhaps the powerhouses are not letting the cinderella teams get away anymore):
Niigata - Sekine Gakuen v. Nihon Bunri
Ishikawa - Komatsu Ootani v. Seiryou
I'm lumping these together because I don't want to dedicate time to these games.
Sekine Gakuen led Nihon Bunri 2-1 going into the bottom of the 9th. Single, flyout, walk, 3-run gyakuten sayonara HR, Bunri wins 4-2.
Komatsu Ootani led Seiryou 8-0 going into bottom of 9th. They cannot record 3 outs as Seiryou scores 9 in a slow-motion collapse as they win 9-8.
You can see my twitter feed to see my feelings regarding this. I may even do a post about this before the finals today.
Gunma - Kendai Takasaki v. Isesaki Seimei
The score itself was close, but the game perhaps wasn't. Kawai, Takahashi and Matsuno combine on a no-hitter as they defeat Isesaki Seimei 1-0.
The only run was scored in the 3rd when after a double to LCF by then starter Kawai, Hoshino goes for a safety bunt with 2 out and brings the runner home.
Tochigi - Sakushin Gakuin v. Sano Nichidai
Sano Nichidai opened the scoring with a run in the first, but Sakushin Gakuin eventually wore down their opponents, scoring 7 runs in the 6th and 7th innings en route to a 7-1 win and their 4th consecutive trip to Natsu Koushien.
Saitama - Shiritsu Kawagoe v. Kasukabe Kyouei
Shiritsu Kawagoe and Kasukabe Kyouei did not have to play any powerhouse teams for the title, and avoided the pitfalls that are associated with playing in big prefectures such as this one. Both schools had been to Koushien before, Shiritsu Kawagoe as Kawagoe Shougyou back in 1971, and Kasukabe Kyouei 4 times, the most recent being in 2005.
The game was very close with the teams trading runs in the 4th and 5th ending with Shiritsu Kawagoe leading 2-1. It stayed that way until the 8th when Kamijyou couldn't hold the lead for Shiritsu. Kasukabe Kyouei would score 6 in the bottom half of the frame, leaving them with almost no time to respond. Kasukabe Kyouei would advance for the 5th time with a 7-2 win.
Nagano - Saku Chousei v. Nagano Shougyou
Nagano Shougyou had been a powerhouse back in the day, but has ceded way to the private schools such as Saku Chousei, Matsushou Gakuen and the like.
But they reached the final where they would have to exorcise the demon by defeating Saku Chousei to take the title. And when I saw them score 6 in the 2nd, I thought perhaps the trend of upsets would continue.
Sadly it would not be. A 4-run 7th was the key in Saku Chousei's comeback as they would win 10-9 to claim their 6th title.
Hyogo - Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku v. Sanda Shousei
Even though neither school had reached Natsu Koushien before, Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku had at least gone to senbatsu. So Sanda Shousei could have easily been called the underdog.
But the game was over early. 7 runs in the 3rd for Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku and that pretty much sealed things. Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku would go on to win 11-1.
Tottori - Yazu v. Tottori Jyouhoku
In recent times Tottori Jyouhoku has dominated the prefecture leaving schools like Yazu who used to go to Koushien behind. Yesterday was a chance for Yazu to perhaps claim something from past times.
Yazu would take an early lead when with the bases loaded and 2 out, Nishigaki would deliver a base hit to center scoring 2.
Kamatani for Yazu would hold off the Tottori Jyouhoku offense, but in the 5th he would cede a run due to a wild pitch. Later on, after an intentional walk to load the bases, he would get out of the jam with a fly to center.
Kamatani wouldn't let them get any closer as he gave up just the 1 run on 6 hit to win 2-1.
Okayama - Okayama Ridai Fuzoku v. Kanzei
There would be no Cinderellas in Okayama as 2 familiar foes met up for the title - though neither had really been to Koushien in a couple of years, as Kurashiki Shougyou had stolen the show for most part.
Kaznei would score early and often against Okayama Ridai, putting up all their runs before the break. It would be more than enough as they would win 9-4.
Hiroshima - Hiroshima Shinjyou v Kouryou
Kouryou and Jyosuikan have given up control of the prefecture to the masses the last 2 years, but Kouryou returned to the finals this year looking to reclaim the throne.
Hiroshima Shinjyou had gone to senbatsu earlier this year and was looking to perhaps make a return trip this summer.
Things looked good in the first, as Nishijima's timely triple gave them the 1-0 lead.
Kouryou would strike right back. 1 out, runners at the corners and cleanup batter Oota delivers a hit to left to tie the game. Kita would give his team the lead right after with a single to center.
That would be all the scoring in the game as Kouryou would go on to punch their ticket with a 2-1 win.
Kagawa - Sakaide Shougyou v. Ootemae Takamatsu
We really hadn't heard from either of these schools, though both are more than decent teams within Kagawa. Sakaide Shougyou time was in the 80s and early 90s where they went to Natsu Koushien 4 of their 5 prior times. Ootemae Takamatsu has been forever a Tier 3 school, but with none of the current powerhouses in the final (and having survived Jinsei Gakuen 8-7 in 13 in the semifinals), they had a chance to make their first trip.
Perhaps the extra inning game though hurt Ootemae Takamatsu, because despite going out to a 3-1 lead through 6, Saji couldn't finish it off. He would give up 2 in the 7th to tie the game, and then 2 more in the 9th giving Sakaide Shougyou the 5-3 win.
31 down, 16 to go.
Showing posts with label Hyogo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hyogo. Show all posts
Monday, July 28, 2014
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Aki Taikai Recap-to-date - Kinki
Once again, Kinki is in a big state of flux, and if the rotation holds true, Osaka and Hyogo will be short a representative this time around!
Shiga
Shiga has the basic single elimination system, and it has gone for the most part surprisingly scratch as they move onto the semifinals and finals this weekend.
Not surprisingly Hikone Higashi is back on the warpath again, and score-wise looks the best of the rest remaining with 2 mercy rule wins. They will face Oumi, who survived a 12-inning game against Hieizan - certainly not a pushover, but could put the team's strength into question.
On the other half could be Hikone Higashi's biggest threat - Oumi Kyoudaisha. Admittedly, they too had a close call against Shiga Gakuen in the quarterfinals (much like Oumi), and they showed promise in the summer too, but they defeated Oumi in the summer and the offense seems stronger.
Interestingly, Oumi Kyoudaisha's opponent will be a rematch of their 1st round game in the summer - Youkaichi. The offense surely looks strong, but the pitching seems the weakest of the lot and they haven't played really tough competition.
Kyoto
Aw... Kyoto Gaidai Nishi can't get up for the Super-regionals again...
Kyoto too is in the semifinals, and there is one outlier who will be trying to fight for a spot in the Super-regionals - Nishi-Jyouyou. They didn't face much competition and has not dominated them either. To secure a spot they will have to defeat Ryuukokudai Heian who most recently annihilated Kyoto Seishou 11-2.
On the other side, Ritsumeikan Uji was challenged by Ritsumeikan proper then had to outslug the aforementioned Kyoto Gaidai Nishi 10-5. They will face the other long school name (see what I mean about scratch?) Fukuchiyama Seibi. An uncharacteristic 11-8 game against Nissei puts up a red flag, but settled down afterwards for 4-0 and 5-1 wins.
Nara
Sakurai not surprisingly couldn't duplicate their success in the summer.
However, this time around (so far anyways), Chiben Gakuen is still alive - though a 2-0 and 11-5 wins against no-name teams do not bode well. They should have no trouble with Nara Tousen... maybe. They will face the winner of Kashiba (who narrowly lost to Sakurai in the summer) and Kansai Chuo.
Yamato Kouryou's been inconsistent, but gets to face a Kashihara Gakuin team who too has failed to live up to expectations. Naradai Fuzoku, who was one game away from reaching Natsu Koushien, will look to get to Haru Koushien with unknown Heijyou immediately standing in the way.
Wakayama
Wakayama has the weird thing of having a tournament just to advance 4 into the quarterfinals, then having the remaining teams later compete in blocks for the other 4. Chiben Wakayama obviously took the time to qualify the first time around, cruising comfortably until they qualified where they might have send out the reserves so as to not tip off the competition. Still, they got to the finals where they lost to Shinguu 6-3, though that result doesn't matter. Also advancing was Kainan and Shiritsu Wakayama.
The rest would have to battle it out again, and the ones that climbed out of the ruckus were:
With only 2 bids up for grabs in the major prefectures, it's all out for all the schools from Osaka and Hyogo - and that generally doesn't bode well for the non-powerhouse schools...
But there was a small victory for them as Riseisha and Osaka Touin would have to play in the round of 32. Surprisingly, Riseisha mercy ruled Osaka Touin 13-1 in 5 innings! Guess they have a bit of rebuilding to do.
Still though, that means that Riseisha has the inside rail at one of the two spots, and with PL Gakuen obliterating teams on the other half, it is a steep climb for the other 14 schools.
Hyogo
I don't know if it is a down cycle in Hyogo, but the powerhouse teams seem to be on the same part of the cycle.
I say this because in the quarterfinals, only one powerhouse managed to survive and they barely got away. Houtoku Gakuen edged out Akashi Shougyou 3-2 and will face an Ichikawa team who beat Suma Gakuen 2-1 in 12.
The other side was supposed to be a Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku vs. Touyoudai Himeji affair, but both teams wound up losing! Sanda Shousei would beat Kobe 3-2 in 10 innings, while Yashiro had the largest margin of victory in the quarters - a 4-2 win over Himeji.
This bodes well for Houtoku as they should advance to the Super-regionals (sorry Ichikawa), while Sanda Shouei and Yashiro will battle it out for a rare spot in the Super-regionals.
Shiga
Shiga has the basic single elimination system, and it has gone for the most part surprisingly scratch as they move onto the semifinals and finals this weekend.
Not surprisingly Hikone Higashi is back on the warpath again, and score-wise looks the best of the rest remaining with 2 mercy rule wins. They will face Oumi, who survived a 12-inning game against Hieizan - certainly not a pushover, but could put the team's strength into question.
On the other half could be Hikone Higashi's biggest threat - Oumi Kyoudaisha. Admittedly, they too had a close call against Shiga Gakuen in the quarterfinals (much like Oumi), and they showed promise in the summer too, but they defeated Oumi in the summer and the offense seems stronger.
Interestingly, Oumi Kyoudaisha's opponent will be a rematch of their 1st round game in the summer - Youkaichi. The offense surely looks strong, but the pitching seems the weakest of the lot and they haven't played really tough competition.
Kyoto
Aw... Kyoto Gaidai Nishi can't get up for the Super-regionals again...
Kyoto too is in the semifinals, and there is one outlier who will be trying to fight for a spot in the Super-regionals - Nishi-Jyouyou. They didn't face much competition and has not dominated them either. To secure a spot they will have to defeat Ryuukokudai Heian who most recently annihilated Kyoto Seishou 11-2.
On the other side, Ritsumeikan Uji was challenged by Ritsumeikan proper then had to outslug the aforementioned Kyoto Gaidai Nishi 10-5. They will face the other long school name (see what I mean about scratch?) Fukuchiyama Seibi. An uncharacteristic 11-8 game against Nissei puts up a red flag, but settled down afterwards for 4-0 and 5-1 wins.
Nara
Sakurai not surprisingly couldn't duplicate their success in the summer.
However, this time around (so far anyways), Chiben Gakuen is still alive - though a 2-0 and 11-5 wins against no-name teams do not bode well. They should have no trouble with Nara Tousen... maybe. They will face the winner of Kashiba (who narrowly lost to Sakurai in the summer) and Kansai Chuo.
Yamato Kouryou's been inconsistent, but gets to face a Kashihara Gakuin team who too has failed to live up to expectations. Naradai Fuzoku, who was one game away from reaching Natsu Koushien, will look to get to Haru Koushien with unknown Heijyou immediately standing in the way.
