高校野球 (Kokoyakyu)

With less than 2 weeks to Natsu Koushien, we get a flurry of teams qualifying for Koushien.  Here's what happened yesterday:

Fukushima - Nichidai Tohoku v. Seikou Gakuin
In this year where it seems like the underdog is finally giving the powerhouse teams their comeuppance, Nichidai Tohoku had a similar opportunity versus the king of the prefecture, Seikou Gakuin.

And it really looked like Nichidai would be able to pull off the upset.  Seikou went from pitcher to pitcher to stem the tide, but couldn't as Nichidai Tohoku put run after another on the board to build a 6-2 lead.  By the time the game hit the 9th, I was dead certain they would be able to do it.

And they were just one out away from doing it.  But with runners on the corners and 2 out, Seikou put 3 hits together, and that 6-2 lead turned into a 6-6 ballgame.

Any time you have the underdog giving up a lead like that, especially in the final, usually the collapse is complete in regulation, or even if they survive into enchousen they can't regain momentum.

2 innings later, Seikou got runners on 1st and 2nd with no out, #3 batter Yananuma delivered the final blow to send Seikou to Koushien for another year.

Chiba - Toukaidai Bouyou v. Senshuudai Matsudo
After the melee in Chiba, 2 Tier 3 schools found themselves in the finals.  As one of my twitter follows is wont to mention, Senshuudai Matsudo in prior years kept on losing late in the tournament in enchousen.

But in the round of 16, perhaps they exorcised the demons when they won a 3-2 win in 10 against Shiritsu Funabashi. That seemed to give them momentum as they put away Kisaradzu Sougou early, and then scored 5 early against Kashiwa Nittai to reach the finals.

Toukaidai Bouyou was the forgotten Toukai school in the prefecture - to Toukaidai Urayasu (they had defeated Narashino earlier).  But they were always a respectable squad and always made a modest run.

This year was different.  This time around they got some breaks.  In their 2nd game, they had to walkoff Seibudai Chiba 3-2.  Then was a very uncharacteristic 2-0 win over Sodegaura.  And instead of facing Chiba Keizaidai Fuzoku, they faced Kokubun instead and shut them out 5-0.

Wouldn't you know it, they would have to face sister school Toukaidai Urayasu in the semifinals.  And you had to think that Bouyou's run would end here.

Nope, not even close.

In fact the scoreline would have you believe Bouyou was the dominant Toukai school.  12-2 in 5 innings!!

And holy crap, it's like Toukaidai Bouyou was just saving themselves for the stretch run, because in the final, Senshuudai Matsudo was absolutely no match. 6 runs in the 2nd to demoralize them, and the 6 in the 8th for the finishing blow, and they punch their first ever ticket to Natsu Koushien with authority in a 13-2 win.

Toyama - Toyama Shougyou v. Takaoka Shougyou
Sadly for those of us who loved Toyama Dai-ichi's run last year (the prefecture's deepest in 30 years), they showed some cracks early, and went down in the semifinals to Takaoka Shougyou.  And outside of a 2-0 win in their 1st game over Toyama Kougyou, the run looked rather solid.

The same could not be said for Toyama Shougyou.  Yes, they had some easy games to start, but then in the quarterfinals against Takaoka, they would go scoreless through regulation before wining in 10.  And the semifinals against Fujikoshi Kougyou, they managed to keep them at arms length, but an 8-5 win going into the finals doesn't necessarily portend great things.

And early on, it looked like they would be had.  After a couple scoreless, Takaoka Shougyou built a 3-0 lead.  But that completely collapsed when Toyama Shougyou scored 6 in the 6th.  And just for good measure they added 3 more in the 9th to avoid possible drama, and Toyama Shougyou makes their 1st trip in 10 years with a 9-3 win!

Gifu - Oogaki Nichidai v. Gifu Kougyou
Gifu Kougyou admittedly got some help to reach the finals.  No Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou to deal with, and the other main players were on the other half of the bracket.

But they had earned their finals appearance with their performance, soundly defeating those in front of them with the exception of the semifinals where they had to use all 9 innings to defeat Gifu Sougou Gakuen 3-2.

But the prefecture was Oogaki Nichidai's to lose.  Despite a narrow 3-0 win over Motoshi Shouyou, they easily manhandled their opponents up until defeating Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou 3-1.

The finals were no match. Oogaki Nichidai claimed their 2nd consecutive title with an 11-2 win.

Kyoto - Kyoto Subaru v. Ryuukokudai Heian
I thought maybe this might be Kyoto Subaru's year.  Fukuchiyama Seibi fell, Kyoto Gaidai Nishi too.  They almost didn't make the finals after coming back to defeat Katsura 8-7 after falling behind 5-0 after the first inning.  A 10-0 win the semifinal over Yamashiro perhaps meant good momentum going into the finals.

But on the other side loomed the senbatsu champs Ryuukokudai Heian...

And let's just say that it wasn't pretty. 2 in the 1st and 3 in the 2nd and the rout was on.  When it was all said and done, Heian will have a chance to go haru-natsu with a 10-0 win over Kyoto Subaru.  Maybe next year guys...

Wakayama - Chiben Wakayama v. Shiritsu Wakayama
Chiben Wakayama has dominated the prefecture for a long time now.  In the last 27 years, they have relinquished the natsu title just 7 times.  For all the other schools in the prefecture that's rather frustrating knowing that the road to Koushien goes through them.

So it seemed this year too.  Outside of a 4-1 win over Touin, it was double digit runs the rest of the way to the finals.

The team to try and slay the monster this year was Shiritsu Wakayama.  They almost didn't even make it out of their first game, giving up a 2-0 lead to Wakayama Tousen before winning in 10.  It got easier after that, culminating in a 4-1 over Wakayama Shougyou to reach the finals.

Still, it's not like they were lighting the world on fire, and it was Chiben Wakayama after all.

But in the finals, Shiritsu kept Chiben off the board after giving up a run in the 1st.  That kept them in the game until the 7th, where it did indeed prove to be lucky for them.  Ooshima would deliver the game-tying RBI and the game would remain tied at 1 into enchousen.

In the 11th, Chiben would take the lead again 2-1, but Shiritsu found a response in PH Abe who hit another clutch single to center.

The unbelievable happened one inning later, when with runners on 1st and 2nd, Setoguchi would drive a ball to left center, scoring the sayonara run giving Shiritsu Wakayama the 3-2 victory!!

Shimane - Taisha v. Kaisei
Taisha has been that model Tier 3 school in Shimane.  Always good, never great.  This year though was completely different, scoring double digits against all opponents until the semifinals where they trailed Yasugi 4-0 going into the bottom of the 9th.  Yasugi's ace Saneshige couldn't close out the gae, and Taisha rallied for 4 in the 9th to tie the game.  And in the 10th, Shimizu's base hit would complete the comeback to reach the finals.

Kaisei's road was a bit more rockier, but then again it was a bit more difficult as well.  First was a 4-2 win over Risshoudai Shounan.  Then down 6-0 to Iwamichisuikan, they scored 11 unanswered runs to advance to the semifinals. And then against unknown Daitou, they were in an old-fashioned brawl where after a scoreless 2 innings there were multiple ties and lead changes and 4 ties, but the decisive blow was a 5-run 6th by Kaisei to take a 10-7 lead.  They would hold off a final charge by Taisei in the 9th, but they could only score 2 of the 3 runs needed to extend the game, falling 12-11.

In the final, Taisha would fight their best, but in the end another big inning by Kaisei would do them in.  Kaisei wins 9-4 and heads back to Koushien.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ok, 17 champions have been crowned the last 2 days.  Let's see who has advanced to Koushien:


7/26 Title Games
Iwate - Hanamaki Higashi (7th title, 1st in 2 years)

After a rainout on the scheduled day, Moriokadai Fuzoku and Hanamaki Higashi finally clashed.

Moriokadai jumped on Hanamaki in the first inning with an RBI by ace Matsumoto to score Saitou.  Matsumoto would hold that lead until the 5th when back to back hits by Motegi and Hosokawa would give Hanamaki Higashi the 2-1 lead.  One inning later, it would all fall apart for Matsumoto as Tadano and Motegi (who ended up going 2-3 on the day) would tally 3 more runs to put it out of reach.  Hosokawa would scatter 1 run on 5 hits giving Hanamaki Higashi the title!

We know them for their grittiness.  Will we see it again this year?

Yamagata - Nichidai Yamagata (16th appearance, 1st in 6 years)
The Yamagata final was also rained out.  It perhaps allowed Yonezawa Chuo to contemplate rallying for the final against Nichidai Yamagata.

