The question now becomes coming into this game - how the heck did Mie defeat Toyokawa considering that they sent out Tanaka Sora faced them? Is Mie that good to have gotten 10 hits off of him?
Both teams have a dearth at the bottom of the lineup, though Chiben Gakuen's is a little more stark. But with Mie's offense holding up more deeper into the tournament, that's a significant plus for Mie. This combined with the fact that Mie's pitching also held up better against stronger competition means that perhaps Mie might have the edge in this matchup.
Chiben Gakuen (Nara)
SS Yoshioka Fumiuya
CF Oonishi Ryouta
3B Okamaoto Kazuma
RF Hirooka Taishi
LF Takaoka Yuuichi
1B Oonishi Ritsuki
2B Iwata Taku
C Yoshida Takaaki
P Oda Kyouhei
Mie (Mie)
SS Nagano Hayato
3B Uchida Ren
2B Utsunomiya Touma
1B Nishioka Musashi
CF Seko Ren
RF Inaba Ryuuya
LF Yamamoto Youma
P Imai Shigetarou
C Nakabayashi Kengo
____________________________________________________________
09:00 - First Pitch!
Top 1
Imai working around the plate, gets the first 2 batters out via the grounder.
But Okamoto connects on a slider and drives it to center! Seko running back, at the fence looks up...
HAITA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okamoto gives Mie the quick 1-0 lead with a HR to dead center!
Hirooka strikes out to end the inning, but Mie will start from behind!
Bottom 1st
Mie perhaps getting their feet under them as Nagano unexpectedly freezes on a ball down the middle for the first out.
2 down now for Mie and Utsunomiya does a half swing, punching the ball the opposite way between 1st and 2nd for a base hit.
And now Nishioka hits a grounder to Okamoto that he oles! That's an E5 and Mie has a small opportunity!
But Seko is a little ahead and on top of the slider, chopping one over Oda! Yoshioka is there to back him up and makes the play at 1st to end the inning.
Top 2nd
Takaoka leads off the inning with a ball back up the middle. But he tries to steal 2nd, and is just thrown out by Nakabayashi.
That's winds up being costly as 2 batters late Iwata would double down the right field line. Takaoka could have scored from 1st had he waited.
Instead with 2 down and a runner on 2nd, Yoshioka bombs one to deep left, but the park holds it as Yamamoto catches it near the fence by the foul pole for the 3rd out.
Bottom 2nd
Mie's lower part of the lineup attacking Oda's pitches. Inaba and Yamamoto make solid contact, but not good enough as both fly out to Hirooka in right.
Imai just kinda twirls the bat at a slider outside and pops out to short to end the inning.
Top 3rd
Imai getting his K of the inning early as Oda whiffs on the slider for the 1st out. To be honest though, it's due to the Chiben batters not being disciplined enough.
Yoshioka and Ryouta are retired quickly enough thereafter and outside of the HR, Imai hasn't done badly - just hasn't really impressed either.
Bottom 3rd
Mie's bats are getting strong contact though. Last batter Nakabayashi crushes one to left, but it's just short as Takaoka makes the backpedaling catch just in front of the fence.
Nagano gets rung up by the umpire on a pitch that end up in the border of the opposing batters box.
And with the seemingly expanded strike zone, Uchida goes after a ball outside and flies to right. I think we have an umpire that has the expanded strike zone, and is quick to call a go around on a check swing.
Top 4th
Okamoto leading off the inning, quickly turns the first pitch around and past a diving Nagano into center. Hirooka gets luck when he reaches out and punches the slider through the hole in left for a base hit. Kosaka-kantoku has Takaoka bunt the runners into scoring position.
Ritsuki can't drive him in as he continues to chase the slider time and again into the ground.
Jock Rock meanwhile plays in the Chiben Gakuen ouen-dan.
With 2 down, Iwata steps in and the same people are beating up in Imai! Iwata crushes one down the left field line and it goes off the padding! Both runners will score on Iwata's double and it's 3-0 Chiben Gakuen!
And now a wild pitch, followed by a Yoshida blooper into center scores Iwata and it's 4-0 Chiben. Yoshida unwisely tries to turn it into a double, and is thrown out to end the inning, but Mie is in a hole yet again.
Bottom 4th
Utsunomiya can't pull the trigger on a fastball inside and goes down looking.
Nishoka crushes a curve! Takaoka goes back, but he's looking up! Yep, no doubt about it...
HAITA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mie doesn't seem to turn on the jets until they've fallen behind, so now's a good time as any for Nishioka to make it a 4-1 game.
Seko and Inaba both are retired thereafter, but don't be surprised if Mie works their way back into this game.
Top 5th
Well, that was quick. 3 groundouts in 7 pitches, finished off with a poor safety bunt attempt by Ryouta.
Bottom 5th
Defensive changes as Okamoto goes from 3B to 1B, and #15 Shimizu comes in for Ritsuki and takes over at 3B.
2 quick outs for Mie, and what is Nakabayashi doing at the bottom of the lineup! He clobbers a ball this time to right center and right between both Oonishi and Hirooka in front of the wall! Nakabayashi winds up with a sliding triple!!
I say this because Nagano, who has been pretty useless at the plate with 2 K's looking steps in.
Nagano makes contact, but lines to left! Takaoka makes a small jump, but makes the catch for the 3rd out! So we hit the break with Chiben Gakuen holding a 4-1 lead, but Mie certainly seems to have the bats to make up that difference.
Top 6th
Ah, well then...
Imai figures Mie needs more grit in their comeback, so he pitches to Okamoto, who promptly obliges with a no doubt HR to left that goes up about 15 or so rows. 5-1 Chiben Gakuen.
The next 3 batters are no problem for Imai, so perhaps Imai thinks this is good for Mie to come back from.
Bottom 6th
Sadly, that grit seems to not be coming as Mie is routinely retired in order. Of note though, Nishioka was jammed and flied out to left. But Takaoka still had to go back to field it. Yikes.
Top 7th-Top 8th
So, while I lose connectivity again thanks to MBS (not CenturyLink like I first though), Imai holds the line at 5 runs for Chiben, despite a 2-out walk to Oda.
In the bottom half of the inning, Seko gets a leadoff hit, but unfortunately for him and Mie, Inaba grounds out into a 4-6-3 double play. Yamamoto strikes out to end the inning.
Imai perhaps on his last legs gives up a double to Ryouta. That is the end for him as #10 Tsujimoto comes in. He actually goes to Inaba's spot while #17 Nakamura comes in for Imai to play RF.
Back to live action (for me anyways), and Okamoto finally gets retired when he skies one to 2nd for the first out. However, he can't stop Hirooka, who singles through to right. Ryouta scores, but Nakabayashi fires to 2nd and get Hirooka trying to advance on the play. 6-1 Chiben Gakuen.
That for Mie at least prevents another run as Takaoka hits a double to left center. Shimizu grounds out to end the inning.
Bottom 8th
New RF Nakamura starts off the inning with a single to center. A flub by Oonishi allows him to take 2nd. After being moved over to 3rd on a grounder, Nagano scores him with a sac fly to center to make it 6-2. PH #14 Sada ends the inning with a K.
Top 9th
Sada stays in the game at 3B.
Tsujimoto records 2 outs and looks to have a clean inning, but then he just misses strike 3 on Oda, giving up a walk. Then Yoshioka blasts one over Yamamoto's head for a double scoring Oda to make it 7-2. Ryouta strikes out to end the inning.
Bottom 9th
Nishioka tries to jumpstart one final rally with a single through the left side. But Seko's drive to left is caught by Takaoka, who has to stretch up to make the catch.
Last chance goes to #15 Kan, who is sent in to hit for Tsujimoto.
Kan gives it a rip, but flies out to center and that's the game.
I'm slightly disappointed in Mie, considering they defeated Toyokawa. And they even had many solid hits. But they found the opposing fielders. In addition, the Mie staff figured it was a good idea to pitch to batters like Okamoto and Iwata, so there's that too.
Chiben Gakuen moves on, but despite the offensive output, Mie did make good contact on the ball. If it was better contact, they would be in trouble. Though next game it's against Sano Nichidai, so they may get one more break.
Notable Players
Oda Kyouhei (Chiben Gakuen) - CG, ER, 6 H, 5 K, 0 BB
Okamoto Kazuma (Chiben Gakuen) - 3-4, 2 HR, 3 R, 2 RBI
Takaoka Yuuichi (Chiben Gakuen) - 2-3, 2B
Iwata Taku (Chiben Gakuen) - 2-4, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI
Imai Shigetarou (Mie) - 7+ IP, 5 ER, 9 H, 4 K, BB
Nishioka Musashi (Mie) - 2-4, HR, R, RBI
Nakabayashi Kengo (Mie) - 1-3, 3B
Nakamura Isayo (Mie) 1-1, R
Showing posts with label Mie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mie. Show all posts
Monday, March 24, 2014
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Aki Taikai Reacp-to-date - Tokai
Tokai is just about completed, with the urban Aichi to have their final games this weekend. All prefectures qualify 3 teams to the Super-Regional.
Shizuoka
Shizuoka wound up being fairly scratch - at least up until the semifinals.
Tokoha Tachibana had two straight scares in the prefecutrals beating Kakegawa Nishi in 10 innings, then needing 12 to defeat Iwata Higashi. There was the possibility that they'd face their sister school Tokoha Kikugawa in the semfinals, but Gotenba Nishi actually quashed that in their first game.
In the end it wound up not being Gotenba Nishi, but Shizuoka Shougyou who also won 2 close affairs with a 6-5 win over Hamamatsu Shougyou then a 13-inning marathon over the aforementioned Gotenba Nishi. And in that semifinal, Shizuoka Shougyou actually had a relative easier time winning 8-4 to secure a spot in the Super-Regional.
It actually wound up not being easy for any of the powerhouses early as on the other half Seisei and Shizuoka almost stumbled in their first game but made their way to the semifinals. In that matchup Shizuoka would triumph with a 4-2 win, sending Seisei into a winner to Super-Regional game. Sadly for Seisei, they would fall once again to Tokoha Tachibana 3-2 and be eliminated from contention.
And for the title and a bye, Shizuoka would win another extra inning affair with a 3-2 win in 11 innings.
Aichi
I won't even begin to say I understand how Aichi's Aki Taikai works. 52 teams qualified for the prefecturals.
There would be no repeat for Aikoudai Meiden though as they fell hard in the round of 16 to Touhou getting mercy ruled 12-3. In fact, Touhou marched their way all to the final uncontested with their narrowest loss in the first round 5-0 to Komaki Minami!
As for the other half, Chuukyoudai Chuukyou seemed to be back on the rebound as they defeated Shigakukan and Aichi Keisei. However, they were steamrolled in the semifinals by unknown Toyokawa 10-0 in just 6 innings!! So they're sent to the 3rd place game to face Homare for the last bid. Should be no trouble, but you never know...
Gifu
Oh man, I thought Aichi's qualification process was convoluted... Gifu's makes even less sense! Some regions have a semi-round robin where you don't face everyone, instead of separating groups into their own - appearing to make it even less equitable.
Despite all that, Oogaki Nichidai gained momentum in the prefecturals, culminating in a 4-0 win over unknown Gifu Seitoku Gakuen to claim their 6th title.
Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou didn't even make it to the prefecturals, and Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou narrowly lost to Seki Shoukou, who went on the 3rd place game defeating Gifu Kougyou 6-0.
Mie
Mie was totally controlled by Mie, with the only challenge in a win over Inabe Sougou Gakuen in the semifinals (they made a first inning run stick for the entire game). Joining them in an automatic bid is Ise, who had some solid wins against Matsuzaka and Ise Kougyou, but like many couldn't keep up with Mie.
Not surprisingly, Inabe Sougou Gakuen took the 3rd place game easily against Tsuda Gakuen 9-1.
Shizuoka
Shizuoka wound up being fairly scratch - at least up until the semifinals.
Tokoha Tachibana had two straight scares in the prefecutrals beating Kakegawa Nishi in 10 innings, then needing 12 to defeat Iwata Higashi. There was the possibility that they'd face their sister school Tokoha Kikugawa in the semfinals, but Gotenba Nishi actually quashed that in their first game.
In the end it wound up not being Gotenba Nishi, but Shizuoka Shougyou who also won 2 close affairs with a 6-5 win over Hamamatsu Shougyou then a 13-inning marathon over the aforementioned Gotenba Nishi. And in that semifinal, Shizuoka Shougyou actually had a relative easier time winning 8-4 to secure a spot in the Super-Regional.
It actually wound up not being easy for any of the powerhouses early as on the other half Seisei and Shizuoka almost stumbled in their first game but made their way to the semifinals. In that matchup Shizuoka would triumph with a 4-2 win, sending Seisei into a winner to Super-Regional game. Sadly for Seisei, they would fall once again to Tokoha Tachibana 3-2 and be eliminated from contention.
And for the title and a bye, Shizuoka would win another extra inning affair with a 3-2 win in 11 innings.
Aichi
I won't even begin to say I understand how Aichi's Aki Taikai works. 52 teams qualified for the prefecturals.
There would be no repeat for Aikoudai Meiden though as they fell hard in the round of 16 to Touhou getting mercy ruled 12-3. In fact, Touhou marched their way all to the final uncontested with their narrowest loss in the first round 5-0 to Komaki Minami!
As for the other half, Chuukyoudai Chuukyou seemed to be back on the rebound as they defeated Shigakukan and Aichi Keisei. However, they were steamrolled in the semifinals by unknown Toyokawa 10-0 in just 6 innings!! So they're sent to the 3rd place game to face Homare for the last bid. Should be no trouble, but you never know...
Gifu
Oh man, I thought Aichi's qualification process was convoluted... Gifu's makes even less sense! Some regions have a semi-round robin where you don't face everyone, instead of separating groups into their own - appearing to make it even less equitable.
Despite all that, Oogaki Nichidai gained momentum in the prefecturals, culminating in a 4-0 win over unknown Gifu Seitoku Gakuen to claim their 6th title.
Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou didn't even make it to the prefecturals, and Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou narrowly lost to Seki Shoukou, who went on the 3rd place game defeating Gifu Kougyou 6-0.
Mie
Mie was totally controlled by Mie, with the only challenge in a win over Inabe Sougou Gakuen in the semifinals (they made a first inning run stick for the entire game). Joining them in an automatic bid is Ise, who had some solid wins against Matsuzaka and Ise Kougyou, but like many couldn't keep up with Mie.
Not surprisingly, Inabe Sougou Gakuen took the 3rd place game easily against Tsuda Gakuen 9-1.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Day 6 - Game 2 - Urawa Gakuin (Saitama) vs. Mie (Mie)
We're now into our 2nd round games, and first up is Kanto champs Urawa Gakuin versus Tokai runner-ups Mie.
Mie barely held on to defeat Tottori Jyouhoku in the opening game of the tournament. But based upon the results of the Chuugoku region, this is not really a good sign for Mie.
On the other hand Urawa Gakuin took care of its business by dispatching Tsuruga Kehi 10-2. And seeing that the other Hokushinetsu representative lost to Kinki 5/6 team Riseisha (though they put up a decent fight), they did exactly what they were supposed to do.
So with that being said, Mie will probably have an uphill climb if they want to advance to the Best 8.
C Rinzaki Tatsuya
P Satou Takuya
RF Sasagawa Ryouhei
LF Yamane Yuuta
1B Akashi Hyuuma
3B Kigure Naito
CF Ishibashi Tsukasa
2B Midorikawa Koutarou
3B Kitade Kazuma
CF Ishizaki Shouki
1B Okamoto Takurou
SS Maekawa Naoki
P Miura Koutarou
C Kobayashi Daiki
2B Oda Hayao
LF Maekawa Jinya
__________________________________________________
11:19 - First pitch!
Top 1st
Not an auspicious start when the Mie C can't field what seems like a routine fly on the first batter. Miura has to throw several more pitches to retire Takemura on an infield fly.
Miura is actually having to throw a lot of pitches here to the first two batters. He strikes out Rinzaki, but his pitches aren't quite hitting the mitt where Kobayashi wants them.
Satou pops up to 2nd on the first pitch and it's a 1-2-3 inning.
Bottom 1st
Satou's control looks a bit better to start, as gets a fairly easy 1-2-3 inning in part thanks to a nice charging catch by Ishibashi. Well, it wasn't nice in the fact that he kinda tumbled forwards when catching it, but he still made the catch.
Top 2nd
Miura's fastball hitting 143, as this inning is much better. He records a strikeout between two first pitch fly balls and he's keeping the Urawa Gakuin batters off-balance here to start.
Bottom 2nd
It's more of the same for Satou. Mie's 4-5-6 batters make weak contact on the ball and the side is retired in order. Satou's doing his job, but what about the offense?
Top 3rd
Miura doing a great job in the mound. Three routine grounders and Mie is holding their own against Urawa Gakuin. If this keeps up they have a chance for the upset!
Bottom 3rd
Kobayashi with a grounder to the gap in left. Takemura slides over to get it, but can't get enough on the throw and it short hops Akashi! Base hit, and leadoff runner, on base!
Oda lays down a great bunt and they have a runner in scoring position!
Jinya doing a good job as the #9 hitter taking pitches, but takes one too many when he freezes on a fastball down the middle on a full count pitch.
Up to the top of the order and Ogawa.
But Satou strikes him out on a ball in the dirt! Rinzaki throws to first for the out, and Mie's chance falls by the wayside!
Top 4th
The top of the order tries to attack the first pitch but grounds to 2nd.
Satou trying to exercise some patience runs the count full, and Miura overthrows a fastball inside (145) and earns a walk.
Now Miura falls behind Sasagawa 3-0 before getting a fastball in there.
Satou tries to steal 2nd, but Kobayashi's throw is there in plenty of time! No perfect game for Miura, but he's still faced the minimum.
Bottom 4th
Satou having a little bit of control issues, running the count full on Kitade before retiring him. At the same time both teams are starved for runners, so Ishizaki tries a safety bunt to no avail.
And Okamoto bails out Satou by swinging on a 2-0 pitch and flying out to right.
Top 5th
It's another inning of weak ground balls but the Urawa Gakuin offense. They're getting the bats ahead and over the pitches from Miura and he has for the most part breezed through the first 5 innings!
Bottom 5th
Naoki turns on a ball inside and sends it past a diving Akasahi for a base hit!
Miura bunt goes foul, no.. fair! Miura scrambles to head to first, but Rinzaki starts the 2-6-3 double play!
Urawa avoids a jam as Kobayashi flies to right. Through 5 we've faced just 1 over the minimum and Mie has had the better of it, if just.
Top 6th
Kigure makes more solid contact, but it's a grounder right at Kitade for the out.
Miura records just his 3rd K in Ishibashi when his slider catches the outside corner. But then he falls behind Midorikawa 3-0 before filling up the count. And his slider trying for the outside corner goes begging.
And a wild pitch by Miura sends Midorikawa to 2nd! Okita-kantoku calls time.
Miura's control has been a bit erratic this inning. He falls behind Takemura 3-0, gets one strike in, but then walks him too! This is not a good sign. It's too early to be tiring and losing your mechanics.
But Rinzaki swings on a slider inside and Miura's out of the inning!
Bottom 6th
The urgency may be on for Mie to score to help out Miura as the two walks in the last inning may suggest they're running out of time.
Defensive change for Urawa as #17 Nishioka in for Ishibashi at CF.
Oda falls for a slow curve away and one down for Satou. Jinya is jammed and flies out to Takemura in foul territory.
Ogawa grounds to short and Mie can't do anything against Satou. Despite his early troubles, he seems to have found his control and is hitting his spots.
Top 7th
Satou takes a ball to left, and that goes over Jinya's head! He's in with a leadoff double and Urawa's first hit!
And whether or not they were being careful with Sasagawa, Miura walks him, and he in a big pinch as Okita-kantoku calls for time.
Yamane showing bunt, but the first two pitches go for balls before he lays it down.
Infield in for a play at the plate. Yamane swinging away on the first pitch, but Miura trying to keep the ball down falls behind 3-1! It's a walk to Akashi as it's now manui with just one down!
#7 batter Kigure up, 2 groundouts to 3rd so far today.
Grounder to short! Naoki has it and goes home for one! Kobayashi's throw to 1st is high, but Okamoto snags it (not in time). 2 down!
New CF Nishioka in, falls behind 1-2.
SANSHIN! Miura gives a fist pump as he gets Nishioka on a high fastball! He's out of the jam!
Bottom 7th
Mie needs to use that momentum from the last half inning to get themselves a run.
But Satou seems to have gotten stronger on the mound! He gets a groundout from Kitade and a foul fly from Ishizaki before striking out Okamoto on three straight! Mie's lucky 7 ends just like that!
Top 8th
Miura's control issues persist as he walks #9 batter Midorikawa.
Takemura tries to bunt the runner along, but can't and goes down 0-2. He free bunts and fouls out!
Rinzaki bunts Midorikawa along and they're looking for the one-shot.
But instead we see a rare event. Miura intentionally walks Satou! They're going to pitch to Sasagawa!
However Miura falls behind 2-1, but gets him to swing on a change! One strike away from getting out of the jam!
Sasagawa fights one off. And Miura hits him! Miura hits him in the butt and now it's manrui for Urawa Gakuin!
Miura will have to get out of another bases loaded mess! Yamane up, swings at the first pitch, jammed, but gets it over the infield! Ogawa's throw is late and 2 runs score! From one pitch away to getting out of the inning to being behind 2-0, Yamane's bloop base hit breaks the deadlock!
Akashi flies out to center to end the inning, but they've done what they needed to!
Bottom 8th
Mie will now have to come back against a confident pitcher who's only thrown 75 pitches so far!
Naoki chases a shuuto outside and goes down for the first out. Miura chases a fastball outside and too goes down swining. Mie certainly feeling the pressure now.
Kobayashi trying to get on base any way possible, fights at the plate and fists one in to left after an 8 pitch AB!
Now Okita-kantoku sends in #15 Shigeyama to hit for Oda.
Satou with a ball that bouncer about 55 feet it seems and Kobayashi takes 2nd! Mori-kantoku calls time.
And Shigeyama goes ahead 3-1!
DON'T SWING!
But he does and what would have been ball 4 and fouls it off!
SANSHIN! Satou gets Shigeyama on what might have been a shuuto inside and he's out of the inning!
Top 9th
#16 Nishimura comes in for PH Shigeyama and takes over at 2B.
Miura gets two quick popouts before finally retiring stubborn batter Midorikawa. It's a 1-2-3 inning, but Mie only has one last chance to keep their hopes alive.
Jinya grounds out to 2nd for the first out. Back to the top of the order.
Ogawa chases a slider for the 2nd out! Last chance in Kitade!
Grounder to third! Kigure with it! Throws to first, and that's the game!
Mie with a great effort against the Kanto champions, but Miura stamina issues in the 2nd half of the game cost him! They certainly had their chances against Satou and Urawa Gakuin, and they should be happy about their efforts, but they'll have to wait for the summer to try and get back to Koushien.
As for Urawa Gakuin, they survive a 2nd round game that was probably harder than expected to advance to the best 8. Satou wound up giving a good performance overall, but the offense will need to support him more, especially since the next opponent is either Kyushu Gakuin or Osaka Touin.
Mie barely held on to defeat Tottori Jyouhoku in the opening game of the tournament. But based upon the results of the Chuugoku region, this is not really a good sign for Mie.
On the other hand Urawa Gakuin took care of its business by dispatching Tsuruga Kehi 10-2. And seeing that the other Hokushinetsu representative lost to Kinki 5/6 team Riseisha (though they put up a decent fight), they did exactly what they were supposed to do.
So with that being said, Mie will probably have an uphill climb if they want to advance to the Best 8.
Urawa Gakuin (Saitama)
SS Takemura HarukiC Rinzaki Tatsuya
P Satou Takuya
RF Sasagawa Ryouhei
LF Yamane Yuuta
1B Akashi Hyuuma
3B Kigure Naito
CF Ishibashi Tsukasa
2B Midorikawa Koutarou
Mie (Mie)
RF Ogawa Tomoya3B Kitade Kazuma
CF Ishizaki Shouki
1B Okamoto Takurou
SS Maekawa Naoki
P Miura Koutarou
C Kobayashi Daiki
2B Oda Hayao
LF Maekawa Jinya
__________________________________________________
11:19 - First pitch!
Top 1st
Not an auspicious start when the Mie C can't field what seems like a routine fly on the first batter. Miura has to throw several more pitches to retire Takemura on an infield fly.
Miura is actually having to throw a lot of pitches here to the first two batters. He strikes out Rinzaki, but his pitches aren't quite hitting the mitt where Kobayashi wants them.
Satou pops up to 2nd on the first pitch and it's a 1-2-3 inning.
Bottom 1st
Satou's control looks a bit better to start, as gets a fairly easy 1-2-3 inning in part thanks to a nice charging catch by Ishibashi. Well, it wasn't nice in the fact that he kinda tumbled forwards when catching it, but he still made the catch.
Top 2nd
Miura's fastball hitting 143, as this inning is much better. He records a strikeout between two first pitch fly balls and he's keeping the Urawa Gakuin batters off-balance here to start.
Bottom 2nd
It's more of the same for Satou. Mie's 4-5-6 batters make weak contact on the ball and the side is retired in order. Satou's doing his job, but what about the offense?
Top 3rd
Miura doing a great job in the mound. Three routine grounders and Mie is holding their own against Urawa Gakuin. If this keeps up they have a chance for the upset!
Bottom 3rd
Kobayashi with a grounder to the gap in left. Takemura slides over to get it, but can't get enough on the throw and it short hops Akashi! Base hit, and leadoff runner, on base!
Oda lays down a great bunt and they have a runner in scoring position!
Jinya doing a good job as the #9 hitter taking pitches, but takes one too many when he freezes on a fastball down the middle on a full count pitch.
Up to the top of the order and Ogawa.
But Satou strikes him out on a ball in the dirt! Rinzaki throws to first for the out, and Mie's chance falls by the wayside!
Top 4th
The top of the order tries to attack the first pitch but grounds to 2nd.
Satou trying to exercise some patience runs the count full, and Miura overthrows a fastball inside (145) and earns a walk.
Now Miura falls behind Sasagawa 3-0 before getting a fastball in there.
Satou tries to steal 2nd, but Kobayashi's throw is there in plenty of time! No perfect game for Miura, but he's still faced the minimum.
Bottom 4th
Satou having a little bit of control issues, running the count full on Kitade before retiring him. At the same time both teams are starved for runners, so Ishizaki tries a safety bunt to no avail.
And Okamoto bails out Satou by swinging on a 2-0 pitch and flying out to right.
Top 5th
It's another inning of weak ground balls but the Urawa Gakuin offense. They're getting the bats ahead and over the pitches from Miura and he has for the most part breezed through the first 5 innings!
Bottom 5th
Naoki turns on a ball inside and sends it past a diving Akasahi for a base hit!
Miura bunt goes foul, no.. fair! Miura scrambles to head to first, but Rinzaki starts the 2-6-3 double play!
Urawa avoids a jam as Kobayashi flies to right. Through 5 we've faced just 1 over the minimum and Mie has had the better of it, if just.
Top 6th
Kigure makes more solid contact, but it's a grounder right at Kitade for the out.
Miura records just his 3rd K in Ishibashi when his slider catches the outside corner. But then he falls behind Midorikawa 3-0 before filling up the count. And his slider trying for the outside corner goes begging.
And a wild pitch by Miura sends Midorikawa to 2nd! Okita-kantoku calls time.
Miura's control has been a bit erratic this inning. He falls behind Takemura 3-0, gets one strike in, but then walks him too! This is not a good sign. It's too early to be tiring and losing your mechanics.
But Rinzaki swings on a slider inside and Miura's out of the inning!
Bottom 6th
The urgency may be on for Mie to score to help out Miura as the two walks in the last inning may suggest they're running out of time.
Defensive change for Urawa as #17 Nishioka in for Ishibashi at CF.
