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 Okayama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Okayama. Show all posts
Monday, July 28, 2014
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Aki Taikai Recap-to-date - Chuugoku
Couple more Super-regionals to go...
Okayama
Kanzei apparently was a one-shot deal and they're back to rebuilding as they lost in their first game in the prefecturals to Okayama Ridai Fuzoku 8-0...
Filling the gap is a familiar name - Soushi Gakuen. They dominated the prefecturals with their closest game being the final against Kurashiki Shougyou 8-4. And with Okayama hosting, it might be some good home cooking and a 2nd straight fall champion coming from Okayama.
Okayama Ridai Fuzoku made it to the semifinals, narrowly losing to Kurashiki Shougyou, and because Okayama is hosting they sneak in as the 4th team despite losing the consolation game to Okayama-ken Kyouei 9-6.
Hiroshima
Setouchi, whose ace Yamaoka Daisuke carried the team to their first Koushien, couldn't repeat the feat without him as they suffered a mercy rule loss in the 3rd round of the prefecturals to Hiroshima Shougyou.
Kouryou and Jyousuikan somehow drew each other in the first round with Kouryou winning easily 7-1. Interestingly, run prevention - not run scoring was the MO for Kouryou, but they couldn't keep it up losing in the semifinals to Hiroshima Shinjyou 6-2. Hiroshima Shinjyou would win the title, defeating fellow C Team Soutoku 6-2.
Kouryou being sent to the consolation game almost guaranteed that they would go as the final team. And sadly (for me anyways) it came at the expense of Onomichi. They narrowly lost to Soutoku 5-4 in the semifinals and then got blown out 8-2, missing out on the super-regionals.
Tottori
Man, just 23 schools participating in the Aki Taikai...
Tottori Jyouhoku, the natsu representative, after a slow start in a 3-2 win over Tottori Ikuei blew through the rest of the field, defeating Tottori Shougyou 9-3 in the finals.
Iwami claims the 3rd spot, defeating Kurayoshi Higashi 5-3.
Shimane
Iwami Chisuikan, who finally made it to Koushien after a long hiatus, will not be coming back for the fall. They advanced out of the 1st stage, but was soundly defeated 10-4 to Izumo Nishi in the first game of the 2nd stage.
Kaisei didn't even get out of the 1st stage, and Risshoudai Shounan lost to Yasugi in the quarterfinals, meaning that there was an opportunity for 3 new schools to reach the super-regionals.
Sadly, Yasugi actually wound up being the odd team out! They were narrowly defeated by Taisha 3-2 in the semifinals and then were shutout by Daitou 2-0 in the 3rd place game! As for Taisha, they would defeat the aforementioned Izumo Nishi 4-3 (their 3rd straight 1-run game) to claim the title.
Yamaguchi
Tottori would wind up being the only prefecture to send their natsu representative to the super-regionals as Iwakuni Shougyou would not get past the 2nd round of the regionals.
Filling the void would be fellow school Iwakuni. They did struggle with a 1-0 win over Hikari in the quarterfinals, then allowed Takagawa Gakuen to almost come back from a 6-0 deficit before winning the title 8-6. Takagawa Gakuen is an enigma, having used a 7-spot in the 8th to pull away from Tokuyama Shoukou then turning around to defeat Nanyou Kougyou 4-3.
Joining the two in the super-regionals will be Ube Shougyou. They almost let Saikyou come back in their first game, did not look too impressive, but reversed a 6-0 loss to Takagawa Gakuen and defeated Sakuragaoka to advance.
Okayama
Kanzei apparently was a one-shot deal and they're back to rebuilding as they lost in their first game in the prefecturals to Okayama Ridai Fuzoku 8-0...
Filling the gap is a familiar name - Soushi Gakuen. They dominated the prefecturals with their closest game being the final against Kurashiki Shougyou 8-4. And with Okayama hosting, it might be some good home cooking and a 2nd straight fall champion coming from Okayama.
Okayama Ridai Fuzoku made it to the semifinals, narrowly losing to Kurashiki Shougyou, and because Okayama is hosting they sneak in as the 4th team despite losing the consolation game to Okayama-ken Kyouei 9-6.
Hiroshima
Setouchi, whose ace Yamaoka Daisuke carried the team to their first Koushien, couldn't repeat the feat without him as they suffered a mercy rule loss in the 3rd round of the prefecturals to Hiroshima Shougyou.
Kouryou and Jyousuikan somehow drew each other in the first round with Kouryou winning easily 7-1. Interestingly, run prevention - not run scoring was the MO for Kouryou, but they couldn't keep it up losing in the semifinals to Hiroshima Shinjyou 6-2. Hiroshima Shinjyou would win the title, defeating fellow C Team Soutoku 6-2.
Kouryou being sent to the consolation game almost guaranteed that they would go as the final team. And sadly (for me anyways) it came at the expense of Onomichi. They narrowly lost to Soutoku 5-4 in the semifinals and then got blown out 8-2, missing out on the super-regionals.
Tottori
Man, just 23 schools participating in the Aki Taikai...
Tottori Jyouhoku, the natsu representative, after a slow start in a 3-2 win over Tottori Ikuei blew through the rest of the field, defeating Tottori Shougyou 9-3 in the finals.
Iwami claims the 3rd spot, defeating Kurayoshi Higashi 5-3.
Shimane
Iwami Chisuikan, who finally made it to Koushien after a long hiatus, will not be coming back for the fall. They advanced out of the 1st stage, but was soundly defeated 10-4 to Izumo Nishi in the first game of the 2nd stage.
Kaisei didn't even get out of the 1st stage, and Risshoudai Shounan lost to Yasugi in the quarterfinals, meaning that there was an opportunity for 3 new schools to reach the super-regionals.
Sadly, Yasugi actually wound up being the odd team out! They were narrowly defeated by Taisha 3-2 in the semifinals and then were shutout by Daitou 2-0 in the 3rd place game! As for Taisha, they would defeat the aforementioned Izumo Nishi 4-3 (their 3rd straight 1-run game) to claim the title.
Yamaguchi
Tottori would wind up being the only prefecture to send their natsu representative to the super-regionals as Iwakuni Shougyou would not get past the 2nd round of the regionals.
Filling the void would be fellow school Iwakuni. They did struggle with a 1-0 win over Hikari in the quarterfinals, then allowed Takagawa Gakuen to almost come back from a 6-0 deficit before winning the title 8-6. Takagawa Gakuen is an enigma, having used a 7-spot in the 8th to pull away from Tokuyama Shoukou then turning around to defeat Nanyou Kougyou 4-3.
Joining the two in the super-regionals will be Ube Shougyou. They almost let Saikyou come back in their first game, did not look too impressive, but reversed a 6-0 loss to Takagawa Gakuen and defeated Sakuragaoka to advance.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
7/26 Title Games
Ok, 17 champions have been crowned the last 2 days. Let's see who has advanced to Koushien:
7/26 Title Games
Iwate - Hanamaki Higashi (7th title, 1st in 2 years)
After a rainout on the scheduled day, Moriokadai Fuzoku and Hanamaki Higashi finally clashed.
Moriokadai jumped on Hanamaki in the first inning with an RBI by ace Matsumoto to score Saitou. Matsumoto would hold that lead until the 5th when back to back hits by Motegi and Hosokawa would give Hanamaki Higashi the 2-1 lead. One inning later, it would all fall apart for Matsumoto as Tadano and Motegi (who ended up going 2-3 on the day) would tally 3 more runs to put it out of reach. Hosokawa would scatter 1 run on 5 hits giving Hanamaki Higashi the title!
We know them for their grittiness. Will we see it again this year?
Yamagata - Nichidai Yamagata (16th appearance, 1st in 6 years)
The Yamagata final was also rained out. It perhaps allowed Yonezawa Chuo to contemplate rallying for the final against Nichidai Yamagata.
One day however, would wind up making little difference. For Nichidai Yamagata would put the game out of reach early. Takeda would start with squeeze bunt in the 2nd for a run. In the 3rd Mineta would deliver a 2-run HR to right in a 3-run 3rd.
It was all Nichidai Yamagata after that, as ace Shouji and Aoki would later add HR's of their own in a 7-3 rout for the title.
Yamagata has been winless in the last 6 Natsu Koushien tournaments. If there is any hope, they did to go the Best 8 in 2006. But does such a run exist for them?
Toyama - Toyama Dai-ichi (1st appearance!)
Toyama Dai-ichi was looking for their first title against Sakurai who was looking for their 5th.
Ace Miyamoto would help his own cause opening the scoring for Toyama Dai-ichi in the 2nd with a sac fly to center. 3 innings later Fukui would extend the lead with a base hit to left.
Sakurai would pull within 1 in the bottom of the 5th, but Terazaki and Miyamoto would drive in 2 more runs in the lucky 7th.
That would be enough for Miyamoto as Kuroda-kantoku would finally celebrate his schools first ever title! Now, can they parlay that into a win? Over the last decade, teams from Toyama have advanced to the next round just 40% of the time.
Fukui - Fukui Shougyou (22nd appearance, 1st in 2 years)
So Fukui Shougyou (though not a no-name team by any means), was on the verge on a unique double upset. If they managed to defeat Harue Kougyou in the final, they will have won the Fukui tournament defeating both Hokushinetsu senbatsu representatives!! And with Tsuruga Kehi looking the stronger of the two representatives, it looked certainly possible.
Cleanup batter Ooishi would open the scoring against ace Tsubota with a timely hit to center.
And, that's all that Fukushou would need! Nakamura Fumihide (中村 文英) would completely stifle the Harue offense giving up just 3 hits while striking out 9 in a 2-0 win to give Fukui Shougyou the title and completing the double upset!
Gifu - Oogaki Nichidai (2nd appearance, 1st in 6 years)
Despite having more Natsu Koushien title, Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou looked to be facing an uphill battle against Oogaki Nichidai.
Indeed, 3 straight hits ending with Naitou's 2-run triple followed by a sac fly from Takino would give Oogaki Nichidai a very quick 3-0 lead. Starter Nagano for Shiritsu Fukushou would be pulled after just 1/3 of an inning giving way to Koedo. Oogaki would add a run in the 3rd to make it a 4-run lead.
Starter Takada for Oogaki however would be unable to hold it. Over the next 3 innings, Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou would come back to tie the game.
But just when Shiritsu Gifushou got back into the game, it would slip away yet again. 2 on, and the new Oogaki pitcher Hashimoto would come up big with a 2-run double to right. One more run for good measure in the 7th, and Oogaki Nichidai would defeat Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou 7-4.
Shimane - Iwami Chisuikan (8th appearance, 1st in 8 years)
Iwami Chisuikan, formerly known as Gonokawa, would be looking for their first title since the name change. In their way was Risshoudai Shounan.
It did look like Iwami Chisuikan would be pulling off the rout jumping out to a 5-0 lead early. Ace Tanabe though would let Risshoudai get back within 1 over the next two innings.
But Risshoudai Shounan seemed to have troubles on the mound the entire game. After pulling starter Shimozono after just 2.1 innings, Yoshihara would give up just one run until the 7th when he was pulled after letting the leadoff runner on. Yoshimura would come in, but wound up giving up 4 runs (1 charged to Yoshihara), and that pretty much ended it for Risshoudai as Iwami Chisuikan would win 10-6 to claim their first title in 8 years!
Okayama - Tamano Kounan (3rd appearance, 1st in 11 years)
My dear Kanzei was just one game away from making it to Koushien. And with 4 quick runs early on, it seemed like perhaps they'd get there.
But in the 5th errors would plague Kanzei. 4 runs would come in, giving Tamano Kounan the 5-4 lead. Tamano ace Hoshi settled down after the shaky first 2 innings and would wind up striking out 7 and giving Tamano Kounan the title.
Kagawa - Marugame (4th appearance, 1st in 13 years)
To claim the title, Marugame would have to defeat the defending champions Jinsei Gakuen. It wound up being easier than anyone expected as they would break to a 3-0 lead over the 1st 3 innings, then blow it open late all while ace Miyazaki would give up just 1 run on 6 hits, striking out 9 in a resounding 8-1 victory.
7/26 Title Games
Iwate - Hanamaki Higashi (7th title, 1st in 2 years)
After a rainout on the scheduled day, Moriokadai Fuzoku and Hanamaki Higashi finally clashed.
Moriokadai jumped on Hanamaki in the first inning with an RBI by ace Matsumoto to score Saitou. Matsumoto would hold that lead until the 5th when back to back hits by Motegi and Hosokawa would give Hanamaki Higashi the 2-1 lead. One inning later, it would all fall apart for Matsumoto as Tadano and Motegi (who ended up going 2-3 on the day) would tally 3 more runs to put it out of reach. Hosokawa would scatter 1 run on 5 hits giving Hanamaki Higashi the title!
We know them for their grittiness. Will we see it again this year?
Yamagata - Nichidai Yamagata (16th appearance, 1st in 6 years)
The Yamagata final was also rained out. It perhaps allowed Yonezawa Chuo to contemplate rallying for the final against Nichidai Yamagata.
One day however, would wind up making little difference. For Nichidai Yamagata would put the game out of reach early. Takeda would start with squeeze bunt in the 2nd for a run. In the 3rd Mineta would deliver a 2-run HR to right in a 3-run 3rd.
It was all Nichidai Yamagata after that, as ace Shouji and Aoki would later add HR's of their own in a 7-3 rout for the title.
Yamagata has been winless in the last 6 Natsu Koushien tournaments. If there is any hope, they did to go the Best 8 in 2006. But does such a run exist for them?
Toyama - Toyama Dai-ichi (1st appearance!)
Toyama Dai-ichi was looking for their first title against Sakurai who was looking for their 5th.
Ace Miyamoto would help his own cause opening the scoring for Toyama Dai-ichi in the 2nd with a sac fly to center. 3 innings later Fukui would extend the lead with a base hit to left.
Sakurai would pull within 1 in the bottom of the 5th, but Terazaki and Miyamoto would drive in 2 more runs in the lucky 7th.
That would be enough for Miyamoto as Kuroda-kantoku would finally celebrate his schools first ever title! Now, can they parlay that into a win? Over the last decade, teams from Toyama have advanced to the next round just 40% of the time.
Fukui - Fukui Shougyou (22nd appearance, 1st in 2 years)
So Fukui Shougyou (though not a no-name team by any means), was on the verge on a unique double upset. If they managed to defeat Harue Kougyou in the final, they will have won the Fukui tournament defeating both Hokushinetsu senbatsu representatives!! And with Tsuruga Kehi looking the stronger of the two representatives, it looked certainly possible.
Cleanup batter Ooishi would open the scoring against ace Tsubota with a timely hit to center.
And, that's all that Fukushou would need! Nakamura Fumihide (中村 文英) would completely stifle the Harue offense giving up just 3 hits while striking out 9 in a 2-0 win to give Fukui Shougyou the title and completing the double upset!
Gifu - Oogaki Nichidai (2nd appearance, 1st in 6 years)
Despite having more Natsu Koushien title, Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou looked to be facing an uphill battle against Oogaki Nichidai.
Indeed, 3 straight hits ending with Naitou's 2-run triple followed by a sac fly from Takino would give Oogaki Nichidai a very quick 3-0 lead. Starter Nagano for Shiritsu Fukushou would be pulled after just 1/3 of an inning giving way to Koedo. Oogaki would add a run in the 3rd to make it a 4-run lead.
Starter Takada for Oogaki however would be unable to hold it. Over the next 3 innings, Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou would come back to tie the game.
But just when Shiritsu Gifushou got back into the game, it would slip away yet again. 2 on, and the new Oogaki pitcher Hashimoto would come up big with a 2-run double to right. One more run for good measure in the 7th, and Oogaki Nichidai would defeat Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou 7-4.
Shimane - Iwami Chisuikan (8th appearance, 1st in 8 years)
Iwami Chisuikan, formerly known as Gonokawa, would be looking for their first title since the name change. In their way was Risshoudai Shounan.
It did look like Iwami Chisuikan would be pulling off the rout jumping out to a 5-0 lead early. Ace Tanabe though would let Risshoudai get back within 1 over the next two innings.
But Risshoudai Shounan seemed to have troubles on the mound the entire game. After pulling starter Shimozono after just 2.1 innings, Yoshihara would give up just one run until the 7th when he was pulled after letting the leadoff runner on. Yoshimura would come in, but wound up giving up 4 runs (1 charged to Yoshihara), and that pretty much ended it for Risshoudai as Iwami Chisuikan would win 10-6 to claim their first title in 8 years!
Okayama - Tamano Kounan (3rd appearance, 1st in 11 years)
My dear Kanzei was just one game away from making it to Koushien. And with 4 quick runs early on, it seemed like perhaps they'd get there.
But in the 5th errors would plague Kanzei. 4 runs would come in, giving Tamano Kounan the 5-4 lead. Tamano ace Hoshi settled down after the shaky first 2 innings and would wind up striking out 7 and giving Tamano Kounan the title.
Kagawa - Marugame (4th appearance, 1st in 13 years)
To claim the title, Marugame would have to defeat the defending champions Jinsei Gakuen. It wound up being easier than anyone expected as they would break to a 3-0 lead over the 1st 3 innings, then blow it open late all while ace Miyazaki would give up just 1 run on 6 hits, striking out 9 in a resounding 8-1 victory.
Friday, July 26, 2013
7/26 Update - 3 champions, and 9 more today
Sorry, a headache pretty much KO'd me during games so I wasn't able to do an update.
Anyways, we're in crunchtime now as the number of teams qualifying by the day starts to ramp up hard.
First our qualifiers. The established guard ruled the day on the 25th.
Ibaraki - Jyousou Gakuin (15 appearance, 2nd consecutive)
There were very few surprises in Ibaraki this year.
Top seed Kasumigaura almost stumbled out of the block, sort of expected for a team newly in the upper ranks, in a 2-1 win over Hokota Dai-ichi. That would wake them up as they would outscore their opponents 22-2 thereafter to reach the semis. That shouldn't take away from their quarterfinal opponent Meishuu Higashi who had defeated Fujishiro in the prior round as flurries of runs were scored in the final innings.