One day however, would wind up making little difference.  For Nichidai Yamagata would put the game out of reach early.  Takeda would start with squeeze bunt in the 2nd for a run.  In the 3rd Mineta would deliver a 2-run HR to right in a 3-run 3rd.

It was all Nichidai Yamagata after that, as ace Shouji and Aoki would later add HR's of their own in a 7-3 rout for the title.

Yamagata has been winless in the last 6 Natsu Koushien tournaments.  If there is any hope, they did to go the Best 8 in 2006.  But does such a run exist for them?

Toyama - Toyama Dai-ichi (1st appearance!)

Toyama Dai-ichi was looking for their first title against Sakurai who was looking for their 5th.

Ace Miyamoto would help his own cause opening the scoring for Toyama Dai-ichi in the 2nd with a sac fly to center.  3 innings later Fukui would extend the lead with a base hit to left.

Sakurai would pull within 1 in the bottom of the 5th, but Terazaki and Miyamoto would drive in 2 more runs in the lucky 7th.

That would be enough for Miyamoto as Kuroda-kantoku would finally celebrate his schools first ever title!  Now, can they parlay that into a win?  Over the last decade, teams from Toyama have advanced to the next round just 40% of the time.

Fukui - Fukui Shougyou (22nd appearance, 1st in 2 years)
So Fukui Shougyou (though not a no-name team by any means), was on the verge on a unique double upset.  If they managed to defeat Harue Kougyou in the final, they will have won the Fukui tournament defeating both Hokushinetsu senbatsu representatives!!  And with Tsuruga Kehi looking the stronger of the two representatives, it looked certainly possible.

Cleanup batter Ooishi would open the scoring against ace Tsubota with a timely hit to center.

And, that's all that Fukushou would need!  Nakamura Fumihide (中村 文英) would completely stifle the Harue offense giving up just 3 hits while striking out 9 in a 2-0 win to give Fukui Shougyou the title and completing the double upset!

Gifu - Oogaki Nichidai (2nd appearance, 1st in 6 years)
Despite having more Natsu Koushien title, Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou looked to be facing an uphill battle against Oogaki Nichidai.

Indeed, 3 straight hits ending with Naitou's 2-run triple followed by a sac fly from Takino would give Oogaki Nichidai a very quick 3-0 lead.  Starter Nagano for Shiritsu Fukushou would be pulled after just 1/3 of an inning giving way to Koedo.  Oogaki would add a run in the 3rd to make it a 4-run lead.

Starter Takada for Oogaki however would be unable to hold it.  Over the next 3 innings, Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou would come back to tie the game.

But just when Shiritsu Gifushou got back into the game, it would slip away yet again.  2 on, and the new Oogaki pitcher Hashimoto would come up big with a 2-run double to right.  One more run for good measure in the 7th, and Oogaki Nichidai would defeat Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou 7-4.

Shimane - Iwami Chisuikan (8th appearance, 1st in 8 years)
Iwami Chisuikan, formerly known as Gonokawa, would be looking for their first title since the name change.  In their way was Risshoudai Shounan.

It did look like Iwami Chisuikan would be pulling off the rout jumping out to a 5-0 lead early.  Ace Tanabe though would let Risshoudai get back within 1 over the next two innings.

But Risshoudai Shounan seemed to have troubles on the mound the entire game.  After pulling starter Shimozono after just 2.1 innings, Yoshihara would give up just one run until the 7th when he was pulled after letting the leadoff runner on.  Yoshimura would come in, but wound up giving up 4 runs (1 charged to Yoshihara), and that pretty much ended it for Risshoudai as Iwami Chisuikan would win 10-6 to claim their first title in 8 years!

Okayama - Tamano Kounan (3rd appearance, 1st in 11 years)
My dear Kanzei was just one game away from making it to Koushien.  And with 4 quick runs early on, it seemed like perhaps they'd get there.

But in the 5th errors would plague Kanzei.  4 runs would come in, giving Tamano Kounan the 5-4 lead.  Tamano ace Hoshi settled down after the shaky first 2 innings and would wind up striking out 7 and giving Tamano Kounan the title.

Kagawa - Marugame (4th appearance, 1st in 13 years)
To claim the title, Marugame would have to defeat the defending champions Jinsei Gakuen.  It wound up being easier than anyone expected as they would break to a 3-0 lead over the 1st 3 innings, then blow it open late all while ace Miyazaki would give up just 1 run on 6 hits, striking out 9 in a resounding 8-1 victory.

Sorry, a headache pretty much KO'd me during games so I wasn't able to do an update.

Anyways, we're in crunchtime now as the number of teams qualifying by the day starts to ramp up hard.

First our qualifiers.  The established guard ruled the day on the 25th.

Ibaraki - Jyousou Gakuin (15 appearance, 2nd consecutive)

There were very few surprises in Ibaraki this year.

Top seed Kasumigaura almost stumbled out of the block, sort of expected for a team newly in the upper ranks, in a 2-1 win over Hokota Dai-ichi.  That would wake them up as they would outscore their opponents 22-2 thereafter to reach the semis.  That shouldn't take away from their quarterfinal opponent Meishuu Higashi who had defeated Fujishiro in the prior round as flurries of runs were scored in the final innings.

On the other part of their half was Kashima Gakuen who clawed their way through the quadrant, which included a late game pull away from #5 seed Tsuchiura Kohoku 6-4, and Hitachi Dai-ichi who survived Tsuchiura Dai-san 6-5 in the bottom of the 9th then an upset of #4 seed Ishioka Dai-ichi 7-5.  The two teams would be tied at 1 until Kashima Gakuen broke out for 4 runs in the 9th for the win.

In the other half of the quadrant, #2 Jyousou Gakuin breezed through their games, and in the quarterfinals continued to roll with a mercy rule win over Mito Kougyou who respectfully got through the bracket.

Meanwhile, both #3 Shimotsuma Dai-ni and #4 Suijyou were methodically working their way through.  Suijyou after a pair of mercy-rule games, took an early lead over Tsuchiura Dai-ichi 5-0 then held off to win 5-3.  Shimotsuma Dai-ni you could say slowly warmed up.  After a 4-3 win over Tsuchiura Dai-ni, had a better 5-2 win over Mito Sakuranomaki before blowing away Taga. The warming up though wouldn't be enough as Suijyou's RBI by cleanup batter Hayashi Ryou (林 涼) would be enough to send them to the semis.

Both semfiinals wound up being one-sided.  Both Kasumigaura and Jyousou Gakuin cruised through to the finals.

Kasumigaura had a chance this year to finally breakthrough.  In 2011, they lost in the bottom of the 9th against Fujishiro, and last year they fell in the quarterfinals.  Now, prefectural stalwart Jyousou Gakuin stood in the way.

But much like 2011, Kasumigaura took the early lead with a run in the top of the first, and then even added a run in the 8th for good measure.

The pitching side seemed to be holding.  Starter Ueno went short of  5 innings but didn't allow a run.  Ichige came in relief and continued to shut down the favorites...

Until the 8th.

Ichige would be tagged with back to back RBI hits by Yoshizawa and Ikezawa and before you knew it the game was tied.  Katano, who was part of that 2011 game, came in relief and got out of the inning.

But something was probably in the back of Kasumigaura's minds.  Perhaps the shades of 2011 haunted them.  Perhaps my theory of what the schools just below the "powerhouse" tiers holds true - that teams need to learn how to win the big game, to not be intimidated by their history or the history of the other teams.  To just play with no abandon regardless of the opponent.

Because with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th, Kasumigaura would suffer the same fate as 2011.  Cleanup batter Uchida would blast a sayonara 2-run HR off Katano to give Jyousou Gakuin their 2nd consecutive title... and leave Kasumigaura broken for 2 of the last 3 years.

Niigata - Nihon Bunri (7th appearance, 1st in 2 years)
This year may have been Murakami Sakuragaoka's best chance to win the title.  Constantly exiting either in the 3rd round or the semifinals, they finally got to the title game.  But Nihon Bunri stood in the way of them and the title.

Murakami Sakuragaoka looked really good in the title game, pinging Nihon Bunri for a run in the first 2 innings.  And even after ace Shiina gave up a 3 spot in the 4th, Murakami pocked ace Ooyanai? Yoshinori (大谷内 睦規) for another run in the 5th and 6th innings to take the lead.  However, Shiina's downfall would be the big inning.  Nihon Bunri would score 4 in the 7th knocking Shiina out of the game and giving themselves a lead that just forced their opponents to get a run an inning.  After a scoreless bottom of the 7th, it was all but over as Nihon Bunri won the title 7-5.