Wakayama
Wakayama has the weird thing of having a tournament just to advance 4 into the quarterfinals, then having the remaining teams later compete in blocks for the other 4. Chiben Wakayama obviously took the time to qualify the first time around, cruising comfortably until they qualified where they might have send out the reserves so as to not tip off the competition. Still, they got to the finals where they lost to Shinguu 6-3, though that result doesn't matter. Also advancing was Kainan and Shiritsu Wakayama.
The rest would have to battle it out again, and the ones that climbed out of the ruckus were:
- Kinkidai Shinguu, who will have an intercity battle with Shinguu
- Tanabe, who will face Kainan to start
- Arita Chuo, who drew the short straw and will face Chiben Wakayama leaving
- Kouyasan to play Shiritsu Wakayama.
With only 2 bids up for grabs in the major prefectures, it's all out for all the schools from Osaka and Hyogo - and that generally doesn't bode well for the non-powerhouse schools...
But there was a small victory for them as Riseisha and Osaka Touin would have to play in the round of 32. Surprisingly, Riseisha mercy ruled Osaka Touin 13-1 in 5 innings! Guess they have a bit of rebuilding to do.
Still though, that means that Riseisha has the inside rail at one of the two spots, and with PL Gakuen obliterating teams on the other half, it is a steep climb for the other 14 schools.
Hyogo
I don't know if it is a down cycle in Hyogo, but the powerhouse teams seem to be on the same part of the cycle.
I say this because in the quarterfinals, only one powerhouse managed to survive and they barely got away. Houtoku Gakuen edged out Akashi Shougyou 3-2 and will face an Ichikawa team who beat Suma Gakuen 2-1 in 12.
The other side was supposed to be a Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku vs. Touyoudai Himeji affair, but both teams wound up losing! Sanda Shousei would beat Kobe 3-2 in 10 innings, while Yashiro had the largest margin of victory in the quarters - a 4-2 win over Himeji.
This bodes well for Houtoku as they should advance to the Super-regionals (sorry Ichikawa), while Sanda Shouei and Yashiro will battle it out for a rare spot in the Super-regionals.
Monday, August 5, 2013
Remaining prefectural titles recap (Part 3)
(My apologies to everyone reading the blog, I will probably not be able to finish these recaps before Natsu Koushien begins on Thursday. I was unusually busy during the prefectural taikai's and was not able to keep up as in past years. I will get to these when time allows, but I need to focus on Natsu Koushien itself.)
Gunma - Maebashi Ikuei (1st appearance)
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Tochigi - Sakushin Gakuin (9th appearance, 3rd consecutive)
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Saitama - Urawa Gakuin (12th appearance, 2nd consecutive)
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Kanagawa - Yokohama (15th appearance, 1st in 2 years)
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Aichi - Aikoudai Meiden (11th appearance, 2nd consecutive)
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Shizuoka - Tokoha Kikugawa (4th appearance, 1st in 5 years)
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Osaka - Osaka Touin (7th appearance, 2nd consecutive)
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Hyogo - Nishiwaki Kougyou (1st appearance)
Oh my god. First of all, can Hyogo figure out a better way to reschedule games than the current system? Teams were reassigned to different stadiums, some who were playing before other teams originally got rescheduled for after those same teams. It can't be that hard can it?
Yet despite rain-outs and bonkers rescheduling, 75% of the 16 block seeds actually advanced out of the block. The 4 that failed was Block 4 Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku (!), Block 9 Himeji Kougyou, Block 10 Houjyou, and Block 15 Kakogawa Kita (!). Of the seeds that advanced only Shiritsu Amagasaki and Yashiro actually blew through the block field. Everyone else seemed to struggle:
However, our first major casualty from the Round of 16 was Takigawa Dai-ni. They never led against Shiritsu Amagasaki, and despite a 2-run 8th fell 4-3. Houtoku Gakuen tossed a 4-hit shutout over Suma Shoufuu, and Touyoudai Himeji despite just 3 hits defeated Sanda Shousei 2-1 (How??!).
The other surprising things was that 3 of the 4 no-seeds to advance to the Round of 16 advanced to the Best 8. Though admittedly Block 4 Rokko Island has been an above average team.
The redraw for the Best 8 again had the powerhouse teams avoiding each other.
Mukonosou Sougou had the unfortunate draw of Houtoku Gakuen, and promptly were shutout - but not mercy ruled, which is good. Shiritsu Amagasaki's run ended at the hands of Touyoudai Himeji.
Rokko Island met fellow no-seed Ikuei... and were mercy ruled.
And then there was the curious case of Nishiwaki Kougyou. Never heard of them, never been to Koushien before.
In block play they started strong with a mercy-rule win over Aboshi. After that though, things got really hairy for them. Starting off with a 14 inning 4-3 win over Awaji Mihara, they broke a scoreless draw in the 7th over Ichikawa with 4 runs to advance out of the block. Then against Kakogawa Nishi, the fell behind 5-0, immediately clawed back to within 1, took the the lead late only to blow it in the bottom of the 9th - then won with 2 in the 10th.
If that wasn't enough, against Akashi Shougyou in the Best 8, they trailed 2-0 before rallying to win in the bottom of the 9th 3-2.
The cardiac kids decided comebacks were a bit too much, and while they gave up 2 runs in the first, quickly recovered and used a 5-run 7th to hold on for a 10-7 win. Quite nuts.
Meanwhile, Touyoudai Himeji and Houtoku Gakuen actually had a more normal game, but Houtoku Gakuen couldn't recover from a 2-run deficit falling 4-3.
So realistically, it looked like Touyoudai Himeji would ascend to the throne, because surely Nishiwaki Kougyou couldn't pull off the upset...
Right?
Not so fast there. In the 5th, Takami and Murakami would actually give Nishiwaki Kougyou a 2-0 lead. Ace Outa (翁田) would give up back-to-back timely hits to tie the game.
But bottom 9, LF Murakami starts off with a base hit to left center. He books it to 2nd and just beats the throw. After a sac bunt, Nishiwaki Kougyou has the sayonara run 90 feet away. They have no choice but to intentionally walk Nishizawa and Hieda to load the bases. That would bring up last batter Ishii. Nishiwaki would try the squeeze bunt, but Ishii popped it up and C Uraoka scampered back and made a great diving catch for two outs.
That left it up to leadoff batter Imai who was just 1-4 on the day. Two foul balls meant he was behind quickly. But on the very next pitch he'd hit a blooper to the right side. 2B Nishida would scramble back, dive.. but it would just be out of his reach! It falls in for the sayonara RBI as Nishiwaki Kougyou heads to their first Koushien tournament!
Gunma - Maebashi Ikuei (1st appearance)
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Tochigi - Sakushin Gakuin (9th appearance, 3rd consecutive)
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Saitama - Urawa Gakuin (12th appearance, 2nd consecutive)
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Kanagawa - Yokohama (15th appearance, 1st in 2 years)
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Aichi - Aikoudai Meiden (11th appearance, 2nd consecutive)
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Shizuoka - Tokoha Kikugawa (4th appearance, 1st in 5 years)
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Osaka - Osaka Touin (7th appearance, 2nd consecutive)
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Hyogo - Nishiwaki Kougyou (1st appearance)
Oh my god. First of all, can Hyogo figure out a better way to reschedule games than the current system? Teams were reassigned to different stadiums, some who were playing before other teams originally got rescheduled for after those same teams. It can't be that hard can it?
Yet despite rain-outs and bonkers rescheduling, 75% of the 16 block seeds actually advanced out of the block. The 4 that failed was Block 4 Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku (!), Block 9 Himeji Kougyou, Block 10 Houjyou, and Block 15 Kakogawa Kita (!). Of the seeds that advanced only Shiritsu Amagasaki and Yashiro actually blew through the block field. Everyone else seemed to struggle:
- Block 2 Houtoku Gakuen? They had an 11 inning affair against Shiritsu Himeji.
- Block 5 Defending Champion Takigawa Dai-ni? Ooh, not so good. Two low scoring affairs versus Ikuno and Hyogo Shougyou.
- Block 8 Touyoudai Himeji? 2-1 over Touban Kougyou in their 2nd game.
However, our first major casualty from the Round of 16 was Takigawa Dai-ni. They never led against Shiritsu Amagasaki, and despite a 2-run 8th fell 4-3. Houtoku Gakuen tossed a 4-hit shutout over Suma Shoufuu, and Touyoudai Himeji despite just 3 hits defeated Sanda Shousei 2-1 (How??!).
The other surprising things was that 3 of the 4 no-seeds to advance to the Round of 16 advanced to the Best 8. Though admittedly Block 4 Rokko Island has been an above average team.
The redraw for the Best 8 again had the powerhouse teams avoiding each other.
Mukonosou Sougou had the unfortunate draw of Houtoku Gakuen, and promptly were shutout - but not mercy ruled, which is good. Shiritsu Amagasaki's run ended at the hands of Touyoudai Himeji.
Rokko Island met fellow no-seed Ikuei... and were mercy ruled.
And then there was the curious case of Nishiwaki Kougyou. Never heard of them, never been to Koushien before.
In block play they started strong with a mercy-rule win over Aboshi. After that though, things got really hairy for them. Starting off with a 14 inning 4-3 win over Awaji Mihara, they broke a scoreless draw in the 7th over Ichikawa with 4 runs to advance out of the block. Then against Kakogawa Nishi, the fell behind 5-0, immediately clawed back to within 1, took the the lead late only to blow it in the bottom of the 9th - then won with 2 in the 10th.
If that wasn't enough, against Akashi Shougyou in the Best 8, they trailed 2-0 before rallying to win in the bottom of the 9th 3-2.
The cardiac kids decided comebacks were a bit too much, and while they gave up 2 runs in the first, quickly recovered and used a 5-run 7th to hold on for a 10-7 win. Quite nuts.
Meanwhile, Touyoudai Himeji and Houtoku Gakuen actually had a more normal game, but Houtoku Gakuen couldn't recover from a 2-run deficit falling 4-3.
So realistically, it looked like Touyoudai Himeji would ascend to the throne, because surely Nishiwaki Kougyou couldn't pull off the upset...
Right?
Not so fast there. In the 5th, Takami and Murakami would actually give Nishiwaki Kougyou a 2-0 lead. Ace Outa (翁田) would give up back-to-back timely hits to tie the game.
But bottom 9, LF Murakami starts off with a base hit to left center. He books it to 2nd and just beats the throw. After a sac bunt, Nishiwaki Kougyou has the sayonara run 90 feet away. They have no choice but to intentionally walk Nishizawa and Hieda to load the bases. That would bring up last batter Ishii. Nishiwaki would try the squeeze bunt, but Ishii popped it up and C Uraoka scampered back and made a great diving catch for two outs.
That left it up to leadoff batter Imai who was just 1-4 on the day. Two foul balls meant he was behind quickly. But on the very next pitch he'd hit a blooper to the right side. 2B Nishida would scramble back, dive.. but it would just be out of his reach! It falls in for the sayonara RBI as Nishiwaki Kougyou heads to their first Koushien tournament!
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
7/8 Update - 1st main wave of prefecturals underway! (Kinki to Kyushu areas)
And westward ho we continue!
Osaka
First full day of games started on the 7th and nothing really of note. Some teams like Riseisha and Osaka Touin won't play until next week.
It was a bit of a thud for Aino as they opened the tournament at the Kyocera Dome with a 14-0 loss to Kita-Kawachi Satsukigaoka. Hannan managed to play a full game in the follow-up but lost 8-3 to Nisshin.
Hyogo
Remember Sumoto? Back in 2012 they got to 春甲子園 losing to Naruto 2-1 in the opening round. Here they opened the Hyogo tournament at Akashi Tocalo versus Tomioka and won a hard-fought close game to win 4-3.
And on the 7th, over in Handkerchief Memorial Nigawa Gakuin rallied from down 8-1 with 10 unanswered runs for the gyakuten victory over Takaradzuka.