On the other part of their half was Kashima Gakuen who clawed their way through the quadrant, which included a late game pull away from #5 seed Tsuchiura Kohoku 6-4, and Hitachi Dai-ichi who survived Tsuchiura Dai-san 6-5 in the bottom of the 9th then an upset of #4 seed Ishioka Dai-ichi 7-5. The two teams would be tied at 1 until Kashima Gakuen broke out for 4 runs in the 9th for the win.
In the other half of the quadrant, #2 Jyousou Gakuin breezed through their games, and in the quarterfinals continued to roll with a mercy rule win over Mito Kougyou who respectfully got through the bracket.
Meanwhile, both #3 Shimotsuma Dai-ni and #4 Suijyou were methodically working their way through. Suijyou after a pair of mercy-rule games, took an early lead over Tsuchiura Dai-ichi 5-0 then held off to win 5-3. Shimotsuma Dai-ni you could say slowly warmed up. After a 4-3 win over Tsuchiura Dai-ni, had a better 5-2 win over Mito Sakuranomaki before blowing away Taga. The warming up though wouldn't be enough as Suijyou's RBI by cleanup batter Hayashi Ryou (林 涼) would be enough to send them to the semis.
Both semfiinals wound up being one-sided. Both Kasumigaura and Jyousou Gakuin cruised through to the finals.
Kasumigaura had a chance this year to finally breakthrough. In 2011, they lost in the bottom of the 9th against Fujishiro, and last year they fell in the quarterfinals. Now, prefectural stalwart Jyousou Gakuin stood in the way.
But much like 2011, Kasumigaura took the early lead with a run in the top of the first, and then even added a run in the 8th for good measure.
The pitching side seemed to be holding. Starter Ueno went short of 5 innings but didn't allow a run. Ichige came in relief and continued to shut down the favorites...
Until the 8th.
Ichige would be tagged with back to back RBI hits by Yoshizawa and Ikezawa and before you knew it the game was tied. Katano, who was part of that 2011 game, came in relief and got out of the inning.
But something was probably in the back of Kasumigaura's minds. Perhaps the shades of 2011 haunted them. Perhaps my theory of what the schools just below the "powerhouse" tiers holds true - that teams need to learn how to win the big game, to not be intimidated by their history or the history of the other teams. To just play with no abandon regardless of the opponent.
Because with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th, Kasumigaura would suffer the same fate as 2011. Cleanup batter Uchida would blast a sayonara 2-run HR off Katano to give Jyousou Gakuin their 2nd consecutive title... and leave Kasumigaura broken for 2 of the last 3 years.
Niigata - Nihon Bunri (7th appearance, 1st in 2 years)
This year may have been Murakami Sakuragaoka's best chance to win the title. Constantly exiting either in the 3rd round or the semifinals, they finally got to the title game. But Nihon Bunri stood in the way of them and the title.
Murakami Sakuragaoka looked really good in the title game, pinging Nihon Bunri for a run in the first 2 innings. And even after ace Shiina gave up a 3 spot in the 4th, Murakami pocked ace Ooyanai? Yoshinori (大谷内 睦規) for another run in the 5th and 6th innings to take the lead. However, Shiina's downfall would be the big inning. Nihon Bunri would score 4 in the 7th knocking Shiina out of the game and giving themselves a lead that just forced their opponents to get a run an inning. After a scoreless bottom of the 7th, it was all but over as Nihon Bunri won the title 7-5.
Kumamoto - Kumamoto Kougyou (20th appearance, 1st in 4 years)
Buntoku had been to Koushien twice before, both summer appearances. And they performed very well in recent years, losing in the 3rd round or the quarterfinal game. This year though they would have to defeat Kumamoto Kougyou, who had been to Koushien quite often in the 2000's, but was quiet so far in this decade. Still, they have a much bigger history at Koushien than Buntoku.
Once again, it was the underdog who jumped out ahead with a run in the bottom of the first. Kumamoto Kougyou would respond quickly tying the game in the 2nd. Forward to the 5th inning and an error would help Buntoku take a 4-1 lead. Ace Honda seemed to make that lead stick... that is until the 8th where with 2 down and runners on 2nd and 3rd, Nishiyama and ace Yamashita would deliver back to back hits to tie the game.
The game would stay tied until the 10th where Kudou, who entered the game as a PH earlier, would deliver what would end up being the game winning RBI to give Kumamoto Kougyou their first appearance in Koushien this decade.
And now for our final games today.
Iwate
When play finally started in Iwate it became clear that being a seeded team didn't mean a whole hill of beans. 3 seeded teams failed to get past their first game! Kurosawajiri Kougyou, Touno and Morioka Shiritsu all fell flat. Even Moriokadai Fuzoku narrowly beat Morioka Nougyou 5-3 in their opener. Senshuudai Kitakami fell one round later to Kuji Kougyou 6-4.
With one exception (Fukuoka), the schools who upset the seeded teams joined the remaining seeds (who had no trouble at all) in the Best 8.
Oddly enough, all 4 seeded teams were facing no seeds in the quarterfinals.
Morioka Dai-yon and Hanamaki Higashi handled their games easily over Fukuoka and Kuji Kougyou respectively, Ichinoseki Gakuin not surprisingly struggled with Kamaishi Shoukou but won 5-4, and in a bit of a surprise Mizusawa played to a 2-2 draw with Moriokadai Fuzoku! However, a replay generally favors the favorite and true to form Moriokadai won 8-3 in the replay.
So the semifinals would feature Moriokadai Fuzoku facing Ichinoseki Gakuin, and Morioka Dai-yon squaring with Hanamaki Higashi. Ichinoseki Gakuin fell flat once again, providing little resistance to Morioka Dai-ichi, while Hanamaki Higashi gritted their way with a 2-run 8th to get past Morioka Dai-yon and ace Nagasuzu 4-3.
And while they had to wait a day due to rain, familiar foes in Moriokadai Fuzoku and Hanamaki Higashi will face off for the Iwate title.
Yamagata
As much as Tenri has disappointed me over the years, so has Haguro in Yamagata. In fact, they stooped to a new low. Earning the #1 seed, they promptly lost their first game 3-1 to Tsuruoka Higashi.
The 4 seeded teams to reach the semifinals may not have been high seeds, but they are established strong teams within the prefecture.
With top seed Haguro out of the way, #6 Nichidai Yamagata was able to easily win their 3 games to reach the semis. They will play #3 seed Sakata Minami who needed no help, outscoring their opponents 37-3.
On the other half, #2 seed Kunori Gakuen has been better as of late, but doesn't have the experience it seems losing in the 3rd round 2-1 in 14 innings to Shinjyou Higashi. They would face #5 Yamagata Chuo for the right to be in the semis. And while they made a great rally, a 7 run deficit was just too much to overcome as they fell 7-6. #4 seed Yonezawa Chuo was in dire straits after ace Satou surrendered 3 runs to Toukaidai Yamagata in the final 2 innings. But amazingly down 7-5, his team rallies for 3 runs for the comeback victory!
So two veterans on one side of the bracket and two hopefuls on the other. Both semifinal games expected to be very close affairs.
But interestingly, the game between Sakata Minami and Nichidai Yamagata almost was a blowout! After a 5-run 1st by Nichidai it looked rather bad for the defending champs. But they were not defending champions, nor representative 5 of the last 10 years for nothing. They would claw back to within 2 runs by the 4th inning. However, that would be as close as they would get as Nichidai would put up a pair in the 7th to put the game out of reach winning 8-5.
In the battle of Chuo schools, Yamagata Chuo was marked as the favorite - especially since they were able to reach senbatsu earlier this year. But Yonezawa Chuo was not fazed at all. For each time Yamagata was able to get to ace Satou early on, his offense would come right back to level the score. Finally in the 8th, Yonezawa was able to pull ahead as Kusano delivered a timely hit on reliever Ishikawa. Satou was almost able to close it out, but gave up the douten run in the bottom of the 9th. Yonezawa brought them on the precipice of the finals again with a run in the 10th over ace Takahashi (who returned back to the mound), but once against Satou was not able to keep the lead.
Wouldn't you know it though, Yonezawa would do it again in the 11th. Kouchi, easily the man of the game, got his 3rd RBI with his 3rd hit of the game. This time, Satou would finally pitch a clean inning to win the game and send the team to the finals.
Toyama
Toyama went surprisingly smoothly if you were a top seeded team.
Well, almost.
1-2 seed Toyama Shougyou was actually upset by Himi in their 2nd game 4-2 in 12 innings. Himi almost pulled off the double upset, but Jige was unable to hold, resulting in a 2-1 loss to Sakurai. The only other seeded team to lose prior to the quarterfinals was Takaoka Shougyou who fell 6-4 to Takaoka Dai-ichi.
Otherwise, fellow 1-2 seed Toyama Dai-ichi, and 3-4 seeds Tonami Kougyou and Shin-Minato were able to reach the semis. Toyama Dai-ichi blowing through the field, Tonami Kougyou having a little resitance, and Shin-Minato just getting by Tonami Kokusaidai Fuzoku 2-1.
Shin-Minato would narrowly lose to Sakurai 3-2, while Toyama Dai-ichi would mercy rule Tonami Kougyou in 5 innings. Suffice it to say that the title appears to be Toyama Dai-ichi's to lose.
Fukui
So, the final shouldn't have been a surprise really. The Hokushinetsu region was represented by 2 teams from Fukui, so why wouldn't Tsuruga Kehi and Harue Kougyou reach the finals?
Well, for Tsuruga Kehi, their draw included possible games against Fukui Koudai Fukui and Fukui Shougyou, and that is no easy task. They got through Fukui Koudai Fukui 5-1, but wound up stumbling against Fukui Shougyou 5-1. With the major competition out of the way, a routine 5-1 win over Fukui Nourin put them in the finals.
What about Harue Kougyou? They were admittedly the weaker team it seemed despite winning the Hokushinetsu region last fall.
Well, they've survived by the skin of their teeth. Literally.
First up, Keishin. Tied 1-1 going into the 9th, they get the sayonara run off reliever Kitada to advance. Then was Sabae. Despite getting out to a 3-0 lead in the first, Sabae would tie it at 4 by the 6th inning. This game would go into extras before Harue Kougyou would again deliver the sayonara blow in the 11th by cleanup batter Ono.
Finally, Tsuruga Kougyou. Ace Hirata was able to limit their opponent for 4 hits through 10 innings as Kinoshita finally delivered the game winning sac fly to send them to the finals 1-0.
So, despite being at Koushien this spring, Harue Kougyou looks to be the underdog against Fukui Shougyou.
Gifu
Gifu was rather scratch as well. The top 8 seeds advanced to the block finals with the only exception being C Block top seed Mashita Seifu. With their early exit, Chuukyou breezed through to the block finals to face Nagara.
In A Block, Oogaki Nichidai continued their roll through by defeating a surely depleted Teikyoudai Kani squad who needed a sayonara 2-run HR by to rally to defeat Seki Shoukou 6-4 in the bottom of the 9th.
Moving on to B Block, and Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou got a big scare as they trailed Gifu Dai-ichi 2-1. But they get to ace Koshikawa with a run in the 8th, then the sayonara run in the 9th to advance to the block finals. They would face a Minokamo squad who like Teikyoudai Kani, rallied for down 6-3 with 7 unanswered runs in the 7th and 8th off off Kanou ace Gotou for the win.
Yet Minokamo was game for the vaunted Kengifushou. They jumped out to a 2-0 lead right off the bat. Ace Asano would try to hold the lead for the rest of the game, but would surrender the lead after giving up a run in the 4th and 5th. The final blow would be in the 7th as cleanup batter Takenaka would deliver the gyakuten timely hit to win 3-2.
As mentioned in Block C, Chuukyou breezed through to face a Nagara team that had two close calls. Nagara would put up a fight, but found themselves playing a game of catchup they couldn't win following a 3-run 5th. Chuukyou would advance out of the block 7-5.
And finally in Block D, both Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou and Toki Shougyou would actually have a little difficulty getting through the block. Both only had one mercy rule victory, and both needed to survive a close game against a no-name opponent (sorry Hida-Takayama and Oogaki Minami).
The block final would go to Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou as they would put up at least a run in 8 of the 9 innings defeating Toki Shougyou 14-8.
In the semifinals, Block D and Block C would play, leaving Blocks A & B to play in the other semi.
Chuukyou was game for Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou, taking the lead in the 6th with a timely hit from 2nd pitcher Takagi. However, his lead would not last long as he would relinquish runs in the 7th and 8th innings giving Shigifushou the 2-1 win.
The other semifinal was not as competitive. As much as perhaps people wanted an all-Gifu Shougyou final, ace Fujita just did not have it against Oogaki Nichidai. A pair of runs in the 1st turned out to be enough as they pulled away 5-1.
So it will be Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou and Oogaki Nichidai in the final.
Shimane
Shimane looked to have two powerhouses barreling towards the final. One one side Kaisei, who barred through their 3 games going just 17 innings. On the other, Risshoudai Shounan, who wasn't as dominant, still got through their 3 games with relative ease (though against Matsue Kita in their 3rd game they had just one outburst in the 7th for the 3-0 win).
Standing in Kaisei's way to the finals was Iwamichisuikan. They worked their way through the bottom of the bracket all the way to face seeded Hamada. In that quarterfinal game, Iwamichisuikan would put Hamada behind the 8-ball early and often. Despite Hamada tying the game in the 5th, the constant pressure on ace Miura would be too much. 4 runs in the final 3 innings sealed Hamada's fate.
In the semifinal, Iwamichisuikan's Tanabe would outpitch Kaisei ace Onda with cleanup batter Nishida delivering the fatal blow with a HR in the bottom of the 8th. Iwamichisuikan would advance to the final game with a 2-1 win.
Risshoudai Shounan's opponent would be Matsue Shougyou. Having upset Masuda Shougyou, ace Masumoto would outlast Matsue Nourin's Aoyama and and Kadowaki to win 8-5 in 13 innings. An easy win over Masuda Higashi set up the semifinal matchup.
While taking the early lead, Masumoto would get rocked in the middle innings leaving Matsueshou trailing 4-1. His offense would rally in the next 2 innings to tie the game, but bottom 9 Shimozono would deliver the sayonara hit for Risshoudai Shounan to move on to the finals where Iwamichisuikan awaits.
Okayama
Oddly enough, it was better to be a lower seeded team than a higher seeded team this year.
1-4 seed Okayama Jyoutou was the first to fall, being shutout by Kouyou 4-0. Okayama Rikadai Fuzoku would be next to fall one round later, with a 6-2 loss to Kurashiki Kougyou.
However, neither would advance to the best 4. 5-8 seed Kanzei, who was not challenged up until that point, would pull away from Kouyou late to win 5-2. As for Kurashiki Kougyou, while Koujyoukan did suffer a scare from Takahashi Nisshin, ace Fukushima would throw a 4-hit shutout to eliminate the challengers.
In the other 2 quadrants, 1-4 seed Kurashiki Shougyou would face a surely tired 5-8 Okayama Higashi Shougyou squad. They wound up playing Mizushima Kougyou to a 6-6 draw, then just survived in the replay 2-1, then won another 1-run game against Sakuyou.
Perhaps the close games helped Okayama Higashi Shougyou because ace Nogami made a 3-2 2nd inning lead stick to advance the team to a semifinal match versus Kanzei.
And finally, 5-8 Okayama Kyousei was no match for 1-4 Tamano Kounan. Despite a small hiccup versus Mimasaka, where they just managed 1 run on 8 hits, they blew out Kyousei 10-0.
In the semifinals, the bottom of the order would stake Kanzei ace Kodama to a 2-0 lead as Tobe and Ichihara get back-to-back timely hits. Kodama would make that lead stick winning 3-2.
The other semifinal was rather bizarre. First Koujyoukan would go out to a 3-1 lead. Fukushima would hold that score until the 7th and 8th when Tamano pulled within 1, then tied the game. Reliever Satake would come in to try and keep the game level, but wound up giving up the gyakuten run to send the top seed to the finals.
What's so strange about that? They did it on just 4 hits.
Kagawa
Kagawa's top 4 seeds this year did not seem like the usual suspects (with the exception of top seed Jinsei Gakuen). #2 Kotohira and #3 Tadotsu both were teams that had not fared well, but for some reason had success in the spring. Only #4 Marugame Jyousei made some sense as they have been one of the betters teams in prefecture.
And things played out like you expected. Sort of.
Kanonji Chuo gave Jinsei Gakuen a proper fright, but reliever Nakayama kept the score at 4-3 in the final 6 frames. After that Kagawa Tousen Takamatsu actually led Jinsei into the 2nd half of the game, but reliever Yoshinari couldn't maintain the 3-1 lead. A pair of runs in the 7th and 8th spelled their downfall.
So Jinsei Gakuen as a seeded team made the semifinals. They would wind up being the only seeded team to do so.
After getting by a tough 1st round draw in Sangawa, Marugame Jyousei slid past Iiyama to reach the quarterfinals. There they would face an Eimei team who had beaten an unknown Shido team 1-0, then jumped on reliever Matsumoto for Sanbonmatsu who proceeded to fritter away a 7-2 lead and then take the loss in the 10th. Eimei wound up being up for the task, routing Marugame Jyousei 8-1 in 8 innings.
Things were even worse on the other half. Tadotsu, despite just 5 hits, was able to defeat Takamatsu Nishi 2-1 in the bottom of the 9th. But against Takamatsu Shougyou in the next round? Annihilated in 5 innings 10-0.
And Kotohira? Don't even ask. Takamatsu Minami limits them to just 1 run on 3 hits as they "upset" the #2 seed 4-1.
So who would jump on the opportunity? Well, Takamatsu Kita game Takamatsu Minami a job well done, defeated them 5-3, and then 4-hit Shoudouhima to advance to the Best 4. Marugame, despite needing to comeback against Ootemae Takamatsu's relief corps in game 2, took out Takamatsu Shougyou 5-2 to move themselves on the hill.
