高校野球 (Kokoyakyu)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ok, quite a bit has happened since Minami Hokkaido got the Natsu Qualifying started. The coverage here won't be as extensive, and I'll leave a lot of coverage on teams that had good runs, but fell short for another post. But this weekend, all but Shimane and Kochi have started play.

Kita Hokkaido - Regional Play & Round of 16 draw completed
Here's who advanced out of regional play:

Kushine

• A - Kushiro Kougyou (who gave up a 5-3 lead in the 9th to Kushiro Koryou and eventually won in 12.
• B - Kushiro Hokuyou
• C - Bushuukan (11-4 and 7-0? Still got it, so far at least)

So here's what happened yesterday as all 4 title games started together:

Minami Hokkaido
Man, I had wanted Otaru Chouryou to win the title. And they had a dream matchup in the final in Toukai Dai-yon who is a good team, but not top echelon.

The game absolutely flew by.  Toukai Dai-yon scored a run in the first, and then it was a sprint to the finish, with both sides attacking early and often.

The game lasted 83 minutes.  83!  And Otaru Chouryou was just out-matched, or you could say that they kinda played themselves out of the game with how quickly they played.  Either way, Toukai Dai-yon takes advantage of the opportunity with the open bracket and they will book their flights.

Akita
When I saw that Kakunodate had advanced to the final, I was so happy for them. Last year ended in heartbreak versus Akita Shougyou in the 15th inning.  I wanted them so badly to get to Koushien.

But they were playing Noshiro Shouyou (fka Noshiro Shougyou), and it was pouring down rain.  For the underdog, perhaps things weren't in their favor again.

Yet it was Kakunodate who had put pressure on Noshiro Shouyou early, finally breaking through in the 3rd with a run, and then adding a pair after that.  But with the elements making things miserable, ace Souma would give chances for Noshiro to get back in the game.  But time and time again they got out of the jam.

One final pinch in the 9th, runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs, Noshiro gets a base hit.  Inexplicably, the runner from 2nd tries to take home on the shallow ball, and is easily thrown out at home to end the game and give Kakunodate the title!

Saga
Saga Kita was out on a mission to return to Koushien and found themselves just 1 game away and Saga Kougyou left in their way.

Kita took the lead right off the bat, and perhaps one thought that they could run away with it.

Not so much, and actually Kougyou would score in the 4th and another in the 5th to actually take the lead!  Didn't last long though as Kita would tie it immediately thereafter.  Kita would continue to make chances, but were unable to capitalize.  And so the game went to enchousen.

And unfortunately, it would appear that an error would decide the game.  A SS error from Kougyou would give Kita the 3-2 lead in the 10th.

Undaunted, somehow with 2 outs, Kougyou would load the bases!  And a tweet I saw had a picture of a 3-1 count.  Yet reliever Fukui found a way to get a K to end the game and send Saga Kita back to Koushien.

Miyazaki
Nisshou Gakuen would have to get past Nichinan Gakuen to win the Miyazaki title.  I don't have much information regarding the game, except that Nichinan Gakuen held Nisshou Gakuen to just 4 hits.  Nichinan got only 5 themselves, but made the most of it, scoring a pair of runs in the 2nd and made that stick to take the title for the 7th time.

So that covers yesterday.  Today we have the following

• Kita Hokkaido - Kushiro Kougyou v. Bushuukan
• Aomori - Aomori v. Hachinohe Gakuen Kousei
• Iwate - Hanamaki Higashi v. Moriokadai Fuzoku
• Yamagata - Sakata Minami v. Yamagata Chuo
• Oita - Oita 6x-5 Meihou (10 inn) *This will be covered later
• Kagoshima - Kanoya Chuo v. Kamimura Gakuen

5 finals matchups are set now, let’s see who will be playing for the title:

Minami Hokkaido
Things got turned upside down in the quarterfinals. First, in the second half of the quarterfinals, Toukai Dai-yon never trailed against Sapporo Dai-ichi, pulling away to an 11-5 win. Sapporo Nichidai also never trailed in their matchup, sending Komadai Tomakomai home with a 5-1 victory. This meant there was no real top level powerhouse left. It also meant that the winner of the first semifinal stood a better chance of claiming the title.

In that semi Otaru Chouryou, continuing their run long after defeating Hokushou in the regionals, built a 8-4 lead over Urakawa. But much like Nihon Koukuu yesterday in Yamanashi, they couldn’t record the final 3 outs. Urakawa would score 5 runs to take a 9-8 lead. But unlike Nihon Koukuu, Otaru Chouryou didn’t know the meaning of give up. They came back and scored 2 runs to win the game 10-9 to reach the finals! The other semifinal was not as climactic. Toukai Dai-yon scored a pair of runs early, but it was the 6-run 5th that put the game away. 2 more in the 6th and it was all over for Sapporo Nichidai.

So it’ll be the Cinderella Otaru Chouryou and the always decent, but never good enough Toukai Dai-yon who will play for the Minami Hokkaido title.

Aomori
The third quarterfinal was a shocker.  Aomori scored in only one inning against Hachinohe Koudai Dai-ichi, but they scored 6 in that frame.  They made it hold up in a 6-4 victory to advance to the semis.  Their opponent would be as expected Aomori Yamada, who blanked Goshogawara Shougyou 4-0.

The first semifinal was as expected, but not in the manner we expected.  First Seiai slowly built a 4-0 lead through the middle innings. That was completely wiped out by a 4-run 7th from Hachinohe Gakuin Kousei. An inning later, Kousei would push through the gyakuten run, and with 3 outs to go, Seiai couldn't find a response.  Kousei prevails 5-4 and is one step away from yet another trip to Koushien.

