高校野球 (Kokoyakyu)

I'm going to make this short because the results depress me.

In Miyagi, Sanuma gives their best effort at Rakuten Kobo Stadium against Rifu, and actually rally to tie the game at 2 in the 5th.  But Rifu edges ahead with a run in the 6th, and Sanuma can't find the equalizer.  They fall just short 3-2.

Yamanashi was more heartbreaking for me.  Trailing 3-1 in the 7th, Nihon Koukuu scores 7 runs to lead 8-3.  But they can't hold it.  2 in the 8th makes it a 8-5 game.  Then an error by their 2B extended the game, and allowed Toukaidai Koufu to not only tie the game, but take the 9-8 lead.  Nihon Koukuu winds up the bridesmaids yet again, falling this time to Toukaidai Koufu 9-8...

I get to go to bed depressed.

There is a lot to go through, and I have less time to cover it all:

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

Things get a bit more wacky as we start heading south and west...

Ibaraki
Regional play has been completed, and 29 teams moved on to prefectural play.  Jyousou Gakuin got a free pass and is probably expected to go deep into the tournament. Kasumigaura, who was just 6 outs away from winning their first title, is also present - but the question will be has their time passed them by? If they do get their revenge matchup it will be in the finals, but in the haru format does not guarantee them a spot in Koushien.

However, the other seeded teams are Meishuu Hitachi, Suijyou and Fujishiro - the latter 2 being familiar names.

Tochigi
Tochigi has no such regionals, all 61 teams are just thrown into a bracket and they beat each other up. So far, Sakushin Gakuin looks to be the front-runner with mercy-rule wins in their first two games and advancing into the quarterfinals.

Joining them are 5 other "seeded teams" including Sano Nichidai, Hakuoudai Ashikaga and Bunsei Geidai Fuzoku. Only the former has had mercy-rule wins throughout.

Gunma
Sadly, when it comes to the one-time winners, it kind of follows that they are unable to follow it up.

Such was the case with Maebashi Ikuei, who couldn't get past their first game losing to Oota Kougyou 4-3...

As a result, the mainstays have been able to reassert themselves within the prefecture at least - sort of.

Kendai Takasaki has made the semifinals, in Kendai fashion, with not one, not two, but three 1-run ballgames. They will face Kitoku, who is definitely a solid C team, for an automatic bid into the Super-Regional.

On the other side, Kiryuu Dai-ichi is back once again and will face unknown Takasaki Shoudai Fuzoku.

Saitama
The struggles for Urawa Gakuin continue... Ojima cannot get them past their 2nd game of the prefecturals, falling to Honjyou Dai-ichi 3-2.  They will face Yashio Minami for a spot in the semifiinals.

Elsewhere, familiar names Saitama Sakae and Hanasaki Tokuharu after eking out 4-3 sayonara wins will face each other... there's an all-Kawagoe matchup as Kawagoe Higashi and Shiritsu Kawagoe meetup...

...and can Kasukabe Kyouei finally get to Koushien please? Two shutout wins pit them now against Matsuyama for a spot in the semis.

Chiba
Kisaradzu Sougou had the unfortunate draw to face Toukaidai Bouyou right off the bat in the prefecturals... and lost 2-1.  Oddly enough they then lost to unknown Abiko in the very next game 3-1!

There were even more early strong matchups as Chiba Keizaidai Fuzoku defeated Toukaidai Urayasu 3-1.  Senshuudai Matsudo has been given no favors having to face Chiba Keiai and now Narita.

Narashino is still alive, but two close games so far do not instill confidence in the team's strength early despite having an easy road so far.

And don't forget about Kashiwa Nittai, they're always in the mix and may not have a challenge until a possible matchup with Chiba Reimei in the quarterfinals.

Kanagawa
Toukou Gakuen look to make it back to the Super-Regionals having defeated Nichidai Fujisawa and Yokohama Sougakukan.  They should have no trouble against a Nichidai squad despite them giving up their first runs of the taikai in the last round in a 5-4 win over Busou.