Semifinal 1 pitted the two heavyweights Jinsei Gakuen and Eimei. The aces traded donuts for the longest time before Nakayama caved and allowed the first run in the 7th for Eimei. Doi would come in relief for the 8th, but gave up 2 more runs. All seemed lost for Jinsei, but Eimei's ace Akagawa cracked in the bottom of the inning. A 2-run timely hit by SS Nishimaru, and another RBI from Oonishi tied the game at 3. Fast forward to the 9th, and Nishimaru would get one more crack at Akagawa. Sure enough, he delivered the sayonara hit to score Shinohara and send Jinsei Gakuen to the finals.
The 2nd semifinal was not exciting at all sadly. Takamatsu Kita was definitely the odd man in the bunch, and well... Starter Horie would not even finish the first inning as Marugame scored 11 runs in the 1st inning. They would win 11-0 on 5 hits and 8 walks...
So it's Marugame and Jinsei Gakuen in the final.
Anyways, we're in crunchtime now as the number of teams qualifying by the day starts to ramp up hard.
First our qualifiers. The established guard ruled the day on the 25th.
Ibaraki - Jyousou Gakuin (15 appearance, 2nd consecutive)
There were very few surprises in Ibaraki this year.
Top seed Kasumigaura almost stumbled out of the block, sort of expected for a team newly in the upper ranks, in a 2-1 win over Hokota Dai-ichi. That would wake them up as they would outscore their opponents 22-2 thereafter to reach the semis. That shouldn't take away from their quarterfinal opponent Meishuu Higashi who had defeated Fujishiro in the prior round as flurries of runs were scored in the final innings.
On the other part of their half was Kashima Gakuen who clawed their way through the quadrant, which included a late game pull away from #5 seed Tsuchiura Kohoku 6-4, and Hitachi Dai-ichi who survived Tsuchiura Dai-san 6-5 in the bottom of the 9th then an upset of #4 seed Ishioka Dai-ichi 7-5. The two teams would be tied at 1 until Kashima Gakuen broke out for 4 runs in the 9th for the win.
In the other half of the quadrant, #2 Jyousou Gakuin breezed through their games, and in the quarterfinals continued to roll with a mercy rule win over Mito Kougyou who respectfully got through the bracket.
Meanwhile, both #3 Shimotsuma Dai-ni and #4 Suijyou were methodically working their way through. Suijyou after a pair of mercy-rule games, took an early lead over Tsuchiura Dai-ichi 5-0 then held off to win 5-3. Shimotsuma Dai-ni you could say slowly warmed up. After a 4-3 win over Tsuchiura Dai-ni, had a better 5-2 win over Mito Sakuranomaki before blowing away Taga. The warming up though wouldn't be enough as Suijyou's RBI by cleanup batter Hayashi Ryou (林 涼) would be enough to send them to the semis.
Both semfiinals wound up being one-sided. Both Kasumigaura and Jyousou Gakuin cruised through to the finals.
Kasumigaura had a chance this year to finally breakthrough. In 2011, they lost in the bottom of the 9th against Fujishiro, and last year they fell in the quarterfinals. Now, prefectural stalwart Jyousou Gakuin stood in the way.
But much like 2011, Kasumigaura took the early lead with a run in the top of the first, and then even added a run in the 8th for good measure.
The pitching side seemed to be holding. Starter Ueno went short of 5 innings but didn't allow a run. Ichige came in relief and continued to shut down the favorites...
Until the 8th.
Ichige would be tagged with back to back RBI hits by Yoshizawa and Ikezawa and before you knew it the game was tied. Katano, who was part of that 2011 game, came in relief and got out of the inning.
But something was probably in the back of Kasumigaura's minds. Perhaps the shades of 2011 haunted them. Perhaps my theory of what the schools just below the "powerhouse" tiers holds true - that teams need to learn how to win the big game, to not be intimidated by their history or the history of the other teams. To just play with no abandon regardless of the opponent.
Because with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th, Kasumigaura would suffer the same fate as 2011. Cleanup batter Uchida would blast a sayonara 2-run HR off Katano to give Jyousou Gakuin their 2nd consecutive title... and leave Kasumigaura broken for 2 of the last 3 years.
Niigata - Nihon Bunri (7th appearance, 1st in 2 years)
This year may have been Murakami Sakuragaoka's best chance to win the title. Constantly exiting either in the 3rd round or the semifinals, they finally got to the title game. But Nihon Bunri stood in the way of them and the title.
Murakami Sakuragaoka looked really good in the title game, pinging Nihon Bunri for a run in the first 2 innings. And even after ace Shiina gave up a 3 spot in the 4th, Murakami pocked ace Ooyanai? Yoshinori (大谷内 睦規) for another run in the 5th and 6th innings to take the lead. However, Shiina's downfall would be the big inning. Nihon Bunri would score 4 in the 7th knocking Shiina out of the game and giving themselves a lead that just forced their opponents to get a run an inning. After a scoreless bottom of the 7th, it was all but over as Nihon Bunri won the title 7-5.
Kumamoto - Kumamoto Kougyou (20th appearance, 1st in 4 years)
Buntoku had been to Koushien twice before, both summer appearances. And they performed very well in recent years, losing in the 3rd round or the quarterfinal game. This year though they would have to defeat Kumamoto Kougyou, who had been to Koushien quite often in the 2000's, but was quiet so far in this decade. Still, they have a much bigger history at Koushien than Buntoku.
Once again, it was the underdog who jumped out ahead with a run in the bottom of the first. Kumamoto Kougyou would respond quickly tying the game in the 2nd. Forward to the 5th inning and an error would help Buntoku take a 4-1 lead. Ace Honda seemed to make that lead stick... that is until the 8th where with 2 down and runners on 2nd and 3rd, Nishiyama and ace Yamashita would deliver back to back hits to tie the game.
The game would stay tied until the 10th where Kudou, who entered the game as a PH earlier, would deliver what would end up being the game winning RBI to give Kumamoto Kougyou their first appearance in Koushien this decade.
And now for our final games today.
Iwate
When play finally started in Iwate it became clear that being a seeded team didn't mean a whole hill of beans. 3 seeded teams failed to get past their first game! Kurosawajiri Kougyou, Touno and Morioka Shiritsu all fell flat. Even Moriokadai Fuzoku narrowly beat Morioka Nougyou 5-3 in their opener. Senshuudai Kitakami fell one round later to Kuji Kougyou 6-4.
With one exception (Fukuoka), the schools who upset the seeded teams joined the remaining seeds (who had no trouble at all) in the Best 8.
Oddly enough, all 4 seeded teams were facing no seeds in the quarterfinals.
Morioka Dai-yon and Hanamaki Higashi handled their games easily over Fukuoka and Kuji Kougyou respectively, Ichinoseki Gakuin not surprisingly struggled with Kamaishi Shoukou but won 5-4, and in a bit of a surprise Mizusawa played to a 2-2 draw with Moriokadai Fuzoku! However, a replay generally favors the favorite and true to form Moriokadai won 8-3 in the replay.
So the semifinals would feature Moriokadai Fuzoku facing Ichinoseki Gakuin, and Morioka Dai-yon squaring with Hanamaki Higashi. Ichinoseki Gakuin fell flat once again, providing little resistance to Morioka Dai-ichi, while Hanamaki Higashi gritted their way with a 2-run 8th to get past Morioka Dai-yon and ace Nagasuzu 4-3.
And while they had to wait a day due to rain, familiar foes in Moriokadai Fuzoku and Hanamaki Higashi will face off for the Iwate title.
Yamagata
As much as Tenri has disappointed me over the years, so has Haguro in Yamagata. In fact, they stooped to a new low. Earning the #1 seed, they promptly lost their first game 3-1 to Tsuruoka Higashi.
The 4 seeded teams to reach the semifinals may not have been high seeds, but they are established strong teams within the prefecture.
With top seed Haguro out of the way, #6 Nichidai Yamagata was able to easily win their 3 games to reach the semis. They will play #3 seed Sakata Minami who needed no help, outscoring their opponents 37-3.
On the other half, #2 seed Kunori Gakuen has been better as of late, but doesn't have the experience it seems losing in the 3rd round 2-1 in 14 innings to Shinjyou Higashi. They would face #5 Yamagata Chuo for the right to be in the semis. And while they made a great rally, a 7 run deficit was just too much to overcome as they fell 7-6. #4 seed Yonezawa Chuo was in dire straits after ace Satou surrendered 3 runs to Toukaidai Yamagata in the final 2 innings. But amazingly down 7-5, his team rallies for 3 runs for the comeback victory!
So two veterans on one side of the bracket and two hopefuls on the other. Both semifinal games expected to be very close affairs.
But interestingly, the game between Sakata Minami and Nichidai Yamagata almost was a blowout! After a 5-run 1st by Nichidai it looked rather bad for the defending champs. But they were not defending champions, nor representative 5 of the last 10 years for nothing. They would claw back to within 2 runs by the 4th inning. However, that would be as close as they would get as Nichidai would put up a pair in the 7th to put the game out of reach winning 8-5.
In the battle of Chuo schools, Yamagata Chuo was marked as the favorite - especially since they were able to reach senbatsu earlier this year. But Yonezawa Chuo was not fazed at all. For each time Yamagata was able to get to ace Satou early on, his offense would come right back to level the score. Finally in the 8th, Yonezawa was able to pull ahead as Kusano delivered a timely hit on reliever Ishikawa. Satou was almost able to close it out, but gave up the douten run in the bottom of the 9th. Yonezawa brought them on the precipice of the finals again with a run in the 10th over ace Takahashi (who returned back to the mound), but once against Satou was not able to keep the lead.
Wouldn't you know it though, Yonezawa would do it again in the 11th. Kouchi, easily the man of the game, got his 3rd RBI with his 3rd hit of the game. This time, Satou would finally pitch a clean inning to win the game and send the team to the finals.
Toyama
Toyama went surprisingly smoothly if you were a top seeded team.
Well, almost.
1-2 seed Toyama Shougyou was actually upset by Himi in their 2nd game 4-2 in 12 innings. Himi almost pulled off the double upset, but Jige was unable to hold, resulting in a 2-1 loss to Sakurai. The only other seeded team to lose prior to the quarterfinals was Takaoka Shougyou who fell 6-4 to Takaoka Dai-ichi.
Otherwise, fellow 1-2 seed Toyama Dai-ichi, and 3-4 seeds Tonami Kougyou and Shin-Minato were able to reach the semis. Toyama Dai-ichi blowing through the field, Tonami Kougyou having a little resitance, and Shin-Minato just getting by Tonami Kokusaidai Fuzoku 2-1.
Shin-Minato would narrowly lose to Sakurai 3-2, while Toyama Dai-ichi would mercy rule Tonami Kougyou in 5 innings. Suffice it to say that the title appears to be Toyama Dai-ichi's to lose.
Fukui
So, the final shouldn't have been a surprise really. The Hokushinetsu region was represented by 2 teams from Fukui, so why wouldn't Tsuruga Kehi and Harue Kougyou reach the finals?
Well, for Tsuruga Kehi, their draw included possible games against Fukui Koudai Fukui and Fukui Shougyou, and that is no easy task. They got through Fukui Koudai Fukui 5-1, but wound up stumbling against Fukui Shougyou 5-1. With the major competition out of the way, a routine 5-1 win over Fukui Nourin put them in the finals.
What about Harue Kougyou? They were admittedly the weaker team it seemed despite winning the Hokushinetsu region last fall.
Well, they've survived by the skin of their teeth. Literally.
First up, Keishin. Tied 1-1 going into the 9th, they get the sayonara run off reliever Kitada to advance. Then was Sabae. Despite getting out to a 3-0 lead in the first, Sabae would tie it at 4 by the 6th inning. This game would go into extras before Harue Kougyou would again deliver the sayonara blow in the 11th by cleanup batter Ono.
Finally, Tsuruga Kougyou. Ace Hirata was able to limit their opponent for 4 hits through 10 innings as Kinoshita finally delivered the game winning sac fly to send them to the finals 1-0.
So, despite being at Koushien this spring, Harue Kougyou looks to be the underdog against Fukui Shougyou.
Gifu
Gifu was rather scratch as well. The top 8 seeds advanced to the block finals with the only exception being C Block top seed Mashita Seifu. With their early exit, Chuukyou breezed through to the block finals to face Nagara.
In A Block, Oogaki Nichidai continued their roll through by defeating a surely depleted Teikyoudai Kani squad who needed a sayonara 2-run HR by to rally to defeat Seki Shoukou 6-4 in the bottom of the 9th.
Moving on to B Block, and Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou got a big scare as they trailed Gifu Dai-ichi 2-1. But they get to ace Koshikawa with a run in the 8th, then the sayonara run in the 9th to advance to the block finals. They would face a Minokamo squad who like Teikyoudai Kani, rallied for down 6-3 with 7 unanswered runs in the 7th and 8th off off Kanou ace Gotou for the win.
Yet Minokamo was game for the vaunted Kengifushou. They jumped out to a 2-0 lead right off the bat. Ace Asano would try to hold the lead for the rest of the game, but would surrender the lead after giving up a run in the 4th and 5th. The final blow would be in the 7th as cleanup batter Takenaka would deliver the gyakuten timely hit to win 3-2.
As mentioned in Block C, Chuukyou breezed through to face a Nagara team that had two close calls. Nagara would put up a fight, but found themselves playing a game of catchup they couldn't win following a 3-run 5th. Chuukyou would advance out of the block 7-5.
And finally in Block D, both Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou and Toki Shougyou would actually have a little difficulty getting through the block. Both only had one mercy rule victory, and both needed to survive a close game against a no-name opponent (sorry Hida-Takayama and Oogaki Minami).
The block final would go to Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou as they would put up at least a run in 8 of the 9 innings defeating Toki Shougyou 14-8.
In the semifinals, Block D and Block C would play, leaving Blocks A & B to play in the other semi.
Chuukyou was game for Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou, taking the lead in the 6th with a timely hit from 2nd pitcher Takagi. However, his lead would not last long as he would relinquish runs in the 7th and 8th innings giving Shigifushou the 2-1 win.
The other semifinal was not as competitive. As much as perhaps people wanted an all-Gifu Shougyou final, ace Fujita just did not have it against Oogaki Nichidai. A pair of runs in the 1st turned out to be enough as they pulled away 5-1.
So it will be Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou and Oogaki Nichidai in the final.
Shimane
Shimane looked to have two powerhouses barreling towards the final. One one side Kaisei, who barred through their 3 games going just 17 innings. On the other, Risshoudai Shounan, who wasn't as dominant, still got through their 3 games with relative ease (though against Matsue Kita in their 3rd game they had just one outburst in the 7th for the 3-0 win).
Standing in Kaisei's way to the finals was Iwamichisuikan. They worked their way through the bottom of the bracket all the way to face seeded Hamada. In that quarterfinal game, Iwamichisuikan would put Hamada behind the 8-ball early and often. Despite Hamada tying the game in the 5th, the constant pressure on ace Miura would be too much. 4 runs in the final 3 innings sealed Hamada's fate.
In the semifinal, Iwamichisuikan's Tanabe would outpitch Kaisei ace Onda with cleanup batter Nishida delivering the fatal blow with a HR in the bottom of the 8th. Iwamichisuikan would advance to the final game with a 2-1 win.
Risshoudai Shounan's opponent would be Matsue Shougyou. Having upset Masuda Shougyou, ace Masumoto would outlast Matsue Nourin's Aoyama and and Kadowaki to win 8-5 in 13 innings. An easy win over Masuda Higashi set up the semifinal matchup.
While taking the early lead, Masumoto would get rocked in the middle innings leaving Matsueshou trailing 4-1. His offense would rally in the next 2 innings to tie the game, but bottom 9 Shimozono would deliver the sayonara hit for Risshoudai Shounan to move on to the finals where Iwamichisuikan awaits.
Okayama
Oddly enough, it was better to be a lower seeded team than a higher seeded team this year.
1-4 seed Okayama Jyoutou was the first to fall, being shutout by Kouyou 4-0. Okayama Rikadai Fuzoku would be next to fall one round later, with a 6-2 loss to Kurashiki Kougyou.
However, neither would advance to the best 4. 5-8 seed Kanzei, who was not challenged up until that point, would pull away from Kouyou late to win 5-2. As for Kurashiki Kougyou, while Koujyoukan did suffer a scare from Takahashi Nisshin, ace Fukushima would throw a 4-hit shutout to eliminate the challengers.
In the other 2 quadrants, 1-4 seed Kurashiki Shougyou would face a surely tired 5-8 Okayama Higashi Shougyou squad. They wound up playing Mizushima Kougyou to a 6-6 draw, then just survived in the replay 2-1, then won another 1-run game against Sakuyou.
Perhaps the close games helped Okayama Higashi Shougyou because ace Nogami made a 3-2 2nd inning lead stick to advance the team to a semifinal match versus Kanzei.
And finally, 5-8 Okayama Kyousei was no match for 1-4 Tamano Kounan. Despite a small hiccup versus Mimasaka, where they just managed 1 run on 8 hits, they blew out Kyousei 10-0.
In the semifinals, the bottom of the order would stake Kanzei ace Kodama to a 2-0 lead as Tobe and Ichihara get back-to-back timely hits. Kodama would make that lead stick winning 3-2.
The other semifinal was rather bizarre. First Koujyoukan would go out to a 3-1 lead. Fukushima would hold that score until the 7th and 8th when Tamano pulled within 1, then tied the game. Reliever Satake would come in to try and keep the game level, but wound up giving up the gyakuten run to send the top seed to the finals.
What's so strange about that? They did it on just 4 hits.
Kagawa
Kagawa's top 4 seeds this year did not seem like the usual suspects (with the exception of top seed Jinsei Gakuen). #2 Kotohira and #3 Tadotsu both were teams that had not fared well, but for some reason had success in the spring. Only #4 Marugame Jyousei made some sense as they have been one of the betters teams in prefecture.
And things played out like you expected. Sort of.
Kanonji Chuo gave Jinsei Gakuen a proper fright, but reliever Nakayama kept the score at 4-3 in the final 6 frames. After that Kagawa Tousen Takamatsu actually led Jinsei into the 2nd half of the game, but reliever Yoshinari couldn't maintain the 3-1 lead. A pair of runs in the 7th and 8th spelled their downfall.