Meanwhile on the other semifinal, Aomori Yamada, who has been trying to return back to their glory years, also built up a 3-0 lead over Aomori.  But for some reason, despite being the more "experienced" team, they could not record the final 3 outs.  Aomori puts together 7 hits and 5 runs in the top of the 9th and completely crushes Aomori Yamada's spirit, winning 5-3!

So Aomori will need to put another performance like that against Kousei if they want to reach Koushien.

Akita
Just about all of the quarterfinal matchups were in doubt.  In fact 3 were mercy ruled (though Noshiro Shouyou was tied 2-2 until a 6-run 4th) and the 4th (Kakunodate) was a 6-0 shutout.

So it would be Oomagari Kougyou v. Noshiro Shouyou and Yuri Kougyou v. Kakunodate in the semifinals.

Kakunodate's semi (the 2nd of the 2) was no contest sadly for Yuri Kougyou.  Kakunodate scored a pair in the first, then twisted the screws in the middle innings, winning 7-0 in 7 innings.  Things were a little different in the first semifinal however.

You see, Oomagari Kougyou had managed to keep Noshiro Shouyou off the scoreboard until the 5th and even then it was just a run.  That kept them in the game long enough to come through with a 4-run 7th to take the lead.  Of course, closing games seem to be a bit of trouble for schools this year, and this game was no exception.  Noshiro Shouyou scored 3 in the bottom of the 8th to tie the game and send it into enchousen.

Right off the bat, Oomagari managed to manufacture a run, putting Noshiro immediately on its heels.  But the bugaboo of defeating a strong team got to Oomagari.  2 walks and an error led to the tying run.  And with 2 outs and the bases loaded, reliever Tashiro would give up the oshidashi, sayonara walk to give Noshiro Shouyou the victory.

And so Kakunodate will get a second chance to get to Koushien.  This time however, Noshiro Shouyou stands in the way.

Saga
Saga's semifinals were much closer than what we've seen so far.  Perhaps because all 4 schools are in Saga city.

In the first semifinal, Saga Kougyou had managed to keep Saga Gakuen off the board for 7 innings.  Then in the 8th they were able to break the scoreless deadlock with a pair of runs.  Saga Gakuen would make the standard rally, but unlike some other teams, Saga Kougyou did not break.  They would hold on for the 2-1 win and earn a spot in the finals.

Saga Shougyou put up a similar fight against Saga Kita and in fact took a 2-1 lead with a pair of runs in the 6th.  Saga Kita would immediately tie the game in the bottom half, and the game would wind up in enchousen.  In the 11th, with a runner on 1st and 2 out, top batter Kinoshita would hit a ball to right center for the sayonara RBI triple to give Saga Kita the 3-2 win and a chance to return to Koushien

Miyazaki
Miyazaki will be the battle of the Gakuen's for the title.  Nichinan Gakuen got the tougher test against Miyazaki Nichidai as the teams were knotted up at 1 from the first inning before a pair of runs in the lucky 7 for Nichinan was all they needed to move to the finals.

Meanwhile, Nobeoka Kougyou proved to be no match for Nisshou Gakuen.  Despite lasting the full 9 innings, they would be shutout 6-0.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Okinawa - Best 4

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Our 3rd-6th bids for Natsu Koushien have been decided, and in some cases, we needed extra time!

Minami Hokkaido
Hokushou and ace Oogushi just had one last obstacle to returning to Koushien and that was Komadai Tomakomai.  Perhaps ready to challenge again, #5 Koyama gave them the 2-0 lead in the 4th inning.

Ishii though couldn't make it last giving up 3 in the 6th and another in the 8th.  Once again though and error plus a base hit from Koyama again would tie the game at 4 apiece.

It was then that the Komadai kantoku replaces Ishii with Yoshio... and it all went sideways.

Yoshio would give up 6 runs in the frame... and that would be that for securing Hokushou's 3rd title, and first in 3 years.

Saga
The pressure was evident for both Waseda Saga and Arita Kougyou as they were fighting for their first title.  Neither pitcher was sharp as both offenses got hits early and often.  Yet through 6, Arita Kougyou had built a 4-2 lead.

That would change when Tsuga delivered for Waseda giving them a 5-4 lead.

Down to their last out and the bases loaded Kuwahara would come through with a base hit to left to tie the game and send it into extras.  One inning later, with the winning run 90 feet away and 2 down, SS Fujikawa would end it with a base hit through the left side giving Arita Kougyou their first title in their long school history!

Nagasaki
In the battle between the prefectural heavyweights, starters Tanigawa (Nagasaki Nichidai) and Yamaguchi (Sasebo Jitsugyou) did not do a terrible job, but neither could go past 6 innings.  By the time Taniguchi had left the mound, Nagasaki Nichidai held the slim 3-2 lead.  Nichidai was 3 outs away from closing it out, but reliever Fukuda couldn't to it.  With one out and runners at the corners Tazaki would deliver the douten RBI.

And in the 11th, it would be reliever Kinoshita who would deliver the sayonara base hit off of Kaneko to give Sasebo Jitsugyou their 2nd consecutive title (and 5th overall).

Okinawa
As highlighted on my twitter feed, Okinawa's final was broadcast on QAB.

Perhaps in an attempt to save the ace a couple of innings, Misato Kougyou's kantoku decided to start #12 Oonaka.  It would be a fateful decision as leadoff batter Moromizato would triple to right center, followed by a base hit by Chinen to give Okinawa Shougaku a quick 1-0 lead.

After a fly to center advanced Chinen, Shibahiki would drive a ball to deep center.  Kamita would catch it, but his throw in would short hop SS Nishikuratou and get by him allowing Chinen to score making it 2-0.

The next inning, ace Nakamine would come in, but it would wind up to be too late.  For no matter how much Misato Kougyou would scrap a run together, Okinawa Shougaku would come right back.  Eventually Nakamine would give in allowing a couple more runs giving Okinawa Shougaku the 5-2 win, and their 6th summer title (1st in 8 years).