The bigger matchup is Toukaidai Sagami (who has just beat the heads in on all opponents - including Touin Gakuen) all without giving up a run, versus a Yokohama squad who once again does not look all that impressive though they did have to face Yokohama Hayato and Keio Gijyuku.

Yamanashi
We could be in line for a rematch of the natsu final as both Hikawa and Nihon Koukuu are on opposite sides of the bracket and are on a collision course. In their way immediately right now are Koufu Kougyou and Koufu Shougyou respectively.  After that, it could be fellow powerhouses Yamanashi Gakuindai Fuzoku and Toukaidai Koufu. So while the rematch may happen, there's still some obstacles left to go.

And now for those that happened on the 27th:

Higashi Tokyo - Shuutoku (5th title, 1st in 9 years)
I realize I'm cheating in covering Higashi Tokyo, but for a reason.

Almost no one (Teikyou) was able to stop Shuutoku.

No one.

How bad was it for the field?  Well, Shuutoku in their 8 games had 2 non-mercy rule games - their 4-2 defeat of Teikyou, and the final (which has no mercy rule).

But Teikyou did have the best shot at Shuutoku.  In fact, they had the 2-1 lead through 6 innings.  But as is the case - and will always be the case until they prove me otherwise - until they can develop an ace, they will never win Koushien.  And so it was that Teikyou would give up 3 runs in the final 3 innings to fall 4-2.  That would be the best shot any team would have at stopping them.

Credit should be given though where credit is due.  All of the other seeded teams at the edges of the bracket advanced to the semifinals.  #2 Nishougakushadai Fuzoku did not dominate at all, save for the semifinal where they defeated #3 Kanto Dai-ichi who save for a narrow win over Adachi Gakuen did dominate the field  (Hope you caught all that).  And finally, Tokyo Jitsygyou who out of nowhere won their 4 games as the #4 seed location on the bracket to reach the semifinals where they, like many, got mercy ruled.

Chiba - Kisaradzu Sougou (4th title, 2nd consecutive)
Chiba breaks my heart so hard, I really don't want to talk about it.  Not that it probably wasn't expected, but that my hopes were brought up really high, only to have them crushed like a spider on the heel of someone's shoe.

Despite 171 teams playing in the Chiba taikai, out of the 16 seeded teams, 10 were able to advance to the Round of 16.  Some of the notable casualties? Choushi Shougyou, Shigakukan, and Kashiwa Nittai.

Now, the reason why I cannot be unbiased really regarding Chiba is the fact that I am unapologetic in rooting for Narashino. They're a public school who consistently does well and has been good enough to break through and get to Koushien on several occasions.

However, despite my homerism, I'm still a realist at heart (okay, pessimist).  I knew Narashino wasn't as good this year, and was a B (5-8) seed for the summer taikai.  But, they did make it into the round of 16 and that was a start.  A solid 5-2 win over unseeded Nichidai Narashino wasn't convincing, but they were still alive.  Next up was C (9-16) seed Narita.  I remember seeing the end part of that game, Narashino trailing 5-3.  Somehow, and I still can't believe it, Narashino comes back to score a pair of runs to tie the game. 3 innings later, they win the game and I'm running around at home hooting and hollering.  Perhaps it may still be their year after all.  And when they soundly defeat a Toukaidai Bouyou squad who was a bit inconsistent but still cut their way through the field, it was just one more game.  One more game to win and Narashino will get back to Koushien!

On the other side, things did not as clear.  Only Senshuudai Matsudo, Kisaradzu Sougou and Takushokudai Kouryou were left of the seeded teams.    The former and latter would meet in the quarterfinals, and A seed Senshuudai would win... 1-0.  That would put them in a matchup against Kisaradzu Sougou who had easy games versus unseeded Ryuukeidai Kashiwa and Keiyou.