So Jinsei Gakuen as a seeded team made the semifinals. They would wind up being the only seeded team to do so.
After getting by a tough 1st round draw in Sangawa, Marugame Jyousei slid past Iiyama to reach the quarterfinals. There they would face an Eimei team who had beaten an unknown Shido team 1-0, then jumped on reliever Matsumoto for Sanbonmatsu who proceeded to fritter away a 7-2 lead and then take the loss in the 10th. Eimei wound up being up for the task, routing Marugame Jyousei 8-1 in 8 innings.
Things were even worse on the other half. Tadotsu, despite just 5 hits, was able to defeat Takamatsu Nishi 2-1 in the bottom of the 9th. But against Takamatsu Shougyou in the next round? Annihilated in 5 innings 10-0.
And Kotohira? Don't even ask. Takamatsu Minami limits them to just 1 run on 3 hits as they "upset" the #2 seed 4-1.
So who would jump on the opportunity? Well, Takamatsu Kita game Takamatsu Minami a job well done, defeated them 5-3, and then 4-hit Shoudouhima to advance to the Best 4. Marugame, despite needing to comeback against Ootemae Takamatsu's relief corps in game 2, took out Takamatsu Shougyou 5-2 to move themselves on the hill.
Semifinal 1 pitted the two heavyweights Jinsei Gakuen and Eimei. The aces traded donuts for the longest time before Nakayama caved and allowed the first run in the 7th for Eimei. Doi would come in relief for the 8th, but gave up 2 more runs. All seemed lost for Jinsei, but Eimei's ace Akagawa cracked in the bottom of the inning. A 2-run timely hit by SS Nishimaru, and another RBI from Oonishi tied the game at 3. Fast forward to the 9th, and Nishimaru would get one more crack at Akagawa. Sure enough, he delivered the sayonara hit to score Shinohara and send Jinsei Gakuen to the finals.
The 2nd semifinal was not exciting at all sadly. Takamatsu Kita was definitely the odd man in the bunch, and well... Starter Horie would not even finish the first inning as Marugame scored 11 runs in the 1st inning. They would win 11-0 on 5 hits and 8 walks...
So it's Marugame and Jinsei Gakuen in the final.
Monday, July 15, 2013
7/14 Update - Out of the blocks (Chuugoku & Shikoku)
Most of Chuugoku and Shikoku have started along with most of the other prefectures. Let's see where they're at.
Tottori
Nothing really of note so far in the 6 games played. The closest game was Yonago Higashi rallying from down 5-0 to Tottori Nishi to pull within 2, but lost 6-3. Tottori Jyouhoku has advanced easily past the first round.
Okayama
Much like Tottori, not many close games in Okayama to start either. Okayama Gakugeikan and Okayama Shoudai Fuzoku both advanced on day 1. Kanzei's attempt to return to 甲子園 started off with a 5-0 win over Okayama Housen.
The only really close games was at Acorn Stadium. Tamano holding off Konkou Gakuen 5-4, and Okayama outscoring Wakeshizutani to win 9-6.
Shimane
An exciting opening game in Shimane on the 14th as Mitoya and Matsue Kougyou traded runs every other inning, with Matsue Kougyou leading 5-4. But just 3 outs from advancing, they cannot close it out and Mitoya scores 2 in the bottom of the 9th for the sayorara win!
Hiroshima
Opening day at Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium was interesting for several reasons. First Soutoku and Hiroshima Shougyou would fight for 13 innings with Soutoku pulling off the 4-3 sayonara win in 13 innings. The other interesting fact was that the pitcher used for Hiroshima Shougyou was #10 Inosencio Wilson. From what I've been able to discern, his father was Filipino and was actually studying back in the Philippines before coming to high school in Japan.
Anyways, the first couple of days have the seeded teams watching as the rest of the field fights it out in the lower levels. It's a mixed bag, but there are quite a few close games starting out.
In Kure Nikou, Kure Mitsuta led Kumano 7-0 but the tandem of Maeda and Sugimoto barely held Kumano off winning 7-6. At Shimanami, Kure Shouwa also holds on, turning a 3-0 lead into a 3-2 win over Mihara.
Yamaguchi
Yamaguchi doesn't mess around on opening day. 10 games across 4 stadiums. Honestly though, I believe they had their opening ceremonies the day before.
Anyways, in opening action Ube Tousen trades blows with Ube Frontier Kagawa and wins 10-8. Takamori continually chases Kudamatsu, and just falls short 5-4. A 5-run 8th gives Shimonoseki Nishi the 7-4 win over Ootsu Ryokuyou.
Meanwhile, the seeded teams that did not manage to draw a bye played the next day. How a 5-8 seed gets a 1st round bye while a 1-4 seed doesn't is beyond me. No upsets thus far, though Ube Kougyou did not look especially sharp against Houhoku winning 3-1. Yanai Gakuen and Karyou both advance, but will be facing 5-8 seeded teams in their next matchup (Iwakuni and Nanyou Kougyou respectively).
Kagawa
Opening round games have been completed, and seeded teams are queued up. One school has already played and that's Jinsei Gakuen. They had an easy first game and will face a Kanonji Chuo squad who uncharacteristically almost lost in their first round game against Sakaide, recovered to mercy rule Mitoyo Kougyou.
Otherwise, Kasada used late-game heroics to score 2 in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Takamatsu Sakurai and will face Iiyama next.
Tokushima
Not much to report in Tokushima, all games were pretty much one-sided. About the only interesting game was Wakimachi scoring 11 unanswered to turn a 6-1 loss into an eventual 12-7 win over Komatsushima Nishi. Otherwise Kawashima, Tomioka Nishi, Tokushima Shougyou and Jyounouchi all advance.
Ehime
Interestingly, very low scoring games dominate early action. Yet only a handful were contested. Iyo Nougyou used a run in the 1st and 9th to defeat Yoshida 2-0. Niihama Higashi outlasted Kita-Uwa 3-2 in 11 innings. And Minami-Uwa used a run in the lucky 7th to get by Matsuyama Kougyou 4-3.
Kochi
Much like Tokushima, mostly lopsided games. Seeded teams do not get later games and as such, Kochi, Kochi Shougyou and Meitoku Gijyuku have all played and advanced.
But Kochi Tousen had their dreams crushed when they could not close a 6-2 lead in the top of the 9th. 6 runs later and Aki Sakuragaoka would advance. And Kochi Ootemae would fight but lose in the bottom of the 13th 2-1 to Nakamura.
Tottori
Nothing really of note so far in the 6 games played. The closest game was Yonago Higashi rallying from down 5-0 to Tottori Nishi to pull within 2, but lost 6-3. Tottori Jyouhoku has advanced easily past the first round.
Okayama
Much like Tottori, not many close games in Okayama to start either. Okayama Gakugeikan and Okayama Shoudai Fuzoku both advanced on day 1. Kanzei's attempt to return to 甲子園 started off with a 5-0 win over Okayama Housen.
The only really close games was at Acorn Stadium. Tamano holding off Konkou Gakuen 5-4, and Okayama outscoring Wakeshizutani to win 9-6.
Shimane
An exciting opening game in Shimane on the 14th as Mitoya and Matsue Kougyou traded runs every other inning, with Matsue Kougyou leading 5-4. But just 3 outs from advancing, they cannot close it out and Mitoya scores 2 in the bottom of the 9th for the sayorara win!
Hiroshima
Opening day at Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium was interesting for several reasons. First Soutoku and Hiroshima Shougyou would fight for 13 innings with Soutoku pulling off the 4-3 sayonara win in 13 innings. The other interesting fact was that the pitcher used for Hiroshima Shougyou was #10 Inosencio Wilson. From what I've been able to discern, his father was Filipino and was actually studying back in the Philippines before coming to high school in Japan.
Anyways, the first couple of days have the seeded teams watching as the rest of the field fights it out in the lower levels. It's a mixed bag, but there are quite a few close games starting out.
In Kure Nikou, Kure Mitsuta led Kumano 7-0 but the tandem of Maeda and Sugimoto barely held Kumano off winning 7-6. At Shimanami, Kure Shouwa also holds on, turning a 3-0 lead into a 3-2 win over Mihara.
Yamaguchi
Yamaguchi doesn't mess around on opening day. 10 games across 4 stadiums. Honestly though, I believe they had their opening ceremonies the day before.
Anyways, in opening action Ube Tousen trades blows with Ube Frontier Kagawa and wins 10-8. Takamori continually chases Kudamatsu, and just falls short 5-4. A 5-run 8th gives Shimonoseki Nishi the 7-4 win over Ootsu Ryokuyou.
Meanwhile, the seeded teams that did not manage to draw a bye played the next day. How a 5-8 seed gets a 1st round bye while a 1-4 seed doesn't is beyond me. No upsets thus far, though Ube Kougyou did not look especially sharp against Houhoku winning 3-1. Yanai Gakuen and Karyou both advance, but will be facing 5-8 seeded teams in their next matchup (Iwakuni and Nanyou Kougyou respectively).
Kagawa
Opening round games have been completed, and seeded teams are queued up. One school has already played and that's Jinsei Gakuen. They had an easy first game and will face a Kanonji Chuo squad who uncharacteristically almost lost in their first round game against Sakaide, recovered to mercy rule Mitoyo Kougyou.
Otherwise, Kasada used late-game heroics to score 2 in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Takamatsu Sakurai and will face Iiyama next.
Tokushima
Not much to report in Tokushima, all games were pretty much one-sided. About the only interesting game was Wakimachi scoring 11 unanswered to turn a 6-1 loss into an eventual 12-7 win over Komatsushima Nishi. Otherwise Kawashima, Tomioka Nishi, Tokushima Shougyou and Jyounouchi all advance.
Ehime
Interestingly, very low scoring games dominate early action. Yet only a handful were contested. Iyo Nougyou used a run in the 1st and 9th to defeat Yoshida 2-0. Niihama Higashi outlasted Kita-Uwa 3-2 in 11 innings. And Minami-Uwa used a run in the lucky 7th to get by Matsuyama Kougyou 4-3.
Kochi
Much like Tokushima, mostly lopsided games. Seeded teams do not get later games and as such, Kochi, Kochi Shougyou and Meitoku Gijyuku have all played and advanced.
But Kochi Tousen had their dreams crushed when they could not close a 6-2 lead in the top of the 9th. 6 runs later and Aki Sakuragaoka would advance. And Kochi Ootemae would fight but lose in the bottom of the 13th 2-1 to Nakamura.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Day 3 - Game 2 - Kurashiki Shougyou (Okayama) vs. Sakushin Gakuin (Tochigi)
Next up for today are the runner-ups of the Kanto and Chuugoku regions, Sakushin Gakuin and Kurashiki Shougyou.
Sakushin Gakuin made the Best 4 at Natsu Koushien last year before losing to eventual runner-up Kousei Gakuin. In the fall, they defeated teams such as Hanasaki Tokuharu and Yokohama before being shutout by Urawa Gakuin in the championship.
Offensively, they look like they have some power through the lineup, but suffer the same issue that Kamimura Gakuen has - below-average contact. They have two speedsters at the top of the lineup, so expect them to try and run and run often when the order turns over.
On the mound is ace Ootani, another contact-type pitcher who doesn't strikeout a bunch of hitters (4.4 K/9), but counters it by limiting runners (1.11 WHIP).
Kurashiki Shougyou's keystone win was a 7-5 gyakuten win over Jyosuikan in the first round of the super-regionals. They would eventually lose 4-1 in the finals to Tottori Jyouhoku. They have almost the reverse problem Sakushin has, good contact, but little in extra base hits - which has been a recurring theme of a lot of teams which have played so far.
In addition, their ace Nishi allows a high number of baserunners (1.56 WHIP), and still doesn't strike out a lot of batters (5.29 K/9).
This game will probably be another one of those where the team from the more populous region will win out. I say this because the talent pool tends to be greater in more populous areas. It's just a general fact.
RF Harukawa Yasunori
CF Sakada Jyunichi
1B Okada Seiji
C Michishita Kouta
LF Yokota Yamato
SS Katayama Yoshiki
3B Shimizu Shigeru
P Nishi Ryuusei
LF Haneishi Hiroki
SS Ishii Kazunari
1B Takayama Ryousuke (#9)
P Ootani ShigehiroC Yamashita Yuuto
RF Fuse Kyouhei (#16)
2B Asano Shouya3B Takashima Shouma
__________________________________________________
Looks like the rain which was was though to have passed is back again. There was some rain near the end of the last game, and has come back before the start of the game. But it looks like it's cleared up enough and the players take the field! It looks like Shinohara may be injured so Takayama shifts to 1B and Fuse holds the fort in right.
11:45 - First Pitch!
Top 1st
Fujii with a short liner over Takayama's head! Asano backing up the play throws to Ootani covering, but he can't hold on! Base hit!
Harukawa not bunting, and takes a ball away through the left side! No out, runners on 1st and 2nd for Sakada!
Sakada with the quick safety bunt! Takashima charges in but Sakada beats out the throw! Manrui immediately and Ootani in trouble!
But Okada swings at the first pitch and grounds it to Ishii! He steps on 2nd for one, throws to 1st for the double play! They concede the run for the 2 outs and Kurashiki takes a 1-0 lead!
The rain is coming down harder now it seems.
Michishita grounds out to 3rd for the third out and Ootani is fortunate to have given up just the one run.
Bottom 1st
After Nishi records two outs to start the inning, he walks Ishii. Then on two consecutive pitches, one is blocked but still allows Ishii to steal 2nd, then a wild pitch sends him to 3rd.
Nishi loses Takayama on 4 straight and he doesn't look comfortable on the mound at all in the rain.
Ootani up and he's thrown two more balls before getting the outside corner. Ootani gets fooled on a screwball and the count's even at 2-2.
SANSHIN! Nishi gets it together, getting Ootani on a slider inside for the 3rd out!
Top 2nd
The rain may play a part in this game one way or another before it ends here.
And it already is as the grounds crew is called out to work on the mound. And it looks like the umpires have called in the players while they put some equivalent of diamond dry onto the field. The rain continues to fall though, but I think they're trying to get this game in one way or another having already lost a day.
After about a 5 minute delay, the players are out again and we're ready to start play again.
Yokota gets the Kurashou offense going with a single to right!
And Katayama on a bunt attempt hits him on his right hand, and Ootani is in a pinch again here in the 2nd!
Wild pitch from Ootani! Runners advance a base and now Kobari-kantoku calls time.
Another wild pitch from Ootani! Yokota scores and Kurashou is up 2-0!
Shimizu with a single to center scoring Katayama! No reprieve this time around as Nishi sacrifices the runner along. Fujii grounds to 2nd, but advances the runner to 3rd.
Harukawa K's to end the inning, but Ootani's mistakes cost them a couple more runs.
Bottom 2nd
Yamashita with a hard liner to left. Yokota trying to make the sliding catch, but instead it deflects off him! Yokota comes in with a double!
Fuse with a liner up the middle! Katayama just misses it, but Yamashita has to hold because he had to wait for the ball to get through first. Runners on 1st and 2nd as Morimitsu-kantoku calls time.
Asano tries to bunt the runners along, but fouls it off and now is down 0-2. He still manages to lay it down and advance the runners.
Now it's Nishi's turn to be in a pinch! He hits Takashima and its manrui as the lineup turns over!
But he doesn't panic and strikes out Tsuruta on a slider inside. 2 outs!
He continues aggressively, getting ahead on Haneishi 1-2. But Haneishi holds off on a slider outside and the count goes full. Everyone will take off on the next pitch...
Grounder to the right side... base hit! One run will score... 2 runs will score! Haneishi's timely hit pulls Sakushin within 1. It's 3-2!!
Haneishi takes off on the first pitch! No throw from Michishita! Now a base hit could give them the lead.
After getting ahead of Ishii 1-2, again the count runs full. There is an open base but would you really?
Nubber up the first base line. Okada with it, tosses to Nishi, SAFE?
The 1st base umpire calls him not touching the bag! He hurriedly throws home, but it's not in time! 2 runs score on the error and Sakushin Gakuin gets the gyakuten run, 4-3!
Takayama flies out to right, but the miss at 1st proves costly. Did he really miss it??
Top 3rd
The rain has returned again and it's coming down hard. Sakada pops out to short.
Ootani seemingly picking up the pace as a game after 5 is an official game and they're ahead.
Okada strikes out swinging on a high fastball and Michishita pops out to left. 3 outs and they're one step closer.
Bottom 3rd
Looks like the rain has stopped, but the errors haven't. Okada muffs the grounder from Ootani and Nishi is late in covering.
Yamashita swinging away, hits a liner to center that Sakada just gets to.
Fuse tries the surprise bunt, but Okada is there quickly. Fujii is a little tardy getting to 1st, but they get the out.
Asano goes down and hits one to center! Ootani scores and it's 5-3 Sakushin Gakuin!
Takashima strikes out to end the inning, but Sakushin extends their lead.
Top 4th
Ootani doing a decent job given the conditions. He appears to have a fastball in the mid 130s, a two-seamer, and at least a slider in the high 110s-low 120s.
Yokota and now Katayama both are frozen by fastballs from Ootani and there's quickly 2 down.
Shimizu lines out to 1st and Kurashiki has to head out to the field again
Bottom 4th
The camera points to the skies past right field, and there's clear blue skies, so I don't think there's much to worry about for a called game. Not sure who that would have wanted that when, but no matter anymore.
Ootani was on his way to a quick inning, but when Haneishi hit a grounder to short, Katayama airmailed the throw. Ishii's K would have been the 3rd out, instead it's the 2nd and Haneishi steals 2nd to boot.
Takayama makes Kurashou pay! He drives a ball over Yokota's head for a double! Haneishi scores to make it a 6-3 game!
But Nishi can't get the inning to end. He walks Ootani, then throws a wild pitch allowing the runners to advance.
Yamashita with a hard hit ball up the middle! Fujii with the diving stop, fires to first... in time! Nice play to prevent more runs for scoring! But they do fall one more run behind.