So here's where we stand for prefectures either having their finals or semifinal matchups:

Finals
Minami Hokkaido - What's old is new again...
Sadly, it was not a good day if you were from Hakodate.  For Hakodatedai Yuuto, Murata and Kudou would combine to give up just 5 hits and 2 runs to Komadai Tomakomai (both charged to Murata).  However, they would only get 4 hits of their own... and were shutout by their counterpart Ishii.

For Hakodatedai Hakuryou, they had an opportunity (or perhaps a slap in the face) when Hokushou did not start Oogushi.  And indeed a pair of runs in the 5th gave them a 2-1 lead.  Oogushi would come in though in the 6th to clamp things down.  And Kaneda would wilt under the late game pressure as 4 unanswered runs in the final 3 innings would give Hokushou the 5-2 win.

Saga - "Chase the chance!" (extra props to anyone who knows the reference)
The Saga semifinals had teams that had some experience at Koushien, and thus perhaps were favored in their matchups.

First up a matchup with 2 seeded teams in Saga Kougyou and Arita Kougyou.  Ace Furukawa had done well to shut down the former the 1987 representative, but still found themselves down 2-1.  However in the 6th Kusano would tie the game with a base knock and the game would eventually head to enchousen.

Just one inning in, and Arita Kougyou had runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs.  #3 batter Kishigawa would get his only hit of the game, but it would be a hit that would send his team to the finals for a chance at their first ever title in their 113 year history!

In the 2nd semifinal, it would get off to a terrible start for favored Imari Nourin.  An error in the first inning would lead to 2 runs for Waseda Saga.  They would have to play catchup for the rest of the game, but Waseda ace Kuroiwa would not give them any chance.  Imari would get one last chance with runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 outs in the 9th, but Kuroiwa would shut the door on a 5-hit shutout sending Waseda Saga to the finals for a chance at their first title... in their 3 year history.

Nagasaki - The same old story... though just.
With 4 seeded teams and all recent Koushien participants, it would be much of the same.

First up, scrappy Senbatsu participant Souseikan and Nagasaki Nichidai.  While Nichidai took the lead 1-0 in the 1st inning, Souseikan would depend on that sticktuitiveness to exchange blows in the middle innings emerging with the 5-4 lead.

But the 9th inning proved to be too tough for ace Oono.  2 outs bases loaded and Nichidai sends up pinch hitter Miyahara.  He delivers a base hit to left, scoring they douten and gyakuten run.  They would not leave anything to chance as Fukuda would come in relief, strike out 2 in a scoreless 9th for the save and a chance for their 6th title since 2000.

In the other game, Sasebo Jitsugyou and Kaisei would be trapped in a defensive standoff with both teams getting opportunities, but unable to convert them into runs.

The decisive blow would come in the 8th inning when with a runner on for Kajitsu, #3 batter Yamaguchi would blast a 2-run HR to give them a 4-2 lead.  Kinoshita would end the game setting up a matchup between Nagasaki Nichidai and Sasebo Jitsugyou.

Okinawa - David vs. Goliath(?)
With most of the well-known teams gone, it seems that the Fall Kyushu champions Okinawa Shougaku would be a breeze to go once again here in the summer.

But before that we had the first semifinal between unseeded Misato Kougyou and seeded Yaeyama, both looking for their first title.

And Yaeyama certainly had the upper hand early building a 3-0 lead after 3 innings.  And while Ikemura wan't exactly in tip top shape, after a double play in the 8th things seemed well...

But a pinch hit single by Naima followed by another from Kanda put two runners on quickly.  Then Nishikuratou's (西蔵當) fly ball to left was botched by Higa allowing both runners to score!  That would be followed by a wild pitch allowing the douten runner to reach 3rd, and then a hit batter putting Shimabukuro on at 1st for the gyakuten run.  2 pitches later, cleanup batter Miyagi Ryouta (宮城 諒太) would single through the left side tying the game up at 3.

No amount of going to the mound would help Ikemura as Matsudou would bloop one into left.  Higa's throw home take a couple of bounces but is on line.  However, Shimabukuro slides around Takara giving Misato Kougyou the 4-3 lead.

And in one final indignity Takaesu (高江洲) blasts one to center, just past the reach of a sprinting Higashinagata (東長田) who stumbles and falls.  As Takaesu rounds the bases, Higashinagata fumbles with the ball allowing Takaesu to round 3rd for a running 3-run HR to make it 7-3.  Iha would come in for Misato Kougyou to close out the game sending them to the finals.

In the other semifinal Mawashi proved to be a formidable opponent for Okinawa Shougaku tying the game at 2 in the top of the 9th inning.  But in the 10th, cleanup batter Shibahiki would deliver the sayonara run to send Okinawa Shougaku to the finals.

So it'll be underdog Misato Kougyou facing the defending fall champs Okinawa Shougaku for the right to head to Koushien.


Semifinals
Aomori
I have no clue how the Aomori HS Baseball Federation decided on rescheduling games because they weren't in chronological order.  Thus seeded teams like Touou Gijyuku wound up playing on back-to-back days in their first two games!  (Though it didn't seem to affect them at the time)

The first major casualty was seeded Hachinohe Kougyou.  A 4-run 8th for Noheji busted their chances at a title as they fell 6-4.

Despite the wacky rescheduling, they were back on schedule by the 16th.

Now, you may not have known this but Kousei Gakuin changed their name to Hachinohe Gakuin Kousei.  This happened back in April.   Was it because of the bad luck they've experienced being the bridesmaid 3 straight Koushien tournaments?  Who knows.  It didn't seem to affect them, getting past 1-4 seed Touou Gijyuku and reaching the best 8.