In that semi Kisaradzu Sougou held the 2-1 lead going to the top of the 9th.  But top seed Senshuudai failed to give in scoring the douten run to send it into extras.  As the innings ticked off, it became clear that Matsudo's ace Takahashi looked finished.  In the 11th inning the sayonara run stood at 2nd, in the 12th he fought off a sanrui, 1 out pinch.  Then in the 13th, after yet again facing sanrui, 1 out pinch then intentional walks to load the bases (again), Takahashi almost gets out of the pinch, but with 2 down it's a full count oshidashi sayonara walk to send Kisaradzu Sougou to the finals yet again.  For Senshuudai Matsudo, it's their 3rd straight year being eliminated in enchousen.

So the finals were B seeds Narashino and defending champion Kisaradzu Sougou.  I wound up missing the game because I forgot about the early start time.

Perhaps it would have been a good thing.

See, Narashino jumped out to a 4-1 lead after a 3-run 2nd.  Things looked good, and my earlier concerns about Narashino's pitching (from the Narita game) were waning.

But ace Matsuyama (who came in the 2nd inning) to reliever relief starter Matsumoto, faltered.  Kisaradzu would sclore 4 in the 4th to take the lead and then 1 more an inning later for a 6-4 lead.  Narashino would be scrambling after that, reclaiming one back in the 7th.

That's as close as they'd get as Chiba would be able to finish the game giving his team their 2nd straight title (and breaking my heart).

Yamanashi - Hikawa (4th title, 1st in 3 years)
Oh how I longed for Nihon Koukuu (aka Japan Aviation Academy) to return to Koushien.  But since their appearance in 2008, have kind of fallen off the map, despite being seeded several times.

This year, they were not only unseeded, but buried in the bottom of the bracket.

The early leader in the clubhouse was Yamanashi Gakuindai Fuzoku, who won 2 of the last 4 Natsu titles and posted double digit wins in their first two games.  All the other teams at least had one game where they were tested - even the other 1-4 seeds.  Toukaidai Koufu had to hold off Koufu Shougyou 7-6, Hikawa despite getting just 8 hits against Tsuru won 2-1, and Fujikawaguchiko flat out lost giving up a 4-2 lead in a 5-4 loss to Koufu Jyousai.

The only other team to have any type of blowout was actually Nihon Koukuu!  But they're not the pretty type of blowouts.  They're the ones where they just decide to outscore you, pitching be damned.  For after an innocent looking 7-3 win over Shirane, they go 13-7 and 13-6 (8 inn) there after.  Certainly a valid strategy, but one that generally doesn't work as you move up.

But, when faced with Yamanashi Gakuindai Fuzoku, they were able to get out to a 5-1 lead!  With just 3 outs to go, the Nihon Koukuu kantoku elects to move ace Tanaka off the mound for Nakano to get the last 3 outs.

Except he doesn't. He gives up 4 runs tying the game! He would get bailed out big time by cleanup batter Ishida whose 2nd hit of the game is of the sayonara variety.  Headed to the semifinals, they'd face the other top seed in their half of the bracket, Toukaidai Koufu who had to rally from down 5-2 to defeat Minobu.  Despite that close game, Toukaidai would build a 7-3 lead... only to see Nihon Koukuu score a gyakuten 6 runs in the 7th for a 9-7 win and a chance for the Yamanashi title!

Going back to the other half, upset minded Koufu Jyousai's run lasted just one more game as they fell 5-0 to Sundai Koufu.  Meanwhile, Koma was giving Hikawa fits as they led 3-0.  Hikawa though would fight back like quality teams would and win 4-3.  And in the semifinals it was a rare 9-1 blowout to move to the finals.

And so it was that Nihon Koukuu would play Hikawa for the Yamanashi title.  In the end, Nihon Koukuu outrun strategy would fail as their offense struggled against ace Yamada, only putting up more than 1 run in an inning in the 9th, when the game was already out of reach.  Hikawa wins 8-5 to claim the title.

Wakayama - Minoshima (8th title, 1st in 29 years)
With Wakayama it was always was going to be a question of how Chiben Wakayama was going to win their nth straight title (9th in this case).