Fukuoka
Opening games in Kurume on the 6th were rained out, and the game of Kanda Kougyou vs. Tagawa Kagaku Gijyutsu were actually rained out 2 straight days. When they finally played on the 8th, Kanda Kougyou won 13-2 in 5 innings.
The other match-up saw Fukuoka Dai-ichi edge out Hakuryou 4-3, then because of the schedule had to turnaround and play Ukiha Kyuushinkan the next day. Not a problem because they won 12-2 in 6 innings thanks to an 8-run 6th.
In other games, Nishi-Nippon Tankidai Fuzoku had the unfortunate draw of an extra game, but Miike Kougyu 8-0 in 7. Kashii Kougyou managed to tie the game against Ariake Tousen at 2-2 but lost 3-2 in 10. And Yahata Chuo managed to outlast Wakamatsu 4-3 in a 13 inning marathon.
Two games went into enchousen scoreless. Yanagigawa defeated Chikushigaoka with a run in the 10th while Kaho bid sayonara to Tokiwa also in the 10th.
Seeded Moji Gakuen had to scramble to make an early 4-0 lead over Sue stick, winning 8-6. The same could not be said for Kyushu Kokusaidai Fuzoku who was shutout 3-0 by Koga Kyouseikan! And in a 3-3 in surprises at Kita-Kyushu Municipal, Iiduzka was in a close match with Shinguu before adding insurance runs in the 9th - but still managed to win by the small margin of 5-3.
Things did not improve over at Kasuga prefectural. Chikuyou Gakuen managed the only run in the game against Seinan Gakuin, while Kurume Shougyou had to rally to defeat Yame 4-3!
And while they're not seeded, Fukuoka Koudai Jyoutou also won a slim 1-0 game to Fukuoka Kourinkan.
I'm sure by the time things end we'll probably see a regular in the finals. But right now, the seeded teams look less than dominating and it's all up in the air right now.
Saga
Rain plagued Saga's opening day as well, pushing back games a day. When the games finally began, Imari Shougyou gave the fans a show as they walked off against Karatsu Kougyou 2-1.
Nagasaki
Apparently Kyushu continues to have close games. Kouka trailed Hokushou Nishi 2-0, tied it in the 8th and said sayonara in the 10th to advance.
Kumamoto
Oguni continued the trend, breaking a 3-3 tie with Shouyou with a run in the 11th on opening day, then Kumamoto Gakuendai Fuzoku rallying twice to win 3-2 in the bottom of the 9th over Tamana.
However, when it comes to the better teams in the prefecture, it's more business as usual with Kumamoto Kougyou and Hitsuyuukan advancing.
And I finally had a score that made me really cringe. Tamana Kougyou scores no less than 5 runs in an inning blowing out Amakusa Kuratake 42-0 in 5 innings.
Oita
No real blowouts in Oita so far, with all games going 9 innings, and the largest winning margin being just 3 runs. On opening day Oita Tsurusaki rallied from down 4-0 to take a 7-4 lead over Oita Kougyou, blew that lead in the final 2 innings before scoring the sayonara run in the 9th.
The first full slate of games saw Usa scoring the only run over Nakatsu Minami to win their game, then Beppu Shougyou erasing a 3-0 lead, scoring 2 in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Hita 4-3.
And today, Usa Sangyou Kagaku made a 2-0 lead over Usuki stick winning 2-1, and despite scoring a run in the first 5 innings, Mori needed one more in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Kunisaki 6-5, and former 甲子園 participant Hita Rinkou had one of the more "easier" games defeating Oita Houfu 5-2.
Miyazaki
Miyazaki was more "normal" in what you'd you see early on. That's not to say we had close game here either.
Saito Shougyou held of an late rally from Hyuuga Gakuin to win 4-3, and Miyakonojyou rallied late to send the game against Miyakonojyou Shougyou into enchousen and won 6-5 in 12. And in a intra-city affair Hyuuga gives up an early 2-0 lead to Hyuuga Kougyou, then comes back from down 5-2 to win 6-5 in the bottom of the 9th.
Kagoshima
I just realized I hadn't translated this bracket. This will have to be done today, and I'll have an update on it in a separate post. (ごめん！)
Okinawa
Okinawa in the 2nd weekend seemed to start off rather innocuously. Teams like Okinawa Suisan and Futenma advanced without incident.
But then turn to the 30th, and all heck broke loose. Ginowan, generally a good team, loses 5-4 to Kitanakagusuku. The biggest upset goes to Misato who went 14 innings against seeded Hokuzan and won 2-1! That opens it up for Kounan, who has scored double digits in their 2 games so far.
Onto the 3rd week, and Gushikawa was involved in their 2nd extra inning game, this time losing 5-4 to Misato Kougyou 5-4 in 14 innings. Seeded Mawashi was challenged by Futenma, but managed to win 3-0 but will have another tough matchup in Okinawa Suisan. Even the fall Kyushu Super-Regional champions Okinawa Shougaku had an 8-4 win over Chuubu Shougyou, but gave up some runs late. Yaeyama, on the other hand dealt with Yokatsu 6-3.
In other games, Urasoe Shougyou looks to be in rebuild mode, surviving Tomoshiro 3-1 and Chinen fought hard for a 3-1 win in 14 over Nanbu Kougyou. Yaeyama Shoukou scored in 7 of the 8 innings to win 12-7 over Okinawa Tousen. It doesn't look look for their prospects this year.
Osaka
First full day of games started on the 7th and nothing really of note. Some teams like Riseisha and Osaka Touin won't play until next week.
It was a bit of a thud for Aino as they opened the tournament at the Kyocera Dome with a 14-0 loss to Kita-Kawachi Satsukigaoka. Hannan managed to play a full game in the follow-up but lost 8-3 to Nisshin.
Hyogo
Remember Sumoto? Back in 2012 they got to 春甲子園 losing to Naruto 2-1 in the opening round. Here they opened the Hyogo tournament at Akashi Tocalo versus Tomioka and won a hard-fought close game to win 4-3.
And on the 7th, over in Handkerchief Memorial Nigawa Gakuin rallied from down 8-1 with 10 unanswered runs for the gyakuten victory over Takaradzuka.
Fukuoka
Opening games in Kurume on the 6th were rained out, and the game of Kanda Kougyou vs. Tagawa Kagaku Gijyutsu were actually rained out 2 straight days. When they finally played on the 8th, Kanda Kougyou won 13-2 in 5 innings.
The other match-up saw Fukuoka Dai-ichi edge out Hakuryou 4-3, then because of the schedule had to turnaround and play Ukiha Kyuushinkan the next day. Not a problem because they won 12-2 in 6 innings thanks to an 8-run 6th.
In other games, Nishi-Nippon Tankidai Fuzoku had the unfortunate draw of an extra game, but Miike Kougyu 8-0 in 7. Kashii Kougyou managed to tie the game against Ariake Tousen at 2-2 but lost 3-2 in 10. And Yahata Chuo managed to outlast Wakamatsu 4-3 in a 13 inning marathon.
Two games went into enchousen scoreless. Yanagigawa defeated Chikushigaoka with a run in the 10th while Kaho bid sayonara to Tokiwa also in the 10th.
Seeded Moji Gakuen had to scramble to make an early 4-0 lead over Sue stick, winning 8-6. The same could not be said for Kyushu Kokusaidai Fuzoku who was shutout 3-0 by Koga Kyouseikan! And in a 3-3 in surprises at Kita-Kyushu Municipal, Iiduzka was in a close match with Shinguu before adding insurance runs in the 9th - but still managed to win by the small margin of 5-3.
Things did not improve over at Kasuga prefectural. Chikuyou Gakuen managed the only run in the game against Seinan Gakuin, while Kurume Shougyou had to rally to defeat Yame 4-3!
And while they're not seeded, Fukuoka Koudai Jyoutou also won a slim 1-0 game to Fukuoka Kourinkan.
I'm sure by the time things end we'll probably see a regular in the finals. But right now, the seeded teams look less than dominating and it's all up in the air right now.
Saga
Rain plagued Saga's opening day as well, pushing back games a day. When the games finally began, Imari Shougyou gave the fans a show as they walked off against Karatsu Kougyou 2-1.
Nagasaki
Apparently Kyushu continues to have close games. Kouka trailed Hokushou Nishi 2-0, tied it in the 8th and said sayonara in the 10th to advance.
Kumamoto
Oguni continued the trend, breaking a 3-3 tie with Shouyou with a run in the 11th on opening day, then Kumamoto Gakuendai Fuzoku rallying twice to win 3-2 in the bottom of the 9th over Tamana.
However, when it comes to the better teams in the prefecture, it's more business as usual with Kumamoto Kougyou and Hitsuyuukan advancing.
And I finally had a score that made me really cringe. Tamana Kougyou scores no less than 5 runs in an inning blowing out Amakusa Kuratake 42-0 in 5 innings.
Oita
No real blowouts in Oita so far, with all games going 9 innings, and the largest winning margin being just 3 runs. On opening day Oita Tsurusaki rallied from down 4-0 to take a 7-4 lead over Oita Kougyou, blew that lead in the final 2 innings before scoring the sayonara run in the 9th.
The first full slate of games saw Usa scoring the only run over Nakatsu Minami to win their game, then Beppu Shougyou erasing a 3-0 lead, scoring 2 in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Hita 4-3.
And today, Usa Sangyou Kagaku made a 2-0 lead over Usuki stick winning 2-1, and despite scoring a run in the first 5 innings, Mori needed one more in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Kunisaki 6-5, and former 甲子園 participant Hita Rinkou had one of the more "easier" games defeating Oita Houfu 5-2.
Miyazaki
Miyazaki was more "normal" in what you'd you see early on. That's not to say we had close game here either.
Saito Shougyou held of an late rally from Hyuuga Gakuin to win 4-3, and Miyakonojyou rallied late to send the game against Miyakonojyou Shougyou into enchousen and won 6-5 in 12. And in a intra-city affair Hyuuga gives up an early 2-0 lead to Hyuuga Kougyou, then comes back from down 5-2 to win 6-5 in the bottom of the 9th.
Kagoshima
I just realized I hadn't translated this bracket. This will have to be done today, and I'll have an update on it in a separate post. (ごめん！)
Okinawa
Okinawa in the 2nd weekend seemed to start off rather innocuously. Teams like Okinawa Suisan and Futenma advanced without incident.
But then turn to the 30th, and all heck broke loose. Ginowan, generally a good team, loses 5-4 to Kitanakagusuku. The biggest upset goes to Misato who went 14 innings against seeded Hokuzan and won 2-1! That opens it up for Kounan, who has scored double digits in their 2 games so far.
Onto the 3rd week, and Gushikawa was involved in their 2nd extra inning game, this time losing 5-4 to Misato Kougyou 5-4 in 14 innings. Seeded Mawashi was challenged by Futenma, but managed to win 3-0 but will have another tough matchup in Okinawa Suisan. Even the fall Kyushu Super-Regional champions Okinawa Shougaku had an 8-4 win over Chuubu Shougyou, but gave up some runs late. Yaeyama, on the other hand dealt with Yokatsu 6-3.
In other games, Urasoe Shougyou looks to be in rebuild mode, surviving Tomoshiro 3-1 and Chinen fought hard for a 3-1 win in 14 over Nanbu Kougyou. Yaeyama Shoukou scored in 7 of the 8 innings to win 12-7 over Okinawa Tousen. It doesn't look look for their prospects this year.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Day 3 - Game 1 - Sumoto (Hyogo) vs. Naruto (Tokushima)
We're crossing the midpoint of the first round today, and looking at the games so far, it has been somewhat unimpressive. Mie-Tottori Jyouhoku was an even but not stellar matchup, then a bunch of one-sided affairs, followed by a late game collapse. The 2nd day was saved by Ishinomaki Kougyou who, for at least one inning, made everyone a believer in the motto "anything can happen".
Is there more hope for today's games? Well, first on the docket is the second 21st Century Team to take the field in Sumoto versus the Shikoku fall champions Naruto.