Oda falls for a slow curve away and one down for Satou. Jinya is jammed and flies out to Takemura in foul territory.
Ogawa grounds to short and Mie can't do anything against Satou. Despite his early troubles, he seems to have found his control and is hitting his spots.
Top 7th
Satou takes a ball to left, and that goes over Jinya's head! He's in with a leadoff double and Urawa's first hit!
And whether or not they were being careful with Sasagawa, Miura walks him, and he in a big pinch as Okita-kantoku calls for time.
Yamane showing bunt, but the first two pitches go for balls before he lays it down.
Infield in for a play at the plate. Yamane swinging away on the first pitch, but Miura trying to keep the ball down falls behind 3-1! It's a walk to Akashi as it's now manui with just one down!
#7 batter Kigure up, 2 groundouts to 3rd so far today.
Grounder to short! Naoki has it and goes home for one! Kobayashi's throw to 1st is high, but Okamoto snags it (not in time). 2 down!
New CF Nishioka in, falls behind 1-2.
SANSHIN! Miura gives a fist pump as he gets Nishioka on a high fastball! He's out of the jam!
Bottom 7th
Mie needs to use that momentum from the last half inning to get themselves a run.
But Satou seems to have gotten stronger on the mound! He gets a groundout from Kitade and a foul fly from Ishizaki before striking out Okamoto on three straight! Mie's lucky 7 ends just like that!
Top 8th
Miura's control issues persist as he walks #9 batter Midorikawa.
Takemura tries to bunt the runner along, but can't and goes down 0-2. He free bunts and fouls out!
Rinzaki bunts Midorikawa along and they're looking for the one-shot.
But instead we see a rare event. Miura intentionally walks Satou! They're going to pitch to Sasagawa!
However Miura falls behind 2-1, but gets him to swing on a change! One strike away from getting out of the jam!
Sasagawa fights one off. And Miura hits him! Miura hits him in the butt and now it's manrui for Urawa Gakuin!
Miura will have to get out of another bases loaded mess! Yamane up, swings at the first pitch, jammed, but gets it over the infield! Ogawa's throw is late and 2 runs score! From one pitch away to getting out of the inning to being behind 2-0, Yamane's bloop base hit breaks the deadlock!
Akashi flies out to center to end the inning, but they've done what they needed to!
Bottom 8th
Mie will now have to come back against a confident pitcher who's only thrown 75 pitches so far!
Naoki chases a shuuto outside and goes down for the first out. Miura chases a fastball outside and too goes down swining. Mie certainly feeling the pressure now.
Kobayashi trying to get on base any way possible, fights at the plate and fists one in to left after an 8 pitch AB!
Now Okita-kantoku sends in #15 Shigeyama to hit for Oda.
Satou with a ball that bouncer about 55 feet it seems and Kobayashi takes 2nd! Mori-kantoku calls time.
And Shigeyama goes ahead 3-1!
DON'T SWING!
But he does and what would have been ball 4 and fouls it off!
SANSHIN! Satou gets Shigeyama on what might have been a shuuto inside and he's out of the inning!
Top 9th
#16 Nishimura comes in for PH Shigeyama and takes over at 2B.
Miura gets two quick popouts before finally retiring stubborn batter Midorikawa. It's a 1-2-3 inning, but Mie only has one last chance to keep their hopes alive.
Jinya grounds out to 2nd for the first out. Back to the top of the order.
Ogawa chases a slider for the 2nd out! Last chance in Kitade!
Grounder to third! Kigure with it! Throws to first, and that's the game!
Mie with a great effort against the Kanto champions, but Miura stamina issues in the 2nd half of the game cost him! They certainly had their chances against Satou and Urawa Gakuin, and they should be happy about their efforts, but they'll have to wait for the summer to try and get back to Koushien.
As for Urawa Gakuin, they survive a 2nd round game that was probably harder than expected to advance to the best 8. Satou wound up giving a good performance overall, but the offense will need to support him more, especially since the next opponent is either Kyushu Gakuin or Osaka Touin.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Day 1 - Game 1 - Tottori Jyouhoku (Tottori) vs. Mie (Mie)
Well, with the opening ceremonies completed, the other teams exit as Mie and Tottori Jyouhoku take the field for the tournament opener.
Now, admittedly there probably won't be a whole lot of people here. Though with the final game being a headliner, it's quite possible the stands might be a little more full than expected for a game like this.
That's not to say Mie or Tottori Jyouhoku aren't good teams, they're just not attention grabbers.
Tottori Jyouhoku won the Chuugoku Super-Regionals, albeit against a slightly weaker field. Their offense is pedestrian at best (and that was against a weaker field), which means much of the burden will lie with ace Hirata Shouma and reliever Nishisaka Ryou.
First up for them will be Mie. Now, Mie is no perennial title contender, however they did take Aikoudai Meiden the full 9 in the Toukai Super-Regional final, falling just short 4-3. Their offense is probably a tick better than Tottori's, but it'll probably also boil down to their ace Miura Koutarou. They have used many other relievers, but none with extensive playing time, meaning it'll probably be Miura or bust.
I would probably expect a low-scoring affair due to the offenses more than the pitching. Though if either ace wears down, their game - and subsequently their tournament, ends just after it started.
2B Komai Yuusuke (#6)
CF Kimura Tatsuya
1B Kawano Shou
3B Taniguchi Hibiki (#15)
LF Hamada Kouki
C Kinoshita Yuugo
SS Hirayama Takuma (#5)
P Hirata Shouma
CF Ishizaki Shouki
1B Okamoto Takurou
RF Ogawa Tomoya
SS Maekawa Naoki
P Miura Koutarou
C Kobayashi Daiki
2B Oda Hayao
LF Maekawa Jinya
___________________________________________________________________________
10:32 - First pitch!
Top 1st
Miura starts the game off by getting Satou to swing at three straight pitches. But as quickly as he records his first K, he walks Kumai on 4 straight, and almost walks Kimura on 4 pitches (it was 5).
And immediately timeout is called as #15 Shigeyama comes out to the mound.
Cleanup batter Kawano looks for a ball to hit as he fouls off a 2-0 pitch. Miura gets in a second strike on the outside corner and now Kawano is on the defense just fouling off a pitch.
The swings give Miura a second wind as he strikes out Kawano on a lsider, then Taniguchi on three straight to end the inning!
Bottom 1st
Hirata looking good to start, but a routine grounder to short is thrown high by Hirayama and Mie gets a baserunner.
But just as quickly, Kitade is caught off first and a pickoff throw forces him to 2nd where despite a collision Hirayama holds onto the ball.
It's too bad as Ishizaki takes a ball the other way into the gap. He rounds the bases as the ball falls softly in for a stand-up triple! Mie back on the offensive!
Okamoto up and he's brushed back with a pitch up and in!
But when Hirata tries to go down and away, Okamoto golfs it to center! Kimura fields it conceding the run and Mie scores the first run of the tournament! They lead 1-0!
Ogawa goes down swinging to end the inning, but not before Mie draws first blood!
Top 2nd
A little on ace Miura. He's pretty much your average pitcher, with a fastball that can hit 135. His slider is a bit erratic and can be anywhere from 125~132. He also has a curve in the high 100's-low 110's.
Despite his lack of control early, he manages to strike out Hamada to start the inning, then gets some help as Kitade plays self-defense on a liner right at him for the 2nd out. Finally Hirayama flies out to center and it's a much smoother inning for Miura.
Bottom 2nd
Mie's oen-dan goes into Big6 songs. Whee!
Miura's opponent is about the same. Fastball in the 134~138 range, slider in the low 120's and a change in the 100's. He does seem to exhibit better control than Miura.
But Naoki lines a fastball right back up the middle for a leadoff hit. Miura lays down the bunt and it's up to Kobayashi to get the runner home.
He gets ahead 3-1, but eventually winds up grounding to 3rd. Oda comes up now to try and play add on.
They try to paint the corner on a 1-2 pitch, but it goes begging. Doesn't matter because they try it again and Oda offers and misses to end the inning.
Top 3rd
Miura gets himself into trouble yet again. One down, he hits top batter Satou. Then Komai lays down a bunt down the 3rd base line that stays fair for a base hit!
Kimura make Miura pay for it as he lines one over Okamoto down the right field line for a double! That scores Satou and the game is tied at 1-1!
Kawano then hits a grounder to 3rd. Kitade charges, but his only play is to 1st. That scores Komai to make it 2-1! Taniguchi grounds a chopper to 2nd to end the inning, but not before the Chuugoku champs take the lead!
Bottom 3rd
Jinya manages to reach 1st via a dead ball and is bunted to 2nd. He's advanced to 3rd on a grounder, but there's two outs and they need a one-timer from Okamoto.
Hirata gets him to hit a chopper back to him, but he can't field it cleanly and it goes off his glove! It deflects back towards the left side of 2nd. Hirayama comes in, but bobbles the ball allowing Jinya to score, tying the game at 2-2!!
Dunno if that chopper rattled him a bit, but he walks Ogawa and now is in a slight pinch. But he gets Naoki to strike out on a slider down and in to limit the damage.
Top 4th
Miura seems to have on and off innings. After having a soft liner forcing him to duck for a single, he gets Hirayama to hit a comebacker to him. Miura proceeds to start the inning ending 1-6-3 double play.
Bottom 4th
Meanwhile, Mie's batters seem to be timing Hirata well. Miura hits a deep fly to center, followed by a liner to center by Kobayashi. Oda finally succeeds in actually getting a hit with a liner to center. Jinya is not as lucky though, as Hirata starts throwing junk and he strikes out to end the inning.
Top 5th
Miura continues to have trouble with leadoff batter Satou, issuing a one-out walk. But when Komai lines one to Jinya in shallow left, he's too aggressive! Jinya throws him out trying to return to 1st and the inning is over!
Bottom 5th
Kitade starts off the Mie offense with a slicer over Taniguchi! It goes all the way to the wall for a leadoff double! Ishizaki lays down the bunt, and it's up to Okamoto.
And he takes a pitch letter high and drives it to center! It's over a running Kimura! Okamoto eases into 2nd with an RBI double! 3-2 Mie!
But Mie helps him limit the damage as Ogawa chases a ball in the dirt, and then Okamoto is caught in between 2nd and 3rd and is run down. But as we head to the break, Mie leads 3-2!
The game is about what I expected. Not necessarily good offenses per se, and the pitching is average. It'll come down to who can get the timely hits more than anything else.
Top 6th
Miura is certainly settling down it seems. First pitch strikes and a bit more control as the game has progressed. Kimura pops out to right, cleanup batter Kawano strikes out swinging on a slider outside, and while Taniguchi slices down the left field line for a single (good play by Jinya to limit him), Hamada routinely grounds out to short to end the inning.
Bottom 6th
Bad luck seems to plague the Chuugoku champions. Naoki hits a hard ball to the right side, but Kawano smothers it! However, his toss to 1st glances off Hirata's glove and Naoki's safe!
Mie continues to play for a run at a time, and Miura bunts him along.
Kobayashi can't hold up his swing on a ball down and away, and it's up to Oda once again. He hit a liner back up the middle last time up.
Hirata, aware of this isn't giving him anything good. Sliders down or fastballs away.
Oda's doing his best, fouling off pitches to stay alive...
And he lines one over Taniguchi into left! But Hamada is playing in and Naoki can't score!
Up to Jinya to try and get the runs home.
But instead Oda runs the team out of the inning as he's thrown out trying to steal 2nd! Why?!
Top 7th
Lucky 7 for Tottori Jyouhoku, and they're starting to run out of time.
Kinoshita gets a break when a grounder to 3rd is thrown short by Kitade and bounces over Okamoto's glove. E5 and the tying run is aboard.
Hirayama tests Kitade again with a bunt down the left side. Kitade's throw is short again, but Okamoto just picks it for the out.
Trouble for Miura! Last batter Hirata grounds one past a diving Kitade to left! Jinya is playing in again, so the runners have to stop. But the tying run is 90 feet away!
Okita-kantoku calls time to try and slow down the momentum.
But Miura's nemesis is at the plate in leadoff batter Satou. This time around, Miura gets ahead 1-2! But Satou works the count full, and drives a pitch down and in to center! It's deep enough and Kinoshita scores easily! We're douten at 3-3!!
Komai makes Kitade make one more play at 3rd to end the inning, but the 7th indeed provides to be lucky as Tottori Jyouhoku ties the game!
Bottom 7th
Jinya's troubles at the plate continue as he continues to swing at sliders down and in for a K.
Kitade looks to make up for the error as he reaches out and hits a seeing-eye single to left.
Odd, Okita-kantoku isn't calling or a bunt.
Oy... Kitade pushes it when a ball gets away from Kinoshita, but Ishizaki was holding up the stop sign and Kinoshita throws him out easily. Ishizaki hits a lazy fly to center and the inning is over just like that. Momentum may be swinging to Tottori at just the right time.
Top 8th
Problem is, they still cannot get good contact on Miura's pitches. It's the middle of the lineup, and Kimura hits a grounder to 2nd, Kawano nubs one back to Miura for 2 quick outs.
Taniguchi though seems to be getting in the groove as he sends one into the left center field gap for a 2-out double! Chance for Tottori, but Hamada steps in 0-3 on the day. Miura needs to get him as Kinoshita stands on the on-deck circle.
Hm? Miura's throwing in the low 140's? Didn't notice that now. He just threw a 144 pitch.
But it's a high change that he dribbles back to Miura who throws him out to end the inning!
Bottom 8th
Okamoto gets his 2nd hit of the day, a ball just under the glove of Hirayama into left! It's a given that Ogawa's going to try to lay down the bunt.
But he can't lay it down! He's down 1-2 in the count and is still showing bunt? Yes, he still going for it!
And he lays it down beautifully! Mie now has the go-ahead run in scoring position for Naoki! But he's just 1-3 with a single back up the middle in the 2nd...
Naoki gets good contact on one, but it's right at Satou! He doesn't move an inch to record the 2nd out!
Now Miura has to help his own cause with 2 out. Can he do it? He did hit a deep drive to center, but otherwise has laid down 2 bunts.