Kumamoto - Kumamoto Kougyou (20th appearance, 1st in 4 years)
Buntoku had been to Koushien twice before, both summer appearances.  And they performed very well in recent years, losing in the 3rd round or the quarterfinal game.  This year though they would have to defeat Kumamoto Kougyou, who had been to Koushien quite often in the 2000's, but was quiet so far in this decade.  Still, they have a much bigger history at Koushien than Buntoku.

Once again, it was the underdog who jumped out ahead with a run in the bottom of the first.  Kumamoto Kougyou would respond quickly tying the game in the 2nd.  Forward to the 5th inning and an error would help Buntoku take a 4-1 lead.  Ace Honda seemed to make that lead stick... that is until the 8th where with 2 down and runners on 2nd and 3rd, Nishiyama and ace Yamashita would deliver back to back hits to tie the game.

The game would stay tied until the 10th where Kudou, who entered the game as a PH earlier, would deliver what would end up being the game winning RBI to give Kumamoto Kougyou their first appearance in Koushien this decade.


And now for our final games today.

Iwate
When play finally started in Iwate it became clear that being a seeded team didn't mean a whole hill of beans. 3 seeded teams failed to get past their first game! Kurosawajiri Kougyou, Touno and Morioka Shiritsu all fell flat.  Even Moriokadai Fuzoku narrowly beat Morioka Nougyou 5-3 in their opener.  Senshuudai Kitakami fell one round later to Kuji Kougyou 6-4.

With one exception (Fukuoka), the schools who upset the seeded teams joined the remaining seeds (who had no trouble at all) in the Best 8.

Oddly enough, all 4 seeded teams were facing no seeds in the quarterfinals.

Morioka Dai-yon and Hanamaki Higashi handled their games easily over Fukuoka and Kuji Kougyou respectively, Ichinoseki Gakuin not surprisingly struggled with Kamaishi Shoukou but won 5-4, and in a bit of a surprise Mizusawa played to a 2-2 draw with Moriokadai Fuzoku!  However, a replay generally favors the favorite and true to form Moriokadai won 8-3 in the replay.

So the semifinals would feature Moriokadai Fuzoku facing Ichinoseki Gakuin, and Morioka Dai-yon squaring with Hanamaki Higashi.  Ichinoseki Gakuin fell flat once again, providing little resistance to Morioka Dai-ichi, while Hanamaki Higashi gritted their way with a 2-run 8th to get past Morioka Dai-yon and ace Nagasuzu 4-3.

And while they had to wait a day due to rain, familiar foes in Moriokadai Fuzoku and Hanamaki Higashi will face off for the Iwate title.

Yamagata
As much as Tenri has disappointed me over the years, so has Haguro in Yamagata.  In fact, they stooped to a new low.  Earning the #1 seed, they promptly lost their first game 3-1 to Tsuruoka Higashi.

The 4 seeded teams to reach the semifinals may not have been high seeds, but they are established strong teams within the prefecture.

With top seed Haguro out of the way, #6 Nichidai Yamagata was able to easily win their 3 games to reach the semis.  They will play #3 seed Sakata Minami who needed no help, outscoring their opponents 37-3.

On the other half, #2 seed Kunori Gakuen has been better as of late, but doesn't have the experience it seems losing in the 3rd round 2-1 in 14 innings to Shinjyou Higashi.  They would face #5 Yamagata Chuo for the right to be in the semis.  And while they made a great rally, a 7 run deficit was just too much to overcome as they fell 7-6.  #4 seed Yonezawa Chuo was in dire straits after ace Satou surrendered 3 runs to Toukaidai Yamagata in the final 2 innings.  But amazingly down 7-5, his team rallies for 3 runs for the comeback victory!

So two veterans on one side of the bracket and two hopefuls on the other.  Both semifinal games  expected to be very close affairs.

But interestingly, the game between Sakata Minami and Nichidai Yamagata almost was a blowout!  After a 5-run 1st by Nichidai it looked rather bad for the defending champs.  But they were not defending champions, nor representative 5 of the last 10 years for nothing.   They would claw back to within 2 runs by the 4th inning.  However, that would be as close as they would get as Nichidai would put up a pair in the 7th to put the game out of reach winning 8-5.

In the battle of Chuo schools, Yamagata Chuo was marked as the favorite - especially since they were able to reach senbatsu earlier this year.  But Yonezawa Chuo was not fazed at all.  For each time Yamagata was able to get to ace Satou early on, his offense would come right back to level the score.  Finally in the 8th, Yonezawa was able to pull ahead as Kusano delivered a timely hit on reliever Ishikawa.  Satou was almost able to close it out, but gave up the douten run in the bottom of the 9th.  Yonezawa brought them on the precipice of the finals again with a run in the 10th over ace Takahashi (who returned back to the mound), but once against Satou was not able to keep the lead.

Wouldn't you know it though, Yonezawa would do it again in the 11th.  Kouchi, easily the man of the game, got his 3rd RBI with his 3rd hit of the game.  This time, Satou would finally pitch a clean inning to win the game and send the team to the finals.

Toyama
Toyama went surprisingly smoothly if you were a top seeded team.

Well, almost.

1-2 seed Toyama Shougyou was actually upset by Himi in their 2nd game 4-2 in 12 innings.  Himi almost pulled off the double upset, but Jige was unable to hold, resulting in a 2-1 loss to Sakurai.  The only other seeded team to lose prior to the quarterfinals was Takaoka Shougyou who fell 6-4 to Takaoka Dai-ichi.

Otherwise, fellow 1-2 seed Toyama Dai-ichi, and 3-4 seeds Tonami Kougyou and Shin-Minato were able to reach the semis.  Toyama Dai-ichi blowing through the field, Tonami Kougyou having a little resitance, and Shin-Minato just getting by Tonami Kokusaidai Fuzoku 2-1.

Shin-Minato would narrowly lose to Sakurai 3-2, while Toyama Dai-ichi would mercy rule Tonami Kougyou in 5 innings.  Suffice it to say that the title appears to be Toyama Dai-ichi's to lose.

Fukui
So, the final shouldn't have been a surprise really.  The Hokushinetsu region was represented by 2 teams from Fukui, so why wouldn't Tsuruga Kehi and Harue Kougyou reach the finals?

Well, for Tsuruga Kehi, their draw included possible games against Fukui Koudai Fukui and Fukui Shougyou, and that is no easy task.  They got through Fukui Koudai Fukui 5-1, but wound up stumbling against Fukui Shougyou 5-1.  With the major competition out of the way, a routine 5-1 win over Fukui Nourin put them in the finals.

What about Harue Kougyou?  They were admittedly the weaker team it seemed despite winning the Hokushinetsu region last fall.

Well, they've survived by the skin of their teeth.  Literally.

First up, Keishin.  Tied 1-1 going into the 9th, they get the sayonara run off reliever Kitada to advance.  Then was Sabae.  Despite getting out to a 3-0 lead in the first, Sabae would tie it at 4 by the 6th inning.  This game would go into extras before Harue Kougyou would again deliver the sayonara blow in the 11th by cleanup batter Ono.

Finally, Tsuruga Kougyou. Ace Hirata was able to limit their opponent for 4 hits through 10 innings as Kinoshita finally delivered the game winning sac fly to send them to the finals 1-0.

So, despite being at Koushien this spring, Harue Kougyou looks to be the underdog against Fukui Shougyou.

Gifu
Gifu was rather scratch as well.  The top 8 seeds advanced to the block finals with the only exception being C Block top seed Mashita Seifu.  With their early exit, Chuukyou breezed through to the block finals to face Nagara.

In A Block, Oogaki Nichidai continued their roll through by defeating a surely depleted Teikyoudai Kani squad who needed a sayonara 2-run HR by to rally to defeat Seki Shoukou 6-4 in the bottom of the 9th.

Moving on to B Block, and Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou got a big scare as they trailed Gifu Dai-ichi 2-1.  But they get to ace Koshikawa with a run in the 8th, then the sayonara run in the 9th to advance to the block finals.  They would face a Minokamo squad who like Teikyoudai Kani, rallied for down 6-3 with 7 unanswered runs in the 7th and 8th off off Kanou ace Gotou for the win.

Yet Minokamo was game for the vaunted Kengifushou.  They jumped out to a 2-0 lead right off the bat.  Ace Asano would try to hold the lead for the rest of the game, but would surrender the lead after giving up a run in the 4th and 5th.  The final blow would be in the 7th as cleanup batter Takenaka would deliver the gyakuten timely hit to win 3-2.