Sumoto is the only team of the 3 invited to not have made the super-regional bracket. They made it to the Hyogo semifinals where they lost 6-0 to Koushien regular Houtoku Gakuen, then was eliminated from super-regional play by Ikuei 9-2. Their only notable win was a 13-6 win over recent attendee Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku.
At a glance their offense doesn't look much different than some of the one's we've seen here that have been eliminated - not much power, a batting average lower than most, and not much speed to speak of. Shimagaki is their to-go ace, but his peripherals (K/9, BB/9, etc) are not stellar either. So Sumoto on paper has a bit of work to do it seems.
Naruto won the Shikoku super-regional defeating notable teams in the region such as Imabari Nishi, Takamatsu Shougyou, and Kochi. Shikoku isn't the powerhouse it once was, but they're not a bunch of slouches now either.
Naruto's offense looks slightly better than Sumoto's, especially given that they had a couple more games against relatively stronger teams in the super-regional. But the numbers suggest that a lot of it is speed based (for instance more triples than doubles, and a decent amount of SB's). Furthermore, ace Gotouda's peripherals are nothing to write home about either (1.478 WHIP, ~5.4 K/9). That's where reliever Kobayashi comes in, though while he allows less runners, he also has a worse strikeout rate than Goutouda.
With average pitching, it would seem that Naruto's slightly above-average speed and offense would be the difference in the game.
CF Hosokawa Shou (#17)
RF Ishizaka Taichi
3B Iida Takuya (#5)
2B Masai Daisuke
1B Shimohara Akihiro
SS Matsubara Hiroki (#6)
C Oomura RyuusukeP Shimagaki Ryouta
CF Shimada Jyukito
LF Inaoka Kenta
1B Sugimoto Keita
RF Yamato Taira
3B Matsumoto Takanori
C Kusaka Hiroki (#12)
P Goutouda Shuusaku
2B Nakano Yuuki
__________________________________________________
09:00 - First Pitch!
Top 1st
Gotouda showing decent control in the early going, freezing Taniguchi on a pitch on the outside corner. Noguchi-kantoku must have seen something to send in #17 Hosokawa, and he's rather stubborn at the plate, fouling off pitches as he gets the count full. However, he grounds out to short, though makes it close as Kawano double clutches.
And Ishizaka swings on a slow change to end the inning.
Bottom 1st
Ooh. Not a good start for Shimagaki. He hits Kawano to start the game. Shimada almost is safe on a sac bunt, but gets the job done anyways.
Hm? I'm surprised. Shimagaki isn't throwing hard, but gets both Inaoka and Sugimoto to strike out swinging to end the inning!
Top 2nd
Sumoto's uniforms are so old-school, I like them.
Ah. Iida K's on a splitter in the dirt.
Goutouda doesn't throw particularly hard. Fastball in the low-mid 130s, slider in the high 110s-low 120s, and a slow curve in the high 90s-low 100s. Can't see where the split finger lies in that range.
2 down after a Masai fly to center and Shimohara lines the first hit into left. Matsubara follows that up with one that almost takes out Shimohara! Runners at 1st and 2nd, as Kusaka comes out to the plate.
And Oomura goes down on a curve on the outside corner! Goutouda gets out of the jam!
Bottom 2nd
Yamato with a slow chopper up the middle, but Matsubara calmly picks it up and makes the throw to 1st.
Shimagaki isn't a fireballer, and has a similar arsenal. Fastball in the low-mid 130s, slider in the high 110s-low 120s, and he has a fork in the 120s.
Matsumoto in fact, swings on one to strike out.
Kusaka with Cruel Angel's Thesis playing...
And he goes down on another forkball to end the inning. That's 4 K's for Shimagaki already!
Top 3rd
Goutouda is back to a rhythm on the mound as he strikes out Shimagaki on 3 straight, then induce popups on Taniguchi and Hosokawa on 3 pitches. Just like that Naruto is back on the bats!
Bottom 3rd
The cameras are moving around a bit. The system that brought rain is still around, just blowing a lot of wind around.
Shimagaki gets 2 groundouts to Masai, then freezes leadoff batter Kawano on a change outside.
Top 4th
The sun is finally peeking out, but it's still windy out there.
Ishisaka works the count full, but grounds to 2nd. But Nakano charging in can't field it! By the time he doubles back, Ishisaka is safe!
Cleanup batter Iida is showing bunt? Takes strike 1. Now it's a bust-and-run?? And now he's swinging away and fouls one off!
He fouls off another one, and it's playable, but the wind is blowing hard from right to left that it goes out fo reach.
He slowly works the count to 2-2 as he fouls off a slow curve. Then again as he bails on a fastball outside. And again.
Iida finally puts it in play, but it's right at Kawano who starts the 6-4-3 double play. 2 down.
Masai gets plunked right on the knee so Sumoto has a runner back on base for Shimohara.
Shimohara makes Goutouda pay! He lines a ball into the opposite field gap! It goes all the way to the wall as Masai scores easily! Shimohara's RBI triple gives them the 1-0 lead!
Whoa. Matsubara is just fast on that slow curve lining it just left of Shimohara!
And he can't pull the trigger on a change on the outside corner! Goutouda gets his 3rd out, but not before his hit batsmen comes around to score!
Bottom 4th
Shimada with a grounder to 3rd, and it bounces off Iida! He has no shot at 1st anymore, and from the replay it looks like it hit him in not so nice of a spot.
Well, Inaoka is as expected bunting. And while Shimagaki is trying to force a bad bunt, he's fallen behind 3-0 and has to go after him. Gets one on the inside corner for strike 1, but then Inaoka gets his bunt down.
Ah! Now Shimagaki hits Sugimoto! Still 1 down, but now 2 runners on!
But Shimogaki gets Yamato to swing on a slider for the 2nd out!
And he gets out of the inning as Matsumoto grounds to 3rd! Iida makes the throw to 1st and a great stretch by Shimohara gets the out!
Top 5th
Oomura times a slow curve and easily lines one to left center to start the inning. Shimagaki lays the but down, and Sumoto threatens again.
Taniguchi with the swinging bunt, but fortunately for Naruto it goes foul.
Taniguchi though whiffs on a change in the dirt for the 2nd out.
Hosokawa too can't hold off on a bad pitch and Goutouda and company heads back to the dugout.
Bottom 5th
Shimagaki records his 7th K as Kusaka swings on a slider off the plate.
Gotouda with a slow grounder to short. Iida gets there first, but can't get a grip on the ball. Goutouda safe at first on the error.
Nakano offers a bunt on the first pitch but misses. With the count 2-1 he tries again, but fouls it off. Nakano looks like he's going to free bunt, but the ball goes wide and the count runs full.
He basically gets his bunt as Goutouda takes off and he grounds out to 2nd.
Kawano with a shot down the left field line.. foul!
SANSHIN! Shimagaki gets him on a slider in the dirt and the inning is over! Sumoto heads to the dugout holding onto a slim 1-run lead into the break!
Top 6th
One down for Sumoto and Iida takes a ball away into the left center field gap! Shiamda gets to it, but Iida's pushing for 2! The throw is cutoff and he's in there safely!
And now trying to pitch inside, Goutouda hits Masai! Runners at 1st and 2nd with 1 down as Moriwaki-kantoku calls for time.
And the wrong guy for Naruto is coming up, Shimohara...
He looks at a curve right down the middle for strike 1. He holds off the next 2 pitches and gets ahead. Pitch inside makes it 3-1. Will they just walk him?
Nope, he throws his curve in there for strike 2. Full count!
SANSHIN! Shimohara goes over the curve and strikes out! Now all Goutouda needs is an out from Matsubara.
Two curves/changes later and Matsubara's behind 0-2. But Matsubara offers on yet another curve away and Goutouda gets out of the jam!
Bottom 6th
Shimagaki hits his 3rd batter in Shimada to lead off the inning.
And now Shimada tries for the steal! The throw is ther, but Matsubara is a tick too fast and has to reach behind him! He can't field the ball and Shimada is safe!
Inaoka still continues to show bunt, but fouls it off to make the count 2-2. He pulls it back and slaps it to short. Matsubara has no play at 3rd, so he gets the play at first.
Sugimoto with the slap through the drawn in infield and that easily scores the run. We're douten at 1-1!
And Yamato is bunting even with one down, but winds up offering and missing for the strikeout! 2 down.
Matsumoto grounds into the fielder's choice at 2nd, but post-break Naruto levels the score!
Top 7th
Oomura works the count on Goutouda, but grounds back to him for the first out. Shimagaki meanwhile continues to bite on the curves outside and strikes out for the 2nd time. Taniguchi makes it a 1-2-3 inning fouling out to Nakano.
Bottom 7th
Kusaka becomes Shimagaki's 4th hit batter and now Goutouda will look to put the gyakuten run in scoring position, and does so on the first pitch.
Nakano does his best, but swings under a change for the 2nd out. One more and Shimagaki avoids disaster.
But the lineup turns over to Kawano. Won't be easy.
Except that it is! Shimagaki gets ahead 0-2 then induces a weak grounder to 2nd for the 3rd out!
Top 8th
Hosokawa leads off the inning showing bunt, but grounds out to short.
The chart shows Goutouda at 118 pitches as Ishizaka steps in. Yet he's still locating his pitches well as a ball inside induces a grounder to 2nd.
Iida swings at a letter high fastball and it finds the gap between Kawano and Inaoka for a base hit.
Masai next to keep the inning going, but falls behind 1-2, and on a hit-and-run pops out to short.
Bottom 8th
Both pitchers are throwing their fair share of breaking balls at this point. Shimada manages to avoid one in the dirt, but grounds out to 2nd.
Inaoka with a short liner to 3rd and Iida snocones it for the 2nd out.
It's another quick inning as Sugimoto gets really jammed and hits an easy grounder to Shimagaki.
Top 9th
Well! We're in the 9th inning and the game is tied at 1! Will someone break through or are we headed to our first enchousen game?
Shimohara swings early and flies out to Shimada. 1 down.
#10 Kobayashi seems warmed up just in case, but Goutouda seems fine.
Foul popup by Matsubara and Kusaka should have it, but lets it drop! Second chance!
But Goutouda freezes him on a fastball for the 2nd out!
Oomura quickly goes down 0-2 swinging at balls away again, but just sneaks one past a diving Sugimoto and Nakano for a base hit!
Now Shimagaki has to help his own cause... but flies out to left... Now they'll have to hope for enchousen.
Bottom 9th
Shimagaki at 109 pitches heading into the 9th. That's actually pretty low.
OH! Yamato with a liner back at Shimagaki and he picks it off for the 1st out!
Shimagaki's off speed pitches are still on target and he picks off Matsumoto for his 11th K!
And Kusaka first pitch grounds to 2nd and we're headed to enchousen!
Top 10th
Goutoua delivers his 144th pitch to leadoff batter Taniguchi and he fouls it off. 144 still not terrible. Seriously.
Taniguchi pops out to short for the 1st out. Hosokawa tries the safety bunt, but his dive might have cost him the base...
Ishizaka first pitch grounds to 1st and Naruto is quickly back on the bats.
Bottom 10th
Goutouda with Naruto's 3rd hit of the day on a ball back up the middle!
Noguchi-kantoku calls time as this is a crucial time now for Shimagaki.
Nakano lays the bunt down and the sayonara run is in scoring position.
AH! Shimagaki with a mistake and Kawano drives it to deep left center! No one's going to get to it and Naruto gets the sayonara 2-1 win!!!
A well fought pitchers duel on both sides, Shimagaki's control slipped just a little sooner than Goutouda and Naruto takes advantage!
Give Shimagaki and Sumoto credit. They probably shouldn't have been this close against the Shikoku champions, but they fought them 10 hard innings. Nothing to complain about for the home squad.
Is there more hope for today's games? Well, first on the docket is the second 21st Century Team to take the field in Sumoto versus the Shikoku fall champions Naruto.
Sumoto is the only team of the 3 invited to not have made the super-regional bracket. They made it to the Hyogo semifinals where they lost 6-0 to Koushien regular Houtoku Gakuen, then was eliminated from super-regional play by Ikuei 9-2. Their only notable win was a 13-6 win over recent attendee Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku.