Top 5th
Kurashou's offense has stalled over the last couple of innings. None of Kurashiki's batters are making good contact and are retired in order.
Bottom 5th
Sakushin's batters are having about as much luck, but are getting breaks. One out, Asano hits a popup to shallow center, but no one can get to it and it falls in.
Now, Michishita throws him out trying to steal 2nd, but then Takayama gets a glancing blow to the head from a pitch and takes 1st.
But Kobari-kantoku rolls the dice again, and once again Takayama is thrown out on a delayed steal to end the inning. We get to the break with Sakushin doubling up Kurashou 6-3.
Top 6th
Okada finally breaks the hit drought with a one-out single to left.
Ootani then has a ball get away from him and he hits Michishita in the wrist! Runners on 1st and 2nd with one down as Kobari-kantoku calls for time.
Oof. Another ball gets away from Ootani and Yokota has to quickly duck away.
Yokota with a solid strike, but it's right at Tsuruta for the 2nd out. Katayama stands in, with Kurashou in no position to afford not scoring here.
But Ootani blows an inside fastball by him and Kurashou is denied!
Bottom 6th
Nishi takes the mound having thrown 124 pitches. He's got a lot more work to do to keep his team in the game.
As for Nishi himself, he throws in the high 120s-low 130s with a slider sitting in the high 110s-low 120s and a change in the 100s.
Tsuruta goes down for the 3rd time, this time looking at a fastball outside.
Nishi then finally stops Haneishi from getting on base getting a groundout to 2nd.
Ishii with a low liner to center. Sakada diving, makes the catch! Risky move there, but it pays off! Nishi gets a proper 1-2-3 inning but still finds himself trailing by 3 as they enter the lucky 7.
Top 7th
Still, the Kurasho batters are not making good contact. Shimizu flies out to right. Nishi gets under one behind 0-2 and flies out to center.
Oop. The rain is back...
But even in the rain, Ootani continues to exhibit very good control.
Fujii flies out to right and well, there goes the lucky 7. 2 innings left to mount a comeback.
Bottom 7th
Takayama gets another bloop hit as the ball falls in once again between Katayama and Yokota.
Ootani tries to bunt the runner along, but is called out when the umpire deems he wasn't able to pull back his bat in time. One down.
Yamashita though singles through the left side, putting pressure back on Nishi.
Fuse grounds into a fielder's choice at 2nd, which places runners at the corners for Asano.
(Zip-a-dee-do-dah? Really?)
Asano with a grounder past Katayama into left. Takayama score to make it a 7-3 ballgame.
Takashima with another short popup, this time to right. Harukawa charges in and uses the wet turf to make a great sliding catch!
Top 8th
Harukawa inadvertantly jumps into the path of the ball as it was thrown behind him. Oh well, man on!
Sakada swinging on the hit-and-run! Asano with the diving attempt but it goes through! Runners on 1st and 2nd with no down!
No bunting anymore - Okada's swinging away!
Count runs in his favor 2-0. Two seamer inside for strike 1. Another one jams him and he flies out to left. 1 down.
Michishita hits a slow grounder to 3rd. He's retired and there's 2 down. They need to score these runs to have any chance in the 9th.
The task falls to Yokota, 1-3 on the day.
But like Michishita, he bails on an outside pitch and hits a slow roller to 3rd. Takashima makes the play and Kurashou's opportunity is wasted.
Bottom 8th
Nishi retires the side in order, tallying his 10th and 11th K's of the game. Yet it'll go for naught if they can't come back in the 9th
Top 9th
Bottom third of the order up in Katayama, Shimizu and Nishi...
Katayama grounds out to 2nd for the first out... Shimizu trying to foul off pitches looking for a better one, pops out to 2nd.
#15 Oosugi comes in to PH for Nishi, but falls behind 0-2 quickly. He's jammed and Takashima makes the catch near the mound to end the game.
Kurashiki Shougyou was never able to recover after giving up the 4-spot in the 2nd. Despite 11 K's from their ace Nishi, the offense was never able to gain traction to close the deficit. Not a bad job done by the boys from Okayama, but their road ends here. As for Sakushin Gakuin, it's yet another win at Koushien. The offense did looks sporadic at times, but they did have plenty of opportunities. Next up will be Naruto.
Notable Players
Ootani Shigehiro (Sakushin Gakuin) - CG, 3 ER, 7 H, 5 K, 3 BB
Takayama Ryousuke (Sakushin Gakuin) - 2-3, 2B, R, RBI, BB
Shimizu Shigeru (Kurashiki Shougyou) - 1-4, RBI
Sakushin Gakuin made the Best 4 at Natsu Koushien last year before losing to eventual runner-up Kousei Gakuin. In the fall, they defeated teams such as Hanasaki Tokuharu and Yokohama before being shutout by Urawa Gakuin in the championship.
Offensively, they look like they have some power through the lineup, but suffer the same issue that Kamimura Gakuen has - below-average contact. They have two speedsters at the top of the lineup, so expect them to try and run and run often when the order turns over.
On the mound is ace Ootani, another contact-type pitcher who doesn't strikeout a bunch of hitters (4.4 K/9), but counters it by limiting runners (1.11 WHIP).
Kurashiki Shougyou's keystone win was a 7-5 gyakuten win over Jyosuikan in the first round of the super-regionals. They would eventually lose 4-1 in the finals to Tottori Jyouhoku. They have almost the reverse problem Sakushin has, good contact, but little in extra base hits - which has been a recurring theme of a lot of teams which have played so far.
In addition, their ace Nishi allows a high number of baserunners (1.56 WHIP), and still doesn't strike out a lot of batters (5.29 K/9).
This game will probably be another one of those where the team from the more populous region will win out. I say this because the talent pool tends to be greater in more populous areas. It's just a general fact.
Kurashiki Shougyou (Okayama)
2B Fujii ShouriRF Harukawa Yasunori
CF Sakada Jyunichi
1B Okada Seiji
C Michishita Kouta
LF Yokota Yamato
SS Katayama Yoshiki
3B Shimizu Shigeru
P Nishi Ryuusei
Sakushin Gakuin (Tochigi)
CF Tsuruta KouyaLF Haneishi Hiroki
SS Ishii Kazunari
1B Takayama Ryousuke (#9)
P Ootani ShigehiroC Yamashita Yuuto
RF Fuse Kyouhei (#16)
2B Asano Shouya3B Takashima Shouma
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Looks like the rain which was was though to have passed is back again. There was some rain near the end of the last game, and has come back before the start of the game. But it looks like it's cleared up enough and the players take the field! It looks like Shinohara may be injured so Takayama shifts to 1B and Fuse holds the fort in right.
11:45 - First Pitch!
Top 1st
Fujii with a short liner over Takayama's head! Asano backing up the play throws to Ootani covering, but he can't hold on! Base hit!
Harukawa not bunting, and takes a ball away through the left side! No out, runners on 1st and 2nd for Sakada!
Sakada with the quick safety bunt! Takashima charges in but Sakada beats out the throw! Manrui immediately and Ootani in trouble!
But Okada swings at the first pitch and grounds it to Ishii! He steps on 2nd for one, throws to 1st for the double play! They concede the run for the 2 outs and Kurashiki takes a 1-0 lead!
The rain is coming down harder now it seems.
Michishita grounds out to 3rd for the third out and Ootani is fortunate to have given up just the one run.
Bottom 1st
After Nishi records two outs to start the inning, he walks Ishii. Then on two consecutive pitches, one is blocked but still allows Ishii to steal 2nd, then a wild pitch sends him to 3rd.
Nishi loses Takayama on 4 straight and he doesn't look comfortable on the mound at all in the rain.
Ootani up and he's thrown two more balls before getting the outside corner. Ootani gets fooled on a screwball and the count's even at 2-2.
SANSHIN! Nishi gets it together, getting Ootani on a slider inside for the 3rd out!
Top 2nd
The rain may play a part in this game one way or another before it ends here.
And it already is as the grounds crew is called out to work on the mound. And it looks like the umpires have called in the players while they put some equivalent of diamond dry onto the field. The rain continues to fall though, but I think they're trying to get this game in one way or another having already lost a day.
After about a 5 minute delay, the players are out again and we're ready to start play again.
Yokota gets the Kurashou offense going with a single to right!
And Katayama on a bunt attempt hits him on his right hand, and Ootani is in a pinch again here in the 2nd!
Wild pitch from Ootani! Runners advance a base and now Kobari-kantoku calls time.
Another wild pitch from Ootani! Yokota scores and Kurashou is up 2-0!
Shimizu with a single to center scoring Katayama! No reprieve this time around as Nishi sacrifices the runner along. Fujii grounds to 2nd, but advances the runner to 3rd.
Harukawa K's to end the inning, but Ootani's mistakes cost them a couple more runs.
Bottom 2nd
Yamashita with a hard liner to left. Yokota trying to make the sliding catch, but instead it deflects off him! Yokota comes in with a double!
Fuse with a liner up the middle! Katayama just misses it, but Yamashita has to hold because he had to wait for the ball to get through first. Runners on 1st and 2nd as Morimitsu-kantoku calls time.
Asano tries to bunt the runners along, but fouls it off and now is down 0-2. He still manages to lay it down and advance the runners.
Now it's Nishi's turn to be in a pinch! He hits Takashima and its manrui as the lineup turns over!
But he doesn't panic and strikes out Tsuruta on a slider inside. 2 outs!
He continues aggressively, getting ahead on Haneishi 1-2. But Haneishi holds off on a slider outside and the count goes full. Everyone will take off on the next pitch...
Grounder to the right side... base hit! One run will score... 2 runs will score! Haneishi's timely hit pulls Sakushin within 1. It's 3-2!!
Haneishi takes off on the first pitch! No throw from Michishita! Now a base hit could give them the lead.
After getting ahead of Ishii 1-2, again the count runs full. There is an open base but would you really?
Nubber up the first base line. Okada with it, tosses to Nishi, SAFE?
The 1st base umpire calls him not touching the bag! He hurriedly throws home, but it's not in time! 2 runs score on the error and Sakushin Gakuin gets the gyakuten run, 4-3!
Takayama flies out to right, but the miss at 1st proves costly. Did he really miss it??
Top 3rd
The rain has returned again and it's coming down hard. Sakada pops out to short.
Ootani seemingly picking up the pace as a game after 5 is an official game and they're ahead.
Okada strikes out swinging on a high fastball and Michishita pops out to left. 3 outs and they're one step closer.
Bottom 3rd
Looks like the rain has stopped, but the errors haven't. Okada muffs the grounder from Ootani and Nishi is late in covering.
Yamashita swinging away, hits a liner to center that Sakada just gets to.
Fuse tries the surprise bunt, but Okada is there quickly. Fujii is a little tardy getting to 1st, but they get the out.
Asano goes down and hits one to center! Ootani scores and it's 5-3 Sakushin Gakuin!
Takashima strikes out to end the inning, but Sakushin extends their lead.
Top 4th
Ootani doing a decent job given the conditions. He appears to have a fastball in the mid 130s, a two-seamer, and at least a slider in the high 110s-low 120s.
Yokota and now Katayama both are frozen by fastballs from Ootani and there's quickly 2 down.
Shimizu lines out to 1st and Kurashiki has to head out to the field again
Bottom 4th
The camera points to the skies past right field, and there's clear blue skies, so I don't think there's much to worry about for a called game. Not sure who that would have wanted that when, but no matter anymore.
Ootani was on his way to a quick inning, but when Haneishi hit a grounder to short, Katayama airmailed the throw. Ishii's K would have been the 3rd out, instead it's the 2nd and Haneishi steals 2nd to boot.
Takayama makes Kurashou pay! He drives a ball over Yokota's head for a double! Haneishi scores to make it a 6-3 game!
But Nishi can't get the inning to end. He walks Ootani, then throws a wild pitch allowing the runners to advance.
Yamashita with a hard hit ball up the middle! Fujii with the diving stop, fires to first... in time! Nice play to prevent more runs for scoring! But they do fall one more run behind.
Top 5th
Kurashou's offense has stalled over the last couple of innings. None of Kurashiki's batters are making good contact and are retired in order.
Bottom 5th
Sakushin's batters are having about as much luck, but are getting breaks. One out, Asano hits a popup to shallow center, but no one can get to it and it falls in.
Now, Michishita throws him out trying to steal 2nd, but then Takayama gets a glancing blow to the head from a pitch and takes 1st.
But Kobari-kantoku rolls the dice again, and once again Takayama is thrown out on a delayed steal to end the inning. We get to the break with Sakushin doubling up Kurashou 6-3.
Top 6th
Okada finally breaks the hit drought with a one-out single to left.
Ootani then has a ball get away from him and he hits Michishita in the wrist! Runners on 1st and 2nd with one down as Kobari-kantoku calls for time.
Oof. Another ball gets away from Ootani and Yokota has to quickly duck away.
Yokota with a solid strike, but it's right at Tsuruta for the 2nd out. Katayama stands in, with Kurashou in no position to afford not scoring here.
But Ootani blows an inside fastball by him and Kurashou is denied!
Bottom 6th
Nishi takes the mound having thrown 124 pitches. He's got a lot more work to do to keep his team in the game.
As for Nishi himself, he throws in the high 120s-low 130s with a slider sitting in the high 110s-low 120s and a change in the 100s.
Tsuruta goes down for the 3rd time, this time looking at a fastball outside.
Nishi then finally stops Haneishi from getting on base getting a groundout to 2nd.
Ishii with a low liner to center. Sakada diving, makes the catch! Risky move there, but it pays off! Nishi gets a proper 1-2-3 inning but still finds himself trailing by 3 as they enter the lucky 7.
Top 7th
Still, the Kurasho batters are not making good contact. Shimizu flies out to right. Nishi gets under one behind 0-2 and flies out to center.
Oop. The rain is back...
But even in the rain, Ootani continues to exhibit very good control.
Fujii flies out to right and well, there goes the lucky 7. 2 innings left to mount a comeback.
Bottom 7th
Takayama gets another bloop hit as the ball falls in once again between Katayama and Yokota.
Ootani tries to bunt the runner along, but is called out when the umpire deems he wasn't able to pull back his bat in time. One down.
Yamashita though singles through the left side, putting pressure back on Nishi.
Fuse grounds into a fielder's choice at 2nd, which places runners at the corners for Asano.
(Zip-a-dee-do-dah? Really?)
Asano with a grounder past Katayama into left. Takayama score to make it a 7-3 ballgame.
Takashima with another short popup, this time to right. Harukawa charges in and uses the wet turf to make a great sliding catch!
Top 8th
Harukawa inadvertantly jumps into the path of the ball as it was thrown behind him. Oh well, man on!
Sakada swinging on the hit-and-run! Asano with the diving attempt but it goes through! Runners on 1st and 2nd with no down!
No bunting anymore - Okada's swinging away!
Count runs in his favor 2-0. Two seamer inside for strike 1. Another one jams him and he flies out to left. 1 down.
Michishita hits a slow grounder to 3rd. He's retired and there's 2 down. They need to score these runs to have any chance in the 9th.
The task falls to Yokota, 1-3 on the day.
But like Michishita, he bails on an outside pitch and hits a slow roller to 3rd. Takashima makes the play and Kurashou's opportunity is wasted.
Bottom 8th
Nishi retires the side in order, tallying his 10th and 11th K's of the game. Yet it'll go for naught if they can't come back in the 9th
Top 9th
Bottom third of the order up in Katayama, Shimizu and Nishi...
Katayama grounds out to 2nd for the first out... Shimizu trying to foul off pitches looking for a better one, pops out to 2nd.
#15 Oosugi comes in to PH for Nishi, but falls behind 0-2 quickly. He's jammed and Takashima makes the catch near the mound to end the game.
Kurashiki Shougyou was never able to recover after giving up the 4-spot in the 2nd. Despite 11 K's from their ace Nishi, the offense was never able to gain traction to close the deficit. Not a bad job done by the boys from Okayama, but their road ends here. As for Sakushin Gakuin, it's yet another win at Koushien. The offense did looks sporadic at times, but they did have plenty of opportunities. Next up will be Naruto.
Notable Players
Ootani Shigehiro (Sakushin Gakuin) - CG, 3 ER, 7 H, 5 K, 3 BB
Takayama Ryousuke (Sakushin Gakuin) - 2-3, 2B, R, RBI, BB
Shimizu Shigeru (Kurashiki Shougyou) - 1-4, RBI
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
93rd Koushien Qualifying - Chuugoku/Shikoku Update
Tottori
Yazu seemed to have the game in control after scoring 4 in the 3rd. But they had other opportunities to extend the lead and was not able to. That would hurt them in the end as Sakai would score a pair of runs in the 7th and 8th for a gyakuten 5-4 victory!
Sakai's opponent in the championship would be Tottori Shougyou as ace Hashimoto throws a 4-hit shutout over Tottori Ikuei.
In the finals, Sakai would have to play catchup, not once, but twice. Right after Tottori Shougyou scored their 2nd run in the 5th, Sakai scored a pair of their own. Same thing happened right after Tottori Shougyou scored a run in the bottom of the 6th. While it gave them the tie once again, they were unable to take the outright lead.
And Tottori Shougyou would ensure Sakai would have no time to rally. They score the sayonara run for the win and only their 2nd title - the first being 7 years ago.
Okayama
Kanzei and Okayama Rikaidai Fuzoku was easily the most competitive game of the 4 quarterfinal games. Both teams struggled to get hits, though Rikaidai did get the opening run in the 1st on a HR by Fujioka. Kanzei tried fighting back throughout the game, and finally broke through in the 8th scoring the douten run. In the 9th, they would get to reliever Fujioka and score the gyakuten run. Rikaidai was not able to mount a 9th inning rally and fell 2-1.
Outside of that game, Okayama Gakugeikan, Sakuyou and Konkou Gakuen all advanced with little difficulty.
And the semifinals were actually much of the same. Okayama Gakugeikan got mercy ruled in 5 by Okayama 12-2, and while Sakuyou managed to get a 2-0 lead early, a 10-1 run by Konkou Gakuen in the 3rd-6th innings made the game out of reach.