As mentioned in Block C, Chuukyou breezed through to face a Nagara team that had two close calls.  Nagara would put up a fight, but found themselves playing a game of catchup they couldn't win following a 3-run 5th.  Chuukyou would advance out of the block 7-5.

And finally in Block D, both Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou and Toki Shougyou would actually have a little difficulty getting through the block.  Both only had one mercy rule victory, and both needed to survive a close game against a no-name opponent (sorry Hida-Takayama and Oogaki Minami).

The block final would go to Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou as they would put up at least a run in 8 of the 9 innings defeating Toki Shougyou 14-8.

In the semifinals, Block D and Block C would play, leaving Blocks A & B to play in the other semi.

Chuukyou was game for Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou, taking the lead in the 6th with a timely hit from 2nd pitcher Takagi.  However, his lead would not last long as he would relinquish runs in the 7th and 8th innings giving Shigifushou the 2-1 win.

The other semifinal was not as competitive.  As much as perhaps people wanted an all-Gifu Shougyou final, ace Fujita just did not have it against Oogaki Nichidai.  A pair of runs in the 1st turned out to be enough as they pulled away 5-1.

So it will be Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou and Oogaki Nichidai in the final.

Shimane
Shimane looked to have two powerhouses barreling towards the final.  One one side Kaisei, who barred through their 3 games going just 17 innings.  On the other, Risshoudai Shounan, who wasn't as dominant, still got through their 3 games with relative ease (though against Matsue Kita in their 3rd game they had just one outburst in the 7th for the 3-0 win).

Standing in Kaisei's way to the finals was Iwamichisuikan.  They worked their way through the bottom of the bracket all the way to face seeded Hamada.  In that quarterfinal game, Iwamichisuikan would put Hamada behind the 8-ball early and often.  Despite Hamada tying the game in the 5th, the constant pressure on ace Miura would be too much.  4 runs in the final 3 innings sealed Hamada's fate.

In the semifinal, Iwamichisuikan's Tanabe would outpitch Kaisei ace Onda with cleanup batter Nishida delivering the fatal blow with a HR in the bottom of the 8th.  Iwamichisuikan would advance to the final game with a 2-1 win.

Risshoudai Shounan's opponent would be Matsue Shougyou.  Having upset Masuda Shougyou, ace Masumoto would outlast Matsue Nourin's Aoyama and and Kadowaki to win 8-5 in 13 innings.  An easy win over Masuda Higashi set up the semifinal matchup.

While taking the early lead, Masumoto would get rocked in the middle innings leaving Matsueshou trailing 4-1.  His offense would rally in the next 2 innings to tie the game, but bottom 9 Shimozono would deliver the sayonara hit for Risshoudai Shounan to move on to the finals where Iwamichisuikan awaits.

Okayama
Oddly enough, it was better to be a lower seeded team than a higher seeded team this year.

1-4 seed Okayama Jyoutou was the first to fall, being shutout by Kouyou 4-0.  Okayama Rikadai Fuzoku would be next to fall one round later, with a 6-2 loss to Kurashiki Kougyou.

However, neither would advance to the best 4.  5-8 seed Kanzei, who was not challenged up until that point, would pull away from Kouyou late to win 5-2.  As for Kurashiki Kougyou, while Koujyoukan did suffer a scare from Takahashi Nisshin,  ace Fukushima would throw a 4-hit shutout to eliminate the challengers.

In the other 2 quadrants, 1-4 seed Kurashiki Shougyou would face a surely tired 5-8 Okayama Higashi Shougyou squad.  They wound up playing Mizushima Kougyou to a 6-6 draw, then just survived in the replay 2-1, then won another 1-run game against Sakuyou.

Perhaps the close games helped Okayama Higashi Shougyou because ace Nogami made a 3-2 2nd inning lead stick to advance the team to a semifinal match versus Kanzei.

And finally, 5-8 Okayama Kyousei was no match for 1-4 Tamano Kounan.  Despite a small hiccup versus Mimasaka, where they just managed 1 run on 8 hits, they blew out Kyousei 10-0.

In the semifinals, the bottom of the order would stake Kanzei ace Kodama to a 2-0 lead as Tobe and Ichihara get back-to-back timely hits.  Kodama would make that lead stick winning 3-2.

The other semifinal was rather bizarre.  First Koujyoukan would go out to a 3-1 lead.  Fukushima would hold that score until the 7th and 8th when Tamano pulled within 1, then tied the game.  Reliever Satake would come in to try and keep the game level, but wound up giving up the gyakuten run to send the top seed to the finals.

What's so strange about that?  They did it on just 4 hits.

Kagawa
Kagawa's top 4 seeds this year did not seem like the usual suspects (with the exception of top seed Jinsei Gakuen).  #2 Kotohira and #3 Tadotsu both were teams that had not fared well, but for some reason had success in the spring.  Only #4 Marugame Jyousei made some sense as they have been one of the betters teams in prefecture.

And things played out like you expected.  Sort of.

Kanonji Chuo gave Jinsei Gakuen a proper fright, but reliever Nakayama kept the score at 4-3 in the final 6 frames. After that Kagawa Tousen Takamatsu actually led Jinsei into the 2nd half of the game, but reliever Yoshinari couldn't maintain the 3-1 lead.  A pair of runs in the 7th and 8th spelled their downfall.

So Jinsei Gakuen as a seeded team made the semifinals.  They would wind up being the only seeded team to do so.

After getting by a tough 1st round draw in Sangawa, Marugame Jyousei slid past Iiyama to reach the quarterfinals.  There they would face an Eimei team who had beaten an unknown Shido team 1-0, then jumped on reliever Matsumoto for Sanbonmatsu who proceeded to fritter away a 7-2 lead and then take the loss in the 10th.  Eimei wound up being up for the task, routing Marugame Jyousei 8-1 in 8 innings.

Things were even worse on the other half.  Tadotsu, despite just 5 hits, was able to defeat Takamatsu Nishi 2-1 in the bottom of the 9th.  But against Takamatsu Shougyou in the next round?  Annihilated in 5 innings 10-0.

And Kotohira?  Don't even ask. Takamatsu Minami limits them to just 1 run on 3 hits as they "upset" the #2 seed 4-1.

So who would jump on the opportunity?  Well, Takamatsu Kita game Takamatsu Minami a job well done, defeated them 5-3, and then 4-hit Shoudouhima to advance to the Best 4.  Marugame, despite needing to comeback against Ootemae Takamatsu's relief corps in game 2, took out Takamatsu Shougyou 5-2 to move themselves on the hill.

Semifinal 1 pitted the two heavyweights Jinsei Gakuen and Eimei.  The aces traded donuts for the longest time before Nakayama caved and allowed the first run in the 7th for Eimei.  Doi would come in relief for the 8th, but gave up 2 more runs.  All seemed lost for Jinsei, but Eimei's ace Akagawa cracked in the bottom of the inning.  A 2-run timely hit by SS Nishimaru, and another RBI from Oonishi tied the game at 3.  Fast forward to the 9th, and Nishimaru would get one more crack at Akagawa.  Sure enough, he delivered the sayonara hit to score Shinohara and send Jinsei Gakuen to the finals.

The 2nd semifinal was not exciting at all sadly.  Takamatsu Kita was definitely the odd man in the bunch, and well... Starter Horie would not even finish the first inning as Marugame scored 11 runs in the 1st inning.  They would win 11-0 on 5 hits and 8 walks...

So it's Marugame and Jinsei Gakuen in the final.

And by that I mean I'm avoiding the bigger super-regions.  There's just so many games to update.

Niigata
Niigata has fallen slightly behind due to a full rainout on the 13th and a partial one on the 14th.  All but 3 9-16 seeded teams though have played.  Only seeded upsets so far have occurred on the 9-16 seeds which can be expected.  Matsudai, who in their first game scored 3 in the bottom of the 9th for the win after Arai scored 3 in the top of the inning, continued their ぎりぎり run defeating Tookamachi Sougou 2-1 while Mitsuke understandably fell to Teikyou Nagaoka 9-0.

Of the top 4 teams, only #2 Shibata Chuo really breezed through their first game.  #1 Murakami Sakuragaoka and #3 Nihon Bunri both won, but not necessarily convincingly..  And #4 Niigata Kenou Kougyou actually trailed Nagaoka Nougyou 2-0 before coming back to win 4-3.

Nagano began play on the 13th with Achi mercy-ruling Toyoshina 10-3 in 7 innings.