At a glance their offense doesn't look much different than some of the one's we've seen here that have been eliminated - not much power, a batting average lower than most, and not much speed to speak of. Shimagaki is their to-go ace, but his peripherals (K/9, BB/9, etc) are not stellar either. So Sumoto on paper has a bit of work to do it seems.
Naruto won the Shikoku super-regional defeating notable teams in the region such as Imabari Nishi, Takamatsu Shougyou, and Kochi. Shikoku isn't the powerhouse it once was, but they're not a bunch of slouches now either.
Naruto's offense looks slightly better than Sumoto's, especially given that they had a couple more games against relatively stronger teams in the super-regional. But the numbers suggest that a lot of it is speed based (for instance more triples than doubles, and a decent amount of SB's). Furthermore, ace Gotouda's peripherals are nothing to write home about either (1.478 WHIP, ~5.4 K/9). That's where reliever Kobayashi comes in, though while he allows less runners, he also has a worse strikeout rate than Goutouda.
With average pitching, it would seem that Naruto's slightly above-average speed and offense would be the difference in the game.
Sumoto (Hyogo)
LF Taniguchi Yuusuke (#8)CF Hosokawa Shou (#17)
RF Ishizaka Taichi
3B Iida Takuya (#5)
2B Masai Daisuke
1B Shimohara Akihiro
SS Matsubara Hiroki (#6)
C Oomura RyuusukeP Shimagaki Ryouta
Naruto (Tokushima)
SS Kawano YuutoCF Shimada Jyukito
LF Inaoka Kenta
1B Sugimoto Keita
RF Yamato Taira
3B Matsumoto Takanori
C Kusaka Hiroki (#12)
P Goutouda Shuusaku
2B Nakano Yuuki
__________________________________________________
09:00 - First Pitch!
Top 1st
Gotouda showing decent control in the early going, freezing Taniguchi on a pitch on the outside corner. Noguchi-kantoku must have seen something to send in #17 Hosokawa, and he's rather stubborn at the plate, fouling off pitches as he gets the count full. However, he grounds out to short, though makes it close as Kawano double clutches.
And Ishizaka swings on a slow change to end the inning.
Bottom 1st
Ooh. Not a good start for Shimagaki. He hits Kawano to start the game. Shimada almost is safe on a sac bunt, but gets the job done anyways.
Hm? I'm surprised. Shimagaki isn't throwing hard, but gets both Inaoka and Sugimoto to strike out swinging to end the inning!
Top 2nd
Sumoto's uniforms are so old-school, I like them.
Ah. Iida K's on a splitter in the dirt.
Goutouda doesn't throw particularly hard. Fastball in the low-mid 130s, slider in the high 110s-low 120s, and a slow curve in the high 90s-low 100s. Can't see where the split finger lies in that range.
2 down after a Masai fly to center and Shimohara lines the first hit into left. Matsubara follows that up with one that almost takes out Shimohara! Runners at 1st and 2nd, as Kusaka comes out to the plate.
And Oomura goes down on a curve on the outside corner! Goutouda gets out of the jam!
Bottom 2nd
Yamato with a slow chopper up the middle, but Matsubara calmly picks it up and makes the throw to 1st.
Shimagaki isn't a fireballer, and has a similar arsenal. Fastball in the low-mid 130s, slider in the high 110s-low 120s, and he has a fork in the 120s.
Matsumoto in fact, swings on one to strike out.
Kusaka with Cruel Angel's Thesis playing...
And he goes down on another forkball to end the inning. That's 4 K's for Shimagaki already!
Top 3rd
Goutouda is back to a rhythm on the mound as he strikes out Shimagaki on 3 straight, then induce popups on Taniguchi and Hosokawa on 3 pitches. Just like that Naruto is back on the bats!
Bottom 3rd
The cameras are moving around a bit. The system that brought rain is still around, just blowing a lot of wind around.
Shimagaki gets 2 groundouts to Masai, then freezes leadoff batter Kawano on a change outside.
Top 4th
The sun is finally peeking out, but it's still windy out there.
Ishisaka works the count full, but grounds to 2nd. But Nakano charging in can't field it! By the time he doubles back, Ishisaka is safe!
Cleanup batter Iida is showing bunt? Takes strike 1. Now it's a bust-and-run?? And now he's swinging away and fouls one off!
He fouls off another one, and it's playable, but the wind is blowing hard from right to left that it goes out fo reach.
He slowly works the count to 2-2 as he fouls off a slow curve. Then again as he bails on a fastball outside. And again.
Iida finally puts it in play, but it's right at Kawano who starts the 6-4-3 double play. 2 down.
Masai gets plunked right on the knee so Sumoto has a runner back on base for Shimohara.
Shimohara makes Goutouda pay! He lines a ball into the opposite field gap! It goes all the way to the wall as Masai scores easily! Shimohara's RBI triple gives them the 1-0 lead!
Whoa. Matsubara is just fast on that slow curve lining it just left of Shimohara!
And he can't pull the trigger on a change on the outside corner! Goutouda gets his 3rd out, but not before his hit batsmen comes around to score!
Bottom 4th
Shimada with a grounder to 3rd, and it bounces off Iida! He has no shot at 1st anymore, and from the replay it looks like it hit him in not so nice of a spot.
Well, Inaoka is as expected bunting. And while Shimagaki is trying to force a bad bunt, he's fallen behind 3-0 and has to go after him. Gets one on the inside corner for strike 1, but then Inaoka gets his bunt down.
Ah! Now Shimagaki hits Sugimoto! Still 1 down, but now 2 runners on!
But Shimogaki gets Yamato to swing on a slider for the 2nd out!
And he gets out of the inning as Matsumoto grounds to 3rd! Iida makes the throw to 1st and a great stretch by Shimohara gets the out!
Top 5th
Oomura times a slow curve and easily lines one to left center to start the inning. Shimagaki lays the but down, and Sumoto threatens again.
Taniguchi with the swinging bunt, but fortunately for Naruto it goes foul.
Taniguchi though whiffs on a change in the dirt for the 2nd out.
Hosokawa too can't hold off on a bad pitch and Goutouda and company heads back to the dugout.
Bottom 5th
Shimagaki records his 7th K as Kusaka swings on a slider off the plate.
Gotouda with a slow grounder to short. Iida gets there first, but can't get a grip on the ball. Goutouda safe at first on the error.
Nakano offers a bunt on the first pitch but misses. With the count 2-1 he tries again, but fouls it off. Nakano looks like he's going to free bunt, but the ball goes wide and the count runs full.
He basically gets his bunt as Goutouda takes off and he grounds out to 2nd.
Kawano with a shot down the left field line.. foul!
SANSHIN! Shimagaki gets him on a slider in the dirt and the inning is over! Sumoto heads to the dugout holding onto a slim 1-run lead into the break!
Top 6th
One down for Sumoto and Iida takes a ball away into the left center field gap! Shiamda gets to it, but Iida's pushing for 2! The throw is cutoff and he's in there safely!
And now trying to pitch inside, Goutouda hits Masai! Runners at 1st and 2nd with 1 down as Moriwaki-kantoku calls for time.
And the wrong guy for Naruto is coming up, Shimohara...
He looks at a curve right down the middle for strike 1. He holds off the next 2 pitches and gets ahead. Pitch inside makes it 3-1. Will they just walk him?
Nope, he throws his curve in there for strike 2. Full count!
SANSHIN! Shimohara goes over the curve and strikes out! Now all Goutouda needs is an out from Matsubara.
Two curves/changes later and Matsubara's behind 0-2. But Matsubara offers on yet another curve away and Goutouda gets out of the jam!
Bottom 6th
Shimagaki hits his 3rd batter in Shimada to lead off the inning.
And now Shimada tries for the steal! The throw is ther, but Matsubara is a tick too fast and has to reach behind him! He can't field the ball and Shimada is safe!
Inaoka still continues to show bunt, but fouls it off to make the count 2-2. He pulls it back and slaps it to short. Matsubara has no play at 3rd, so he gets the play at first.
Sugimoto with the slap through the drawn in infield and that easily scores the run. We're douten at 1-1!
And Yamato is bunting even with one down, but winds up offering and missing for the strikeout! 2 down.
Matsumoto grounds into the fielder's choice at 2nd, but post-break Naruto levels the score!
Top 7th
Oomura works the count on Goutouda, but grounds back to him for the first out. Shimagaki meanwhile continues to bite on the curves outside and strikes out for the 2nd time. Taniguchi makes it a 1-2-3 inning fouling out to Nakano.
Bottom 7th
Kusaka becomes Shimagaki's 4th hit batter and now Goutouda will look to put the gyakuten run in scoring position, and does so on the first pitch.
Nakano does his best, but swings under a change for the 2nd out. One more and Shimagaki avoids disaster.
But the lineup turns over to Kawano. Won't be easy.
Except that it is! Shimagaki gets ahead 0-2 then induces a weak grounder to 2nd for the 3rd out!
Top 8th
Hosokawa leads off the inning showing bunt, but grounds out to short.
The chart shows Goutouda at 118 pitches as Ishizaka steps in. Yet he's still locating his pitches well as a ball inside induces a grounder to 2nd.
Iida swings at a letter high fastball and it finds the gap between Kawano and Inaoka for a base hit.
Masai next to keep the inning going, but falls behind 1-2, and on a hit-and-run pops out to short.
Bottom 8th
Both pitchers are throwing their fair share of breaking balls at this point. Shimada manages to avoid one in the dirt, but grounds out to 2nd.
Inaoka with a short liner to 3rd and Iida snocones it for the 2nd out.
It's another quick inning as Sugimoto gets really jammed and hits an easy grounder to Shimagaki.
Top 9th
Well! We're in the 9th inning and the game is tied at 1! Will someone break through or are we headed to our first enchousen game?
Shimohara swings early and flies out to Shimada. 1 down.
#10 Kobayashi seems warmed up just in case, but Goutouda seems fine.
Foul popup by Matsubara and Kusaka should have it, but lets it drop! Second chance!
But Goutouda freezes him on a fastball for the 2nd out!
Oomura quickly goes down 0-2 swinging at balls away again, but just sneaks one past a diving Sugimoto and Nakano for a base hit!
Now Shimagaki has to help his own cause... but flies out to left... Now they'll have to hope for enchousen.
Bottom 9th
Shimagaki at 109 pitches heading into the 9th. That's actually pretty low.
OH! Yamato with a liner back at Shimagaki and he picks it off for the 1st out!
Shimagaki's off speed pitches are still on target and he picks off Matsumoto for his 11th K!
And Kusaka first pitch grounds to 2nd and we're headed to enchousen!
Top 10th
Goutoua delivers his 144th pitch to leadoff batter Taniguchi and he fouls it off. 144 still not terrible. Seriously.
Taniguchi pops out to short for the 1st out. Hosokawa tries the safety bunt, but his dive might have cost him the base...
Ishizaka first pitch grounds to 1st and Naruto is quickly back on the bats.
Bottom 10th
Goutouda with Naruto's 3rd hit of the day on a ball back up the middle!
Noguchi-kantoku calls time as this is a crucial time now for Shimagaki.
Nakano lays the bunt down and the sayonara run is in scoring position.
AH! Shimagaki with a mistake and Kawano drives it to deep left center! No one's going to get to it and Naruto gets the sayonara 2-1 win!!!
A well fought pitchers duel on both sides, Shimagaki's control slipped just a little sooner than Goutouda and Naruto takes advantage!
Give Shimagaki and Sumoto credit. They probably shouldn't have been this close against the Shikoku champions, but they fought them 10 hard innings. Nothing to complain about for the home squad.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
93rd Koushien Qualifying - July 13th-23rd (Kinki Region)
A lot to go over here, but it will have to be summarized more than usual.
Mie
Games began at Yokkaichi on the 15th with Tsu Nishi mercy ruling Subaru Gakuen 8-1 in 8. Since then we have reached the round of 16.