Next up was Seiai - a team that hasn't gone to Koushien, but can be a real pain in the ass for teams trying to get there.  Still, Kousei led 1-0 heading into the 8th.  But perhaps Nakai-kantoku left ace Satou in there an inning too late as Narita and Sasaki drive in a run each and gave Seiai the 2-1 lead.  Ace Ono would finish it out and end Kousei's chance at the title.

Their opponent would wind up being Aomori Yamada.   After many years of scuffling, it might look like they're on their way back - as denoted by their 1-4 seed.  But perhaps not fully.  After 2 easy wins, they would have to rally from a 6-2 deficit to defeat Hirosaki Minami 7-6.  It might have served as a wakeup call as in their next game against 5-8 seed Goshogawara Shougyou, they would win handily 8-2.

In the other semifinal, we have two upset-minded teams.  First up, Hachinohe Nishi.  After an easy first round, Aomori would plunk 9 runs on them in the 2nd inning.  Yet Hachinohe Nishi would claw their way back to 12-11 with 3 innings to go.  And in the 8th, they would complete the comeback with 2 runs to win 13-12.  Then later in the quarterfinals against 1-4 seed Hachinohe Koudai Dai-ichi, they would fall behind yet again.  And once again they would fight back to tie it in the 8th, then win it with 2 in the 9th for the 6-5 victory.

They will play Hirosaki for the other spot in the finals.  And early on you could have called them the cardiac kids.  Already having survived a 10 inning affair in their first game, they faced off against inter-city rival Hirosaki Kougyou.  They came back to tie the game in the later innings at 3, and would go 14 innings before taking the lead and having Hirakawa hold on for dear life for the win.  If that weren't enough, Noheji in their next game would not let let Hirosaki have an easy game, having an answer for every punch thrown at them.  But when Hirosaki put one more on the board in the 9th, Hirakawa made sure yet again that their opponent would not have a response.

Oddly enough, against their first seeded team in Hachinohe Kita... they mercy ruled them!  Go figure.

Akita
Akita turned out to be a bonafide scramble.  Many of the seeded teams looked rather beatable, and #5 Akita Kougyou was the first to fall thanks to a 4-run 8th by Oomagari.  Next up were top seed Noshiro Shouyou, #2 seed Honjyou and #5 seed Yokote.

And all 4 remaining seeded teams would fall in the quarterfinals!

But within these 4 no-seeds is a fox among the hens.  Yes, Akita Shougyou was a no-seed.  And though perhaps it seemed justified with 2-0, 3-0 and 2-1 wins (including the latter against #1 Noshiro Shouyou) a mercy rule win over #8 Akita Nishi showed everyone that they're still a powerhouse, seed or not.

Kanaashi Nougyou will be tasked next to remove the hidden final seed in the field.  After surviving 10 innings against Araya, they would shutout both #5 Yokote and #4 Akita Chuo by scores of 2-0 and 1-0.

The other semifinal guarantees a team a chance at their first summer title.  The aforementioned Oomagari would go on to narrowly defeat Akita Minami 3-2 then have ace Shibata scatter 5 hits to defeat #3 seed Ootdate Houmei 3-1.

Their opponent will be Kakunodate.  After 2 easy mercy rule games they started off facing #2 Honjyou.  And no offense to Honjyou, but they're probably one of the easier (most hard-luck) high seeded teams to face.  Sure enough ace Souma would give up just 4 hits while striking out 11 in a 2-1 win.  After that would be the other seeded team you'd want to face in Akita - #7 seed Meiou.  This time, Souma would throw a 3-hit shutout striking out 9 to reach the semifinals.

One down, 48 to go.  We'll get our second today, and 4 more will play to determine our finalists:

Miyazaki
Despite the fact that several seeded teams were upset earlier, it was still predominantly the familiar names that advanced forwards.

The one exception was Miyazaki Kougyou, who was actually mercy-ruled by Miyazaki Oomiya 13-2!
Otherwise, the seeded team (Houshou), or the team that defeated the seeded team (Miyazaki Minami, Miyazaki Dai-ichi) advanced.

That did not change in the quarterfinals.  Miyazaki Shougyou did fall behind Miyazaki Oomiya, but got to ace Shimizu late to win 4-2.  Nichinan Gakuen did get ahead with a 5-run 2nd inning, but had to hold on after Miyazaki Dai-ichi replied with 4 of their own in the bottom half.  They held on to win 6-4.

On the 2nd day of quarterfinals, fellow seed Nobeoka Gakuen easily dispatched Houshou in 7 innings, while Miyazaki Minami's hearts were broken when Yoshinaga hit a running home run (to left center) in the bottom of the 13th inning giving St. Ursula the win.

So, it was the usual suspects in the semifinals.  First up was Miyazaki Shougyou and St. Ursula.  Miyashou got out to a 3-0 lead.  But ace Matsuda couldn't hold the lead, relinquishing all 3 runs in the 7th thanks to a hits from SS Kodama and C Takahashi.  Takahashi would get another chance in the top of the 9th and didn't disappoint, driving in the gyakuten run against reliever Murakami.  Ace Hamauzu Yuuki (浜渦 悠樹) who came in relief closed it out sending St. Ursula to the finals!

St. Ursula will face Nobeoka Gakuen in the final as ace Yokose would come in early relief (2 outs in the 1st inning) to limit Nichinan Gakuen to just 2 runs on 4 hits in a 5-2 win.

Now in semifinal action...

Minami Hokkaido
Despite the apparent lack of a front-runner during regional play, the regional heavyweights still took the spotlight in the 2nd stage.

Hakodatedai Yuuto (an irrational favorite of mine), actually struggled with Sapporo Okadama but finally pulled away in the 7th with 3 runs to win 5-3.  After an easy win over Hakodate Chuubu, they will face a Komadai Tomakomai team who seems to have picked it up as of late, beating Kita-Hiroshima and Sapporo Kousei 5-1 and 5-2.