Over in Matsumoto the past couple of days we had one of the more uglier scores - Iwamurada annihilating Sonan 35-1 in 5 innings, followed by a nail-biting 3-2 sayonara victory by Suzaka over Matsumoto Misuzugaoka.

In Ueda, Toukai Dai-san overcame a 4-run 3rd from Komoro with a run in 5 of the first 6 innings for the win while Matushiro will look to make a miracle run with a 6-3 win over Koumi.

Meanwhile, over at Suwa-ko, in the battle of agricultural schools, Shimo-Ina Nougyou scores late defeating Minami-Adzumi Nougyou 7-4 while Okaya Minami walks off Shiojiri Shigakukan 2-1 in 11 and Chino's Kishima makes a lone run in the 2nd stick over Nozawa Minami.

And finally, in Olympic Stadium, both Nagano Nishi and Sakaki started the last two days with back and forth games before pulling away late to win 7-4.  Shimo-Suwa Kouyou used a run in the top of the 9th to beat Iiyama 3-2.

Toyama off to a rainy start as games were rained out at Toyama Prefectural and Kurobe Miyano.  Of the games that played, all were blowouts except for Kosugi who defeated Yatsuo 3-0.

The first full day of games were mostly close affairs highlighted by Toyama Hokubu who tied the game against Toyama Izumi at 4 in the 9th then broke out with 4 in the 11th for the win.  On the other hand, poor Chuo Nougyou was blown out by Uodzu 37-0.

In comparison, the15th was the complete opposite with mostly lopsided games, one of the few exceptions being Fujikoshi Kougyou edging out Kouhou 2-1.  Not surprisingly, if I told you that the seeded teams played on the 15th and all advanced, that would probably explain it.  Only 5-8 seed Toyama Kokusaidai Fuzoku did not achieve a mercy rule win, though they did play Takaoka Kougyou.
Rain plagued Fukui on opening day.  For Asuwa, it sadly delayed the inevitable.  For facing Fukui Koudai Fukui who was not a seeded team was rather bad luck.  7 innings later, and they were sent home, losing 8-1.  Keishin took all that Kagaku Gijyutsu could give and passed 5-4.  There was almost an upset on day 1 of games as Usui fell behind Mikuni by as much as 4 runs, fought back to take the lead, then held off a late charge for the 9-8 win.

What's more surprising than seeing a non-seeded Fukui Koudai Fukui?  How about an unseeded Fukui Shougyou?  That was the case as Maruoka stepped in the opposing dugout.  They lasted 7 innings in an 8-0 loss.  Fukushou will face Wakasa who was almost level with Fujishima for the entire game, and though let a 1-run lead slip in the 12th made sure to advance with 6 runs in the 13th inning.

Should Fukui Koudai Fukui upset Tsuruga Kehi, and Fukui Shougyou defeat Wakasa, there will be a semifinal matchup that in most years might be a semifinal matchup or better.

Ishikawa started on the 13th and had Nonoichi Meirin rout Kanazawa Nisui 11-3 in 8 innings.

5 games on the full docket, and most were yawners except for Kanazawa Nishigaoka getting by Iida 3-1, and Kanazawa Shougyou outlasting Daishouji 3-2 in 11.

The 15th again was mostly the same with the exception of those at Benkei Stadium.  There, Kenritsu Kougyou won the battle of industrial schools, defeating Komatsu Kougyou 1-0.  Ootori Gakuen followed that up by using a run in the 6th and 7th innings to beat Kanazawa Kouyou 3-1.

Shiga's opening day was cut short.  After Rittou blew an early lead and had to scramble to defeat Katata 8-6, the rains postponed Higashi-Ootsu and Youkaichi Minami.

The next day Higashi-Ootsu would win 2-1, though again, the rains would cancel all remaining games at Oujiyama though Moriyama Kita and Kousei would play 1 scoreless inning before the umpires thought better of it.  Same over at Hikone with Kousen defeating Ootsu Shougyou 4-1 before games were cancelled.

The 15th was the first full day of games that were actually played, and over at Oujiyama Torahime rallies in the last 2 innings to beat Echiko 3-2, and Minakuchi uses a 2-run 8th for a gyakuten 4-3 win over Nagahama Kita.

Yamanashi has had no problems with the rain, and my team from this prefecture, Nihon Koukuu (i.e. Japan Aviation Academy) used a 6-run 4th to beat Shirane 7-3, then 2 days later traded huge blows with Ootsuki Tankidai Fuzoku before scoring 6 unanswered runs in the middle innings for a 13-7 win.  They will face 5-8 seed Nichidai Meisei next after they beat Koufu Dai-ichi 8-4.

In fact, all seeded teams that have played so far advanced without issue.  They include Yamanashi Gakuindai Fuzoku, Toukaidai Koufu and Fuji Gakuen.

In other action, Nirasaki Kougyou finds something in the well with their backs against the wall, scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Hokuto 2-1.

With games pushed back one scheduled game day, Blocks A and B got started on the 13th.  All 4 seeded teams within those blocks (Oogaki Nichidai, Teikyoudai Kani, Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou and Minokamo) advanced via mercy rule.  In fact of the 16 games played, only 3 were close.  Kanou got by Ikeda late 4-3, Gifu Dai-ichi using a 5-run 7th to break the game open late against Nakatsu Shougyou, and Kakamigahara Nishi also with 2 runs late for a gyakuten win over Gujyou Kita.

The games were much more tighter on the 14th in the C & D Blocks.  So much so that C Block seed Mashita Seifu lost 1-0 to Gujyou in their first game!  It wasn't the only close one in Takayama as Hida-Takayama tied it at 3 with Gifu Jyouhoku in the bottom of the 9th winning 3 innings later 4-3.  Over in Seki Municipal, Mugi won a 14-inning marathon over Kamo 5-4.  And in other action, a HR by Taniguchi was insufficient for Takayama Kougyou as they fell to Fuwa 2-1, and a 4-run flurry for Kani just fell short as they lost to seeded Nagara 5-4.

Back to Blocks A & B on the 15th and it was status quo for the seeded teams.  Kanou gets another mention after surviving another 1-run game, this time 1-0 over Oogaki Kougyou, while Seki Shoukou uses a pair of runs in each of the final 2 innings to beat Ginan Kougyou.

For Aichi, rounds go at a frenetic pace as each game day means over 20 games across the prefecture.

And with so many games, there are bound to be many interesting games.

Such was the case with Kouyou on the 13th.  After scoring 6 runs in the 6th to take a commanding 10-3 lead, Nanzan facing elimination replies with 7 runs in the next two innings to tie the game.  Kouyou would win it in the bottom of the 9th 11-10.  Sadly, Tokoname would dismiss them 2 days later 12-2 in 6 innings.  Toukai Shougyou would just about replicate the feat in the very next game at Atsuta Jingu - but the biggest difference being that they score 6 runs in the final 2 innings, take the lead 8-7 giving Nishin Nishi no chance to reply.

Over in Toyoda, Okazaki Jyousei let an early 5-0 lead slip away versus Gamagoori, but scored 2 in the top of the 9th to save the win.  However, their next opponent would be Shigakukan (who isn't a bad team in Aichi) and while they gave them a decent run, they would lose 4-0.

To the 14th and Nagakute bookended a 12 inning affair with Kira with 3 runs for a 6-3 victory.  Rather fortunate considering they allowed Kira to tie the game in the 8th.  Next up will be Seto Kita Sougou.  Ichinomiya Kougyou held off a 9th inning rally by Toyota Ootani just enough to win 3-2.  Chigusa is next on the docket.  And the alma mater of one of my new friends unfortunately lost as well with Nagoya Minami falling 3-2 to Shinjyou.

No seeded teams have played yet, thanks to Aichi's unique double-bye for those teams.

Shizuoka
Shizuoka is much the same, with games from the 13th to 15th representing 1st round play - so no seeded teams as of yet.

Opening day was not kind to Shimada as they were routed by Toukaidai Shouyou 12-2 in 6 innings.

Onto other 1st round action, and Hamamatsu Jyouhoku Kougyou rallied late against Kakagu Gijyutsu then thought to have the game won in the 10th before finally putting it away 8-4 in 12 innings.  5-8 seed Gotenba Nishi is next.  Seiryou will move on to face Hamamatsu Gakuin after scoring the only run in the bottom of the 9th versus Fuji Higashi.  The same can be said for Kakegawa Nishi and Nichidai Mishima - the only difference being that Nichidai Mishima scored a run in the top of the 9th before Kakegawa Nishi scored 2 to end the game. Itou trailed Shizuoka Shiritsu 5-0 after 2 innings, fought back to tie it in the 8th and would win 8-6 in 11.  Ina Sougou down 3 in the 9th would score 4 for the 8-7 win over Fuji.