After the opening game all teams started play. Hisai Nourin scores 3 runs late to beat Matsusaka Shougyou 4-3. Akatsuki Gakuen scores 6 in the 5th, but needs every run as Yokkaichi Yogou scores 5 in the last 4 innings to barely get beaten 7-6. Tsu Shougyou fights back to tie the game at 5, after being down 3, in the 8th then goes on to beat Hisai in the bottom of the 12th. Yokkaichi scores the sayonara run over Yokkaichi Chuo Kougyou 2-1.
Rain started to impede play on the 18th. Games at Ise and Tsu were cancelled. After Ouka's 7-3 win over Toba, Yokkaichi Minami and Kinan can only get through 4½ before the game is called. Yokkaichi was the only place to play a full slate. And that wound up being fortunate for Kawagoe, not so much for Nabari Kiyougaoka. Nabari held a 7-1 lead through 7 innings. Kawagoe scores 4 in the 8th and 3 in the 9th for the 8-7 sayonara victory. The rained out games would be played on the 21st. Owase scores 3 in the 9th for a 6-4 win over Asake.
Onto the 2nd round, Tsu outlasts Nissei Gakuen Dai-ichi 2-1 in 12. And Tsu Higashi plates the only run in the top of the 9th to beat Kogakkan. Kaisei and Ouka tango for 13 innings, with Kaisei prevailing 3-2. Kawagoe continues its narrow escapes, scoring their runs late to win 2-1 over Minami-Ise.
Kyoto
When we last left Kyoto, they were in the middle of round 2.
Kyoto Kyouei scores late to beat Tanabe 4-3. Kumiyama down 5-1 in the bottom of the 9th scores 5 for the win! Yes, it's heartbreaking for Nantan, but at the same time it's what kokoyakyu is all about.
3rd round and Kyoto Gaidai Nishi defeats Kyoto Gakuen 7-2. Suzaku outlasts Rakutou 5-4 in 12. Yamashiro scores 3 in the 10th to defeat Ayabe. Ryuukokudai Heian scores 1 run in the 1st against Kyoto Kyouei, and surprisingly that's the only run scored!
Round of 16 play and my team - Kyoto Gaidai Nishi gets blitzed by a 5-run 5th from Kyoto Ryouyou 10-5... My more irrational team in Kyoto, Kyoto Subaru, scores in each of the last 5 innings, but can't make up for its pitching. They fall 11-8 to Toba.
In one of the most bizarre games, Ritsumeikan Uji had just scored 3 in the top of the 7th to lead 6-1 when Kumiyama out of nowhere scores 8! Not only that, but Uji comes back with 3 the very next inning to tie the game! The game would only go one more inning as Uji would win 12-9.
The next game that day would also go into extras where Yamashiro scored 3 in the 8th to tie it up. And even though they scored 2 in the 10th, they almost blew that lead.
What those first 2 extra inning games meant though was that Ryuukokudai Heian's game against Higashiyama, which they were winning 7-2 after 5½ was called a no-game expending extra effort. Fortunately for them they had 2 days off due to the rain. When play resumed Ryuukokudai Heian won 8-1 in 7.
The last games finished up with Fukuchiyama Seibi shutting out Doushisha Kokusai, and Nishi-Jyouou mercy ruling Rakuhoku.
Onto quarterfinal action, and Kyoto Ryouyou continues their surprising run with a 5-2 win over Toba. But they'd face their toughest test against Ritsumeikan Uji who handled Fukuchiyama 8-1 in 7. Meanwhile, Ryuukokudai Heian was in trouble versus Yamashiro, but scored 6 in the 8th for a gyakuten win! There'll be a blockbuster game next as they face Fukuchiyama Seibi who themselves had to hold off Nishi-Jyouyou 4-3.
Nara
Until I see someone challenge Chiben Gakuen, it's almost pointless covering this prefecture.
But to note some close games:
Wakayama
While there are some competitors now to Chiben Wakayama, which include Minoshima and Kouyou, it's still Chiben Wakayama's prefecture.
We advance to coverage of the 3rd round which sees one contender in Minoshima faltering late, giving up the tying and sayonara runs to Shiritsu Wakayama 2-1, and Touin taken to 14 by Hatsushiba Hashimoto but winning 4-2.
Osaka
Looking at block play we had the following notable games:
Block play was going on in Hyogo. Notable games include:
Mie
Games began at Yokkaichi on the 15th with Tsu Nishi mercy ruling Subaru Gakuen 8-1 in 8. Since then we have reached the round of 16.
After the opening game all teams started play. Hisai Nourin scores 3 runs late to beat Matsusaka Shougyou 4-3. Akatsuki Gakuen scores 6 in the 5th, but needs every run as Yokkaichi Yogou scores 5 in the last 4 innings to barely get beaten 7-6. Tsu Shougyou fights back to tie the game at 5, after being down 3, in the 8th then goes on to beat Hisai in the bottom of the 12th. Yokkaichi scores the sayonara run over Yokkaichi Chuo Kougyou 2-1.
Rain started to impede play on the 18th. Games at Ise and Tsu were cancelled. After Ouka's 7-3 win over Toba, Yokkaichi Minami and Kinan can only get through 4½ before the game is called. Yokkaichi was the only place to play a full slate. And that wound up being fortunate for Kawagoe, not so much for Nabari Kiyougaoka. Nabari held a 7-1 lead through 7 innings. Kawagoe scores 4 in the 8th and 3 in the 9th for the 8-7 sayonara victory. The rained out games would be played on the 21st. Owase scores 3 in the 9th for a 6-4 win over Asake.
Onto the 2nd round, Tsu outlasts Nissei Gakuen Dai-ichi 2-1 in 12. And Tsu Higashi plates the only run in the top of the 9th to beat Kogakkan. Kaisei and Ouka tango for 13 innings, with Kaisei prevailing 3-2. Kawagoe continues its narrow escapes, scoring their runs late to win 2-1 over Minami-Ise.
Kyoto
When we last left Kyoto, they were in the middle of round 2.
Kyoto Kyouei scores late to beat Tanabe 4-3. Kumiyama down 5-1 in the bottom of the 9th scores 5 for the win! Yes, it's heartbreaking for Nantan, but at the same time it's what kokoyakyu is all about.
3rd round and Kyoto Gaidai Nishi defeats Kyoto Gakuen 7-2. Suzaku outlasts Rakutou 5-4 in 12. Yamashiro scores 3 in the 10th to defeat Ayabe. Ryuukokudai Heian scores 1 run in the 1st against Kyoto Kyouei, and surprisingly that's the only run scored!
Round of 16 play and my team - Kyoto Gaidai Nishi gets blitzed by a 5-run 5th from Kyoto Ryouyou 10-5... My more irrational team in Kyoto, Kyoto Subaru, scores in each of the last 5 innings, but can't make up for its pitching. They fall 11-8 to Toba.
In one of the most bizarre games, Ritsumeikan Uji had just scored 3 in the top of the 7th to lead 6-1 when Kumiyama out of nowhere scores 8! Not only that, but Uji comes back with 3 the very next inning to tie the game! The game would only go one more inning as Uji would win 12-9.
The next game that day would also go into extras where Yamashiro scored 3 in the 8th to tie it up. And even though they scored 2 in the 10th, they almost blew that lead.
What those first 2 extra inning games meant though was that Ryuukokudai Heian's game against Higashiyama, which they were winning 7-2 after 5½ was called a no-game expending extra effort. Fortunately for them they had 2 days off due to the rain. When play resumed Ryuukokudai Heian won 8-1 in 7.
The last games finished up with Fukuchiyama Seibi shutting out Doushisha Kokusai, and Nishi-Jyouou mercy ruling Rakuhoku.
Onto quarterfinal action, and Kyoto Ryouyou continues their surprising run with a 5-2 win over Toba. But they'd face their toughest test against Ritsumeikan Uji who handled Fukuchiyama 8-1 in 7. Meanwhile, Ryuukokudai Heian was in trouble versus Yamashiro, but scored 6 in the 8th for a gyakuten win! There'll be a blockbuster game next as they face Fukuchiyama Seibi who themselves had to hold off Nishi-Jyouyou 4-3.
Nara
Until I see someone challenge Chiben Gakuen, it's almost pointless covering this prefecture.
But to note some close games:
- Round 2 - Sakurai scores 4 in the 9th to beat Heijyou 7-5.
- The coverage in Nara could be made even more pointless as the only other team to break the Tenri-Chiben Gakuen barrier, Kooriyama, loses in their first game to Unebi 3-1.
- Gose Jitsugyou gets the lead against Yamato Kouryou with 3 in the 8th for a 1 run lead, loses it with 2 in the top of the 9th, then wins it 7-6 with 2 in the bottom of the 9th!
- Ichijyou wins 6-5 in 10 over Kashihara Gakuin.
- Round 3 - Nara Jyouhou Shougyou pulls off the sayonara win after allowing Takatori Kokusai to score 2 in the 9th to tie it up.
- Nara scores 4 in the 8th and achieves the gyakuten win over Ichijyou!
Wakayama
While there are some competitors now to Chiben Wakayama, which include Minoshima and Kouyou, it's still Chiben Wakayama's prefecture.
We advance to coverage of the 3rd round which sees one contender in Minoshima faltering late, giving up the tying and sayonara runs to Shiritsu Wakayama 2-1, and Touin taken to 14 by Hatsushiba Hashimoto but winning 4-2.
Osaka
Looking at block play we had the following notable games:
- Kantodai Dai-ichi ties the game in the bottom of the 9th against Sakuranomiya, but loses 9-7 in 11.
- Osaka Shougyoudai scores 2 in the bottom of the 9th for the gyakuten sayonara win over Momoyama Gakuin.
- Nougei and Izumi-Ootsu start scoring runs like there's no tomorrow. Nougei leads 5-0, then Izumi-Ootsu leads 6-5, then Nougei leads 8-6. Izumi-Ootsu would try to come back, but Nougei just had one more run, winning 11-10.
- Tondabayashi, just 6 outs away from elimination, rallies to tie the game then wins 5-4 in 10 against Yuuhigaoka.
- Takatsuki Kita scores 3 in the bottom of the 9th to force enchousen, but ultimately falls 6-4 in 12 to Minoo Gakuen.
- Fukui tries repeatedly to put away Settsu even in the 12th inning, but Settsu rallies time and again, eventually winning 5-4 in 13.
- Kishiwada Sangyou scores 3 in the bottom of the 8th for a 8-7 win over Ootsuka.
Block play was going on in Hyogo. Notable games include:
- Block 11 Seed Touban Kougyou looks to be in dire straits against Himeji, but they score 5 in the 8th for a 7-6 gyakuten win.
- Kobe Kita rallies late to send it to extras, then wins in 14 over Koudera.
- Akashi Tousen barely beats out the transition team of Amagasaki Higashi/Amagasaki Sousei 1-0.
- Kenritsu Itami and Amagasaki Kita finally get their game in, and sure enough it goes into extras. Amagasaki Kita forces enchousen, but loses in 10.
- Right before the aforementioned game,Block 4 seed Mukonosou Sougyou looked to have the game in hand scoring 2 in the 9th to go up 3. But Ikawadani rallies for 3 to tie it, then also won in 10.
- Block 12 seed Sanda Shousei with 3 runs in the 7th and 8th innings tie the game at 7 with Himeji Kougyou. They would win in 12.
- In another 8-7 game, Aboshi scores 6 unanswered after Nishinomiya Kabutoyama scored 6 in the 3rd. And in 12, Aboshi would finish the job.
- Block 14 seed Touyoudai Himeji is yet another seeded team that has trouble in their first game. Against Takaradzuka Kita, they were 1-1 going to extras. Not until they scored 5 in the 11th did they finally win the game.
- Kawanishi Midoridai pushes Akashi into enchousen where they win 9-6 in 12.
- In Block 16, seeded Awaji Mihara loses a 3-run lead to Seiryou, giving up 2 in the bottom of the 9th in the process. Seiryou completes the comeback with a run in the 10th.