Grounder to short... off Hirayama and into center!!! Kimura runs it down, but not before Okamoto scores giving Mie the 4-3 lead!
Kobayashi with a single to left! Miura advances to 3rd as Hamada runs it down and Tottori is in big trouble! Yamamoto-kantoku calls time and tries to settle down Hamada.
But Oda guides a pitch down and in to the right side and just past a diving Komai into right! Miura scores on the RBI double and it's now 5-3 Mie!
And finally Yamamoto-kantoku pulls the plug on Hirata when he falls behind Jinya 2-0. #10 Nishisaka enters the game. He looks like the same, a righty who has a fastball in the 140's and a change in the high 110's.
But Nishisaka strikes him out on a wild pitch! Kinoshita hurries to the ball, but everyone's safe! Kobayashi scores and it's now 6-3 Mie!
Kitade properly strikes out to end the inning, but the damage is done. Tottori Jyouhoku finds them down 3 again with just 3 outs to go...
Top 9th
Miura gets ahead of Kinoshita 0-2, but nibbles and fills up the count. And walks him!!
#4 Yokozeki comes in to PH for Hirayama. But he's way ahead of an 0-2 curve and strikes out swinging!
New P Nishisaka offers at 3 straight pitches away and there's quickly 2 outs! It's down to captain Satou to keep the game alive!
OH!!!!
Satou with a solid drive to right! Ogawa running to the wall...
HAITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Satou drives a ball out to right (which isn't easy) and pulls Tottori Jyouhoku within 1! It's 6-5!!
And now is it Miura that's rattled?? He walks Komai on 4 straight and now the douten run is aboard! Okita-kantoku calls time. He needs Miura to settle down quick or else it could get out of hand.
Kimura with a solid hit though the right side! Runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 out!! And cleanup batter Kawano stands in!!
Whoa. Big swing and miss on the first pitch.
Fouls off the second, and he's down to his last strike...
Pitch outside, and he holds off.. 1-2.
Fouls off another one letter high away...
SANSHIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kawano finally bites on the slider away and misses to end the game! Mie holds on to win 6-5!!!!
Tottori Jyouhoku mounted a rally here in the 9th, but just falls short. It's Mie who will advance to the next round as the Chuugoku champions gather their Koushien dirt and will return back to Tottori.
For Mie, it's a hard fought win that will not get any easier. With Miura already laboring in their first game, and no real relievers to speak of, it will be difficult to advance in the next round.
Notable Players
Satou Kouji (Tottori Jyouhoku) - 1-2, HR, 2 RBI, BB, HBP
Kimura Tatsuya (Tottori Jyouhoku) - 2-4, 2B, RBI, BB
Taniguchi Hibiki (Tottori Jyouhoku) - 2-4, 2B, K
Oda Hayao (Mie) - 3-4, 2B, RBI, K
Okamoto Takurou (Mie) - 2-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI
Now, admittedly there probably won't be a whole lot of people here. Though with the final game being a headliner, it's quite possible the stands might be a little more full than expected for a game like this.
That's not to say Mie or Tottori Jyouhoku aren't good teams, they're just not attention grabbers.
Tottori Jyouhoku won the Chuugoku Super-Regionals, albeit against a slightly weaker field. Their offense is pedestrian at best (and that was against a weaker field), which means much of the burden will lie with ace Hirata Shouma and reliever Nishisaka Ryou.
First up for them will be Mie. Now, Mie is no perennial title contender, however they did take Aikoudai Meiden the full 9 in the Toukai Super-Regional final, falling just short 4-3. Their offense is probably a tick better than Tottori's, but it'll probably also boil down to their ace Miura Koutarou. They have used many other relievers, but none with extensive playing time, meaning it'll probably be Miura or bust.
I would probably expect a low-scoring affair due to the offenses more than the pitching. Though if either ace wears down, their game - and subsequently their tournament, ends just after it started.
Tottori Jyouhoku (Tottori)
RF Satou Kouji2B Komai Yuusuke (#6)
CF Kimura Tatsuya
1B Kawano Shou
3B Taniguchi Hibiki (#15)
LF Hamada Kouki
C Kinoshita Yuugo
SS Hirayama Takuma (#5)
P Hirata Shouma
Mie (Mie)
3B Kitade KazumaCF Ishizaki Shouki
1B Okamoto Takurou
RF Ogawa Tomoya
SS Maekawa Naoki
P Miura Koutarou
C Kobayashi Daiki
2B Oda Hayao
LF Maekawa Jinya
___________________________________________________________________________
10:32 - First pitch!
Top 1st
Miura starts the game off by getting Satou to swing at three straight pitches. But as quickly as he records his first K, he walks Kumai on 4 straight, and almost walks Kimura on 4 pitches (it was 5).
And immediately timeout is called as #15 Shigeyama comes out to the mound.
Cleanup batter Kawano looks for a ball to hit as he fouls off a 2-0 pitch. Miura gets in a second strike on the outside corner and now Kawano is on the defense just fouling off a pitch.
The swings give Miura a second wind as he strikes out Kawano on a lsider, then Taniguchi on three straight to end the inning!
Bottom 1st
Hirata looking good to start, but a routine grounder to short is thrown high by Hirayama and Mie gets a baserunner.
But just as quickly, Kitade is caught off first and a pickoff throw forces him to 2nd where despite a collision Hirayama holds onto the ball.
It's too bad as Ishizaki takes a ball the other way into the gap. He rounds the bases as the ball falls softly in for a stand-up triple! Mie back on the offensive!
Okamoto up and he's brushed back with a pitch up and in!
But when Hirata tries to go down and away, Okamoto golfs it to center! Kimura fields it conceding the run and Mie scores the first run of the tournament! They lead 1-0!
Ogawa goes down swinging to end the inning, but not before Mie draws first blood!
Top 2nd
A little on ace Miura. He's pretty much your average pitcher, with a fastball that can hit 135. His slider is a bit erratic and can be anywhere from 125~132. He also has a curve in the high 100's-low 110's.
Despite his lack of control early, he manages to strike out Hamada to start the inning, then gets some help as Kitade plays self-defense on a liner right at him for the 2nd out. Finally Hirayama flies out to center and it's a much smoother inning for Miura.
Bottom 2nd
Mie's oen-dan goes into Big6 songs. Whee!
Miura's opponent is about the same. Fastball in the 134~138 range, slider in the low 120's and a change in the 100's. He does seem to exhibit better control than Miura.
But Naoki lines a fastball right back up the middle for a leadoff hit. Miura lays down the bunt and it's up to Kobayashi to get the runner home.
He gets ahead 3-1, but eventually winds up grounding to 3rd. Oda comes up now to try and play add on.
They try to paint the corner on a 1-2 pitch, but it goes begging. Doesn't matter because they try it again and Oda offers and misses to end the inning.
Top 3rd
Miura gets himself into trouble yet again. One down, he hits top batter Satou. Then Komai lays down a bunt down the 3rd base line that stays fair for a base hit!
Kimura make Miura pay for it as he lines one over Okamoto down the right field line for a double! That scores Satou and the game is tied at 1-1!
Kawano then hits a grounder to 3rd. Kitade charges, but his only play is to 1st. That scores Komai to make it 2-1! Taniguchi grounds a chopper to 2nd to end the inning, but not before the Chuugoku champs take the lead!
Bottom 3rd
Jinya manages to reach 1st via a dead ball and is bunted to 2nd. He's advanced to 3rd on a grounder, but there's two outs and they need a one-timer from Okamoto.
Hirata gets him to hit a chopper back to him, but he can't field it cleanly and it goes off his glove! It deflects back towards the left side of 2nd. Hirayama comes in, but bobbles the ball allowing Jinya to score, tying the game at 2-2!!
Dunno if that chopper rattled him a bit, but he walks Ogawa and now is in a slight pinch. But he gets Naoki to strike out on a slider down and in to limit the damage.
Top 4th
Miura seems to have on and off innings. After having a soft liner forcing him to duck for a single, he gets Hirayama to hit a comebacker to him. Miura proceeds to start the inning ending 1-6-3 double play.
Bottom 4th
Meanwhile, Mie's batters seem to be timing Hirata well. Miura hits a deep fly to center, followed by a liner to center by Kobayashi. Oda finally succeeds in actually getting a hit with a liner to center. Jinya is not as lucky though, as Hirata starts throwing junk and he strikes out to end the inning.
Top 5th
Miura continues to have trouble with leadoff batter Satou, issuing a one-out walk. But when Komai lines one to Jinya in shallow left, he's too aggressive! Jinya throws him out trying to return to 1st and the inning is over!
Bottom 5th
Kitade starts off the Mie offense with a slicer over Taniguchi! It goes all the way to the wall for a leadoff double! Ishizaki lays down the bunt, and it's up to Okamoto.
And he takes a pitch letter high and drives it to center! It's over a running Kimura! Okamoto eases into 2nd with an RBI double! 3-2 Mie!
But Mie helps him limit the damage as Ogawa chases a ball in the dirt, and then Okamoto is caught in between 2nd and 3rd and is run down. But as we head to the break, Mie leads 3-2!
The game is about what I expected. Not necessarily good offenses per se, and the pitching is average. It'll come down to who can get the timely hits more than anything else.
Top 6th
Miura is certainly settling down it seems. First pitch strikes and a bit more control as the game has progressed. Kimura pops out to right, cleanup batter Kawano strikes out swinging on a slider outside, and while Taniguchi slices down the left field line for a single (good play by Jinya to limit him), Hamada routinely grounds out to short to end the inning.
Bottom 6th
Bad luck seems to plague the Chuugoku champions. Naoki hits a hard ball to the right side, but Kawano smothers it! However, his toss to 1st glances off Hirata's glove and Naoki's safe!
Mie continues to play for a run at a time, and Miura bunts him along.
Kobayashi can't hold up his swing on a ball down and away, and it's up to Oda once again. He hit a liner back up the middle last time up.
Hirata, aware of this isn't giving him anything good. Sliders down or fastballs away.
Oda's doing his best, fouling off pitches to stay alive...
And he lines one over Taniguchi into left! But Hamada is playing in and Naoki can't score!
Up to Jinya to try and get the runs home.
But instead Oda runs the team out of the inning as he's thrown out trying to steal 2nd! Why?!
Top 7th
Lucky 7 for Tottori Jyouhoku, and they're starting to run out of time.
Kinoshita gets a break when a grounder to 3rd is thrown short by Kitade and bounces over Okamoto's glove. E5 and the tying run is aboard.
Hirayama tests Kitade again with a bunt down the left side. Kitade's throw is short again, but Okamoto just picks it for the out.
Trouble for Miura! Last batter Hirata grounds one past a diving Kitade to left! Jinya is playing in again, so the runners have to stop. But the tying run is 90 feet away!
Okita-kantoku calls time to try and slow down the momentum.
But Miura's nemesis is at the plate in leadoff batter Satou. This time around, Miura gets ahead 1-2! But Satou works the count full, and drives a pitch down and in to center! It's deep enough and Kinoshita scores easily! We're douten at 3-3!!
Komai makes Kitade make one more play at 3rd to end the inning, but the 7th indeed provides to be lucky as Tottori Jyouhoku ties the game!
Bottom 7th
Jinya's troubles at the plate continue as he continues to swing at sliders down and in for a K.
Kitade looks to make up for the error as he reaches out and hits a seeing-eye single to left.
Odd, Okita-kantoku isn't calling or a bunt.
Oy... Kitade pushes it when a ball gets away from Kinoshita, but Ishizaki was holding up the stop sign and Kinoshita throws him out easily. Ishizaki hits a lazy fly to center and the inning is over just like that. Momentum may be swinging to Tottori at just the right time.
Top 8th
Problem is, they still cannot get good contact on Miura's pitches. It's the middle of the lineup, and Kimura hits a grounder to 2nd, Kawano nubs one back to Miura for 2 quick outs.
Taniguchi though seems to be getting in the groove as he sends one into the left center field gap for a 2-out double! Chance for Tottori, but Hamada steps in 0-3 on the day. Miura needs to get him as Kinoshita stands on the on-deck circle.
Hm? Miura's throwing in the low 140's? Didn't notice that now. He just threw a 144 pitch.
But it's a high change that he dribbles back to Miura who throws him out to end the inning!
Bottom 8th
Okamoto gets his 2nd hit of the day, a ball just under the glove of Hirayama into left! It's a given that Ogawa's going to try to lay down the bunt.
But he can't lay it down! He's down 1-2 in the count and is still showing bunt? Yes, he still going for it!
And he lays it down beautifully! Mie now has the go-ahead run in scoring position for Naoki! But he's just 1-3 with a single back up the middle in the 2nd...
Naoki gets good contact on one, but it's right at Satou! He doesn't move an inch to record the 2nd out!
Now Miura has to help his own cause with 2 out. Can he do it? He did hit a deep drive to center, but otherwise has laid down 2 bunts.
Grounder to short... off Hirayama and into center!!! Kimura runs it down, but not before Okamoto scores giving Mie the 4-3 lead!
Kobayashi with a single to left! Miura advances to 3rd as Hamada runs it down and Tottori is in big trouble! Yamamoto-kantoku calls time and tries to settle down Hamada.
But Oda guides a pitch down and in to the right side and just past a diving Komai into right! Miura scores on the RBI double and it's now 5-3 Mie!
And finally Yamamoto-kantoku pulls the plug on Hirata when he falls behind Jinya 2-0. #10 Nishisaka enters the game. He looks like the same, a righty who has a fastball in the 140's and a change in the high 110's.
But Nishisaka strikes him out on a wild pitch! Kinoshita hurries to the ball, but everyone's safe! Kobayashi scores and it's now 6-3 Mie!
Kitade properly strikes out to end the inning, but the damage is done. Tottori Jyouhoku finds them down 3 again with just 3 outs to go...
Top 9th
Miura gets ahead of Kinoshita 0-2, but nibbles and fills up the count. And walks him!!
#4 Yokozeki comes in to PH for Hirayama. But he's way ahead of an 0-2 curve and strikes out swinging!