Or was it?  During Chiben Wakayama's run at Natsu Koushien, they reached the semifinals once and the Best 8 three times.  However, all but one occurred in the first 3 years of that run.  In more recent years, Chiben Wakayama has seemed to weaken, even failing to win their first game 2 of the last 3 years.  It's really attributed to growing weaknesses both at the plate and on the mound.  Last year, 3 of their 5 games to the title were decided by 2 runs or less - hardly the mark of a dynastic team.

So perhaps it was no surprise then when in the 2nd round Kihoku Kougyou, behind the HR from Horita and a solid outing from ace Nakai, would dethrone the 8-time defending champions 2-1 (though perhaps the school performing the feat may have been a surprise).

Now the question was, who would take their place?

It wasn't going to be Kihoku Kougyou.  Despite handing the ball off to Nakai with a 3-2 lead through 4, he would give up 4 runs (most importantly 2 in the 9th) to fall 6-5 to Wakayama Higashi in the block final (remember that Wakayama has 4 blocks which then redraw for the semifinals).

Realistically, the team that has risen most to challenge Chiben Wakayama in recent years has been Minoshima.  In first started in their first appearance in any Koushien in 19 years, where they went to the quarterfinals of the 2009 senbatsu before losing to eventual champions Seihou.

Of course, that was 4 years ago and they haven't been back since.  The team has suffered through fits of inconsistency, but over the past year split a series with them with both games going by the final of 2-1.

Some inconsistency remained as put up a rather average 4-1 win over Kenritsu Wakayama Shougyou in the 2nd round.  But they still advanced out of their block.

The other would-be contenders would be seeded Minabe out of Block B, and surprise team Hidaka Nakatsu who after a strong 2 games upset seeded Kinkidai Shinguu then held off Minabe Ryuujin 9-6 to advance out of Block C.

The semifinal draw would not be kind for Wakayama Higashi as they drew Minoshima and proceeded to fall 8-0.  For Minabe, a 5-run first helped provide a cushion for starter Matsuda as they would defeat Hidaka Nakatasu 8-5.

And so Minabe would be the final opponent standing between Minoshima and their first appearance in almost 3 decades. Sadly for Minabe, they were not able to put up a fight and lost 10-1.  A bit of a sad way to lose in the final, but congrats of course go out to the new champions Minoshima!

Tottori - Tottori Jyouhoku (3rd appearance, 2nd consecutive)
Despite just having 25 teams, it was not good to be a seeded team.

Why?

Because 3 of the 4 seeded teams - Yonago Kita, Iwami, and Kurayoshi Sougou Sangyou, all lost in their first games!  Yonago Kita was soundly defeated by defending champs Tottori Jyouhoku (who wasn't seeded!), Iwami was done in by a sole RBI from Yonago Shouin's Tsuchie, and despite more chances for Kurayoshi Sougou Sangyou thanks to walks from Tottori Nishi's ace Mastuoka,  Tottori Nishi would get to reliever Sawada as he entered in the 10th for the sayonara victory.

Tottori Jyouhoku's only challenge on their way to the final was in semifinal opponent Kurayoshi Higashi.  Ace Uehara struggled in the game, giving up 3 runs after his team had just taken a 2-0 lead.  But reliever Fukuiwa would clamp things down for Tottori Jyouhoku as they would eventually get to Higashi ace Tamagawa for 3 more runs, knocking him out of the game.  Itou would clamp things down there after, and Kurayoshi Higashi would get a run off of Fukuiwa in the 8th... but Uehara would come back in the 9th and close it out for the 5-4 win and a spot in the finals.

On the other half, the 2 prior champions to Tottori Jyouhoku wound up advancing through the brackets.  2010 champion Yazu had no problems reaching the semis with 2 sound victories.  Conversely, 2011 winner Tottori Shougyou needed 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Tottori Ikuei 3-2, and then after blowing a 3-0 lead to aforementioned Tottori Nishi, scored 2 in the bottom of the 8th to win 5-3.