I thought it would be Toukai Dai-yon's chance this year, and after a 5-1 win over Shoushi Gakuen, it looked good.  However, Hakodatedai Hakuryou is trying to remind me that Yuuto isn't the only Hakodatedai school.  They're also doing it in rather heart-stopping fashion, defeating Kotoni Kougyou 4-0 in 10 innings when Kotoni's ace Yamamoto fell apart, then against the aforementioned Toukai Dai-yon, trailed 4-1 in the bottom of the 8th before Yamashita delivered a 2-RBI hit, followed by one more from leadoff batter Matsumura.  Fast forward to the bottom of the 10th and 1B Narita Daiki (成田 大希) would deliver the bases-loaded sayonara hit to send them to the semifinals.

It won't be an easy task today as they will face Hokushou - though their most recent game against a game Hokkaido Sakae squad, they survived a 3-1 affair despite Oogushi giving up 11 hits.

Could we see an all-Hakodatedai final?  It's possible, and Oogushi is not a perfect ace by any means.  But he does somehow exhibit qualities of a poor man's Oshima - and closing out a game against a well-known team is always hard.  So chances are... probably not.

Saga
While we're down to our Best 4, it appears that one team so far is steamrolling their way to the title.  That would be Saga Kougyou.  Their only non-mercy rule game has been against Ogi, and they generally are an above average team.  They will face fellow seed Arita Kougyou, who has progressively gotten by on less runs each game, winning 3-2, 2-1 and most recently 1-0 against Kanzaki Seimei.

On the other half, we had a surprise.  Waseda Saga, who has been decent, but not necessarily excellent, looked strong in their first two games, then had ace Kuroiwa limit seeded Karatsu Shougyou to just 4 hits and 4 walks in 12 innings allowing his team time to drive in the sayonara run in the bottom of the 12th - by #9 batter Aoki no less.

Waseda Saga will face former Koushien participant Imari Nourin.  They, like Arita Kougyou, have recently gotten by on the skin of their teeth.  First against Kashima Jitsugyou when starter Okamoto gave up a 3-1 lead in the 8th inning, and then in the 12th giving up what seemed to be a game-losing run.  But reliever Kitamura, in his 8th inning of work, couldn't get the final 3 outs.  Imari Nourin would rally with back-to-back RBI hits giving them the 5-4 win.  Then against intra-city team Imari, they would send out Shimodaira who like Okamoto couldn't hold a 2-0 lead in the later innings.  But with runners at 1st and 3rd with 2 down in the bottom of the 9th, a grounder from Okamoto is missed by Oozaki giving Imari Nourin their 2nd sayonara win in as many games.

Nagasaki
Nagasaki has wound up pretty scratch this year.  Outside of Seihou and Hasami who failed to get past the 2nd round, all seeded teams advanced to the Best 8.

That doesn't mean though that their road was easy.  For Souseikan it was a game against Nagasaki Sougoudai Fuzoku where ace Oono gave up the tying run in the top of the 9th.  He would be bailed out one inning later by CF Yanai who delivered the sayonara hit.  Compared to that, a 6-1 win in their next game over seeded Keihou (who did well in their own right) was nothing.

Nagasaki Nichidai actually trailed Oomura Kougyou by as much as 5-1 early on, but neither starter Hirano nor reliever Matsuoka could hold the lead.  Nagasaki Nichidai would claw their way back and win 7-6 with the gyakuten run in the top of the 9th.  And while Isahaya Nougyou did well to upset Hasami earlier, they were no match for Nagasaki Nichidai in the quarterfinals.

For Sasebo Kougyou, the loss was particularly painful.  Up 4-3 against Kaisei with just one out to go.  But cleanup batter Noguchi would drive in the douten and sayonara run to send them to the quarterfinals where they would pull away from Shikamachi Kougyou late to win 4-1.

The only seeded team to not have a nail-biting game so far is Sasebo Jitsugyou, which included a 5-hit shutout over Isahaya.

Okinawa
Okinawa too has been scratch.  Well, except for Hokuzan who lost in their first game.  Misato, who defeated them, would have to play intra-city opponent Misato Kougyou for the right to be in the semifinals.  But after taking a 5-1 lead with just 3 innings to go, they couldn't close the deal.6 runs and 2 innings later and Misato would be done for.

Misato Kougyou will play Yaeyama for the chance to be in the finals.   Despite being an unseeded team, Urasoe Shougyou worked their way through the field giving themselves a chance at Yaeyama.  The pitching was not up to the task however, and they would fall 5-3.

On the other semi, Mawashi has looked fairly solid, though a slightly narrow 3-1 over Haebaru may be cause for concern.  They'll need to have their A game as Okinawa Shougaku looms on the horizon.  This after they received a scare against Kitanakagusugu.  Down 1-0 with 3 outs to go, Nakamine cannot seal the deal giving up the douten, then the sayonara hit to pinch-hitter Uehara.  That seems to have woken them up as they are back on track to claim the summer title.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I do like Hakodatedai Yuuto in this scenario.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And without further ado, we set off for Koushien!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ok, we're at the point now where I can throw out the dates and just cover the games.

Minami Hokkaido
As much as Komadai Tomakomai dominated the early-mid 2000's as of late they've struggled to get back there since 2007 - the year after Tanaka Masahiro left.

Yet here they are in 2011, just one game away from returning to Koushien.

Just one problem.

Hokkai and their 34 appearances stood in their way.

So off we went in the championship game. While Komadai Tomakomai scored the opening run in the bottom of the 1st, Hokkai would score one in the next half inning. Then proceed to score 2 in the 5th and one in the 9th for a 4-2 lead. But Komadai would find a way against ace Tamakuma to score 2 and extend the game!

Except that in the next half inning Hokkai would put the pressure once again on Komadai. They'd score a run in the 10th.

Tamakuma would not let Komadai Tomakomai extend the game. He shut them down to give Hokkai their 35th appearance and 1st in 3 years.