New P Nishisaka offers at 3 straight pitches away and there's quickly 2 outs! It's down to captain Satou to keep the game alive!
OH!!!!
Satou with a solid drive to right! Ogawa running to the wall...
HAITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Satou drives a ball out to right (which isn't easy) and pulls Tottori Jyouhoku within 1! It's 6-5!!
And now is it Miura that's rattled?? He walks Komai on 4 straight and now the douten run is aboard! Okita-kantoku calls time. He needs Miura to settle down quick or else it could get out of hand.
Kimura with a solid hit though the right side! Runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 out!! And cleanup batter Kawano stands in!!
Whoa. Big swing and miss on the first pitch.
Fouls off the second, and he's down to his last strike...
Pitch outside, and he holds off.. 1-2.
Fouls off another one letter high away...
SANSHIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kawano finally bites on the slider away and misses to end the game! Mie holds on to win 6-5!!!!
Tottori Jyouhoku mounted a rally here in the 9th, but just falls short. It's Mie who will advance to the next round as the Chuugoku champions gather their Koushien dirt and will return back to Tottori.
For Mie, it's a hard fought win that will not get any easier. With Miura already laboring in their first game, and no real relievers to speak of, it will be difficult to advance in the next round.
Notable Players
Satou Kouji (Tottori Jyouhoku) - 1-2, HR, 2 RBI, BB, HBP
Kimura Tatsuya (Tottori Jyouhoku) - 2-4, 2B, RBI, BB
Taniguchi Hibiki (Tottori Jyouhoku) - 2-4, 2B, K
Oda Hayao (Mie) - 3-4, 2B, RBI, K
Okamoto Takurou (Mie) - 2-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI
Sunday, July 24, 2011
93rd Koushien Qualifying - July 13th-23rd (Kinki Region)
A lot to go over here, but it will have to be summarized more than usual.
Mie
Games began at Yokkaichi on the 15th with Tsu Nishi mercy ruling Subaru Gakuen 8-1 in 8. Since then we have reached the round of 16.
After the opening game all teams started play. Hisai Nourin scores 3 runs late to beat Matsusaka Shougyou 4-3. Akatsuki Gakuen scores 6 in the 5th, but needs every run as Yokkaichi Yogou scores 5 in the last 4 innings to barely get beaten 7-6. Tsu Shougyou fights back to tie the game at 5, after being down 3, in the 8th then goes on to beat Hisai in the bottom of the 12th. Yokkaichi scores the sayonara run over Yokkaichi Chuo Kougyou 2-1.
Rain started to impede play on the 18th. Games at Ise and Tsu were cancelled. After Ouka's 7-3 win over Toba, Yokkaichi Minami and Kinan can only get through 4½ before the game is called. Yokkaichi was the only place to play a full slate. And that wound up being fortunate for Kawagoe, not so much for Nabari Kiyougaoka. Nabari held a 7-1 lead through 7 innings. Kawagoe scores 4 in the 8th and 3 in the 9th for the 8-7 sayonara victory. The rained out games would be played on the 21st. Owase scores 3 in the 9th for a 6-4 win over Asake.
Onto the 2nd round, Tsu outlasts Nissei Gakuen Dai-ichi 2-1 in 12. And Tsu Higashi plates the only run in the top of the 9th to beat Kogakkan. Kaisei and Ouka tango for 13 innings, with Kaisei prevailing 3-2. Kawagoe continues its narrow escapes, scoring their runs late to win 2-1 over Minami-Ise.
Kyoto
When we last left Kyoto, they were in the middle of round 2.
Kyoto Kyouei scores late to beat Tanabe 4-3. Kumiyama down 5-1 in the bottom of the 9th scores 5 for the win! Yes, it's heartbreaking for Nantan, but at the same time it's what kokoyakyu is all about.
3rd round and Kyoto Gaidai Nishi defeats Kyoto Gakuen 7-2. Suzaku outlasts Rakutou 5-4 in 12. Yamashiro scores 3 in the 10th to defeat Ayabe. Ryuukokudai Heian scores 1 run in the 1st against Kyoto Kyouei, and surprisingly that's the only run scored!
Round of 16 play and my team - Kyoto Gaidai Nishi gets blitzed by a 5-run 5th from Kyoto Ryouyou 10-5... My more irrational team in Kyoto, Kyoto Subaru, scores in each of the last 5 innings, but can't make up for its pitching. They fall 11-8 to Toba.
In one of the most bizarre games, Ritsumeikan Uji had just scored 3 in the top of the 7th to lead 6-1 when Kumiyama out of nowhere scores 8! Not only that, but Uji comes back with 3 the very next inning to tie the game! The game would only go one more inning as Uji would win 12-9.
The next game that day would also go into extras where Yamashiro scored 3 in the 8th to tie it up. And even though they scored 2 in the 10th, they almost blew that lead.
What those first 2 extra inning games meant though was that Ryuukokudai Heian's game against Higashiyama, which they were winning 7-2 after 5½ was called a no-game expending extra effort. Fortunately for them they had 2 days off due to the rain. When play resumed Ryuukokudai Heian won 8-1 in 7.
The last games finished up with Fukuchiyama Seibi shutting out Doushisha Kokusai, and Nishi-Jyouou mercy ruling Rakuhoku.
Onto quarterfinal action, and Kyoto Ryouyou continues their surprising run with a 5-2 win over Toba. But they'd face their toughest test against Ritsumeikan Uji who handled Fukuchiyama 8-1 in 7. Meanwhile, Ryuukokudai Heian was in trouble versus Yamashiro, but scored 6 in the 8th for a gyakuten win! There'll be a blockbuster game next as they face Fukuchiyama Seibi who themselves had to hold off Nishi-Jyouyou 4-3.
Nara
Until I see someone challenge Chiben Gakuen, it's almost pointless covering this prefecture.
But to note some close games:
Wakayama
While there are some competitors now to Chiben Wakayama, which include Minoshima and Kouyou, it's still Chiben Wakayama's prefecture.
We advance to coverage of the 3rd round which sees one contender in Minoshima faltering late, giving up the tying and sayonara runs to Shiritsu Wakayama 2-1, and Touin taken to 14 by Hatsushiba Hashimoto but winning 4-2.
Osaka
Looking at block play we had the following notable games:
Block play was going on in Hyogo. Notable games include:
Mie
Games began at Yokkaichi on the 15th with Tsu Nishi mercy ruling Subaru Gakuen 8-1 in 8. Since then we have reached the round of 16.
After the opening game all teams started play. Hisai Nourin scores 3 runs late to beat Matsusaka Shougyou 4-3. Akatsuki Gakuen scores 6 in the 5th, but needs every run as Yokkaichi Yogou scores 5 in the last 4 innings to barely get beaten 7-6. Tsu Shougyou fights back to tie the game at 5, after being down 3, in the 8th then goes on to beat Hisai in the bottom of the 12th. Yokkaichi scores the sayonara run over Yokkaichi Chuo Kougyou 2-1.
Rain started to impede play on the 18th. Games at Ise and Tsu were cancelled. After Ouka's 7-3 win over Toba, Yokkaichi Minami and Kinan can only get through 4½ before the game is called. Yokkaichi was the only place to play a full slate. And that wound up being fortunate for Kawagoe, not so much for Nabari Kiyougaoka. Nabari held a 7-1 lead through 7 innings. Kawagoe scores 4 in the 8th and 3 in the 9th for the 8-7 sayonara victory. The rained out games would be played on the 21st. Owase scores 3 in the 9th for a 6-4 win over Asake.
Onto the 2nd round, Tsu outlasts Nissei Gakuen Dai-ichi 2-1 in 12. And Tsu Higashi plates the only run in the top of the 9th to beat Kogakkan. Kaisei and Ouka tango for 13 innings, with Kaisei prevailing 3-2. Kawagoe continues its narrow escapes, scoring their runs late to win 2-1 over Minami-Ise.
Kyoto
When we last left Kyoto, they were in the middle of round 2.
Kyoto Kyouei scores late to beat Tanabe 4-3. Kumiyama down 5-1 in the bottom of the 9th scores 5 for the win! Yes, it's heartbreaking for Nantan, but at the same time it's what kokoyakyu is all about.
3rd round and Kyoto Gaidai Nishi defeats Kyoto Gakuen 7-2. Suzaku outlasts Rakutou 5-4 in 12. Yamashiro scores 3 in the 10th to defeat Ayabe. Ryuukokudai Heian scores 1 run in the 1st against Kyoto Kyouei, and surprisingly that's the only run scored!
Round of 16 play and my team - Kyoto Gaidai Nishi gets blitzed by a 5-run 5th from Kyoto Ryouyou 10-5... My more irrational team in Kyoto, Kyoto Subaru, scores in each of the last 5 innings, but can't make up for its pitching. They fall 11-8 to Toba.
In one of the most bizarre games, Ritsumeikan Uji had just scored 3 in the top of the 7th to lead 6-1 when Kumiyama out of nowhere scores 8! Not only that, but Uji comes back with 3 the very next inning to tie the game! The game would only go one more inning as Uji would win 12-9.
The next game that day would also go into extras where Yamashiro scored 3 in the 8th to tie it up. And even though they scored 2 in the 10th, they almost blew that lead.
What those first 2 extra inning games meant though was that Ryuukokudai Heian's game against Higashiyama, which they were winning 7-2 after 5½ was called a no-game expending extra effort. Fortunately for them they had 2 days off due to the rain. When play resumed Ryuukokudai Heian won 8-1 in 7.
The last games finished up with Fukuchiyama Seibi shutting out Doushisha Kokusai, and Nishi-Jyouou mercy ruling Rakuhoku.
Onto quarterfinal action, and Kyoto Ryouyou continues their surprising run with a 5-2 win over Toba. But they'd face their toughest test against Ritsumeikan Uji who handled Fukuchiyama 8-1 in 7. Meanwhile, Ryuukokudai Heian was in trouble versus Yamashiro, but scored 6 in the 8th for a gyakuten win! There'll be a blockbuster game next as they face Fukuchiyama Seibi who themselves had to hold off Nishi-Jyouyou 4-3.
Nara
Until I see someone challenge Chiben Gakuen, it's almost pointless covering this prefecture.
But to note some close games:
- Round 2 - Sakurai scores 4 in the 9th to beat Heijyou 7-5.
- The coverage in Nara could be made even more pointless as the only other team to break the Tenri-Chiben Gakuen barrier, Kooriyama, loses in their first game to Unebi 3-1.
- Gose Jitsugyou gets the lead against Yamato Kouryou with 3 in the 8th for a 1 run lead, loses it with 2 in the top of the 9th, then wins it 7-6 with 2 in the bottom of the 9th!
- Ichijyou wins 6-5 in 10 over Kashihara Gakuin.
- Round 3 - Nara Jyouhou Shougyou pulls off the sayonara win after allowing Takatori Kokusai to score 2 in the 9th to tie it up.
- Nara scores 4 in the 8th and achieves the gyakuten win over Ichijyou!
Wakayama
While there are some competitors now to Chiben Wakayama, which include Minoshima and Kouyou, it's still Chiben Wakayama's prefecture.
We advance to coverage of the 3rd round which sees one contender in Minoshima faltering late, giving up the tying and sayonara runs to Shiritsu Wakayama 2-1, and Touin taken to 14 by Hatsushiba Hashimoto but winning 4-2.
Osaka
Looking at block play we had the following notable games:
- Kantodai Dai-ichi ties the game in the bottom of the 9th against Sakuranomiya, but loses 9-7 in 11.
- Osaka Shougyoudai scores 2 in the bottom of the 9th for the gyakuten sayonara win over Momoyama Gakuin.
- Nougei and Izumi-Ootsu start scoring runs like there's no tomorrow. Nougei leads 5-0, then Izumi-Ootsu leads 6-5, then Nougei leads 8-6. Izumi-Ootsu would try to come back, but Nougei just had one more run, winning 11-10.
- Tondabayashi, just 6 outs away from elimination, rallies to tie the game then wins 5-4 in 10 against Yuuhigaoka.
- Takatsuki Kita scores 3 in the bottom of the 9th to force enchousen, but ultimately falls 6-4 in 12 to Minoo Gakuen.
- Fukui tries repeatedly to put away Settsu even in the 12th inning, but Settsu rallies time and again, eventually winning 5-4 in 13.
- Kishiwada Sangyou scores 3 in the bottom of the 8th for a 8-7 win over Ootsuka.
Block play was going on in Hyogo. Notable games include:
- Block 11 Seed Touban Kougyou looks to be in dire straits against Himeji, but they score 5 in the 8th for a 7-6 gyakuten win.
- Kobe Kita rallies late to send it to extras, then wins in 14 over Koudera.
- Akashi Tousen barely beats out the transition team of Amagasaki Higashi/Amagasaki Sousei 1-0.
- Kenritsu Itami and Amagasaki Kita finally get their game in, and sure enough it goes into extras. Amagasaki Kita forces enchousen, but loses in 10.
- Right before the aforementioned game,Block 4 seed Mukonosou Sougyou looked to have the game in hand scoring 2 in the 9th to go up 3. But Ikawadani rallies for 3 to tie it, then also won in 10.
- Block 12 seed Sanda Shousei with 3 runs in the 7th and 8th innings tie the game at 7 with Himeji Kougyou. They would win in 12.
- In another 8-7 game, Aboshi scores 6 unanswered after Nishinomiya Kabutoyama scored 6 in the 3rd. And in 12, Aboshi would finish the job.
- Block 14 seed Touyoudai Himeji is yet another seeded team that has trouble in their first game. Against Takaradzuka Kita, they were 1-1 going to extras. Not until they scored 5 in the 11th did they finally win the game.
- Kawanishi Midoridai pushes Akashi into enchousen where they win 9-6 in 12.
- In Block 16, seeded Awaji Mihara loses a 3-run lead to Seiryou, giving up 2 in the bottom of the 9th in the process. Seiryou completes the comeback with a run in the 10th.
- Block 7 seed Kobe Murano Kougyou becomes the next seeded team to fall, as Himeji Nishi upsets them 2-0.