- Block 7 seed Kobe Murano Kougyou becomes the next seeded team to fall, as Himeji Nishi upsets them 2-0.
- Block 2 seed Kansei Gakuin behind late to Amagasaki Sangyou 7-5 scores 6 in the 8th to win 11-7.
- Mikage scores the sayonara run to beat Higashi-Nada 4-3.
- Kounan and Iwa play the first 9 innings without either scoring a run. It isn't until the 11th before Kounan scores the only run.
- Himeji Higashi tries to rally against Kenritsudai Fuzoku, but falls one run short 8-7.
- And anime-related, Nishinomiya Kita wins a game! They beat Hokuetsu Sanda 8-0 in 7 innings!
- Block semis started on the 17th. Takigawa Dai-ni, seeded team from Block 5, becomes the next to fall, losing 3-2 to Wadayama. Shinkou Gakuen, Block 6 seed, has similar troubled though they defeat Kakogawa Nishi 4-3.
- Sumoto scores 5 runs in the last 3 innings to defeat Kita-Suma 6-4.
- Part of the games on the 18th were rained out, but it wasn't a total loss of games. Sanda Shousei got another score from Aioi Sangyou, but won 4-3. Hyogo Shougyou outlasts Akashi Kita 2-1 in 11. Seiryou continues their run with a 4-3 win over Nagata.
- Ikawadani's run end in the 3rd round as Suma Higashi scores the winning run in the 11th.
- Oh my gosh! Nishinomiya Kita wins a 2nd game! They hold on to beat Kenritsu Itami 4-3 after Itami scores 3 in the 9th!
- Shiritsu Shinkou scores the only run in their game against Sayou. Suma Gakuen wins 1-0 over Kobe Tousen as well.
- Kansei Gakuin's run ends in their 2nd game. They rally, but fall to Himeji Shikisai 4-3.
- Mikage goes 13 against Takaradzuka Higashi winning 2-0.
- Despite there being just 1 day turnaround, Suma Gakuen rises to the occasion to defeat Wadayama 4-3 to win block 5!
- Houtoku Gakuen finishes out strong with a 8-1 win in 8 over Sumoto in Block 1.
- Touban Kougyou survives to win Block 11 with a 1-0 win over Himeji Minami.
- Kakogawa Higashi after defeating seeded Izushi moves on from Block 15 with a 4-3 sayonara win over Akashi Nishi. This inlcuded having to score a run in the 10th to keep the game alive!
- Touyoudai Himeji shuts out Hyogo Shougyou 4-0 to advance out of Block 14.
- Akou upsets Sanda Shousei 2-1 to win Block 12!
- Suma Higashi defeats Shiritsu Shinkou 3-2 to win Block 4.
- Shinkou Gakuen mercy rules Kobe Kouryou Gakuen to win Block 6.
- Himeji Shikisai rallies in the last 2 innings, but falls short against Nigawa Gakuin 4-3 in the Block 3 final. Kawanishi Midoridai survives in Block 2 over Kotogaoka by the same score.
- Oh well, it was good while it lasted. Yashiro advances out of Block 9 with a 7-0 win over Nishinomiya Kita. At least they weren't mercy ruled.
- Block 10, Kakogawa Kita has no problem with Kobe Takatsuka.
- Block 13, Ichikawa was the seeded team, Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku was the favorite. They win 8-2.
- Migake suffers whiplash in the Block 7 final. Ono mercy rules them 10-0 in 5.
- Akashi Shougyou calmly advances out of Block 8, defeating Shikama 4-1
- And rounding out things, in Block 16 Seiryou edges out Suma Shoufuu 2-1.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
93rd Koushien Qualifying - July 10th-12th (Kinki & Chuugoku Prefectures)
Kyoto
On the first full day of games in Kyoto, Saikyou and Kyoto Meitoku were in a closely contested battle before Saikyou plated the go-ahead run in the 10th to win 6-5. Meanwhile Tounan who had done well recently was unceremoniously ousted by Ayabe 1-0.
In other games on the 10th Ritsumeikan Uji, another strong team in the prefecture, starts off with a 8-0 win in 7 over Rakuyou Kougyou.
Onto the 11th and at Wakasa Stadium, Rakuhoku survives an opening barrage by Otokuni and picks off a run in he 5th and 7th for a 6-5 win. At Miyadzu Municipal, another irrational pet team of mine Kyoto Subaru needs a 3-run 8th to beat Kyoto Seishou 4-2.
At Taiyougaoka, a team of mine that actually has a chance - Kyoto Gaidai Nishi handled Miyadzu 8-1 in 7 and will face Kyoto Gakuen next as they held off Rakusei 5-4.
The 12th saw teams who played in the 1st round back on the field to face those lucky enough to draw a 1st round bye. Ritsumeikan Uji had no trouble with that as they beat Kita-Saga 5-1, and Kyoto Shouei slid past Hanazono 6-5.
Back to Miyadzu Municipal, and Higashi-Uji gets the lead back after allowing Jyounan Ryousou to tie it in the bottom of the 8th. Kousugi closes the door for the win 4-3.
Nara
Chiben Gakuen is the heads-on clear favorite, but might as well give some teams their time in the sun.
Takamado had the lead in the beginning, and more importantly in the end against Yamabe winning 8-6. In the battle of Takada, the lead changed hand 3 times - all in the 2nd half of the game. Takada's 2 runs in the top of the 9th tied it at 5. But Takada Shougyou made the 3rd and final lead change, scoring the sayonara run in the bottom of the 9th to win 6-5.
And on the 12th, Totsukawa did well to tie the game at 7 to eventually send it into extras, but Oouda scores the sayonara run to win 3-2 in 11 innings. Ouji Kougyou led 2-0, then 3-2, but trailed 4-3 going into the top of the 9th versus Tomigaoka. But no matter, Ouji scores 2 in the top of the 9th, retaking the lead for good.
Osaka
How Osaka can take breaks during their tournament is beyond me, but after the games on the 10th, they're on break until the 14th.
Anyways, not many notable games, though Perfect Liberty Gakuen (aka PL Gakuen) defeated Sakai 5-0 in their 1st game. Two more to go before advancing to the prefecturals!
Tsukinoki mounted a huge comeback, down 6-1 to Senri, they score 4 in the 8th and 2 in the 9th to win 7-6!
And finally, Han-ai blows a 2-run lead in the bottom of the 9th, but recovers and scores the winning run in the 10th to beat Kansai Ookura.
Hyogo
Hm... on the 10th we had Shikama Kougyou edging Himeji Shougyou 2-1, our first extreme blowout when Himeji Kougyou scored 71 in 4 innings against Hikami Nishi (isn't there a point where there IS no point to scoring more runs?), Akashi Nishi held onto a 4-3 lead over Sanda Gakuen, Ikawadani uses a 3-run 8th to defeat Shouyou 5-3.
Moving onto the 12th, Hyogo Shougyou made an early 1-0 run stick against Akashi Shimizu. Rokko Island couldn't make a 2-0 1st inning lead stick as Miki would come back to win 3-2. Houjyou held a 4-0 lead over Kakogawa Minami, but couldn't make it stick. They started giving back runs in the 7th culminating in a 3-run 9th to send them home 5-4.
Akashi Jyousai gets the short end of the stick, as they yield a run to Akashi in the top of the 7th, they can't score in the bottom half, and the game is called due to rain.
Over at Tomioka Kounotori, Iwa scores 5 unanswered runs late to defeate Sanda Shouunkan 5-3.
Hiroshima
Over at Coca-Cola West, the 10th had 2 low scoring affairs with Misuzugaoka defeating Itsukaichi 1-0, and Kabe winning 2-1 over Kure Miyahara in 12. Those missing runs as it were came the next day as Shoubara Kakuchi defeats Namiki Gakuin 8-1 in 7, and Saijyou Shisui falls 15-0 to Shuudou.
Blowouts were also the case at Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium on the 10th.
At Kure Nikou, Ootake defeats Kure Shouwa 3-2 in 11 while Motomachi stays one step ahead of Asakita with an 8-7 victory.
Kannabe Asahi down 4-0 scores 6 in the bottom of the 8th against Mihara Higashi to win 6-4 at Mihara Municipal.
At Mihara Kinsai, Miyoshi Seiryou puts together 2 runs late to defeat Chiyoda 3-2. Onto the 11th, Yoshida scores 6 unanswered runs to pass Hatsukaichi 7-4.
And finally over at Higashi-Hiroshima Aqua, Fukuyama Kougyou pulls out a 4-3 win over Kamo Kita.
On the first full day of games in Kyoto, Saikyou and Kyoto Meitoku were in a closely contested battle before Saikyou plated the go-ahead run in the 10th to win 6-5. Meanwhile Tounan who had done well recently was unceremoniously ousted by Ayabe 1-0.
In other games on the 10th Ritsumeikan Uji, another strong team in the prefecture, starts off with a 8-0 win in 7 over Rakuyou Kougyou.
Onto the 11th and at Wakasa Stadium, Rakuhoku survives an opening barrage by Otokuni and picks off a run in he 5th and 7th for a 6-5 win. At Miyadzu Municipal, another irrational pet team of mine Kyoto Subaru needs a 3-run 8th to beat Kyoto Seishou 4-2.
At Taiyougaoka, a team of mine that actually has a chance - Kyoto Gaidai Nishi handled Miyadzu 8-1 in 7 and will face Kyoto Gakuen next as they held off Rakusei 5-4.
The 12th saw teams who played in the 1st round back on the field to face those lucky enough to draw a 1st round bye. Ritsumeikan Uji had no trouble with that as they beat Kita-Saga 5-1, and Kyoto Shouei slid past Hanazono 6-5.
Back to Miyadzu Municipal, and Higashi-Uji gets the lead back after allowing Jyounan Ryousou to tie it in the bottom of the 8th. Kousugi closes the door for the win 4-3.
Nara
Chiben Gakuen is the heads-on clear favorite, but might as well give some teams their time in the sun.
Takamado had the lead in the beginning, and more importantly in the end against Yamabe winning 8-6. In the battle of Takada, the lead changed hand 3 times - all in the 2nd half of the game. Takada's 2 runs in the top of the 9th tied it at 5. But Takada Shougyou made the 3rd and final lead change, scoring the sayonara run in the bottom of the 9th to win 6-5.
And on the 12th, Totsukawa did well to tie the game at 7 to eventually send it into extras, but Oouda scores the sayonara run to win 3-2 in 11 innings. Ouji Kougyou led 2-0, then 3-2, but trailed 4-3 going into the top of the 9th versus Tomigaoka. But no matter, Ouji scores 2 in the top of the 9th, retaking the lead for good.
Osaka
How Osaka can take breaks during their tournament is beyond me, but after the games on the 10th, they're on break until the 14th.
Anyways, not many notable games, though Perfect Liberty Gakuen (aka PL Gakuen) defeated Sakai 5-0 in their 1st game. Two more to go before advancing to the prefecturals!
Tsukinoki mounted a huge comeback, down 6-1 to Senri, they score 4 in the 8th and 2 in the 9th to win 7-6!
And finally, Han-ai blows a 2-run lead in the bottom of the 9th, but recovers and scores the winning run in the 10th to beat Kansai Ookura.
Hyogo
Hm... on the 10th we had Shikama Kougyou edging Himeji Shougyou 2-1, our first extreme blowout when Himeji Kougyou scored 71 in 4 innings against Hikami Nishi (isn't there a point where there IS no point to scoring more runs?), Akashi Nishi held onto a 4-3 lead over Sanda Gakuen, Ikawadani uses a 3-run 8th to defeat Shouyou 5-3.
Moving onto the 12th, Hyogo Shougyou made an early 1-0 run stick against Akashi Shimizu. Rokko Island couldn't make a 2-0 1st inning lead stick as Miki would come back to win 3-2. Houjyou held a 4-0 lead over Kakogawa Minami, but couldn't make it stick. They started giving back runs in the 7th culminating in a 3-run 9th to send them home 5-4.