So it'll be Kanzei and Konkou Gakuen for the final.
Shimane
It seemed to be getting easier for top seed Iwamichisuikan. In the quarterfinals they won 11-0 over Iinan in 5 innings. Their opponent would be #4 Taisha, though it didn't seem that way at first. Masuda Higashi scored 7 unanswered to take a 8-1 lead going into the 5th. Then suddenly Taisha went on their own run the next two innings, scoring 10 unanswered!! Masuda wouldn't give it up that easily as they scored 3 to tie the game at 11! Taisha would finally put Masuda Higashi away with 2 in the 9th for the 13-11 win!
On the other half of the bracket, 2 seed Kaisei under the managing of Nonomura-kantoku again helped rally the troops against Yasugi. 3 runs in the 5th would tie the game, and a pair of runs in the 7th and 8th gave them the win. 3 seed Matsue Shougyou would make it a scratch bracket as they used a 4-run 5th to defeat Izumo 7-5.
The semis have been postponed to today due to rain.
Hiroshima
Our 3rd seeded team in Hiroshima was to fall in the 4th round. Hiroshima Kokusaidai Gakuin after building a 4-1 lead on Shiritsu Kure, saw that lead turn into a one-run deficit before tying it at 6 in the 8th. But it would be Kure who would have the final laugh, scoring the sayonara run in the 11th.
Kinkidai Fukuyama who had beaten Kouryou, got mercy ruled by Hiroshima Kougyou 11-0 after they scored 10(!) in the 5th.
Hiroshima Sougyou Gijyutsu for the 2nd game in the tournament showed offense, scoring 10 runs in a 10-5 win over Miyajima Kougyou. They did give up the runs late which could be worrysome against harder competition.
Miyoshi, who had upset Hiroshima Shougyou was soundly defeated by Hiroshima Shinjyou 13-5.
Soutoku went from mercy rule to enchousen back to mercy rule as took take care of Aki Minami 10-0 in 6.
Onomichi Shougyou would be the next to fall by the wayside. They trailed 2-1 to Hatsukaichi Nishi in the bottom of the 9th when they were able to force extras. Yet they still had trouble getting to ace Nakai. And in the 13th it would be Hatsukaichi who would get to ace Maeda, scoring a run in the 13th. With no response from Onomichi they would fall 3-2.
And finally Jyousuikan advances with a 4-2 win over Onomichi Higashi.
So moving onto the quarterfinals at Shimanami Stadium, Soutoku stayed with Hiroshima Sougou Gijyutsu responding to each score that they put on the board. But when Sougou Gijyutsu scored a run in the 6th to take the lead, not only did they tie it in the 7th, they scored again in the 8th to take their first lead! Down 1 with just 3 outs to go, Sougou Gijyutsu was unable to plate the tying run.
In the matinee game, Jyousuikan and Hiroshima Kougyou battled it out in the middle innings, with Jyousuikan maintaining the one-run lead they held in the first. An insurance run in the 7th to make it 6-4 is enough for a ticket to the semis.
Over at Kure Nikou, Sanyou completely had their way with Hatsukaichi Nishi, getting their 4th mercy win in as many games, 15-0!
The field would be rounded out by Hiroshima Shinjyou who only trailed 0-1 in the 1st inning. 7 innings later, they had a 15-8 mercy win.
Yamaguchi
The round of 16 was predominantly dominated by low-scoring affairs.
Yanai Gakuen woke up to find themselves in a pitchers' battle with Suou-Ooshima. Making things worse was that Suou-Ooshima tied the game at 1 in the 8th. In the end though they would pull it out, but not until the bottom of the 9th. Fellow B seed Onoda had the same issue with Ube Kougyou, except for the fact they were actually down 1! They won the game by scoring a run in the final 2 innings.
We would have an upset though, Shimonoseki Kougyou ace Matsumoto would limit A seed Shimonoseki Shougyou to just 1 run on 8 hits in a 4-1 win.
And despite getting just 2 hits, Shimonoseki Kokusai makes those count as LF Fujita hits a home run in the 7th to give them a 1-0 win over Hayatomo!
The quarterfinals would see every single favorite lose save for one.
Kagawa
After blowing a 6-1 lead to Miki in the 3rd round, Sakaide Shougyou scores more runs in the 13th inning then they did the entire game. They win 15-6.
Shoudoshima, down 1 in the 9th ties the game then wins it in 12 against Takamatsu.
Onto the quarterfinals and Eimei, though unseeded, advances with at 5-1 win over Takamatsu Shougyou. Sakaide Shougyou comes from behind against Shoudoshima to win 7-6 in the bottom of the 9th. Marugame uses a 5-run 5th and uses it to hold onto a 6-5 win over Sangawa. And finally, Kanonji Dai-ichi just takes Marugame Jyousei to task, mercy ruling them 8-0 in 7!
Tokushima
After rain washes out a couple of days, play get back on track on the 21st. Tomioka Nishi allows Anan Nishi to tie the game in the 9th, but it only extends it for one more inning.
In the quarterfinals, Jyounan gets shocked by Seikou Gakuen (no, not Seikou Gakuin) who despite getting just 4 hits, scores the one and only run in the ballgame!
Naruto Kougyou's bid gets derailed by Komatsushima as they score a run in the bottom of the 8th and 9th for the win.
And the remaining seeded teams, Naruto and Tokushima Shougyou advance with ease.
Ehime
Let's see, what to note...
Matsuyama Kougyou gets its 2nd close game in as many played. Up 6-1 after 1 they allow Niihama Minami to tie the game, the after taking the lead, they give it up. Down 10-8, they score 3 to take the lead this time for good.
Teikyou Dai-go scores just 1, which is enough to beat Yawatahama, though it's not a great start.
Tanbara not only upsets #2 Kawanoe, they mercy rule them in 8 innings 9-2!
Either Nitta likes the score 7-5, or they like the game close. Up 6-0, they allow Saijyou (albeit a good team) to score 5 in the last two innings. An insurance run in the 9th gives them their 2nd 7-5 win.
Saibi ends Teikyou Dai-go's season early yet again with a 6-2 win. And Uwajima Higashi will be their next opponent as they defeat Matsuyama Kougyou 2-1.
Kochi
Well, things were pretty much going as planned, with games not really being a tug of war so to speak. Meitoku Gijyuku advances to the semis, though they did have a bit of a scare against Kochi Chuo. They didn't win that game until the bottom of the 8th.
Okou and Tosa played to a scoreless draw in regulation, and it wouldn't be until the 11th when Kakehi would drive in the sayonara run for Tosa and send their team to the semis.
Joining them would be Kochi and Kochi Shougyou. That should setup to be an amazing game.
But as is the case during this time of year, rain gets in the way again.
Yazu seemed to have the game in control after scoring 4 in the 3rd. But they had other opportunities to extend the lead and was not able to. That would hurt them in the end as Sakai would score a pair of runs in the 7th and 8th for a gyakuten 5-4 victory!
Sakai's opponent in the championship would be Tottori Shougyou as ace Hashimoto throws a 4-hit shutout over Tottori Ikuei.
In the finals, Sakai would have to play catchup, not once, but twice. Right after Tottori Shougyou scored their 2nd run in the 5th, Sakai scored a pair of their own. Same thing happened right after Tottori Shougyou scored a run in the bottom of the 6th. While it gave them the tie once again, they were unable to take the outright lead.
And Tottori Shougyou would ensure Sakai would have no time to rally. They score the sayonara run for the win and only their 2nd title - the first being 7 years ago.
Okayama
Kanzei and Okayama Rikaidai Fuzoku was easily the most competitive game of the 4 quarterfinal games. Both teams struggled to get hits, though Rikaidai did get the opening run in the 1st on a HR by Fujioka. Kanzei tried fighting back throughout the game, and finally broke through in the 8th scoring the douten run. In the 9th, they would get to reliever Fujioka and score the gyakuten run. Rikaidai was not able to mount a 9th inning rally and fell 2-1.
Outside of that game, Okayama Gakugeikan, Sakuyou and Konkou Gakuen all advanced with little difficulty.
And the semifinals were actually much of the same. Okayama Gakugeikan got mercy ruled in 5 by Okayama 12-2, and while Sakuyou managed to get a 2-0 lead early, a 10-1 run by Konkou Gakuen in the 3rd-6th innings made the game out of reach.
So it'll be Kanzei and Konkou Gakuen for the final.
Shimane
It seemed to be getting easier for top seed Iwamichisuikan. In the quarterfinals they won 11-0 over Iinan in 5 innings. Their opponent would be #4 Taisha, though it didn't seem that way at first. Masuda Higashi scored 7 unanswered to take a 8-1 lead going into the 5th. Then suddenly Taisha went on their own run the next two innings, scoring 10 unanswered!! Masuda wouldn't give it up that easily as they scored 3 to tie the game at 11! Taisha would finally put Masuda Higashi away with 2 in the 9th for the 13-11 win!
On the other half of the bracket, 2 seed Kaisei under the managing of Nonomura-kantoku again helped rally the troops against Yasugi. 3 runs in the 5th would tie the game, and a pair of runs in the 7th and 8th gave them the win. 3 seed Matsue Shougyou would make it a scratch bracket as they used a 4-run 5th to defeat Izumo 7-5.
The semis have been postponed to today due to rain.
Hiroshima
Our 3rd seeded team in Hiroshima was to fall in the 4th round. Hiroshima Kokusaidai Gakuin after building a 4-1 lead on Shiritsu Kure, saw that lead turn into a one-run deficit before tying it at 6 in the 8th. But it would be Kure who would have the final laugh, scoring the sayonara run in the 11th.
Kinkidai Fukuyama who had beaten Kouryou, got mercy ruled by Hiroshima Kougyou 11-0 after they scored 10(!) in the 5th.
Hiroshima Sougyou Gijyutsu for the 2nd game in the tournament showed offense, scoring 10 runs in a 10-5 win over Miyajima Kougyou. They did give up the runs late which could be worrysome against harder competition.
Miyoshi, who had upset Hiroshima Shougyou was soundly defeated by Hiroshima Shinjyou 13-5.
Soutoku went from mercy rule to enchousen back to mercy rule as took take care of Aki Minami 10-0 in 6.
Onomichi Shougyou would be the next to fall by the wayside. They trailed 2-1 to Hatsukaichi Nishi in the bottom of the 9th when they were able to force extras. Yet they still had trouble getting to ace Nakai. And in the 13th it would be Hatsukaichi who would get to ace Maeda, scoring a run in the 13th. With no response from Onomichi they would fall 3-2.
And finally Jyousuikan advances with a 4-2 win over Onomichi Higashi.
So moving onto the quarterfinals at Shimanami Stadium, Soutoku stayed with Hiroshima Sougou Gijyutsu responding to each score that they put on the board. But when Sougou Gijyutsu scored a run in the 6th to take the lead, not only did they tie it in the 7th, they scored again in the 8th to take their first lead! Down 1 with just 3 outs to go, Sougou Gijyutsu was unable to plate the tying run.
In the matinee game, Jyousuikan and Hiroshima Kougyou battled it out in the middle innings, with Jyousuikan maintaining the one-run lead they held in the first. An insurance run in the 7th to make it 6-4 is enough for a ticket to the semis.
Over at Kure Nikou, Sanyou completely had their way with Hatsukaichi Nishi, getting their 4th mercy win in as many games, 15-0!
The field would be rounded out by Hiroshima Shinjyou who only trailed 0-1 in the 1st inning. 7 innings later, they had a 15-8 mercy win.
Yamaguchi
The round of 16 was predominantly dominated by low-scoring affairs.
Yanai Gakuen woke up to find themselves in a pitchers' battle with Suou-Ooshima. Making things worse was that Suou-Ooshima tied the game at 1 in the 8th. In the end though they would pull it out, but not until the bottom of the 9th. Fellow B seed Onoda had the same issue with Ube Kougyou, except for the fact they were actually down 1! They won the game by scoring a run in the final 2 innings.
We would have an upset though, Shimonoseki Kougyou ace Matsumoto would limit A seed Shimonoseki Shougyou to just 1 run on 8 hits in a 4-1 win.
And despite getting just 2 hits, Shimonoseki Kokusai makes those count as LF Fujita hits a home run in the 7th to give them a 1-0 win over Hayatomo!
The quarterfinals would see every single favorite lose save for one.
- Yanai Gakuen would limit Ube Koujyou to just one run in a 2-1 win.
- Nanyou Kougyou and Shimonoseki Kokusai are in a close game until Nanyou gives up 4 in the 8th for the upset!
- Iwakuni never takes the lead over Onoda and falls 5-2!
- The only favored team to win is Sakuragaoka, who defeats Shimonoseki Kougyou 12-1 in 8.
Kagawa
After blowing a 6-1 lead to Miki in the 3rd round, Sakaide Shougyou scores more runs in the 13th inning then they did the entire game. They win 15-6.
Shoudoshima, down 1 in the 9th ties the game then wins it in 12 against Takamatsu.
Onto the quarterfinals and Eimei, though unseeded, advances with at 5-1 win over Takamatsu Shougyou. Sakaide Shougyou comes from behind against Shoudoshima to win 7-6 in the bottom of the 9th. Marugame uses a 5-run 5th and uses it to hold onto a 6-5 win over Sangawa. And finally, Kanonji Dai-ichi just takes Marugame Jyousei to task, mercy ruling them 8-0 in 7!
Tokushima
After rain washes out a couple of days, play get back on track on the 21st. Tomioka Nishi allows Anan Nishi to tie the game in the 9th, but it only extends it for one more inning.
In the quarterfinals, Jyounan gets shocked by Seikou Gakuen (no, not Seikou Gakuin) who despite getting just 4 hits, scores the one and only run in the ballgame!
Naruto Kougyou's bid gets derailed by Komatsushima as they score a run in the bottom of the 8th and 9th for the win.
And the remaining seeded teams, Naruto and Tokushima Shougyou advance with ease.
Ehime
Let's see, what to note...
Matsuyama Kougyou gets its 2nd close game in as many played. Up 6-1 after 1 they allow Niihama Minami to tie the game, the after taking the lead, they give it up. Down 10-8, they score 3 to take the lead this time for good.
Teikyou Dai-go scores just 1, which is enough to beat Yawatahama, though it's not a great start.
Tanbara not only upsets #2 Kawanoe, they mercy rule them in 8 innings 9-2!
Either Nitta likes the score 7-5, or they like the game close. Up 6-0, they allow Saijyou (albeit a good team) to score 5 in the last two innings. An insurance run in the 9th gives them their 2nd 7-5 win.
Saibi ends Teikyou Dai-go's season early yet again with a 6-2 win. And Uwajima Higashi will be their next opponent as they defeat Matsuyama Kougyou 2-1.
Kochi
Well, things were pretty much going as planned, with games not really being a tug of war so to speak. Meitoku Gijyuku advances to the semis, though they did have a bit of a scare against Kochi Chuo. They didn't win that game until the bottom of the 8th.
Okou and Tosa played to a scoreless draw in regulation, and it wouldn't be until the 11th when Kakehi would drive in the sayonara run for Tosa and send their team to the semis.
Joining them would be Kochi and Kochi Shougyou. That should setup to be an amazing game.
But as is the case during this time of year, rain gets in the way again.
Friday, July 22, 2011
93rd Koushien Qualifying - July 13th-21st (Chuugoku Region)
Well, I'm heading towards the middle, mostly because I know updating the Kinki and Chuubu regions will be a pain in the...
Yamaguchi
Day 1 of games at Yamaguchi featured Shimonoseki Nishi giving up the tying run in the bottom of the 9th against Ube Nishi, but winning 1 inning later and Houfu responding to Ooshima Shousen Tousen's 3 runs in the 6th with 3 of their own in the 7th and a sayonara run in the 9th.
Day 2 (17th) had Tokuyama Shoukou holding on against Iwakuni Kougyou 4-3. Saikyou and Keishin were tied at 3 after Keishin scored 2 in the bottom of the 9th. Saikyou though tripled their run total in the 11th scoring 6 out of nowhere to win 9-3. Top 4 seed Shimonoseki Shougyou got the short end of the seeded teams having to play an extra game, but breezed against Seiryou 14-4. And finally Tokuyama and Hikarigaoka were scoreless through 9, but the game wouldn't need to go further into extras. Tokuyama scores the sayonara run in the bottom of the 9th for the win, this despite Tawara and Yasuno combining for 9 free passes.
Day 3 rounded out 1st round play. 5-8 seed Yanai Gakuen advances easily over Shin-Nanyou and will play neighbor Yanai Shoukou. Fellow seed Onoda has no trouble with the transition team of Ootsu Ryokuyou/Yamaguchi Suisan. They'll play Nagato (no, not that Nagato - although I bet she could beat a team all by herself) who pulled it out in 11 against Yamaguchi-ken Koujyou.
We did have our first upset in day 3 when 5-8 seed Shimonoseki Chuo Kougyou was actually shutout by Hayatomo 5-0 (in fact they were 5-hit!). And in another minor upset, Karyou loses their 1st round game when Takamizu scores 3 in the bottom of the 8th to take a 3-2 lead.
Round 2 was slated to start on the 19th, but in a repeating story Typhoon Ma-on delayed things a bit. Games finally got underway 2 days later, and with the few teams that are participating the entire 2nd round was played on the 21st so all teams were in play.
Busicom Yanai
Round 2 (16th-17th)
Round 1 came and went, with little that was notable outside of Risshoudai Shounan winning their first game against Matsue Kougyou.
Round 2 got the majority of teams involved, including the favorites.
Round 3
Hm. In the time range I'm recapping, Okayama has gone all the way from starting to the Best 8.
Oy. There's a lot to go through.
Tottori in just one week has already reached the quarterfinals. Such is the case with a rural prefecture where populations continue to migrate to cities.
Round 1
Then things finally got interesting...
Tottori Shougyou, who had just gone down 1-0 to Kurayoshi Higashi, scores 4. Kurayoshi Higashi immediately replies with 3 to tie the game. It stayed that way until the 8th when Tottori Shougyou got to the 3rd pitcher, Ishikawa for the winning run.