- Block 2 seed Kansei Gakuin behind late to Amagasaki Sangyou 7-5 scores 6 in the 8th to win 11-7.
- Mikage scores the sayonara run to beat Higashi-Nada 4-3.
- Kounan and Iwa play the first 9 innings without either scoring a run. It isn't until the 11th before Kounan scores the only run.
- Himeji Higashi tries to rally against Kenritsudai Fuzoku, but falls one run short 8-7.
- And anime-related, Nishinomiya Kita wins a game! They beat Hokuetsu Sanda 8-0 in 7 innings!
- Block semis started on the 17th. Takigawa Dai-ni, seeded team from Block 5, becomes the next to fall, losing 3-2 to Wadayama. Shinkou Gakuen, Block 6 seed, has similar troubled though they defeat Kakogawa Nishi 4-3.
- Sumoto scores 5 runs in the last 3 innings to defeat Kita-Suma 6-4.
- Part of the games on the 18th were rained out, but it wasn't a total loss of games. Sanda Shousei got another score from Aioi Sangyou, but won 4-3. Hyogo Shougyou outlasts Akashi Kita 2-1 in 11. Seiryou continues their run with a 4-3 win over Nagata.
- Ikawadani's run end in the 3rd round as Suma Higashi scores the winning run in the 11th.
- Oh my gosh! Nishinomiya Kita wins a 2nd game! They hold on to beat Kenritsu Itami 4-3 after Itami scores 3 in the 9th!
- Shiritsu Shinkou scores the only run in their game against Sayou. Suma Gakuen wins 1-0 over Kobe Tousen as well.
- Kansei Gakuin's run ends in their 2nd game. They rally, but fall to Himeji Shikisai 4-3.
- Mikage goes 13 against Takaradzuka Higashi winning 2-0.
- Despite there being just 1 day turnaround, Suma Gakuen rises to the occasion to defeat Wadayama 4-3 to win block 5!
- Houtoku Gakuen finishes out strong with a 8-1 win in 8 over Sumoto in Block 1.
- Touban Kougyou survives to win Block 11 with a 1-0 win over Himeji Minami.
- Kakogawa Higashi after defeating seeded Izushi moves on from Block 15 with a 4-3 sayonara win over Akashi Nishi. This inlcuded having to score a run in the 10th to keep the game alive!
- Touyoudai Himeji shuts out Hyogo Shougyou 4-0 to advance out of Block 14.
- Akou upsets Sanda Shousei 2-1 to win Block 12!
- Suma Higashi defeats Shiritsu Shinkou 3-2 to win Block 4.
- Shinkou Gakuen mercy rules Kobe Kouryou Gakuen to win Block 6.
- Himeji Shikisai rallies in the last 2 innings, but falls short against Nigawa Gakuin 4-3 in the Block 3 final. Kawanishi Midoridai survives in Block 2 over Kotogaoka by the same score.
- Oh well, it was good while it lasted. Yashiro advances out of Block 9 with a 7-0 win over Nishinomiya Kita. At least they weren't mercy ruled.
- Block 10, Kakogawa Kita has no problem with Kobe Takatsuka.
- Block 13, Ichikawa was the seeded team, Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku was the favorite. They win 8-2.
- Migake suffers whiplash in the Block 7 final. Ono mercy rules them 10-0 in 5.
- Akashi Shougyou calmly advances out of Block 8, defeating Shikama 4-1
- And rounding out things, in Block 16 Seiryou edges out Suma Shoufuu 2-1.
Wednesday, July 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!!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
7.28 Prefectural Finals
With postponements due to rain, 13 prefectures are hoping to give out their bids today.
Aomori
Rained out yesterday.
Gunma
In the first game yesterday, Jyutoku's ace Oka strikes out 12 and throws a 3-hitter to send his team to the finals with a 2-0 shutout over Shiritsu Maebashi. They'll face Tokyo Noudai Dai-ichi as they defeat Kiryuu Minami thanks to 3B Numazawa's 3-3, 2 RBI day.
Jyutoku's only appearances were back-to-back summers in 1991-2. Tokyo Noudai Dai-ichi has had 4 summer and 3 spring appearances but hasn't been since 1994.
Ishikawa
The first semifinal was an interesting one between Nihon Koukuu Ishikawa and Nanao. Nihon Koukuu gets on Nanao's Nakajima scoring 2 runs in the top of the 1st.
Now here's an interesting tidbit. Remember Saga Kita with their dual aces, Baba and Kubo and how they used the tandem to win the title? Well, Nihon Koukuu Ishikawa has not 2, but 3 pitchers they've used up until this game, Kurimoto, Hanada and Nakata.
Kurimoto pitched 3 innings of shutout ball before handing it over to Hanada. He went 2-2/3 before passing it on to Nakata. But then things go awry. Nanao, against the 3rd pitcher of the day, scores 4 runs and takes the lead!
Nihon Koukuu has one more trick up its sleeve though. LF Kitadera is called in to pitch! And he shuts down the Nanao offense!
But they still trailed 4-2 going into the top of the 9th. Desparate, they put a rally together and score 4 in the top of the 9th! And Kitadera sits down the Nanao batters in the bottom of the 9th and they advance with a 6-2 victory!
So, can Nihon Koukuu's plethora of arms get them through one more game for their first ever appearance? Or can Komatsu Kougyou get their 3rd summer bid?
Fukui
Hokuriku jumped out to a 1-0 lead against Fukui Shougyou in the first semi. It stayed that way until the 6th until Fukusho blew up Takano for 3 runs. He was relieved by Takahashi who got out of the mess.
But Hokuriku would not go quietly. In the bottom half of the frame, they responded against ace Takezawa scoring 3 runs of their own, regaining the slim one-run lead.
Yoshikawa would be brought in to preserve the lead, and he does just that, sending Hokuriku to the finals with a 4-3 win.
Who would Hokuriku play in the finals?
Well, Fukui Koudai Fukui answered with a HR from 3B Nakajima in the 3rd for a 1-0 lead against Tsuruga Kehi. It would not last though as Tsuruga went ahead 2-1 in the 6th. An insurance run in the 8th sealed the finals appearance while ace Yamada struck out 10.
In terms of pitching dominance, the edge may have to go with Tsuruga Kehi and their ace Yamada. But is his arm good for one more game? Or can Hokuriku's pitch-to-contact staff rule the day?
Gifu/Mie
Rained out yesterday.
Tottori
The semifinal games were a bit anti-climactic. Yonago Shouin does get the lead with a homerun by SS Takahashi in the 2nd. But Tottori Shougyou scores 5 in the bottom of the inning and never looks back, winning 11-1 (no mercy rules here in the semis).
Tottori Jyouhoku's Nakao throws a 3 hitter in a 4-0 victory over Tottori Nishi.
So it'll be Tottori Shougyou looking for their 2nd prefecture title (their only other one was in 2004) versus Tottori Jyouhoku who tries for their 1st ever.
Shimane
The games here suffered the same fate. Taisha scored 9 unanswered runs to win 10-1 over Izumo Shougyou, while Masuda Higashi managed just 4 hits in a 4-1 loss to Risshoudai Shounan.
Taisha looks for their 9th summer appearance while Risshoudai Shounan looks for the upset and their 1st ever shot on the Koshien grounds.
Tokushima
Rain, rain, go away, come again another day...
Fukuoka
Chikuyou Gakuen trailed Shuuyuukan 2-1 but continued to work the count creating multiple opportunities. Then in the 8th, they tied the game up! And 10 walks in a game is too much to give an opponent. Chikuyou pushed through the winning run just 2 innings later.
In the Kyushu Kokusaidai Fuzoku-Jiyuugaoka game, Kokusaidai scored 2 in the 4th only to see Jiyuugaoka plate 2 of their own in the 5th. But in the 8th inning, 2 home runs capped off a 4-run 8th as Kokusaidai advances 6-2.
Saga
Imari Nourin breaks a 1-1 tie against Saga Gakuen with 3 runs in the bottom of the 7th for a 4-1 victory. They'll look to secure their 1st ever championship, but will have to face last year's defending champion in Saga Shougyou. Against Kashima Jitsugyou they traded runs in the 1st and 3rd innings before Sasshou scored a run in the bottom of the 4th. Ooda and Kasatsugu combined to shut down Kashima for the 4-3 win.
Oita
Meihou looks to return to Koshien and take revenge on Hanamaki Higashi. Ace Noguchi shuts down the Oita offense giving up 4 hits in 8-2/3 innings for a 6-0 victory. They'll match up with the defending champions Hita Rinkou. While they only managed 6 hits, they combined that with 8 walks to defeat Tsukumi 2-0.
Miyazaki
Miyakonojyou Shougyou finally knows their opponent in the finals. It will be defending champion Miyzaki Shougyou as their ace Yoshida 3-hits Miyazaki Nichidai 2-0 to advance.
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1:52 PM - Middle of the 3rd here, and Oominato holds a 1-0 lead over Aomori Yamada! Already starting pitcher Saitou has been pulled for ace Inoue.
Tokyo Noudai Dai-ni scores a run in the 2nd, just like Oominato, and they lead Jyutoku 1-0 in the top of the 6th!
Komatsu Kougyou gets on the board first against Nihon Koukuu Ishikawa with a run in the top of 2nd, but Ishikawa scores 3 unanswered and leads 3-1 in the middle of the 4th.
Hokuriku and Tsuruga Kehi traded a run in the 1st inning and that is the score heading into the top of the 4th.
Gifu's final has been rained out today. Same with Mie.
Tottori Jyouhoku appears on their way to their first ever appearance! They've jumped out quickly with 2 runs in the top of the1st inning and 3 runs in the 2nd. They lead Tottori Shougyou 5-0 going into the bottom half of the 3rd.
Risshoudai Shounan exploded for 8 in the top of the 2nd against Taisha. They're on their way to securing Shimane's bid as the game enters the 4th inning.
Naruto Dai-ichi and Tokushima Kita are currently in a scoreless draw going into the top of the 4th.
In Fukuoka, RF Amano and C Kouno have hit homeruns for Kyushi Kokusaidai Fuzoku as they take a 3-0 lead over Chikuyou Gakuen in the top of the 5th.
The game is in the middle of the 4th in Saga. Saga Shougyou and Imari Nourin remain scoreless.
Meihou brings out the big guns as they throw out Imamiya for the final. They take the lead in the bottom of the 3rd, but Hita Rinkou immediately tied it up in the 4th. That's where we stand heading into the 6th.
Miyakonojyou Shougyou opens the scoring in the 4th with 2 runs against Miyazaki Shougyou's ace Yoshida. That's the margin right now as they bat in the top of the 6th.
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2:52 PM - Aomori Yamada ties it up with Oominato in the bottom of the 5th! The game has just moved into the top of the 7th. Aomori Yamada though bursted for 3 runs in the 6th and the hopes for Oominato may be fading...
It's final in Gunma! Tokyo Noudai Dai-ni shuts out Jyutoku 2-0 for their 5th summer appearance!
Nihon Koukuu Ishikawa scored a run in the 5th to extend the lead to 3 runs. But Komatsu Kougyou strikes for 4 in the 7th and takes the lead! Ishikawa leveled the score in the bottom of the 7th and that's where we stand heading into Komatsu's 8th. Hamada has given way to Kurimoto for Ishikawa.
Tsuruga Kehi puts up a 3-spot in the bottom of the 4th and lead 4-1 over Hokuriku moving into the 6th.
Tottori Jyouhoku now leads 6-0 against Tottori Shougyou in the 8th inning.
Shimane's bid is all but secured. Risshoudai Shounan now leads by 11 over Taisha with 2 innings left to play.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Naruto Dai-ichi and Tokushima Kita remain deadlocked at 0-0 moving into the 8th inning.
Kyushu Kokusaidai Fuzoku is 3 outs away from their first appearance since 1982! They still lead Chikuyou Gakuen 5-0.
Imari Nourin breaks through against ace Kasatsugu! They score 1 in the bottom of the 5th and hold that lead moving into their half of the 7th.
Meihou is getting to Uratsuka late in the game! They score 2 in the 6th and 1 in the 7th. Hita Rinkou has just been retired in the 8th and they have 3 outs left to stage a rally.
Miyazaki Shougyou drew within 1 with a run in the bottom of the 6th, but gets the door slammed as Miyakonojyou Shougyou scores 3 in the 7th! The game moves to the bottom of the 8th and Miyashou is running out of time.
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3:25 PM - Games across the country are going final!
Oominato desperately tries to rally against Aomori Yamada. They draw within 1 in the 9th, but can't bring that tying run home. Aomori Yamada wins its 6th consecutive title!
Tottori Shougyou tries to mount a rally late but can only muster 3 runs. Tottori Jyouhoku can celebrate their 1st ever appearance with their 6-3 win!
Risshoudai Shounan convincingly defeats Taisha 12-3 to claim Shimane's bid and their 1st appearance at Koshien!
In Fukuoka, Kyushu Kokusaidai Fuzoku defeats Chikuyou Gakuen 9-0! Their 27 year wait is over!
Meihou does prevail over Hita Rinkou 4-1 and successfully make the spring/summer Koshien appearance!
Miyakonojyou Shougyou will make their 2nd apperance after defeating Miyazaki Shougyou 5-1!
Komatsu Kougyou has taken the lead in the 10th against Nihon Koukuu Ishikawa! Nihon Koukuu needs one run to stay alive!
Hokuriku fights back! 3 in the top of the 7th ties the game against Tsuruga Kehi heading into the bottom of the frame!
Naruto Dai-ichi and Tokushima Kita remain at 0-0 heading to the 11th!!
Saga Shougyou ties the game in the top of the 8th against Imari Nourin and they're now headed to extra innings!!
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3:39 PM - Nihon Koukuu Ishikawa finds a way to tie the game! They move to the 11th and Komatsu Kougyou has been shut down. Does Ishikawa have a run in them?
Naruto Dai-ichi breaks through in the 11th over Sakamoto and Tokushima Kita! They hold a fragile 1-run lead heading into Tokushima half of the inning!