But perhaps in one of the most heartbreaking games of all qualifying would be Kiga.  After tying it up in the 7th with Arai the game would go into extras.  In the 14th they would score 2 to take the lead, only to have Arai tie it in the bottom of the 14th.  And in the final inning, when all Kiga could play for is a draw, Arai scores one to win the game.

Niigata
With games spaced out, Niigata wasn't affected as much by the rain. Round of 16 action at Sanjyou Kikai wound up being a surprise as both seeded teams, #3 Nagaoka Oote and 5-8 Sado both lost! Nagaoka Oote gave up 4 in the 1st and never recovered against Niigata Kenou Kougyou while Niigata Meikun scored all 3 of their runs in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Sado 3-2!

Nihon Bunri led 4-0 over Teikyou Nagaoka before Teikyou scored 6 to take the lead! But Nihon Bunri had time to recover, tied the game in the 6th and won 10-6.

#2 Hokuetsu too would fall at Shibata Ijimino as Shirone scores 3 in the bottom of the 8th for the gyakuten 6-5 win.

Onto the quarterfinals and Nihon Bunri got involved in one heck of a battle with Murakami Sakuragaoka! After falling behind 3-0 in the top of the 1st, they score 5, then give 4 right back! Things got worse in the 6th after Murakami scored 2 more. That meant they were trailing 9-5! But Nihon Bunri would finally respond. 3 in the 6th and one more in the 7th finally brought them level. And in the bottom of the 9th, they score the winning run, but a rather unusual game from them here in the quarterfinals.

Shirone on the other side surprised yet another team as Katou shut out Gosen 2-0!

To the semis, and Nihon Bunri struggled again, this time against Chuuetsu. Managing just 1 run early, Chuuetsu took the 2-1 lead in the 6th. It would be 1 inning later where they'd take a 3-2 lead, but even though they reach the finals, I don't know if they can get away with it against Niigata Meikun. They mercilessly end Shirone's run with a 9-1 mercy game.

Nagano
In what could be considered a big upset, unknown Komoro Shougyou and ace Niimi(?) shutout Saku Chousei 3-0! That still leaves some big name teams, but it sure opens the door!

Joining Komoro Shougyou would be Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri, who scored 4 in the 4th but that was all they needed to beat Toukai Dai-san 4-3.

Meanwhile, emerging power Nagano Nichidai goes down in a shocker to to Matsumoto Dai-ichi 6-4!

Matsushou Gakuen does advance to the semis, but with a less than convincing 4-2 win over Iiyama.

In the semis, Matsushou Gakuen advanced to the finals with little resistance from Komoro Shougyou. It would seem like no matter the opponent, they should have no problem. After all, neither of them had been to Koushien before.

Their opponent would be Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri who won 2-0...

In the beginning though, it was Shidai who took the lead first. 3 runs in the 2nd and Matsushou was on their heels. It wouldn't be until the 6th inning when Matsushou would finally get on the board against ace Aibara. And the very next inning they knocked him out and scored 3 runs to boot to take the lead.

Things looked well for Matsuhou after that. All Kumatani had to do was close it out. But in the 9th he faltered. Shidai would score 3 runs in the 9th to take a 1 run lead. Matsushou once again was on the verge of being knocked out. Once again, they manufactured a run against reliever Kaneko to send it into extras.

That would be it for starter Kumatani as Miwa would relieve him, but 2 hits and only 1 out later, he would be relieved by their 3rd pitcher Hara. He gets them out of the mess, but he may be the end of the line for Matsushou.

As the game progressed, neither team was able to manufacture a run.

That was until the 13th when Shidai was able to push in a run, once again putting Matsushou on their heels.

This time though, there would be no comeback. The middle of the lineup couldn't deliver for Matsushou and Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri earns their 1st ever Koushien appearance!

Toyama
Toyama had the benefit of going slowly given the number of teams. They've actually been able to go through just 2 games a day each at 2 sites.

One of those games was in the 2nd round when Sakurai and Shin-Minato go extras, with Sakurai taking a 2-1 lead in the 12th only to have Fukushima falter in the end giving up 2 for the loss.

Shin-Minato's next game against Fushiki was even crazier. Down 4-0 before getting their first AB, they quickly got 3 back. After trading some runs in the next couple of innings, Shin-Minato scores 6 in the 6th to take a 11-6 lead! That lasted all of... almost nothing. Fushiki scores 5 in the lucky 7 and we were tied! Shin-Minato finally puts it away with 3 in the 8th for a 14-11 win!

Even by the Best 8, things had going pretty much as normal. The top 2 seeds advanced, but certainly not convincing. Toyama Kokusaidai Fuzoku managed just 6 hits against Namerikawa but scored the only run. Takaoka Shougyou limited Fujikoshi Kougyou to just 2 hits, but won 4-1.

Shin-Minato's quarterfinal game had to be pushed back due to rain, but when it finally got underway, it was another nail-biter. Takaoka Nishi kept the game close until the 8th when Shin-Minato scored 3 for the eventual 5-3 win.

In the semifinals, Toyama Kokusaidai Fuzoku uses a 4-run 5th to distance themselves from Tonami Kougyou for a 6-3 win. Shin-Minato will be their opponent as they win 15-6 over Takaoka Shougyou. Interestingly, it's Shin-Minato who's been to Koushien before, and seeded Takaoka Kokusaidai Fuzoku who hasn't!

Fukui
Not surprisingly, 3 of the 4 semifinalists were Fukui Koudai Fukui, Fukui Shougyou and Tsuruga Kehi. The 4th seeded team, Nyuu, who seems to at least be above average, lost to Takefu Shougyou in the round prior.

So in the semis, Koudai Fukui had no trouble with the outlier of the bunch as they won 6-0. The Fukushou-Tsuruga Kehi game on the other hand was close as expected. Neither team was able to scratch out a lead bigger than 2 until the bottom of the 8th as Fukushou got to Tsuruga Kehi's ace Yamamoto for 2 to get a 3-run lead. It was left to Fukushou's Yamamoto to shut things down. Except he wasn't able to cleanly. 1 run was in for Kehi, then 2... But Yamamoto managed to record the 3rd out and it setup a familiar final between two powerhouse schools.

Sadly though the finals were all Fukui Shougyou. Despite keeping the deficit at 1 early, they couldn't stop Fukushou from scoring in the middle innings. When all was said and done, Fukushou had earned their 2nd consecutive appearance and 21st overall.

Ishikawa
As the tournament moved into the round of 16 we could start noting some of the favored teams such as Kanazawa and Yuugakukan though you could be assured they'd advance far.

Looking at the other teams, there were some interesting battles. Komatsu defeats Hakui 3-2 in 12, Kanazawa Sakuragaoka rallies from down 6-0 to defeat Kanazawa Izumigaoka 9-6.

But in the end it would be Kanazawa and Yuugakukan who would meet in the final. Kanazawa would build a 4-0 lead early and not relinquish it, winning 8-5 for their 13th appearance and first since 2008.

Shiga
Much like other rural prefectures, certain teams dominate the area. Here in Shiga, it's primarily Kita-Ootsu and Oumi.

Yet this year they didn't seem as dominating. While Oumi won their first games 4-1 and 5-0, Kita-Ootsu won 3-1, then won 1-0 in 12 over Hikone Higashi (who really isn't that bad of a team).

That meant the door was possibly opened for other teams. Takashima, down 5-1 to Youkaichi in the bottom of the 9th score 5 to win the game and earn a crack at Kita-Ootsu.

Surpringly, it was not Kita-Ootsu, but Oumi who would fall first. Seta Kougyou scores 4 in the 8th and 9th innings to win 9-6! Kita-Ootsu survived yet again with a 3-1 win over Takashima.

Perhaps the only team that showed some domination was a different seeded team - Hachiman Shougyou who had won their first games combined 15-2 before defeating Kawase 4-1.

In the semis, Hachiman Shougyou flexed its muscle again, mercy-ruling Seta Kougyou 7-0 in 7. Kita-Ootsu makes it to the final with another close game against Oumi Kyoudaisha 4-2.

To the finals, and Kita-Ootsu seemed to be destined to be one of those teams who liked playing low scoring affairs. They build a 3-0 lead early, and looked to be in control. But in the 5th, Hachiman Shougyou out of nowhere goes on a run and scores 6 runs! Kita-Ootsu, who has played a low scoring strategy suddenly needs to keep up. But trying for runs at this point is difficult and as a result they lose 6-4 and Hachiman wins their 7th title and heads to Koshien for the first time in 5 years!