And in the last quarterfinal, Tottori Jyouhoku got a 3-2 lead in the 1st inning. They maintained it after trading a run in the 3rd. But Tottori Chuo Ikuei scored 2 in the 5th to take the lead. An insurance run in the 7th proved to be the difference as Tottori Jyouhoku scored a run in the 8th to pull within 1.
Yamaguchi
Day 1 of games at Yamaguchi featured Shimonoseki Nishi giving up the tying run in the bottom of the 9th against Ube Nishi, but winning 1 inning later and Houfu responding to Ooshima Shousen Tousen's 3 runs in the 6th with 3 of their own in the 7th and a sayonara run in the 9th.
Day 2 (17th) had Tokuyama Shoukou holding on against Iwakuni Kougyou 4-3. Saikyou and Keishin were tied at 3 after Keishin scored 2 in the bottom of the 9th. Saikyou though tripled their run total in the 11th scoring 6 out of nowhere to win 9-3. Top 4 seed Shimonoseki Shougyou got the short end of the seeded teams having to play an extra game, but breezed against Seiryou 14-4. And finally Tokuyama and Hikarigaoka were scoreless through 9, but the game wouldn't need to go further into extras. Tokuyama scores the sayonara run in the bottom of the 9th for the win, this despite Tawara and Yasuno combining for 9 free passes.
Day 3 rounded out 1st round play. 5-8 seed Yanai Gakuen advances easily over Shin-Nanyou and will play neighbor Yanai Shoukou. Fellow seed Onoda has no trouble with the transition team of Ootsu Ryokuyou/Yamaguchi Suisan. They'll play Nagato (no, not that Nagato - although I bet she could beat a team all by herself) who pulled it out in 11 against Yamaguchi-ken Koujyou.
We did have our first upset in day 3 when 5-8 seed Shimonoseki Chuo Kougyou was actually shutout by Hayatomo 5-0 (in fact they were 5-hit!). And in another minor upset, Karyou loses their 1st round game when Takamizu scores 3 in the bottom of the 8th to take a 3-2 lead.
Round 2 was slated to start on the 19th, but in a repeating story Typhoon Ma-on delayed things a bit. Games finally got underway 2 days later, and with the few teams that are participating the entire 2nd round was played on the 21st so all teams were in play.
Busicom Yanai
- Top 4 seed Iwakuni started play but didn't pull away until late defeating Kumage Minami 10-6. Yanai will be their opponent as they beat Tokuyama Shoukou 9-4.
- Yanai Gakuen gets its second shutout in as many games. Suou-Ooshima is next on the docket.
- Top 4 seed Ube Koujyou finds themselves immediately in the trenches against Onoda Kougyou. Onoda ties the game at 3 in the 9th sending it into extras. Ube Koujyou survives scoring the sayonara run in the 11th. Saikyou steps up to take them on in the round of 16.
- Onoda moves on defeating Nagato 6-1. Ube Kougyou, who scores its 2nd mercy win will be up next.
- Shimonoseki Shougyou gets some trouble from Shimonoseki Nishi, winning only by the margin of 2-0. They must be feeling like this is preseason because they'll face another Shimonoseki school in Shimonoseki Kougyou, who kept up with Toyora and pulled ahead when it matted with a sayonara run in the 10th.
- Hayatomo continues their run with another shutout, this time over Hagi Shoukou. Shimonoseki Kokusai, who edged Nishiichi will try to stop the Cinderella run.
- Nanyou Kougyou gets through its first game, defeating Seikou 5-0. They play Takagawa Gakuen, who had to survive a late charge from Houfu.
- 5-8 seed Sakuragaoka trailed Iwakuni Shougyou for much of the game. But again, it's not how you start, but how you finish. Sakuragaoka takes a 1-run lead in the top of the 9th with a pair of runs, and after Iwakuni tied it up, put them to the test again with a run in the 10th. Iwakuni had no response this time and Sakuragaoka survives. Takamizu and Tokuyama were involved in an offensive affair with Takamizu coming back and winning 9-8.
Round 2 (16th-17th)
- The 16th saw the first of the seeded teams take the field. Personal favorite Kouryou handled Shoubara Jitsugyou with ease 10-1. Hiroshima Sougou Gijyutsu, who made a decent showing at Koshien, and is seeded this year beats Numata 13-6. Sanjyou mercy ruled Yoshida in 5.
- The biggest shock happened at Miyoshi Kinsai. Seeded Hiroshima Shougyou scored 2 in the 8th to take a 4-2 lead over Miyoshi. Then out of nowhere it appears Hiroshima Shougyou suddenly forgot how to play baseball. Despite relievers Tasaka and Shimotake giving up just 5 hits, the defense fails them as Miyoshi scores 8 in the top of the 9th! Hiroshima Shougyou shocked tries to rally, but down 6 can only muster 2.
- In other games on the 16th, Funairi scores the go-ahead run in the 8th against Kannabe to win 2-1. Takeda manages just 6 hits but gets the only run in their game versus Kannabe Asahi. Fukuyama Myououdai blows a 3-0 lead to Sera but recovers to win the game 5-4 in the bottom of the 9th. Onomichi moves on with a 7-1 win over Fukuyama Kougyou. Kinkidai Fukuyama almost blows a 5-0 lead in the top of the 9th to Fukuyama Shougyou but win a nailbiter 5-4.
- Moving along to the 17th and Onomichi Shougyou and Jyousuikan win their first game with little resistance while Hiroshima Kokusai Gakuin just gets a 5-2 win over Mihara.
- Fukuyama Seishikan scores 7 unanswered runs late to defeat Hiroshima Kanon 8-7. Hasukaichi Nishi responds to Gokou's 3 runs early with 4 runs late for a 4-3 win.
- Hiroshima Sougyou Gijyutsu continues on its march of redemption defeating perennial power Onomichi 2-1. Sanyou has no problem with Saijyou Nougyou.
- Miyoshi continues their run by defeating Hiroshima Kokutaiji 7-2.
- Well, #^$*... Kouryou struggles against Kinkidai Fukuyama, and when Kinkidai scores 3 in the 7th, to take a 5-3 lead Kouryou has to scramble. Unfortunately for them, they can only manage 1 run and their summer end prematurely. At least I have Hiroshima Sougou Gijyutsu to root for.
- Hatsukaichi Nishi makes a comeback to defeat Kamo 5-4 in 10.
- Jyousuikan advances easily, but Soutoku is pushed into extras by Eishin before winning 5-2 in 10.
- Shiritsu Kure defeats Kure Shougyou 2-1 in 10.
Round 1 came and went, with little that was notable outside of Risshoudai Shounan winning their first game against Matsue Kougyou.
Round 2 got the majority of teams involved, including the favorites.
- Top seed Iwamichisuikan shuts out Hamada 4-0 as Kawano throws a 4-hitter.
- #2 seed Kaisei struggles against Izumo Koigyou but advances 4-3.
- Masuda Higashi ekes out a 1-0 win over Matsue Higashi.
- Goutsu uses a 6-run 5th to defeat Matsue Minami 9-7.
- #4 seed Taisha mercy rules Hirata 8-0.
- Jyouhou Kagaku, down 6-1 mounts a comeback capped by a 2-run bottom of the 9th to defeat Matsue Nourin 7-6.
- Daitou scores 3 in the top of the 9th to reverse the game against Matsue Kita and win 6-5.
- #3 seed Matsue Shougyou wins 5-2 over Ooda.
Round 3
- Iwamichisuikan gets back on track as a #1 seed defeating Masuda Shougyou 8-1 in 7.
- Iinan gets the gyakuten victory as 4 in the 8th gives them the 7-6 victory over Izumo Shougyou.
- Masuda Higashi matches Masuda run for run, but breaks free at the right time, scoring a run in the bottom of the 9th for the win.
- Masuda Higashi will play Taisha who score 8 runs for the 2nd consecutive game in a 7-inning win over Goutsu.
- Kaisei too gets on track with a 10-1 win over Meisei. They get Yasugi next.
- Matsue Shougyou survives a 2-1 win over Daitou. They'll need to get their act together before playing Izumo.
Hm. In the time range I'm recapping, Okayama has gone all the way from starting to the Best 8.
Oy. There's a lot to go through.
- Oddly enough, B seed (5-8 seed) Kurashiki Kougyou plays on the first day. No matter as they beat Okayama Hakuryou 7-3.
- Kanzei plays on day 2 (and isn't seeded), and defeats Okayama Daianji 10-0 in 6.
- Okayama Rikaidai Fuzoku, who made some good runs recently starts off scoring in every inning aginast Tamano Shougyou en route to a 10-0 win in 5.
- Tsuyama allows Tsuyama Higashi to tie the game in the top of the 9th but win in the bottom half.
- Wakeshizutani get the one and only run in the bottom of the 9th over Meisei Gakuin.
- Kurashiki Washuu scores all 5 runs in the last 4 innings to defeat Mimasaka 5-3.
- B seed Kurashiki Kougyou will be Rikaidai Fuzoku's next opponent, though they scored just one run in the bottom of the 9th to beat Kasaoka Kougyou.
- Kurashiki Shougyou almost fell out right from the start. Kouyou's ace Takada held them scoreless for 10 innings. But there's only so far a pitcher can go sometimes, and Takada's limit was the 11th. 4 runs later and Kouyou was eliminated.
- B seed Tamano Kounan has little trouble winning 9-0 in 7 over Tsuyama.
- Kanzei moves on with a 1-hitter against Higashi-Okayama Kougyou.
- Kasaoka Shougyou breaks a 3-all tie against Okayama Higashi Shougyou in the top of the 9th to win 4-3.
- A seed Mizushima Kougyou responds after Okayama Jyoutou scores a run to tie it at 1 in the bottom of the 8th. Mizushima scores 2 in the top of the 9th for the win, but it's not comfortable at all of a start.
- A seed Sakuyou has no problems with Soujya Minami, winning 7-1.
- B seed Okayama Kyousei gives up 2 in the first to Kurashiki Washuu, but dominates thereafter winning 14-2 in 8.
- Closing out round 2, A seed Soushi Gakuen rallies to go extra innings against Katsuyama, but it's Katsuyama who wins in the bottom of the 12th!
- The upsets continue as Kanzei upsets Kurashiki Shougyou, shutting them out 4-0 (though this isn't a real "upset" considering Kanzei's status in Okayama. They'll play Okayama Rikaidai Fuzoku who mercy ruled B seed Kurashiki Kougyou 7-0. (Not a good day for Kurashiki it seems)
- The other quarterfinal will be the status quo as A seed Okayama Gakugeikan and B seed Tamano Kounan will square off.
- On the other side of the bracket, Sakuyou beats out Okayama Minami late 3-1, and will play Okayama Kyousei, though they needed 3 in the top of the 9th just to tie before winning it in the 10th.
- Katsuyama's high from beating Soushi Gakuen ends after Konkou Gakuen spoils the party with a 10-0 rout. They play Mizushima Kougyou who won 2-0 despite giving up 9 hits and walking 4.
Tottori in just one week has already reached the quarterfinals. Such is the case with a rural prefecture where populations continue to migrate to cities.
Round 1
- Sakai, after scoring 2 in the first to Yonago Higashi, give up 5 to fall behind. But they had the rest of the game to catch up and they did. They'd tie the game in the 6th and take the lead in the 7th winning 7-5.
- Tottori Kouryou just beats out Yonago Kita 3-2.
- Tottori Shougyou in a back and forth game versus Kurayoshi Kita, and score the go-ahead run in the 8th for a 6-5 win.
- Sakai continues to look strong as ace Inori throws a 3-hit shutout over Tottori Kougyou.
- Tottori Higashi scores 3 in the bottom of the 8th to separate themselves from Tottori Nishi 5-2.
- Tottori Shougyou 3-hits Kurayoshi Sougou in a 4-0 win.
- Outside of these games, most were uncontested.
Then things finally got interesting...
Tottori Shougyou, who had just gone down 1-0 to Kurayoshi Higashi, scores 4. Kurayoshi Higashi immediately replies with 3 to tie the game. It stayed that way until the 8th when Tottori Shougyou got to the 3rd pitcher, Ishikawa for the winning run.
And in the last quarterfinal, Tottori Jyouhoku got a 3-2 lead in the 1st inning. They maintained it after trading a run in the 3rd. But Tottori Chuo Ikuei scored 2 in the 5th to take the lead. An insurance run in the 7th proved to be the difference as Tottori Jyouhoku scored a run in the 8th to pull within 1.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
7.29 Prefectural Finals
26 bids have been awarded so far. 21 remain and 10 of those will be awarded today. So, let's review the upcoming matchups today!
(my internet connection died where I was at yesterday, so I was unable to update after reporting that Seibou had succeeded in securing Saitama's bid. I will update the rest of the games later today).
Ibaraki
Tsuchiura Nichidai could only manage 3 hits against Jyousou Gakuin's Ogumo. And thanks to errors by Jyousou's defense and the strength of their own staff, they were only down 2-1... until the 8th. Jyousou scored 3 runs and pulled away 5-2.
In the other semi, Mito Sakuranomaki's staff also threw a 3-hitter against Mito Kiryou as they cruised 6-1. They'll look to get their first championship against the defending champions.
Both teams have used a fair number of different pitchers to get here, although Jyousou has relied more heavily on their ace Ogumo. Both teams have done a good job in limiting their opposition's runs. Both teams have been able to score runs regardless of opponents. In that sense, it could be a good game. But looking at the history, it automatically favors Jyousou Gakuin.
Saitama
Neither offense could really put their offense together in the Seibou Gakuen-Kasukabe Higashi game. But Kasukabe's defense behind Igarashi failed him, committing 4 errors. Seeing that statistic reminded me of the errors committed by Urawa Gakuin in their game against Seibou. So under ace Satou, they reach the finals with a 3-1 win.
As for Kawaguchi Seiryou, they tried to continue their magical run against Saitama Sakae. But sadly, like most cinderella teams, they were rudely awakened. Shimano and Serizawa yield only 3 hits and 2 walks en route to a 2-0 win.
So Seibou will look for their 3rd summer appearance while Saitama Sakae will look for their 2nd.
On the surface, looking at the box scores (and Deanna's accounts), Seibou has been the benefactor of some poor plays by the defense (Holy Hopes indeed!). Saitama Sakae has had strong pitching by their tandem of pitchers, which has kept them in games - especially early on where they had close games. Given that Deanna wasn't overly impressed by Seibou (although she was rooting for Urawa ;p), I imagaine this being a pitching matchup and a low scoring affair.
That is of course, unless the (baseball) gods shine upon Seibou and Saitama Sakae starts throwing errors left and right.
Higashi Tokyo
Meiji Jingu will be home to an interesting matchup. Teikyou, whom I will remember for the absolutely crazy and unbelievable 9th inning in the quarterfinals of the 2006 Koshien against Chiben Wakayama, will look for their 4th bid this decade. Their opponent will be Yukigaya, who made their only appearance ever back in 2003.
If there's one thing I noticed, and perhaps its just because of their compeition, it's that Teikyou has thrown out on the mound a lot of different pitchers. Is it a by-product of 2006? You've got me. In fact, of the 5 runs given up by the pitching staff, 4 was given up by Takeuchi in the last inning of their opening game. He hasn't been seen since.
Yukigaya on the other hand has depended on ace Sakamoto for the entire tournament. He's managed to throw the team past Kokushikan, but is there one more game left in him?
Kanagawa
Do you believe in Yohohama Hayato? Because I do!
After Imaoka gives up a run in the top of the 1st to top seed Toukou Gakuen, he shuts the door on their offense. Meanwhile, Hayato's offense scored 3 in the bottom of the 2nd to take the lead and added 2 more in the 8th for a 5-1 win and a spot in the finals!
They'll look for their first apperance against Touin Gakuen, who was involved in a slugfest against top seed Yokohama Sougakukan. After trading a pair of runs in the first inning, Sougakukan scores 4 unanswered to take a 6-2 lead. Touin pulls within 2 in the 5th, and then down 3 in the 6th they score 4 against ace Nakajima! An insurance run in the 8th gives them a 9-7 win. The teams combined for 22 hits and 5 homeruns, 2 by leadoff batter 2B Tabata!!
Hayato will look for their 1st ever apperance, while Sougakukan will looking for their 7th summer appearance.
Gifu
Championship was rained out yesterday.
Shiga
Oumi easily clears Hieizan 7-0 in the semifinals and is poised to become a 3-time defending champion.
In the 2nd game, Shiga Gakuen got the jump on Kita Ootsu scoring 2 in the top of the 1st. But Kita Ootsu climbed back and by the 7th, they had a 3-2 lead. They looked poised to reach the finals, that is until the 9th. Shiga bookends the game with 2 runs in the 9th, and relief pitcher Miyagi closes out the the 4-3 win!
So Shiga Gakuen will join the list of schools looking for thei 1st ever prefectural championship, but like all the others will have one heck of a test ahead of them in the finals...
Mie
Championship was rained out yesterday.
Wakayama
Chiben Wakayama had one of those weird games against Kihoku Kougyou. They moved on to the finals 4-0, but their ace Okada gave up more hits than Kihoku's ace Tsujimoto (4 to 3)! The difference? Okada gave up no walks. Tsujimoto? 10.
Minabe, in the 2nd semifinal against Wakayama Shougyou score 2 in the 3rd and after Uemura gives way to Iguchi after Wakayama scores a run, they make the lead stick, winning 2-1.
So Chiben Wakayama will look for the 8th title this decade against Minabe looking for their 1st title since 1982.
It's no wonder the makers of Kokoyakyu wanted to film Chiben. Since their 1st title in 1987, they have won 16 more since then. That 16 out of a possible 23!
Okayama
Kurashiki Shougyou will have the chance to defend their title after beating Sakuyou 5-1 thanks to a 4-run 1st inning.
It looked early on that it might be an all-Kurashiki final as Kurashiki Kougyou led Tamashima Shougyou 2-0. but Tamashou scored 1 in the 3rd and 1 in the 7th to tie it up. But in the 8th, Tamashou blows Kurashiki out of the water with 6 runs and that was that.