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3:47 PM - They keep playing in Ishikawa! Nihon Koukuu can't score and we move to the 12th!
Tsuruga Kehi and Hokuriku remain tied at 4 in the 8th inning.
And in Saga, Imari Nourin's magical run may have fallen short. Saga Shougyou scores 2 in the top of the 10th and appear to have successfully defended their title.
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3:47 PM - Tokushima Kita rallies! Down that run to Naruto Dai-ichi they not only tie the game, but score the sayonara run! Tokushima Kita in dramatic fashion earns their 1st ever Koshien appearance!
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!
Sorry for the shorthand, but Saga's gone final! Imari Nourin does it! They somehow rally for 3 runs against Sasshou's Kasatsugu and they defeat Saga Shougyou 4-3!!!!!!!!
I can't believe what I just saw!
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4:07 PM - Komatsu Kougyou and Nihon Koukuu Ishikawa move to the 13th inning! Komatsu has relieved Oonishi with Murata, while Nihon Koukuu has relieved Kurimoto with Nakata.
Hokuriku and Tsuruga Kehi move to the 9th inning still tied at 4! Hokuriku is now on their 3rd pitcher, Takano, while Tsuruga Kehi stays with their ace Yamada.
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4:13 PM - The games move into the bottom half of the 13th and 9th respectively. Can Nihon Koukuu or Tsuruga Kehi end it here?
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4:24 PM - Komatsu Kougyou goes to their 3rd pitcher of the day in Higashide. He shuts down Nihon Koukuu and we're in the 14th. Remember, a tie game after 15 and they have to replay the entire game!!
And Tsuruga Kehi can't push a run across either! They become the 4th extra innning game today!
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4:31 PM - Nakata quickly shuts down Komatsu Kougyou. We're reaching the point where teams run up against fatigue. Either they resign to the fate of a replayed game, or one team just capitulates against the tiredness.
No more news yet about the 10th inning in Fukui.
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4:35 PM - And that's what I'm talking about! With one inning left to play, Nihon Koukuu Ishikawa gets to Higashide and they score the sayonara run in the bottom of the 14th! They earn their 1st ever bid to Koshien!
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4:46 PM - Fukui is the only final left. Hokuriku and Tsuruga Kehi move on to the 11th still tied at 4-4!
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4:56 PM - Yamada continues to blank Hokuriku. As we head to the bottom of the 11th, how much longer can he hold out?
He doesn't have to! It goes final! Tsuruga Kehi scores a run in the bottom of the 11th! They did it! They're off to Koshien! Hokuriku try as they could fall short and their dreams of heading to Koshien are crushed...
What a day... Blowouts at first where you had to feel bad for the losing schools, followed by teams desperately trying to make a last stand, to those that just couldn't hold on any longer.
This, this is what kokoyakyu is all about.
Aomori
Rained out yesterday.
Gunma
In the first game yesterday, Jyutoku's ace Oka strikes out 12 and throws a 3-hitter to send his team to the finals with a 2-0 shutout over Shiritsu Maebashi. They'll face Tokyo Noudai Dai-ichi as they defeat Kiryuu Minami thanks to 3B Numazawa's 3-3, 2 RBI day.
Jyutoku's only appearances were back-to-back summers in 1991-2. Tokyo Noudai Dai-ichi has had 4 summer and 3 spring appearances but hasn't been since 1994.
Ishikawa
The first semifinal was an interesting one between Nihon Koukuu Ishikawa and Nanao. Nihon Koukuu gets on Nanao's Nakajima scoring 2 runs in the top of the 1st.
Now here's an interesting tidbit. Remember Saga Kita with their dual aces, Baba and Kubo and how they used the tandem to win the title? Well, Nihon Koukuu Ishikawa has not 2, but 3 pitchers they've used up until this game, Kurimoto, Hanada and Nakata.
Kurimoto pitched 3 innings of shutout ball before handing it over to Hanada. He went 2-2/3 before passing it on to Nakata. But then things go awry. Nanao, against the 3rd pitcher of the day, scores 4 runs and takes the lead!
Nihon Koukuu has one more trick up its sleeve though. LF Kitadera is called in to pitch! And he shuts down the Nanao offense!
But they still trailed 4-2 going into the top of the 9th. Desparate, they put a rally together and score 4 in the top of the 9th! And Kitadera sits down the Nanao batters in the bottom of the 9th and they advance with a 6-2 victory!
So, can Nihon Koukuu's plethora of arms get them through one more game for their first ever appearance? Or can Komatsu Kougyou get their 3rd summer bid?
Fukui
Hokuriku jumped out to a 1-0 lead against Fukui Shougyou in the first semi. It stayed that way until the 6th until Fukusho blew up Takano for 3 runs. He was relieved by Takahashi who got out of the mess.
But Hokuriku would not go quietly. In the bottom half of the frame, they responded against ace Takezawa scoring 3 runs of their own, regaining the slim one-run lead.
Yoshikawa would be brought in to preserve the lead, and he does just that, sending Hokuriku to the finals with a 4-3 win.
Who would Hokuriku play in the finals?
Well, Fukui Koudai Fukui answered with a HR from 3B Nakajima in the 3rd for a 1-0 lead against Tsuruga Kehi. It would not last though as Tsuruga went ahead 2-1 in the 6th. An insurance run in the 8th sealed the finals appearance while ace Yamada struck out 10.
In terms of pitching dominance, the edge may have to go with Tsuruga Kehi and their ace Yamada. But is his arm good for one more game? Or can Hokuriku's pitch-to-contact staff rule the day?
Gifu/Mie
Rained out yesterday.
Tottori
The semifinal games were a bit anti-climactic. Yonago Shouin does get the lead with a homerun by SS Takahashi in the 2nd. But Tottori Shougyou scores 5 in the bottom of the inning and never looks back, winning 11-1 (no mercy rules here in the semis).
Tottori Jyouhoku's Nakao throws a 3 hitter in a 4-0 victory over Tottori Nishi.
So it'll be Tottori Shougyou looking for their 2nd prefecture title (their only other one was in 2004) versus Tottori Jyouhoku who tries for their 1st ever.
Shimane
The games here suffered the same fate. Taisha scored 9 unanswered runs to win 10-1 over Izumo Shougyou, while Masuda Higashi managed just 4 hits in a 4-1 loss to Risshoudai Shounan.
Taisha looks for their 9th summer appearance while Risshoudai Shounan looks for the upset and their 1st ever shot on the Koshien grounds.
Tokushima
Rain, rain, go away, come again another day...
Fukuoka
Chikuyou Gakuen trailed Shuuyuukan 2-1 but continued to work the count creating multiple opportunities. Then in the 8th, they tied the game up! And 10 walks in a game is too much to give an opponent. Chikuyou pushed through the winning run just 2 innings later.
In the Kyushu Kokusaidai Fuzoku-Jiyuugaoka game, Kokusaidai scored 2 in the 4th only to see Jiyuugaoka plate 2 of their own in the 5th. But in the 8th inning, 2 home runs capped off a 4-run 8th as Kokusaidai advances 6-2.
Saga
Imari Nourin breaks a 1-1 tie against Saga Gakuen with 3 runs in the bottom of the 7th for a 4-1 victory. They'll look to secure their 1st ever championship, but will have to face last year's defending champion in Saga Shougyou. Against Kashima Jitsugyou they traded runs in the 1st and 3rd innings before Sasshou scored a run in the bottom of the 4th. Ooda and Kasatsugu combined to shut down Kashima for the 4-3 win.
Oita
Meihou looks to return to Koshien and take revenge on Hanamaki Higashi. Ace Noguchi shuts down the Oita offense giving up 4 hits in 8-2/3 innings for a 6-0 victory. They'll match up with the defending champions Hita Rinkou. While they only managed 6 hits, they combined that with 8 walks to defeat Tsukumi 2-0.
Miyazaki
Miyakonojyou Shougyou finally knows their opponent in the finals. It will be defending champion Miyzaki Shougyou as their ace Yoshida 3-hits Miyazaki Nichidai 2-0 to advance.
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1:52 PM - Middle of the 3rd here, and Oominato holds a 1-0 lead over Aomori Yamada! Already starting pitcher Saitou has been pulled for ace Inoue.
Tokyo Noudai Dai-ni scores a run in the 2nd, just like Oominato, and they lead Jyutoku 1-0 in the top of the 6th!
Komatsu Kougyou gets on the board first against Nihon Koukuu Ishikawa with a run in the top of 2nd, but Ishikawa scores 3 unanswered and leads 3-1 in the middle of the 4th.
Hokuriku and Tsuruga Kehi traded a run in the 1st inning and that is the score heading into the top of the 4th.
Gifu's final has been rained out today. Same with Mie.
Tottori Jyouhoku appears on their way to their first ever appearance! They've jumped out quickly with 2 runs in the top of the1st inning and 3 runs in the 2nd. They lead Tottori Shougyou 5-0 going into the bottom half of the 3rd.
Risshoudai Shounan exploded for 8 in the top of the 2nd against Taisha. They're on their way to securing Shimane's bid as the game enters the 4th inning.
Naruto Dai-ichi and Tokushima Kita are currently in a scoreless draw going into the top of the 4th.
In Fukuoka, RF Amano and C Kouno have hit homeruns for Kyushi Kokusaidai Fuzoku as they take a 3-0 lead over Chikuyou Gakuen in the top of the 5th.
The game is in the middle of the 4th in Saga. Saga Shougyou and Imari Nourin remain scoreless.
Meihou brings out the big guns as they throw out Imamiya for the final. They take the lead in the bottom of the 3rd, but Hita Rinkou immediately tied it up in the 4th. That's where we stand heading into the 6th.
Miyakonojyou Shougyou opens the scoring in the 4th with 2 runs against Miyazaki Shougyou's ace Yoshida. That's the margin right now as they bat in the top of the 6th.
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2:52 PM - Aomori Yamada ties it up with Oominato in the bottom of the 5th! The game has just moved into the top of the 7th. Aomori Yamada though bursted for 3 runs in the 6th and the hopes for Oominato may be fading...
It's final in Gunma! Tokyo Noudai Dai-ni shuts out Jyutoku 2-0 for their 5th summer appearance!
Nihon Koukuu Ishikawa scored a run in the 5th to extend the lead to 3 runs. But Komatsu Kougyou strikes for 4 in the 7th and takes the lead! Ishikawa leveled the score in the bottom of the 7th and that's where we stand heading into Komatsu's 8th. Hamada has given way to Kurimoto for Ishikawa.
Tsuruga Kehi puts up a 3-spot in the bottom of the 4th and lead 4-1 over Hokuriku moving into the 6th.
Tottori Jyouhoku now leads 6-0 against Tottori Shougyou in the 8th inning.
Shimane's bid is all but secured. Risshoudai Shounan now leads by 11 over Taisha with 2 innings left to play.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Naruto Dai-ichi and Tokushima Kita remain deadlocked at 0-0 moving into the 8th inning.
Kyushu Kokusaidai Fuzoku is 3 outs away from their first appearance since 1982! They still lead Chikuyou Gakuen 5-0.
Imari Nourin breaks through against ace Kasatsugu! They score 1 in the bottom of the 5th and hold that lead moving into their half of the 7th.
Meihou is getting to Uratsuka late in the game! They score 2 in the 6th and 1 in the 7th. Hita Rinkou has just been retired in the 8th and they have 3 outs left to stage a rally.
Miyazaki Shougyou drew within 1 with a run in the bottom of the 6th, but gets the door slammed as Miyakonojyou Shougyou scores 3 in the 7th! The game moves to the bottom of the 8th and Miyashou is running out of time.
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3:25 PM - Games across the country are going final!
Oominato desperately tries to rally against Aomori Yamada. They draw within 1 in the 9th, but can't bring that tying run home. Aomori Yamada wins its 6th consecutive title!
Tottori Shougyou tries to mount a rally late but can only muster 3 runs. Tottori Jyouhoku can celebrate their 1st ever appearance with their 6-3 win!
Risshoudai Shounan convincingly defeats Taisha 12-3 to claim Shimane's bid and their 1st appearance at Koshien!
In Fukuoka, Kyushu Kokusaidai Fuzoku defeats Chikuyou Gakuen 9-0! Their 27 year wait is over!
Meihou does prevail over Hita Rinkou 4-1 and successfully make the spring/summer Koshien appearance!
Miyakonojyou Shougyou will make their 2nd apperance after defeating Miyazaki Shougyou 5-1!
Komatsu Kougyou has taken the lead in the 10th against Nihon Koukuu Ishikawa! Nihon Koukuu needs one run to stay alive!
Hokuriku fights back! 3 in the top of the 7th ties the game against Tsuruga Kehi heading into the bottom of the frame!
Naruto Dai-ichi and Tokushima Kita remain at 0-0 heading to the 11th!!
Saga Shougyou ties the game in the top of the 8th against Imari Nourin and they're now headed to extra innings!!
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3:39 PM - Nihon Koukuu Ishikawa finds a way to tie the game! They move to the 11th and Komatsu Kougyou has been shut down. Does Ishikawa have a run in them?
Naruto Dai-ichi breaks through in the 11th over Sakamoto and Tokushima Kita! They hold a fragile 1-run lead heading into Tokushima half of the inning!
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3:47 PM - They keep playing in Ishikawa! Nihon Koukuu can't score and we move to the 12th!
Tsuruga Kehi and Hokuriku remain tied at 4 in the 8th inning.
And in Saga, Imari Nourin's magical run may have fallen short. Saga Shougyou scores 2 in the top of the 10th and appear to have successfully defended their title.
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3:47 PM - Tokushima Kita rallies! Down that run to Naruto Dai-ichi they not only tie the game, but score the sayonara run! Tokushima Kita in dramatic fashion earns their 1st ever Koshien appearance!
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!
Sorry for the shorthand, but Saga's gone final! Imari Nourin does it! They somehow rally for 3 runs against Sasshou's Kasatsugu and they defeat Saga Shougyou 4-3!!!!!!!!
I can't believe what I just saw!
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4:07 PM - Komatsu Kougyou and Nihon Koukuu Ishikawa move to the 13th inning! Komatsu has relieved Oonishi with Murata, while Nihon Koukuu has relieved Kurimoto with Nakata.