Yamanashi
So in the semifinals, Yamanashi Gakuindai Fuzoku had no trouble with Koufu Shougyou after pulling off the upset on A seed Toukaidai Koufu. Meanwhile Nihon Koukuu had their own upset to pull off against Koufu Kougyou and succeeded 6-4. Interestingly, all 4 semifinals were a Natsu Koushien representative in each of the last 5 years except last year (Hikawa).

In the finals, Gakuindai opened the scoring in the 4th with a run but JAA responded with 3 in their half. But Gakuindai started chipping away in the 6th, tying it in the 7th then blowing it open with 7 runs in the last 2 innings for the 10-3 win. This is their 5th title, and 1st in 2 years.

Gifu
Well, for almost all seeded teams remaining in the block semifinals, they all advanced. Though for teams like Seki Shoukou, they went from tied at 1-1 into the 9th, to down 4-1, to a sayonara 5-4 win!

The only seeded team remaining not to advance was Tounou Jitsugyou. They fell 9-5 to Gujyou.

To the block finals, and the shocker of them all came in the first game. Block A saw Seki Shoukou take a 4-1 lead over Oogaki Nichidai with 4 in the 5th! After extending it to 4 with a run in the 7th, ace Naijyou(?) gave it all right back, and was knocked out. And so, Oogaki Nichidai with new life, seemed to be back in control of the game. But Oogaki's 3rd pitcher of the game, Ueki, couldn't record an out. 2 hits later, and Kassai was tasked to save the inning.

Yet, he would be unable to do so. Seki Shoukou plates a run and takes the lead once again. Reliever Yasue shuts the Nichidai offense down, and they pull off the 6-5 upset!

Joiing Seki Shoukou would be Oogaki Shougyou, Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou, and Gujyou.

In the redraw for the semis, the expected blockbuster matchup game not in the finals, but the semis. Yes, Oogaki Shougyou and Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou drew each other. The game started off competitive as Oogaki Shougyou nudged out to a 2-1 lead. But in the 7th, Oogaki Shougyou scored 6 runs putting Kengishou on mercy watch. And sure enough, they were unable to score and Oogaki Shougyou advanced to the finals.

And though Seki Shoukou advanced to meet them, it was all but a certainty that Oogaki Shougyou would go to Koushien.

Whoops.

No one told Seki Shoukou that...

In the 2nd and 3rd innings, Seki Shoukou scores 2 runs apiece to take a shocking 4-0 lead on the favorites! Meanwhile, Naijyou scatters 7 hits across the board as he gives his team their 1st ever Koushien appearance!

Aichi
Almost 2 full weeks after the first games started in Aichi, the seeded teams finally start their games in their blocks. This is because the format chosen means these teams get not 1, but 2 bye rounds before they even play a game.

All the seeded teams did advance, though some not without some difficulty. Block A, Shigakukan scored 4 in the 9th to beat Douhou 10-7. In Block D, Kikuka needed all 15 innings before scoring the sayonara run to beat Niwa 3-2. And in Block F, Oobu gave up a 1-run lead to Bihoku before winning in 10.

In other block games, Kira scored in each of the last 3 innings to defeat Kariya Kita 3-2. Meijyoudai Fuzoku and Shouwa played to a 2-2 draw. The following day, it would be Meijyoudai who jumped out to an early lead and win 8-5.

There'd be more trouble for the seeded teams in the block semis. Shigakukan got into trouble yet again, but not in the way you'd think. Down 3-0 To Aichi Sangyoudai Kougyou they score 7 in the 7th and the game seems to be under control. Yet the very next half-inning Sangyoukou scores 6 to retake a 2-run lead! Well, with just 2 innings to go, and getting punched in the mouth like that it seemed like this time it would be the end. Yet they score 3 in the bottom of the 9th and advance 10-9!

Oobu too was in trouble. Down 3 to Tojyaku in the bottom of the 9th, they find a way to tie the game up and win 5-4 in 10.

Aichi was not so lucky in Block B. They fall 3-2 to Toyokawa and become the first casualty. Next, and perhaps most surprising of all was 2009 Natsu Koushien winner Chuukyoudai Chuukyou who lost to Jishuukan 3-2!

We also had our 2nd draw as Chiryuu and Aichi Shougyou played to a 5-5 draw. Chiryuu would win the replay 6-2.

Of the 8 seeded teams, the 6 remaining after the upsets did advance.

Perhaps the weakest of the bunch may have be Oobu who though seeded played 3 consecutive enchousen games, including their block final against Chiryuu. That went the full 15 before they scored 2, and yet almost blew it again (Chiryuu scored 1).

The Final 8 was redrawn, and it was very lopsided. The 2 favorites, Aikoudai Meiden and Touhou were on one side of the draw, along with Aichi Keisei who while never has to Koushien, has fared really well in the prefecture. On the other side the only team to have advanced to Koushien was Oobu.

Aikoudai Meiden and Touhou did win their games, though by margins of 5-2 and 3-1. Oobu's run did indeed run out against Toyokawa 6-3, and Shigakukan went 14 innings against Kikuka before winning 2-1.

In the semis, Aikoudai Meiden was able to edge out Touhou 6-5 through a 5-run 5th. Shigakukan would be their opponent as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead after 1 and used the cushion to win 10-7.

The finals were held the very next day amidst not to friendly clouds. The conditions seemed to favor Shigakukan as they overcame a 2-0 deficit in the first to lead 4-2 when the game went into rain delay at the end of 5. When the game resumed, Aikoudai Meiden would immediately pull within 1 against 3rd pitcher Iwata.

But Iwata would be able to shut down Ichiro's alma mater and Shigakukan earns their 1st ever Koushien appearance with a 4-3 win!

Shizuoka
As Shizuoka moved on in their tournament, the teams to watch out for would be Tokoha Kikugawa, Shizuoka and Seisei.

In the meantime, the other teams needed to keep advancing to even have a shot, no matter how small. Iwata Kita almost blew that chance twice. First, they lose a 2-run lead to Seikei in the top of the 9th, then Seikei scored a run in the 11th. Iwata Kita was able to score 2 to advance 6-5. Fuji Shiritsu had to go 15 innings against Hamakita Nishi to win 3-1.

Seeded Hamamatsu Nishi was not so fortunate, having to rally against Touyou from down 3-0 early, but lost 4-3 in the bottom of the 9th. Shizuoka Shougyou was next in the round of 16, falling 9-1 in 7 innings to Iwata Higashi!

So on one side of the best 8, all 4 seeded teams advanced. On the other side, only Nirayama remained.

The quarterfinals saw Nirayama and Iwata Higashi advancing on one side with 5-0 victories, Shizuoka defeating the weak link Hiryuu, and Tokoha Kikugawa and Seisei battling the full 9 innings before Tokoha Kikugawa made the sayonara victory 3-2.

In the semis, the last seeded team on the left side of the bracket finally fell as Nirayama lost to Iwata Higashi 6-3. But to win their first ever natsu title, they'd have to go through Shizuoka who dominated Tokoha Kikugawa 12-4.

But Iwata Higashi put up a great fight. Ace Abe kept Shizuoka to 1 run early, and allowed them to tie it up in the 4th with a HR from 1B Moriguchi. Except he'd give the 1-run lead right back to them. An insurance run in the bottom of the 8th spelled doom for the potential first-timers as Harazaki gives Shizuoka their 22nd title and first in 8 years!

Niigata
With a day off on the 12th, play would begin on the 13th with the 2nd round.

• 5-8 seed Sado, who made it to senbatsu, starts their run with a 12-1 win over Kamo.
• 3 seed Nagaoka Oote finds themselves having to rally multiple times against Takada Kitashiro including scoring 3 in the 9th just to tie the game! They would advance with a 8-7 win in 10, but it has to be a wakeup call for them. We'll have to see how they do against Tookamachi Sougou.
  