Perhaps playing from the lead was something Tottori Shougyou was unable to do this year, because in the semifinal, they had a 4-1 lead over Yazu heading to the top of the 9th.  There Yazu would score 5 runs to take a 6-4 lead, leaving Tottori Shougyou almost no time to rally.  Indeed they would fail to come back and Yazu would be in the final.

In the final, Yazu and Tottori Jyouhoku would trade blows several times, leaving the teams tied at 2 after the first 3, then again at 5 after 7.  However, reliever Kamatani for Yazu would break down in his 5th inning of work giving up 3 runs in the 8th inning.

That would prove to be too much as Tottori Jyouhoku would claim their 2nd consecutive title.

Tokushima - Naruto (8th title, 2nd consecutive)
In Tokushima there seemed no clear front-runner for the title.  Even the top tier teams struggled at some point in the tournament.

Defending champion Naruto even suffered from it as well.  Despite the first round bye and 6-2 opening win over Tomioka Nishi, they played a Tokushima Kagaku Gijyutsu squad who blew a 5-run lead to Awa only to win 10-8, then down 3-0 in the bottom of the 9th, came back to tie off Jyounouchi ace Yanagimoto and then win in 10.

In that game Bandou would be stung for 4 runs in the 7th, falling behind 4-2.  However, Naruto would recover quickly scoring 3 in their 7th and 2 more for good measure in the 8th to win 7-4.

The next challenge would be Naruto Uzushio, who blew past their first 2 opponents before hitting resurging Ikeda.  They slowly were able to overcome a 5-run 3rd, getting to every one of Ikeda's 4 pitchers they would throw out there, winning 6-5.

Both pitching staffs would be rocked early, with Naruto taking a 6-5 lead after 2.  From then on though, Bandou would keep Uzushio at bay just enough to make that lead stick winning 8-7 for a spot in the finals.

On the other side, many teams were under the banner of survive and advance.  For Seikou Gakuen, after an easy first round, ace Tokuda almost let a 4-1 lead slip away against Anan Tousen, but won 4-3.  After that, they trailed Aratano 5-2 before scoring 4 runs in the final 2 innings to tie the game up at 6.  Aratano reliever Fukuzumi was anything but, relinquishing the 5-1 lead then giving up 5 more in the 10th for an 11-6 loss.

They would face a Kawashima team who beat Tokushima Kita in the opening round 3-1, upset powerhouse Tokushima Shougyou 3-2 in the next round, and then if that weren't enough, outlasting Komatsushima 4-3 in 13 innings!

Interstingly enough, the semifinal game would be a cakewalk compared to their previous games.  Ace Ueda would make a 4-run 4th stick, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits for a 5-3 win.

But for Kawashima, facing Naruto for their first title would be a lot to ask.  Indeed, after giving up 5 runs in the first two innings, it was a formality thereafter.

Ehime - Saibi (4th title, 1st in 5 years)
All eyes in Ehime would be on Saibi and ace Anraku.  Given his performance at Senbatsu, many were eager to see him at Natsu Koushien.

Jyoukou-kantoku continued to take no chances, throwing Anraku out there in every game save for the last two outs of their win against Matsuyama Chuo.  Saibi would outclass their opponents early with Anraku giving up just 1 run on 11 hits while striking out 29 in 20.1 IP.

So the question would be, who could challenge them?

Well, #4 seed Tanbara actually got shutout by Imabari Kita 5-0.  Filling the gap would be Kawanoe, who themselves had 3 mercy rule games to meet Yawatahama in the quarterfinals.  And despite just 1 run on 5 hits, the tandem of Oonishi and Doi would give up just 3 hits and strike out 16 Yawatahama batters to win 1-0 to meet Saibi.

In that semifinal, a timely hit by Takahara and an error from Saibi gave Kawanoe a 2-0 lead.  Meanwhile, Oonishi and Doi were shutting down the Saibi offense and things started to look bleak.