Hokuriku and Tsuruga Kehi move to the 9th inning still tied at 4! Hokuriku is now on their 3rd pitcher, Takano, while Tsuruga Kehi stays with their ace Yamada.
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4:13 PM - The games move into the bottom half of the 13th and 9th respectively. Can Nihon Koukuu or Tsuruga Kehi end it here?
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4:24 PM - Komatsu Kougyou goes to their 3rd pitcher of the day in Higashide. He shuts down Nihon Koukuu and we're in the 14th. Remember, a tie game after 15 and they have to replay the entire game!!
And Tsuruga Kehi can't push a run across either! They become the 4th extra innning game today!
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4:31 PM - Nakata quickly shuts down Komatsu Kougyou. We're reaching the point where teams run up against fatigue. Either they resign to the fate of a replayed game, or one team just capitulates against the tiredness.
No more news yet about the 10th inning in Fukui.
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4:35 PM - And that's what I'm talking about! With one inning left to play, Nihon Koukuu Ishikawa gets to Higashide and they score the sayonara run in the bottom of the 14th! They earn their 1st ever bid to Koshien!
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4:46 PM - Fukui is the only final left. Hokuriku and Tsuruga Kehi move on to the 11th still tied at 4-4!
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4:56 PM - Yamada continues to blank Hokuriku. As we head to the bottom of the 11th, how much longer can he hold out?
He doesn't have to! It goes final! Tsuruga Kehi scores a run in the bottom of the 11th! They did it! They're off to Koshien! Hokuriku try as they could fall short and their dreams of heading to Koshien are crushed...
What a day... Blowouts at first where you had to feel bad for the losing schools, followed by teams desperately trying to make a last stand, to those that just couldn't hold on any longer.
This, this is what kokoyakyu is all about.
Monday, July 27, 2009
7.27 Prefectural Finals!
Well, there are supposed to be 7 bids up for grabs today, weather permitting. The Chubu, Hokushinetsu and Kanto regions are slated for rain I think later, so perhaps they'll get the games in.
Anyways, here are the recaps and finals matchups for today:
Aomori
As mentioned before, Aomori Yamada finds themselves in familiar territory looking for their 6th straight summer appearance and 10th summer overall. On the other side sits Oominato, looking for their first ever.
Sadly, one has to think that this is a one-sided affair. Outside of the 2-0 win over ②Seiai, their smallest margin of victory was 6 in the semis against Misawa. The pitching staff has given up all of 3 runs in 6 games.
Oominato has some good games behind them, but had to survive some close games against Hachinohe Kita, Aomori and Aomori Minami.
So can David slay Goliath?
Niigata
In the 2nd semifinal Gosen, looking for their first ever appearance, broke a 3-3 tie with Chuuetsu in the 5th with a run. That lead would last, until the bottom of the 8th. That was when Chuuetsu scores 2 to take the 5-4 lead. Toujyou shuts the door and they advance to the finals!
Their opponent will be Nihon Bunri, who have made their fair share of appearances (both spring and summer). And their run has been equally as impressive as Aomori Yamada - a margin of victory of at least 7, and only 1 run given up in 30 innings (a lot of mercy games).
On the other hand, outside of their first game, they've been involved in close low-scoring affairs.
The difference is that both teams have experience. Nihon Bunri has 4 summer and 3 spring appearances, with their last summer appearance when I saw them live in 2006. Chuuetsu has 8 prior summer appearances with the last one being in 2003.
Gifu
In the 2nd semifinal yesterday, Chuukyou scored to in the top of the 8th for a 2-1 lead over Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou. But then in the bottom of the 9th, Gifu scores 2 for the heart-crushing loss for Chuukyou.
So Kakamigahara will be looking for their 1st ever bid, but it's up against Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou who has appeared 26 times in the summer Koshien and 27 in the spring.
Neither team, at least according to the scores, have been dominating. This could be an interesting matchup, but by experience alone the advantage has to go to Kenristu Gifu Shougyou.
Mie
In the 2nd semifinal, Mie had no problems with Kogakkan, winning 7-0 in 7, setting up a finals matchup with Kaisei.
Kaisei (11 summer, 2 spring, last summer apperance in 1998), had some trouble with Hisai and Kuwana Nishi in their first games of the tournament, but have since cruised since then. Mie (9 summer, 9 spring, last summer appearance in 2006) also had a rought 2 game stretch against Inabe and Kinkidai Tousen.
Hard to say who will advance here. Finally, what appears to be an equal matchup.
Kyoto
While Kyoto Gaidai Nishi scored the 1st run in the semifinal, Fukuchiyama Seibi scored two immediately in the top of the 4th. And when Gaidai Nishi pulled within one in the bottom of the 8th, Seibi shut the door with 3 runs in the 9th for the 6-2 win.
And so it will be (Ryuukokudai) Heian, who's appeared more times than I can count (28 summer, 36 spring, last summer appearance 2003) versus Fukuchiyama Seibi (3 summer, 1 spring, defending champion)
Heian has dominated their half of the bracket, while Seibi has been dealing in close pitching matches. You have to figure this to be a low scoring affair, but who knows?
Tokushima
Tokushima Kita shocks Naruto Kougyou in the 1st semifinal responding to Naruto's runs with more of their own! They outslug them to win 10-6 and advance to the finals! The matinee game sees Ogata pitch a 2-hitter for Naruto Dai-ichi as they beat Komatsushima Nishi 2-0.
And so at Oronamin C Stadium we have Tokushima Kita looking for their first bid versus Naruto Dai-ichi, looking for their 2nd overall (their only other summer appearance being in 2004, though they had 4 other spring appearances prior).
Nagasaki
Nagasaki Nichidai vs. Souseikan. They should get their game in today. You can refer to yesterday's post for info.
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10:35 AM - Mie's finals have been postponed due to rain.
11:41 AM - Gifu's finals have also been postponed.
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12:37 PM - Tokushima's finals have been postponed.
Niigata's finals are underway, and it may be over before it starts. Nihon Bunri scores 7 in the 1st and are in the top of the 2nd. Not good for Chuuetsu.
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1:27 PM - Aomori joins the list of those that have been postponed.
Looks like rain delayed proceedings at Niigata as the game is only at the top of the 4th and the score is 8-1 Nihon Bunri over Chuuetsu.
Fukuchiyama Seibi scores 2 in the top of the 1st inning over Ryuukokudai Heian. But Heian scores 2 in the bottom of the 2nd to tie it, and one in the 4th to take the 3-2 lead. The game moves to the top of the 6th.
Nagasaki Nichidai jumps all over Souseikan in the top of the 1st inning, scoring 4 runs. We're in the bottom of the 1st.
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2:07 PM - Chuuetsu gets a run back in the 5th, but they still trail 8-4 as they bat in the top of the 7th.
In Kyoto, Seibi turns the tables! They score a run in the top of the 6th and another in the 8th for a 4-3 lead! Heian has 6 more outs to try and rally!
Nagasaki Nichidai extends their lead to 6-2. The game goes into the top of the 4th.
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2:28 PM - Nihon Bunri scores one more in the bottom of the 7th and it's 9-4 in their favor.
Fukuchiyama Seibi is 3 outs away from securing Kyoto's bid! They still lead 4-3 over Ryuukokudai Heian!
Nagasaki Nichidai leads 6-2 over Souseikan in the middle of the 5th.
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2:44 PM - It's over in Kyoto! Somehow, someway, Heian scores 2 in the bottom of the 9th and defeats Fukuchiyama Seibi 5-4!!
In Niigata, Nihon Bunri scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th and it's 12-4 over Chuuetsu.
Souseikan gets one run in the 5th and it's now 6-3 Nagasaki Nichidai.
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3:06 PM - Nihon Bunri finally seals the deal defeating Chuuetsu 12-4 for Niigata's bid.
Souseikan gets another run back in the bottom of the 7th and trail 6-4 as they head to the top of the 8th.
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3:34 PM - Nagasaki Nichidai gets back the run in the top of the 8th and go on to win 7-4 over Souseikan.
And that's it for bids today!
Anyways, here are the recaps and finals matchups for today:
Aomori
As mentioned before, Aomori Yamada finds themselves in familiar territory looking for their 6th straight summer appearance and 10th summer overall. On the other side sits Oominato, looking for their first ever.
Sadly, one has to think that this is a one-sided affair. Outside of the 2-0 win over ②Seiai, their smallest margin of victory was 6 in the semis against Misawa. The pitching staff has given up all of 3 runs in 6 games.
Oominato has some good games behind them, but had to survive some close games against Hachinohe Kita, Aomori and Aomori Minami.
So can David slay Goliath?
Niigata
In the 2nd semifinal Gosen, looking for their first ever appearance, broke a 3-3 tie with Chuuetsu in the 5th with a run. That lead would last, until the bottom of the 8th. That was when Chuuetsu scores 2 to take the 5-4 lead. Toujyou shuts the door and they advance to the finals!
Their opponent will be Nihon Bunri, who have made their fair share of appearances (both spring and summer). And their run has been equally as impressive as Aomori Yamada - a margin of victory of at least 7, and only 1 run given up in 30 innings (a lot of mercy games).
On the other hand, outside of their first game, they've been involved in close low-scoring affairs.
The difference is that both teams have experience. Nihon Bunri has 4 summer and 3 spring appearances, with their last summer appearance when I saw them live in 2006. Chuuetsu has 8 prior summer appearances with the last one being in 2003.
Gifu
In the 2nd semifinal yesterday, Chuukyou scored to in the top of the 8th for a 2-1 lead over Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou. But then in the bottom of the 9th, Gifu scores 2 for the heart-crushing loss for Chuukyou.
So Kakamigahara will be looking for their 1st ever bid, but it's up against Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou who has appeared 26 times in the summer Koshien and 27 in the spring.
Neither team, at least according to the scores, have been dominating. This could be an interesting matchup, but by experience alone the advantage has to go to Kenristu Gifu Shougyou.
Mie
In the 2nd semifinal, Mie had no problems with Kogakkan, winning 7-0 in 7, setting up a finals matchup with Kaisei.
Kaisei (11 summer, 2 spring, last summer apperance in 1998), had some trouble with Hisai and Kuwana Nishi in their first games of the tournament, but have since cruised since then. Mie (9 summer, 9 spring, last summer appearance in 2006) also had a rought 2 game stretch against Inabe and Kinkidai Tousen.
Hard to say who will advance here. Finally, what appears to be an equal matchup.
Kyoto
While Kyoto Gaidai Nishi scored the 1st run in the semifinal, Fukuchiyama Seibi scored two immediately in the top of the 4th. And when Gaidai Nishi pulled within one in the bottom of the 8th, Seibi shut the door with 3 runs in the 9th for the 6-2 win.
And so it will be (Ryuukokudai) Heian, who's appeared more times than I can count (28 summer, 36 spring, last summer appearance 2003) versus Fukuchiyama Seibi (3 summer, 1 spring, defending champion)
Heian has dominated their half of the bracket, while Seibi has been dealing in close pitching matches. You have to figure this to be a low scoring affair, but who knows?
Tokushima
Tokushima Kita shocks Naruto Kougyou in the 1st semifinal responding to Naruto's runs with more of their own! They outslug them to win 10-6 and advance to the finals! The matinee game sees Ogata pitch a 2-hitter for Naruto Dai-ichi as they beat Komatsushima Nishi 2-0.
And so at Oronamin C Stadium we have Tokushima Kita looking for their first bid versus Naruto Dai-ichi, looking for their 2nd overall (their only other summer appearance being in 2004, though they had 4 other spring appearances prior).
Nagasaki
Nagasaki Nichidai vs. Souseikan. They should get their game in today. You can refer to yesterday's post for info.
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10:35 AM - Mie's finals have been postponed due to rain.
11:41 AM - Gifu's finals have also been postponed.
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12:37 PM - Tokushima's finals have been postponed.
Niigata's finals are underway, and it may be over before it starts. Nihon Bunri scores 7 in the 1st and are in the top of the 2nd. Not good for Chuuetsu.
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1:27 PM - Aomori joins the list of those that have been postponed.
Looks like rain delayed proceedings at Niigata as the game is only at the top of the 4th and the score is 8-1 Nihon Bunri over Chuuetsu.
Fukuchiyama Seibi scores 2 in the top of the 1st inning over Ryuukokudai Heian. But Heian scores 2 in the bottom of the 2nd to tie it, and one in the 4th to take the 3-2 lead. The game moves to the top of the 6th.
Nagasaki Nichidai jumps all over Souseikan in the top of the 1st inning, scoring 4 runs. We're in the bottom of the 1st.
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2:07 PM - Chuuetsu gets a run back in the 5th, but they still trail 8-4 as they bat in the top of the 7th.
In Kyoto, Seibi turns the tables! They score a run in the top of the 6th and another in the 8th for a 4-3 lead! Heian has 6 more outs to try and rally!
Nagasaki Nichidai extends their lead to 6-2. The game goes into the top of the 4th.
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2:28 PM - Nihon Bunri scores one more in the bottom of the 7th and it's 9-4 in their favor.
Fukuchiyama Seibi is 3 outs away from securing Kyoto's bid! They still lead 4-3 over Ryuukokudai Heian!
Nagasaki Nichidai leads 6-2 over Souseikan in the middle of the 5th.
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2:44 PM - It's over in Kyoto! Somehow, someway, Heian scores 2 in the bottom of the 9th and defeats Fukuchiyama Seibi 5-4!!
In Niigata, Nihon Bunri scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th and it's 12-4 over Chuuetsu.
Souseikan gets one run in the 5th and it's now 6-3 Nagasaki Nichidai.
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3:06 PM - Nihon Bunri finally seals the deal defeating Chuuetsu 12-4 for Niigata's bid.
Souseikan gets another run back in the bottom of the 7th and trail 6-4 as they head to the top of the 8th.
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3:34 PM - Nagasaki Nichidai gets back the run in the top of the 8th and go on to win 7-4 over Souseikan.
And that's it for bids today!
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