Aomori
In the final 2 quarterfinals, Kidzukuri pulls off their 2nd upset in as many games by defeating Top 4 seed Towada Kougyou 8-4!

And in a surprising twist, the game between Kousei Gakuin and Aomori Yamada is not a low scoring affair, but a high scoring one! After Aomori Yamada scores 2 in the bottom of the 1st, Kousei scores 9(!) in the 2nd and 6 more in the 4th! That's a 15-2 lead after 4!

Aomori Yamada isn't a team to give up, and facing the mercy rule go into action. 3 runs in the 4th cut the deficit to 10, which still isn't enough. So they score 5 more in the 5th to make it 15-10 and thus avoid both mercy rules (10 after 5 or 6 innings, 7 from the 7th to 9th).

But just as surprising, no further scoring is done! The final score is 15-10 in favor of Kousei Gakuin!

Onto the semifinals. Kousei Gakuin Noheji Nishi and Seiai battled in the first one. It seemed like Noheji Nishi had the game in control after 2 runs in the 7th gave them a 8-2 lead. But ace Kobayashi Taisei couldn't hold the lead. 3 runs in the 7th and 3 in the bottom of the 9th meant that they'd have to played extras. The game would remain at 8 until the 14th inning where Noheji Nishi would score 3 for the 11-8 win.

The question then would be, would they face their parent school Kousei Gakuin?

The short answer is, yes.

Kidzukuri's run was impressive, but when facing prefectural stalwart Kousei Gakuin, it ran into a wall.

Hard.

Kousei Gakuin wins 10-0 in 6 innings setting up a sibling rivalry of sorts for the title.

Iwate
The championship game was all that was left between Morioka Dai-san and Hanamaki Higashi. And while Morioka Dai-san kept up early with Hanamaki Higashi, they would give up 3 runs in the 5th and 2 in the 6th. 5 runs would be all that ace Ohara(?) would need as he shuts out Morioka's offense. Hanamaki Higashi earns their 6th appearance and 1st in 2 years.

Yamagata
Yamagata had their 2nd set of quarterfinals. 4 seed Yamagata Chuo was barely able to get by Shinjyou Kita 2-1. And my Haguro squad mercy ruled Toukaidai Yamagata 8-0 in 7!

Miyagi
Oh my....

I wasn't expecting this.

In the semifinals of Miyagi, top seed Tohoku... lost! 4 seed Furukawa Kougyou and their tandem of Uemura and Katagai limit Tohoku to just 1 run! And combined with 3 runs scored against Tohoku ace Yamada, and Furukawa Kougyou advances to the finals, not Tohoku!

Their opponent, not surprisingly will be Rifu after all. 6 runs in the 1st means they were able to cruise to a 7-2 win.

Both teams will be playing for their first Natsu Koushien appearance.

Fukushima
Fukushima had their quarterfinal action. On one end, Seikou Gakuin easily handles Shirakawa 7-1. They'll play Iwaki Kouyou who defeated Higashi Nippon Kokusaidai Shouhei 3-2.

The other semifinal will have Sukagawa, who upset #2 seed Shouin Gakuin Fukushima 4-3, versus Odaka Kougyou who too pulled off an upset against #3 seed Nichidai Tohoku 6-3!

That means that only Seikou Gakuin, the top seed, is the only seeded team left in the tournament!

Ok, so I still haven't been able to get to the Kinki prefectures. I need to quickly double back and do Hokkaido and Tohoku before prefectures finish. (Too late)

Kita Hokkaido
Round of 16

• Asahikawa Kougyou kicked off play with a 7-3 win over Wakkanai. They'll play Komadai Iwamizawa who shutout Obihiro Ryokuyou 3-0.
  
• Kushiro Kounan down 3-0 to Kitami Hakuyou in the bottom of the 9th scores 3 to tie the game! And they then go on to win the game 4-3! They get Engaru who blew out Hiro-o.
• Memanbetsu handles Kushiro Kougyou and will play Iwamizawa Higashi who scored a minor upset in beating Bushuukan 3-2.
• Shirakaba Gakuen, one of the teams on the inside track, used a 5-run 1st inning to cruise over Asahikawa Minami 9-5. Asahikawa Nishi looks to avenge them in the quarterfinals after almost blowing an 8-0 lead to Wakkanai Ootani.

Quarterfinals

• Komadai Iwamizawa continues on a collision course with Shirakaba Gakuen with a mercy win over Asahikawa Kougyou. The last obstacle to the finals is Engaru who recorded their 2nd mercy win and 2nd double digit offensive output.
• Memanbetsu moves one step closer to the finals with a convincing 8-2 win over Iwamizawa Higashi. Only problem is, Shirakaba Gakuen stands between them and a finals appearance.

Semifinals

• Engaru ace Furugoe(?) Tomoaki (古越 友章) seems to come out of nowhere in terms of being able to manage a game. Despite giving up 9 hits and 5 free passes, he limits Komadai Iwamizawa to just 2 runs! Combine that with their 3 in the 3rd and it's Engaru who finds themselves in the finals!!
• It started to look like it was going to be an all-new final as Engaru has never been to Koushien, and neither had Memanbetsu. Yet here was Memanbetsu holding a 2-1 lead over Shirakaba Gakuen! But in the 4th Shirakaba showed they have staying power, scoring 3 and putting Membanbestu behind the 8-ball. Surprisingly though, Memanbetsu did not fold. They scored one in the lucky 7 to pull within 1. However, that would be as close as they would get as ace Kobayashi would shut them down.

So it's rookie Engaru versus the one-timers Shirakaba Gakuen for the Kita-Hokkaido bid!

But in reality, feel good stories only go so far. Engaru fought hard, but in the end was shutout by Shirakaba Gakuen who will make their 2nd appearance at Koushien! But kudos to Engaru. I really wish they made it this year.