Akashi Jyousai gets the short end of the stick, as they yield a run to Akashi in the top of the 7th, they can't score in the bottom half, and the game is called due to rain.
Over at Tomioka Kounotori, Iwa scores 5 unanswered runs late to defeate Sanda Shouunkan 5-3.
Hiroshima
Over at Coca-Cola West, the 10th had 2 low scoring affairs with Misuzugaoka defeating Itsukaichi 1-0, and Kabe winning 2-1 over Kure Miyahara in 12. Those missing runs as it were came the next day as Shoubara Kakuchi defeats Namiki Gakuin 8-1 in 7, and Saijyou Shisui falls 15-0 to Shuudou.
Blowouts were also the case at Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium on the 10th.
At Kure Nikou, Ootake defeats Kure Shouwa 3-2 in 11 while Motomachi stays one step ahead of Asakita with an 8-7 victory.
Kannabe Asahi down 4-0 scores 6 in the bottom of the 8th against Mihara Higashi to win 6-4 at Mihara Municipal.
At Mihara Kinsai, Miyoshi Seiryou puts together 2 runs late to defeat Chiyoda 3-2. Onto the 11th, Yoshida scores 6 unanswered runs to pass Hatsukaichi 7-4.
And finally over at Higashi-Hiroshima Aqua, Fukuyama Kougyou pulls out a 4-3 win over Kamo Kita.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Full Hyogo Review
Since I didn't get around to reviewing Hyogo's games until I had dates included, we've missed a lot.
Today the best 4 is being determined. At Akashi Kouen, Kansai Gakuin holds off a late charge by Kobe Kouryou 3-2. The matinee game see Ikuei clear Kagaku Gijyutsu 6-1.
Over at Himeji, Yashiro beats Sumoto 5-1, while Takigawa Dai-ni broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the 6th and held on to win 3-2 over Shinkou Gakuen.
But let's see how we got here...
*flashback* ~~~~~ *waves hands* ~~~~~ *makes noises* ~~~~~
Hyogo is broken up into 16 blocks with several teams having to play an extra game.
On day 1 of the tournament, Tatsuno Jitsugyou held an early and comfortable 6-0 lead. But Itamiki Kita scores 5 in the 6th to cut the margin to 1. However that's as close as they'd get, falling 6-5.
Day 2 saw Kobe Murano Kougyou take a 2-0 lead against Nishinomiya Higashi, lose the lead, only to rally back to win 4-3.
The final day of the 1st round was highlighted by extra inning games. Higashi Harima and Kobe Tousen were stuck in a 1-1 draw until the 14th where Higashi Harima sent Kobe Tousen home. Yoshikawa broke a scoreless tie in the 10th against Amagasaki Nishi. And finally Kagaku Gijyutsu and Hyoko Kougyou threw up donut holes until the bottom of the 12th where Kagaku Gijyutsu scored the sayonara run.
We finally saw the top seeds play in the 2nd round. And of those 16, 4 would fall. In block 1, Amagasaki Oda was blitzed by Miki, 10-2 in 7 innings. Block 4 saw Kenritsu Ashiya unable to overcome an early 3-run deficit against Akashi Kita. Akashi Minami couldn't make a 1-0 lead stick late as Kakogawa Minami ties it in the 7th and breaks it open with 4 in the bottom of the 8th over at Block 10.
But the biggest upset by far was in Block 13. Tied 1-1 in the 7th, Shiritsu Amagasaki scores 3 against Toyodai Himeji. While Himeji gets one back in their half of the frame, that was all they could muster. Amagasaki advanced 4-2.
In other games, Sayo and Sanda Seiryou were tied 1-1 going into extras. When Sayo scored 1 in the 11th, so did Sanda. With time running out for both teams, Sayo comes through with 2 in the 14th to which Sanda Seiryou has no answer. Sayo's next opponent would be the combined team of Kobe Nishi and Masshoufu as they defeated Hikami 2-1.
Ichikawa slid by Tadaradzuka Higashi 1-0 in 12 innings while Hamasaka cried uncle against Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku, falling 13-3. Sumoto Jitsugyou faced the same fate versus Rokko Island, losing 13-6.
And finally, my Nishinomiya Kita (home of Haruhi) lost to Kawanishi Meihou 5-1.
As the tournament moved to round 3, all those upset teams managed to continue on into the block finals, with the exception of Miki. But they didn't go down without a fight. Against Amagasaki Sangyou they held the 4-2 lead. But Amagasaki was able to equalize in the 9th, and win in the 11th.
The Kobe Nishi/Masshoufu team moved on in the matchup against Sayo, blanking them 3-0.
After that rough start Kagaku Gijyutsu has quietly contines on its way, this time beating Kita Suma 5-3.
The top seeds continue to march to the block finals, although some had a little bit of a bump including Akou needed 10 to defeat Akashi Shougyou, Sanda Gakuen slid by Takigawa 2-1 and Itamiki Nishi who went 13 against Tsuna.
In the block finals, only one seeded team fell, and that was in block 11. Kakogawa Kita held a 3-2 lead over Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku, but then found themselves behind as Kobe scored 3 in the late innings to go ahead 5-3. Down to the final 3 outs, Kakogawa Kita rallies to tie the game! But the rally may have been too much as Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku scored in the bottom of the 10th to send the defending champions packing.
But many seeded teams had difficulties. Houtoku Gakuen scored the only run in the game against Kounan in the 7th. Ikuei and Kobe Kouryou followed the same blueprint against Ikawadani and Touban Kougyou. Itamiki Nishi needed 14 innings this time to win, this time against the combined Kobe Nishi/Masshoufu team. Akou needed all nine innings as they said sayonara to Awaji 3-2.
And Kagaku Gijyutsu, who almost didn't even make it past the first round, defeated Akashi Kita 7-0 to win block 4.
That brings us to the draw for the round of 16 and Best 8. And boy were there some interesting games.
Kagaku Gijyutsu continued its cinderella run, defeating Kakogawa Minami 1-0 in 13 innings. In a major upset, Kansai Gakuin held on to beat Houtoku Gakuen 5-4. Akou's run finally ran out of gas as Ikuei shut them out 3-0.
And all the other non-seeded teams remaining were weeded out. Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku had no answer to Yashiro losing 4-0. Shouyou held tough against Kobe Kouryou, but too were shut out 2-0. The best challenge was held by Shiritsu Amagasaki against Sumoto. Sumoto took an early 3-0 lead before Amagaski scored 4 in the 2nd to take the advantage. Sumoto ripped that right back with 5 in the 4th. Amagasaki wouldn't give in though, and tied it up 8-8 with 4 of their own in the 5th. But Sumoto would prove to be too much, scoring 4 in the 7th for a 12-8 victory.
And that brought us to today. Whoo hoo!
Today the best 4 is being determined. At Akashi Kouen, Kansai Gakuin holds off a late charge by Kobe Kouryou 3-2. The matinee game see Ikuei clear Kagaku Gijyutsu 6-1.
Over at Himeji, Yashiro beats Sumoto 5-1, while Takigawa Dai-ni broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the 6th and held on to win 3-2 over Shinkou Gakuen.
But let's see how we got here...
*flashback* ~~~~~ *waves hands* ~~~~~ *makes noises* ~~~~~
Hyogo is broken up into 16 blocks with several teams having to play an extra game.
On day 1 of the tournament, Tatsuno Jitsugyou held an early and comfortable 6-0 lead. But Itamiki Kita scores 5 in the 6th to cut the margin to 1. However that's as close as they'd get, falling 6-5.
Day 2 saw Kobe Murano Kougyou take a 2-0 lead against Nishinomiya Higashi, lose the lead, only to rally back to win 4-3.
The final day of the 1st round was highlighted by extra inning games. Higashi Harima and Kobe Tousen were stuck in a 1-1 draw until the 14th where Higashi Harima sent Kobe Tousen home. Yoshikawa broke a scoreless tie in the 10th against Amagasaki Nishi. And finally Kagaku Gijyutsu and Hyoko Kougyou threw up donut holes until the bottom of the 12th where Kagaku Gijyutsu scored the sayonara run.
We finally saw the top seeds play in the 2nd round. And of those 16, 4 would fall. In block 1, Amagasaki Oda was blitzed by Miki, 10-2 in 7 innings. Block 4 saw Kenritsu Ashiya unable to overcome an early 3-run deficit against Akashi Kita. Akashi Minami couldn't make a 1-0 lead stick late as Kakogawa Minami ties it in the 7th and breaks it open with 4 in the bottom of the 8th over at Block 10.
But the biggest upset by far was in Block 13. Tied 1-1 in the 7th, Shiritsu Amagasaki scores 3 against Toyodai Himeji. While Himeji gets one back in their half of the frame, that was all they could muster. Amagasaki advanced 4-2.
In other games, Sayo and Sanda Seiryou were tied 1-1 going into extras. When Sayo scored 1 in the 11th, so did Sanda. With time running out for both teams, Sayo comes through with 2 in the 14th to which Sanda Seiryou has no answer. Sayo's next opponent would be the combined team of Kobe Nishi and Masshoufu as they defeated Hikami 2-1.
Ichikawa slid by Tadaradzuka Higashi 1-0 in 12 innings while Hamasaka cried uncle against Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku, falling 13-3. Sumoto Jitsugyou faced the same fate versus Rokko Island, losing 13-6.
And finally, my Nishinomiya Kita (home of Haruhi) lost to Kawanishi Meihou 5-1.
As the tournament moved to round 3, all those upset teams managed to continue on into the block finals, with the exception of Miki. But they didn't go down without a fight. Against Amagasaki Sangyou they held the 4-2 lead. But Amagasaki was able to equalize in the 9th, and win in the 11th.
The Kobe Nishi/Masshoufu team moved on in the matchup against Sayo, blanking them 3-0.
After that rough start Kagaku Gijyutsu has quietly contines on its way, this time beating Kita Suma 5-3.
The top seeds continue to march to the block finals, although some had a little bit of a bump including Akou needed 10 to defeat Akashi Shougyou, Sanda Gakuen slid by Takigawa 2-1 and Itamiki Nishi who went 13 against Tsuna.
In the block finals, only one seeded team fell, and that was in block 11. Kakogawa Kita held a 3-2 lead over Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku, but then found themselves behind as Kobe scored 3 in the late innings to go ahead 5-3. Down to the final 3 outs, Kakogawa Kita rallies to tie the game! But the rally may have been too much as Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku scored in the bottom of the 10th to send the defending champions packing.
But many seeded teams had difficulties. Houtoku Gakuen scored the only run in the game against Kounan in the 7th. Ikuei and Kobe Kouryou followed the same blueprint against Ikawadani and Touban Kougyou. Itamiki Nishi needed 14 innings this time to win, this time against the combined Kobe Nishi/Masshoufu team. Akou needed all nine innings as they said sayonara to Awaji 3-2.
And Kagaku Gijyutsu, who almost didn't even make it past the first round, defeated Akashi Kita 7-0 to win block 4.
That brings us to the draw for the round of 16 and Best 8. And boy were there some interesting games.
Kagaku Gijyutsu continued its cinderella run, defeating Kakogawa Minami 1-0 in 13 innings. In a major upset, Kansai Gakuin held on to beat Houtoku Gakuen 5-4. Akou's run finally ran out of gas as Ikuei shut them out 3-0.
And all the other non-seeded teams remaining were weeded out. Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku had no answer to Yashiro losing 4-0. Shouyou held tough against Kobe Kouryou, but too were shut out 2-0. The best challenge was held by Shiritsu Amagasaki against Sumoto. Sumoto took an early 3-0 lead before Amagaski scored 4 in the 2nd to take the advantage. Sumoto ripped that right back with 5 in the 4th. Amagasaki wouldn't give in though, and tied it up 8-8 with 4 of their own in the 5th. But Sumoto would prove to be too much, scoring 4 in the 7th for a 12-8 victory.
And that brought us to today. Whoo hoo!
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