Tamashima hopes to use the dual arms of Sasaki and Tsuda to get their first bid since 1974. Kurashiki will look to their ace Oka to push them to victory.
Yamaguchi
Sadly for Ube and Houfu Shougyou, their runs ended in the semifinals with a thud. Karyou shutout Ube 6-0, while Iwakuni Shougyou beats Houfu Shougyou 5-1.
Karyou looks for their 1st summer appearnce (they do have one spring appearance last year), while Iwakuni Shougyou hasn't been there since 1986.
Can't tell if it's the competition, but Karyou has yet to yield a run so far this tournament. Both teams have shown a good amount of offense, so it may come down to which pitcher can shut the opposition down.
Kagawa
Samukawa delivers on their top seed, scoring 3 in the 1st inning against Jinsei Gakuin en route to a 5-3 semifinal win.
Takamatsu Kougei had held a fragile 1-0 lead, but Takamatsu Shougyou tied it in the 8th. 3 innings later, they'd push through the winning run a a spot in the finals.
Interestingly enough Samukawa, with their top seed, is playing for their 1st trip to Koshien. Takamatsu Shougyou was a dominating force until the early 1980's. But they haven't been to Koshien since 1996. Samukawa has trailed for all of 2 innings in this tournament, while Takashou has had to rally from behind on multiple occasions.
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1:25 PM - In Ibaraki, Mito Sakuranomaki and Jyousou Gakuin remain scoreless after 2 innings. It's Yoshikubo vs Oguma on the mound.
Seibou Gakuin scores 3 in the 2nd inning versus Saitama Sakae. Shimano has left and Serizawa has taken the mound. The game is in the bottom of the 6th with Seibou at bat.
Teikyou has dominated the game over Yukigaya. 6 runs in the first equals no chance. Even the ace Hirahara has hit a homerun. The game is in the top of the 6th with Teikyou looking for blood.
At Baystars Stadium, teams are scoring left and right. Touin Gakuen and Yokohama Hayato traded a run in the first and Touin has scored 3 in the top of the 2nd. It's 4-1 Touin for Hayato at the bottom of the 2nd. Are they out of gas?
Yamada homers for Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou in the bottom of the 3rd and they have the 1-0 lead over Kakamigahara in the bottom of the 5th.
Shiga Gakuen jumped early on Oumi with a run in the bottom of the 1st and 3rd, and then exploded for 5 in the 4th. It's 7-0 in the top of the 5th.
In Mie, Mie has scored a run in the 1st and 2nd and they're holding the 2-0 lead as Kaisei bats in the top of the 6th.
Wakayama is already in the 9th inning. Minabe trails 3-0 to Chiben Wakayama with 3 outs to go.
Kurashiki Shougyou just scored 5 in the top of the 3rd and they lead by that score with Tamashima Shougyou batting in the bottom of the 3rd.
And in Kagawa, Samukawa scored 5 in the bottom of the 1st, but Takamatsu Shougyou has scored 3 in the 3rd to pull within 2.
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2:04 PM - Mito Sakuranomaki and Jyousou Gakuin remain tied in the middle of the 5th.
Saitama Sakae has scored a run in the 7th and 8th to make it 3-2, but they're now at their final 3 outs.
Have mercy on Yukigaya... It's the top of the 8th and it's 20-0 Teikyou...
Yokohama Hayato scores 3 in the bottom of the 3rd and ties it up against Touin Gakuen! They're up at bat in the bottom of the 4th now.
Gifu Shougyou extends the lead to 2 with a run the bottom of the 5th. They're at bat in the 6th.
The score remains 7-0 Shiga Gakuen over Oumi in the bottom of the 6th.
Kaisei has clawed back a run in the top of the 6th. Mie clings to the one-run lead in the bottom half of the inning.
It's over in Wakayama! Chiben Wakayama has indeed received their 8th bid this decade! Minabe falls 3-0!
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2:19 PM - Seibou Gakuen holds up again! Saitama Sakae's run falls short as Seibou wins 3-2!!
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So with the internet connection down, I'll just run through the remaining prefectures.
Ibaraki
The post I would have done right after had Jyousou Gakuin scoring 2 in the bottom of the 6th to break the stalemate with Mito Sakuranomaki. They added an insurance run in the 8th, and boy did they need it! Sakuranomaki finally gets to Oguma and they draw within one! But the rally would end there and Jyousou earns their 4th consecutive title and 7th this decade!
Higashi Tokyo
都立雪谷かわいそうな... (Poor Toritsu Yukigaya). It must have been great to get to get to the finals, but to lose 24-1 isn't fun no matter how you look at it. Teikyou scored in every inning except the 3rd.
Kanagawa
My post that I wasn't able to post b/c of the internet issue had Touin Gakuin pulling ahead with a run in the 5th. Things looked bleak for my Yokohama Hayato squad...
But then in the bottom of the 8th, Hayato ties the game! Neither team could score in the 9th and the game went into extras! And in the 11th, Yokohama Hayato is able to score the winning run and they indeed earn their 1st ever bid! おめでとう!!!!!
(And in looking at the pictures, I find it interesting that Touin's uniforms matched Osaka Touin, while Yokohama Hayato's uniforms and hats basically mirror the Hanshin Tigers!)
Gifu
It was the all-Yamada show in the Gifu final. He opens the scoring in the 3rd with a homerun, and throws a 5-hit shutout for Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou! They'll once again represent Gifu in less than 2 weeks!
Shiga
Oumi scores a meaningless run in the 9th as Shiga Gakuen in a dominating performance wins 7-1 for their 1st ever apperance!
Mie
Kaisei drew within 1 in the 6th inning right after I had made my last post and I thought they were going to make a game of it! Mie tried to shut the door with 2 of their own in the 6th, but once again Kaisei pulls within 1 yet again in the top of the 7th!
Mie finally pulls away thanks to a 5-run 8th inning and they get their 1st appeance since I saw them live in 2006!
Okayama
Tamashima Shougyou was just no match for Kurashiki Shougyou. Kurashiki cruises to a 10-1 win to successfully defend their title!
Yamaguchi
Karyou and Iwakuni Shougyou were washed out. No, not literally (although the weather there has been god awful).
Kagawa
Samukawa finally delivers! They pull away from Takamatsu Shougyou for an 8-4 win and they earn their 1st Koshien appearance!!
(my internet connection died where I was at yesterday, so I was unable to update after reporting that Seibou had succeeded in securing Saitama's bid. I will update the rest of the games later today).
Ibaraki
Tsuchiura Nichidai could only manage 3 hits against Jyousou Gakuin's Ogumo. And thanks to errors by Jyousou's defense and the strength of their own staff, they were only down 2-1... until the 8th. Jyousou scored 3 runs and pulled away 5-2.
In the other semi, Mito Sakuranomaki's staff also threw a 3-hitter against Mito Kiryou as they cruised 6-1. They'll look to get their first championship against the defending champions.
Both teams have used a fair number of different pitchers to get here, although Jyousou has relied more heavily on their ace Ogumo. Both teams have done a good job in limiting their opposition's runs. Both teams have been able to score runs regardless of opponents. In that sense, it could be a good game. But looking at the history, it automatically favors Jyousou Gakuin.
Saitama
Neither offense could really put their offense together in the Seibou Gakuen-Kasukabe Higashi game. But Kasukabe's defense behind Igarashi failed him, committing 4 errors. Seeing that statistic reminded me of the errors committed by Urawa Gakuin in their game against Seibou. So under ace Satou, they reach the finals with a 3-1 win.
As for Kawaguchi Seiryou, they tried to continue their magical run against Saitama Sakae. But sadly, like most cinderella teams, they were rudely awakened. Shimano and Serizawa yield only 3 hits and 2 walks en route to a 2-0 win.
So Seibou will look for their 3rd summer appearance while Saitama Sakae will look for their 2nd.
On the surface, looking at the box scores (and Deanna's accounts), Seibou has been the benefactor of some poor plays by the defense (Holy Hopes indeed!). Saitama Sakae has had strong pitching by their tandem of pitchers, which has kept them in games - especially early on where they had close games. Given that Deanna wasn't overly impressed by Seibou (although she was rooting for Urawa ;p), I imagaine this being a pitching matchup and a low scoring affair.
That is of course, unless the (baseball) gods shine upon Seibou and Saitama Sakae starts throwing errors left and right.
Higashi Tokyo
Meiji Jingu will be home to an interesting matchup. Teikyou, whom I will remember for the absolutely crazy and unbelievable 9th inning in the quarterfinals of the 2006 Koshien against Chiben Wakayama, will look for their 4th bid this decade. Their opponent will be Yukigaya, who made their only appearance ever back in 2003.
If there's one thing I noticed, and perhaps its just because of their compeition, it's that Teikyou has thrown out on the mound a lot of different pitchers. Is it a by-product of 2006? You've got me. In fact, of the 5 runs given up by the pitching staff, 4 was given up by Takeuchi in the last inning of their opening game. He hasn't been seen since.
Yukigaya on the other hand has depended on ace Sakamoto for the entire tournament. He's managed to throw the team past Kokushikan, but is there one more game left in him?
Kanagawa
Do you believe in Yohohama Hayato? Because I do!
After Imaoka gives up a run in the top of the 1st to top seed Toukou Gakuen, he shuts the door on their offense. Meanwhile, Hayato's offense scored 3 in the bottom of the 2nd to take the lead and added 2 more in the 8th for a 5-1 win and a spot in the finals!
They'll look for their first apperance against Touin Gakuen, who was involved in a slugfest against top seed Yokohama Sougakukan. After trading a pair of runs in the first inning, Sougakukan scores 4 unanswered to take a 6-2 lead. Touin pulls within 2 in the 5th, and then down 3 in the 6th they score 4 against ace Nakajima! An insurance run in the 8th gives them a 9-7 win. The teams combined for 22 hits and 5 homeruns, 2 by leadoff batter 2B Tabata!!
Hayato will look for their 1st ever apperance, while Sougakukan will looking for their 7th summer appearance.
Gifu
Championship was rained out yesterday.
Shiga
Oumi easily clears Hieizan 7-0 in the semifinals and is poised to become a 3-time defending champion.
In the 2nd game, Shiga Gakuen got the jump on Kita Ootsu scoring 2 in the top of the 1st. But Kita Ootsu climbed back and by the 7th, they had a 3-2 lead. They looked poised to reach the finals, that is until the 9th. Shiga bookends the game with 2 runs in the 9th, and relief pitcher Miyagi closes out the the 4-3 win!
So Shiga Gakuen will join the list of schools looking for thei 1st ever prefectural championship, but like all the others will have one heck of a test ahead of them in the finals...
Mie
Championship was rained out yesterday.
Wakayama
Chiben Wakayama had one of those weird games against Kihoku Kougyou. They moved on to the finals 4-0, but their ace Okada gave up more hits than Kihoku's ace Tsujimoto (4 to 3)! The difference? Okada gave up no walks. Tsujimoto? 10.
Minabe, in the 2nd semifinal against Wakayama Shougyou score 2 in the 3rd and after Uemura gives way to Iguchi after Wakayama scores a run, they make the lead stick, winning 2-1.
So Chiben Wakayama will look for the 8th title this decade against Minabe looking for their 1st title since 1982.
It's no wonder the makers of Kokoyakyu wanted to film Chiben. Since their 1st title in 1987, they have won 16 more since then. That 16 out of a possible 23!
Okayama
Kurashiki Shougyou will have the chance to defend their title after beating Sakuyou 5-1 thanks to a 4-run 1st inning.
It looked early on that it might be an all-Kurashiki final as Kurashiki Kougyou led Tamashima Shougyou 2-0. but Tamashou scored 1 in the 3rd and 1 in the 7th to tie it up. But in the 8th, Tamashou blows Kurashiki out of the water with 6 runs and that was that.
Tamashima hopes to use the dual arms of Sasaki and Tsuda to get their first bid since 1974. Kurashiki will look to their ace Oka to push them to victory.
Yamaguchi
Sadly for Ube and Houfu Shougyou, their runs ended in the semifinals with a thud. Karyou shutout Ube 6-0, while Iwakuni Shougyou beats Houfu Shougyou 5-1.
Karyou looks for their 1st summer appearnce (they do have one spring appearance last year), while Iwakuni Shougyou hasn't been there since 1986.
Can't tell if it's the competition, but Karyou has yet to yield a run so far this tournament. Both teams have shown a good amount of offense, so it may come down to which pitcher can shut the opposition down.
Kagawa
Samukawa delivers on their top seed, scoring 3 in the 1st inning against Jinsei Gakuin en route to a 5-3 semifinal win.
Takamatsu Kougei had held a fragile 1-0 lead, but Takamatsu Shougyou tied it in the 8th. 3 innings later, they'd push through the winning run a a spot in the finals.
Interestingly enough Samukawa, with their top seed, is playing for their 1st trip to Koshien. Takamatsu Shougyou was a dominating force until the early 1980's. But they haven't been to Koshien since 1996. Samukawa has trailed for all of 2 innings in this tournament, while Takashou has had to rally from behind on multiple occasions.
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1:25 PM - In Ibaraki, Mito Sakuranomaki and Jyousou Gakuin remain scoreless after 2 innings. It's Yoshikubo vs Oguma on the mound.
Seibou Gakuin scores 3 in the 2nd inning versus Saitama Sakae. Shimano has left and Serizawa has taken the mound. The game is in the bottom of the 6th with Seibou at bat.
Teikyou has dominated the game over Yukigaya. 6 runs in the first equals no chance. Even the ace Hirahara has hit a homerun. The game is in the top of the 6th with Teikyou looking for blood.
At Baystars Stadium, teams are scoring left and right. Touin Gakuen and Yokohama Hayato traded a run in the first and Touin has scored 3 in the top of the 2nd. It's 4-1 Touin for Hayato at the bottom of the 2nd. Are they out of gas?
Yamada homers for Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou in the bottom of the 3rd and they have the 1-0 lead over Kakamigahara in the bottom of the 5th.
Shiga Gakuen jumped early on Oumi with a run in the bottom of the 1st and 3rd, and then exploded for 5 in the 4th. It's 7-0 in the top of the 5th.
In Mie, Mie has scored a run in the 1st and 2nd and they're holding the 2-0 lead as Kaisei bats in the top of the 6th.
Wakayama is already in the 9th inning. Minabe trails 3-0 to Chiben Wakayama with 3 outs to go.
Kurashiki Shougyou just scored 5 in the top of the 3rd and they lead by that score with Tamashima Shougyou batting in the bottom of the 3rd.
And in Kagawa, Samukawa scored 5 in the bottom of the 1st, but Takamatsu Shougyou has scored 3 in the 3rd to pull within 2.
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2:04 PM - Mito Sakuranomaki and Jyousou Gakuin remain tied in the middle of the 5th.
Saitama Sakae has scored a run in the 7th and 8th to make it 3-2, but they're now at their final 3 outs.
Have mercy on Yukigaya... It's the top of the 8th and it's 20-0 Teikyou...
Yokohama Hayato scores 3 in the bottom of the 3rd and ties it up against Touin Gakuen! They're up at bat in the bottom of the 4th now.
Gifu Shougyou extends the lead to 2 with a run the bottom of the 5th. They're at bat in the 6th.
The score remains 7-0 Shiga Gakuen over Oumi in the bottom of the 6th.
Kaisei has clawed back a run in the top of the 6th. Mie clings to the one-run lead in the bottom half of the inning.
It's over in Wakayama! Chiben Wakayama has indeed received their 8th bid this decade! Minabe falls 3-0!
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2:19 PM - Seibou Gakuen holds up again! Saitama Sakae's run falls short as Seibou wins 3-2!!
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So with the internet connection down, I'll just run through the remaining prefectures.
Ibaraki
The post I would have done right after had Jyousou Gakuin scoring 2 in the bottom of the 6th to break the stalemate with Mito Sakuranomaki. They added an insurance run in the 8th, and boy did they need it! Sakuranomaki finally gets to Oguma and they draw within one! But the rally would end there and Jyousou earns their 4th consecutive title and 7th this decade!
Higashi Tokyo
都立雪谷かわいそうな... (Poor Toritsu Yukigaya). It must have been great to get to get to the finals, but to lose 24-1 isn't fun no matter how you look at it. Teikyou scored in every inning except the 3rd.
Kanagawa
My post that I wasn't able to post b/c of the internet issue had Touin Gakuin pulling ahead with a run in the 5th. Things looked bleak for my Yokohama Hayato squad...
But then in the bottom of the 8th, Hayato ties the game! Neither team could score in the 9th and the game went into extras! And in the 11th, Yokohama Hayato is able to score the winning run and they indeed earn their 1st ever bid! おめでとう!!!!!
(And in looking at the pictures, I find it interesting that Touin's uniforms matched Osaka Touin, while Yokohama Hayato's uniforms and hats basically mirror the Hanshin Tigers!)
Gifu
It was the all-Yamada show in the Gifu final. He opens the scoring in the 3rd with a homerun, and throws a 5-hit shutout for Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou! They'll once again represent Gifu in less than 2 weeks!
Shiga
Oumi scores a meaningless run in the 9th as Shiga Gakuen in a dominating performance wins 7-1 for their 1st ever apperance!
Mie
Kaisei drew within 1 in the 6th inning right after I had made my last post and I thought they were going to make a game of it! Mie tried to shut the door with 2 of their own in the 6th, but once again Kaisei pulls within 1 yet again in the top of the 7th!
Mie finally pulls away thanks to a 5-run 8th inning and they get their 1st appeance since I saw them live in 2006!
Okayama
Tamashima Shougyou was just no match for Kurashiki Shougyou. Kurashiki cruises to a 10-1 win to successfully defend their title!
Yamaguchi
Karyou and Iwakuni Shougyou were washed out. No, not literally (although the weather there has been god awful).
Kagawa
Samukawa finally delivers! They pull away from Takamatsu Shougyou for an 8-4 win and they earn their 1st Koshien appearance!!
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