Minami Hokkaido
Round of 15

• Hokkai gets a bye here, but needs to rest up as they're matched up with another favorite team of mine, Hakodatedai Yuuto who won their game over Toukai Dai-yon 4-0.
• Tomakomai Chuo used a 5-run 8th to defeat Eniwa Kita 7-3. Next up will be Shiriuchi who went on a 3-0 run for a gyakuten victory over Otaru Chouryou.
• On the other side of the bracket, Sapporo Minami edges out Hokkaido Sakae 3-2, but will have their hands full with Sapporo Dai-ichi who had a 5-inning mercy win over Sapporo Kousei.
• And in the last pairings, Komadai Tomakomai was tasked with a difficult challenge in Hokushou, but was able to pull it out with a 5-3 win. Shoushi Gakuen will have to take up the flag against them next after they beat Hakodate Chuubu 3-1.

Quarterfinals

• Sadly for my team, Hakodatedai Yuuto can't keep up with Hokkai. They fall 6-2. Tomakomai Chuo will step into the ring next as they defeat Shiriuchi 4-1.
• Sapporo Minami's Ooma 4-hits Sapporo Dai-ichi and will look to reach the finals with a victory over Komadai Tomakomai who won 6-3.

And finally to the semis. Once could almost see it coming given the teams involved. Komadai Tomakomai may finally be surging once again after 4 years of anonymity. They shutout Sapporo Minami 4-0 to advance to today's final. As for Hokkai, they take it to Tomakomai Chuo 7-0 in 8.

So we're back to the days of umm.... last decade? Hokkai and Komadai Tomakomai for the Minami Hokkaido bid!

Aomori
As the first 2 rounds ended, we had some interesting games such as Goshogawara Nourin scoring 4 in the 9th for a gyakuten victory over Shoufuu Jyuku, Aomori Toyama giving up a 5-1 lead to Hirosaki before winning 6-5 in 11, St. Ursula and Hachinohe Suisan in a barnburner with Hachinohe winning 12-11 in 10, Hachinohe Koudai Dai-ichi needing 4 in the 8th to beat Goshogawara 5-4, and biggest of all A seed Hachinohe being mercy ruled by Seiai 11-2 in 7!

So all seeded teams outside of A seed Hachinohe advanced to the round of 16...

...and for the most part, things went status quo. B seed Touou Gijyuku was the next seeded team to fall, losing 3-2 to Kidzukuri. And those teams that pulled off upsets (Noheji Nishi and Seiai) continued on with convincing victories.

In the quarterfinals, the trend continued. So far Noheji Nishi fell behind Aomori 2-0, scored 3 to take the lead, watched Aomori tie it in the bottom of the 8th and plated the winning run in the 9th. Seiai ace Naraoka held Hachinohe Nishi to just 1 run, and their 2 runs was just enough to advance to the semis.

Akita
Teams started to stumble as early as the 2nd round. First of those was actually the top seed Oomagari Kougyou who could only muster just 6 hits and 1 run on Nishime as they lost 2-1! 5 seed Akita Kougyou almost lost too if it weren't for a 3-run 9th for a gyakuten victory over Oodate Kokusai. 7 seed Akita Hokuyou did lose, getting shutout 2-0 by Akita Chuo.

In the round of 16, Akita Kougyou did lose but not just to any team though. Noshiro Shougyou, last year's representative, defeated them 4-1.

Even though Akita Shougyou was a #3 seed, the team has had so much experience, it's no surprise that they're advancing through the brackets with as much relative ease as possible. The same can't be said for #2 seed Honjyou as they were the next team to fall. Akita Chuo took them to the limit, scoring 2 runs in the 11th after Honjyou did the same, and slayed their 2nd seeded team, 5-4 in 12 innings! In other games, Nishime's run ends at the hands of #8 seed Kanaashi Nougyou 7-4 and Noshiro Shougyou continues their repeat bid with an impressive 7-1 win over 4-seed Oodate Houmei.

The semis continued to impress. Noshiro Shougyou moves just one game away from a back-to-back appearance defeating Kanaashi Nougyou 6-3. In the other semi, Akita Shougyou looked to be in full control of the game early, getting 4 runs in the 2nd and another in the 7th to lead 5-1 over Akita Chuo. But if there was a time perhaps to have a lucky 7, it was now. Chuo scored 4 runs to tie the game and now Shougyou had to be nervous. They had every right to because 1 inning later, they'd plate another run and take a 6-5 lead! Shougyou tried to comeback, but could not - meaning that Akita Chuo will face Noshiro Shougyou for the title!

In the final again, it was a nice run for Akita Chuo, but in the end it was the "favorite" in Noshiro Shougyou that prevailed. They get 2 in the 1st, and 4 more in the 4th spelled doom. Noshiro Shougyou earns their 2nd consecutive appearance and 3rd overall.

Iwate
Running through the 2nd round we had Daitou breaking a 2-2 tie against Iwate with 4 runs in the 9th, but needing all 4 as Iwate scored 3. Morioka Kita allowed Morioka Nougyou to score 3 in the bottom of the 9th extending the game, but 5 runs in the 10 settled matters.

Round 3 saw Hanamaki Higashi get their 2nd mercy rule game in as many played. Miyako Kougyou brings some joy to their city as they move on with a 5-4 win over Ichinoseki Kougyou. Oofunato does the same as they mercy rule Kitakami Shounan. Karumai scores 7 runs in the last 4 innings to bid sayonara to Morioka Shougyou 9-8.

Onto round 4 and Kamaishi does their town proud as they score 4 in the 8th to pull off the upset over Ichinoseki Gakuin 7-6!