• At Midori-no-mori, 5-8 seed Tookamachi wins easily over Sanjyou Sougou.
• Top seed Nihon Bunri methodically picks apart Kashiwazaki 7-0 in 7 innings. Odjiya Nishi is next on the docket.
• 2 seed Hokuestu lets Niigata pull within 1 in the bottom of the 8th but 2 in the 9th gives them enough cushion.
• 4 seed Chuuetsu too has issues in their first game. They fall behind 3-0, then 5-1 to Sanjyou before scoring 2 in the 7th and in the bottom of the 9th to win 6-5.
• 5-8 seed Sekine Gakuen wins handily 6-2 over Arai and will play Nagaoka Kougyou next.
• It seems like the 5-8 seeds are having a better time of things as Gosen defeats Aikawa 11-1 in 6.
• Teikyou Nagaoka continues to carry the name of their parent university as they win 1-0 over Takada.
• Niigata Meikun takes a 5-2 lead and cruises to a 6-4 win over Muikamachi.
• Niigata Dai-ichi comes back with 2 in the bottom of the 9th to steal the win away from Niigata Kouyou.

No day off between Rounds 2 and 3, as teams start turning around faster between games.

• Nagaoka Oote recovers after the shaky start to mercy rule Tookamachi Sougou.
• Niigata Kenou Kougyou needed their early 3-0 lead as Niitsu Kougyou would start trying to make a comeback. However Kenou continued to score runs to keep the distance. Niitsu would pull within 1 at 9-8 but could never pull level.
  
• Nihon Bunri will play Teikyou Nagaoka as both win their games with little trouble.
• Hokuetsu after stumbling in the 1st against Niigata Kougyou, scores 10 unanswered to win 11-5. Their opponent will be Shirone who themselves score 10 unanswered in the last 3 innings to defeat Niigata Shougyou 11-8.
• Chuuetsu plays yet another close game, this time against Niigata Sangyoudai Fuzoku once again scoring a sayonara run in the bottom of the 9th. Their next opponent will be Bunsui as Sanjyou Higashi cannot prevent the mercy rule from being called in the 7th.
• Sado advances with a 5-1 win over Nagaoka, but will have a tough test against Niigata Meikun.
• Tookamachi is the first seeded team to fall as Murakami Sakuragaoka mercy rules them 10-2 in 7.
• Gosen and Maki will face off in the round of 16 with solid wins.
• Sekine Gakuen's victory in the 3rd round means that Tookamachi, Nihon Bunri's seeded opposition in their quadrant was the only one not to advance to the round of 16. Sekine's opponent will be Niigata Dai-ichi.

Nagano
Round 2

• Saku Chousei shows little rust in their first game mercy ruling Iiyama Kita.
• Maruko Shigakukan edges out Nagano Shougyou 3-2.
• Toukai Dai-san has no trouble with Nakano Risshikan 10-0 in 6.
• Matsumoto Kougyou down 6-1 scores 10 (10!) in the top of the 8th to win 11-7 over Ina Yayoigaoka.
• Nagano Nichidai easily dispatches Matsumoto Arigasaki 10-2 in 7.
• Iiyama scores 3 in the 8th to defeat Okaya Kougyou 4-3.
• At Ueda Prefectural on the 13th we had 3 close games as Shinonoi records a sayonara victory against Matsumoto Misuzugaoka 4-3, Hotaka lets Suzuka Engei pull within 1 in the bottom of the 9th but win 3-2, and Shimo-Suwa Kouyou pulls off a last minute win over Ikeda Kougyou.
• Matsushou Gakuen, absent as of late in Nagano looks to make a comeback with a 7-0 win over Tatsuno.
• Shimo-Ina Nougyou score 4 in the 8th to cut a 5-0 deficit down to 1, but can't find the equalizer to Nozawa Kita.
• Chikyuu Kankyou (translated means Global Environment) has actually done decently in recent years, starts their run with a 7-2 win over Tagawa.
• Koumi scores a run in the 8th and 9th to defeat Nagano Minami 2-1.

Round 3

• Saku Chousei struggles against Shinonoi winning 2-1 though they did only give up 4 hits.
• Hotaka Shougyou pulls a minor upset against Maruko Shigakukan 8-5.
• Toukai Dai-san moves onto the round of 16 with a 3-1 win over Suwa Seiryou.
• Nagano Nichidai wins its 2nd consecutive game 10-2 in 7. Ina Kita is their victim this time.
• Akaho pings Shima-Suwa Kouyou for a run in 4 consecutive innings to win 5-4.
• Nagano tries to make a game out of it, pulling within 1 right after Komoro Shougyou expanded their lead to 5, but can't produce the douten run.
• Chikyuu Kankyou 1-hits Okaya Minami winning 6-0.
• Matsushou Gakuen spots 6 runs to Kami-Ina Nougyou in the top of the 1st, but slowly works their way back culminating with 2 in the 9th for the win!

Round 4

• Saku Chousei is back on track with a 9-0 win over Akaho in 7.
• Chikyuu Kankyou's run ends with a 4-1 loss to Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri. Too bad, they had interesting uniforms.

We're in the best 8 now and the matchups are as follows:

• Saku Chousei v. Nagano
• Iiyama v. Matsushou Gakuen
• Matsumoto Dai-ichi v. Nagano Nichidai
• Toukai Dai-san v. Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri

I wouldn't be surprised to see Saku Chousei v. Matsushou Gakuen, and Nagano Nichidai v. Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri in the semis.

Toyama
Round 1 came and gone without much excitement save for a 5-5 game between Takaoka and Tonami before Takaoka scores 5 to decide the issue, and Toyama hanging on for dear life against Fukuoka winning 9-8.

Round 2 so far has also gone by without much excitement save for Kouhou winning 8-6 in extra innings against Kamiichi, and... oh yeah... Toyama Higashi, a 3-4 seed, manages just 5 hits and strikes out 10 times, rallies for 2 in the 9th, but loses to Takaoka Nishi 3-2!

Fukui
Fukui's 1st day of action ended with a high-scoring affair between Usui and Maruoka. Usui build an 8-4 lead, and seemed to be in control. However in the bottom of the 8th, Maruoka scores 6 and shocks Usui by taking a 10-8 lead! But they say the last 3 outs are the hardest to get and in this case it was. Usui scores 4 to retake the lead! Maruoka tries to mount a final rally but falls a run short losing 12-11.

Final day of 1st round games saw the following:

• Koshi use a pair of runs in the 6th and 7th to beat Asuwa 4-2.
• Fujishima using a 4-run first to win 5-4 over Tsuruga.
• Takefu Higashi outscoring Katsuyama 2-1 in the 6th. That was the final score too.

Ishikawa
The opening game in Ishikawa started off with a 14-9 win by Terai over Tsurugi.

The games on the first full day of competition included some wacky scores. Most notably was a 9-4 run by Noto to defeat Kanazawa Kouyou 12-11.

In other 1st round games, Daishouji Jitsugyou made a late comeback against Komatsu Kougyou, but would fall 1-run short at 7-6. Ootori Gakuen scores a run in the 8th and 9th innings to defeat Houdatsu 3-2.

Komatsu Shiritsu reversed a 4-run 8th but Kanazawa Fushimi to win 5-4. Nanao Shimonome down 7-1 score 4 in the 8th and 3 in the 9th to bid sayonara to Touka Gakuen Oyamadai. Finally Daishouji scores 2 in the 10th to beat Suisei 6-4.

Shiga
Shiga opened play on the 14th with an extra inning affair. Mizoguchi outlasts Hikone Kougyou 2-1 in 11. Other 1st round games included:

• Hikone Higashi, not seeded this year begins their march to Koushien with a 12-3 win over Yasu.
• Maibara scoring 2 in the 9th to beat Shiga Tankidai Fuzoku 4-2.
• Youkaichi withe 3 late runs, including the sayonara run in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Shiga Gakuen 6-5.
• Hino's run in the 6th was enough to defeat Nagayama 5-4.
• Kousen and Hachiman Kougyou do all their scoring in the final 4 innings capped off by 3 in the bottom of the 9th to give Kousen the 5-4 sayonara win.
• Ika and Kousei spread their runs throughout the game, though Kousei wins by the same 5-4 score.
• Kawase allows Higashi-Ootsu to come back from 4 down to send it into extras, though they win with a run in the 11th.
• Rittou scores 2 in the bottom of the 8th to take a 6-3 lead over Notogawa. With just 3 outs to go, Notogawa scores 4 to take a 1-run lead! Rittou is unable to respond and Notogawa advances.
• Ishiyama pulled off a miraculous comeback against Torahime. Down 6-0, Ishiyama begins their comeback with 3 in the lucky 7. Torahime scores 4 to make it a 7-run deficit. Ishiyama only manages 2 putting them down 10-5. In the bottom of the 9th, neither ace Fujimoto nor reliever Takahashi can prevent Ishiyama from scoring 6 to complete the comeback and win 11-10!

The first game of the 3rd round as well as games on the 19th were rained out due to Typhoon Ma-on.