As we entered into the Round of 16, those nice stories start facing realities. Kamaishi fall 5-2 to Ichinohe. Miyako Shougyou is mercy ruled by Morioka Dai-san. Kuji Higashi gives Hanamaki Higashi the fight of their lives, but Hanamaki Higashi scores the sayonara run to win 5-4. Morioka Chuo ends Miyako Kougyou's run with a 12-5 win. Only Oofunato remained, though they had to beat Kuji 6-4 to do so.

Quarterfinal play say Morioka Dai-shi with 3 runs in the luck 7 to defeat Ichinohe 4-3. They will play Hanamaki Higashi as they end Oofunato's run 6-2.

In the battle of Morioka schools, Dai-san shuts out Dai-ichi 4-0 to advance to the semifinals. They will play Moriokadai Fuzoku as they win over Morioka Chuo 4-1.

So Hanamaki Higashi was the "odd man out" as it were. 3 Morioka schools and 1 Hanamaki school. To boot we could have had something similar to Nichidai-san v. Nichidai-ni a couple of years back if Morioka Dai-shi and Morioka Dai-san had won their games.

That was not to be though as Kikuchi Yuusei's alma mater crashed the party. They built a 4-0 lead on Dai-sh1 but almost frittered it away in the top of the 9th. Dai-shi pulls within 1, but reliever Ohara shuts it down just in time.

The other semifinal was hotly contested. Moriokadai Fuzoku and Morioka Dai-san were tied at 1 until the lucky 7th. That's when Moriokadai Fuzoku scored 1 to break the deadlock, but then Dai-san responded with 4. That would prove to be the difference as Dai-san advances to face Hanamaki Higashi 5-2.

Yamagata
Yamagata's first full day included Kunori Gakuen and Yamagata Shougyou playing to a 4-4 draw! In the replay, Kunori Gakuen would advance with a 3-1 win.

In other games in the 1st round, Yamagata Meisei rallied for 3 in the 9th, but fell short 4-3 to Shinjyou Higashi. My irrational favorite team here, Haguro had to go 12 against Yamamoto Gakuen to win 6-5.

Round 2 saw the first seeded teams to fall. 5-8 seed Kita-Murayama falls to Yamagata Jyouhoku 5-1. Fellow seed Sakata Kougyou lost 3-1 to Toukaidai Yamagata as well as Tsuruoka Kougyou who lost 6-5 to Yonezawa Chuo. Haguro continued shutting out their opposition as Tateoka failed to score.

Outside of that it was mainly status quo to the Best 8 with one exception. My Haguro upset Sakata Minami to the tune of 9-3!! Toukaidai Yamagata will be next up in the quarterfinals.

The first day of quarterfinal action was yesterday. Tsuruoka Higashi finally was put to the test by Yamagata Kougyou. Ace Furuichi(?) was up to the task still, limiting them to 1 run on 9 hits. The offensive output was limited to 3 runs, but was more than plenty. Their opponent will be 4-seed Nichidai Yamagata who mercy ruled Yamagata Jyouhoku.

Miyagi
As the field of 16 started to form we saw some familiar names. Tohoku made it without breaking a sweat. So did the other seeded teams - Sendai Ikuei, Touryou, and Furukawa Kougyou. Joining them was Rifu - who almost let the game slip away against Shibata.

Because of the rainouts, they condensed Round of 16 play into 2 days with all seeded teams in play on the 21st. All 4 advanced. In the other games:

• Tome def. Sanuma 6-3
• Sendai Shougyou def. Sendai Dai-ichi 5-2
• Tohoku Gakuin def. Kogota Nourin 3-2
• Rifu def. Ishinomaki Kougyou 3-2

Yesterday was quarterfinals, with all teams at Kleenex Stadium Miyagi. First up was top seed Tohoku, who had no trouble with Tome 13-1 in 5. 4-seed Furukawa Kougyou was up next and while they never trailed Tohoku Gakuin, it took 2 runs in the 8th to finally stay ahead and win 6-5. Doubt they'll be able to get away with that against Tohoku.

Afternoon session began with Touryou playing Rifu. Needless to say Rifu as of late has been a very good team in Miyagi. Rifu's Katou shuts the 3-seed out 6-0 and advances to the semis!

And if one upset wasn't enough, we had 2! 2-seed Sendai Ikuei was in a fight with Sendai Shougyou early. But then Sendai Shougyou scores 3 in the 6th to pull away! Ace Kome doesn't allow a run after the 3rd and it's a 5-1 upset!

Fukushima
As Round 2 concluded, there we had some interesting games such as Iwaki Kaisei who rallied from down 5-1 scoring 2 in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Fukushima Minami. Fukushima Higashi stems the scoring from Yotsukura with 4 in the bottom of the 8th and hangs on to win 9-8.

The 21st saw all teams in play across 7 stadiums. Aidzu and Hobara were involved in a scoring affair, with Hobara scoring in the middle innings, but it's Aidzu's bookend scoring that leads to a 10-8 win. Iwaki Kouyou wins late with a pair of runs over Fukushima Shougyou. And Shirakawa Asahi scores the only run in the bottom of the 8th over Futaba.

After a day off, the round of 16 saw all teams in play, and the games were either blowouts or close affairs.

• Top seed Seikou Gakuin records their 3rd mercy and double-digit game.
• 4-seed Haramachi is unceremoniously upset as Higashi Nippon Kokusaidai Shouhei scores 8 in the 6th to win 12-2.
• Shirakawa defeats Aidzu 8-0 in 7.
• Despite only getting 4 hits, Iwaki Kouyou scores the only run versus Gakkouhoujin Ishikawa.
• Odaka Kougyou mercy rules Naganuma 13-1 in 7.
• Sukagawa holds off a 9th inning charge from Shirakawa Asahi to win 4-3.
• Nichidai Tohoku needs 10 to defeat Aidzu Kougyou 2-1.
  
• 2-seed Shouin Gakuen Fukushima scores a run in the 1st and ace Yachi makes it stick over Kooriyama Shougyou.