But Kawanoe's kantoku had pulled Oonishi after 2.2 IP, and Doi was trying to finish the game.  But Yamashita blasted a HR in the 8th to pull them within 1.  And in the 9th, he would relinquish the lead with RBI hits from Kaneko and Hayashi Kanya.  Senba would get the last 2 outs of the inning, but the damage had been done.  Anraku closed it out for the win.

So, who would be the last barrier between Anraku and Natsu Koushien?

Well, despite Tanbara's loss, both #2 Imabari Nishi and #3 Matsuyama Seiryou both marched towards the semifinals.  Both though faced a different challenge in the quarterfinals.  Imabari Nishi played Touon and despite getting just 4 hits, won 2-0.  As for Matsuyama Seiryou, instead of a pitching affair they were in a brawl with Niihama Higashi using 5 runs in the 6th and 7th to win 13-9.

So #2 and #3 would meet to face Saibi.  Ace Kanno for Imabari Nishi would give them a 1-0 lead with his only hit of the ballgame.  But it would be all he would need as he pitches a 3-hit shutout to move to the finals.

Imabari Nishi would try to implement a rotation of Kanno and Ishigaki on the mound for the finals, but Kanno was rocked right off the bat for 4 runs in 1+ innings of work.  While the rotation would give up just 1 run thereafter, it was too late.  Anraku would allow Imabari Nishi to pull within 2, but that would be as close as they would get, meaning that Saibi and Anraku would return to Koushien once again!

Kochi - Meitoku Gijyuku (15th title, 4th consecutive)
It was not business as usual in Kochi, despite the 2 teams who wound up in the final.  Not sure what is going on, but it almost signifies a loss of talent among the upper teams.

Why do I say that?  Well, Tosa lost right off the bat to Kochi Minami 6-0.   Now, one might say, "that's not terrible, Tosa was a decent team sure, but not one who was one of the powerhouses."

Sure, I could go with that, but following that Kochi Shougyou lost in the 2nd round after ace Uemoto collapses in the 8th inning, giving up 3 runs to Kochi Nougyou and losing 3-2.

"Okay, Kochi Nougyou got lucky in one inning.  Still not necessarily a big deal."

Well, what about the fact that while Kochi and Meitoku Gijyuku did manage to advance, their victories were not as sweeping as one might think?

Kochi's 2nd round win over Kochi Nishi 7-1 was helped by a 4-run 8th.  Meitoku actually trailed Kochi Kougyou before a 5-run 6th distanced themselves enough to win 7-3.  Move onto the quarterfinals, and Kochi started reliever Sakai against Sukumo Kougyou.  Having just gone up 4-0 through 7, Sakai falters almost giving up the entire lead.  Ace Sakamoto has to come in to shut the door advancing 4-3.  Meitoku had no such luxury facing Okou, who is probably on the same level as Tosa.  Kishi though gives up 2 early runs leaving them to chase.  And while a 2-run 5th would be enough, it would be just enough as Okou would keep it close falling by the same 4-3 score.

Now, both teams would actually win their semifinals with relative ease (at least compared to the games above).   Nakamura would fall to Kochi 5-1, while Kochi Chuo (who in their 2nd round game against Yusuhara trailing 3-0 going into the final 3 innings would score 10 runs to send the game into enchousen, winning 1 inning later!) would be shutout by Kishi & Ogata 6-0.

Kochi would turn to Sakai again to start the game against Meitoku Gijyuku and ace Kishi.  And while he was able to go head-to-head for a little while, he would give up a run in the 5th and another in the 7th.  That would be all Kishi would need, though he survived the 9th to win 2-1 and give his team their 4th consecutive Natsu title!

Fukuoka - Jiyuugaoka (1st appearance)
When block play finally ended on the 14th, the likes of Jiyuugaoka, Kurume Shougyou and Teikyou Dai-go all joined the field in the 2nd stage.

In the second stage, the story early on was Moji Gakuen.  Facing unknown Fukushou, they fritter away a 3-1 lead in the last 2 innings, head into extras, and down 4-3 in the 10th they score 2 to win.  Then against Fukuoka Koudai Jyoutou this happened.  Talk about comeback kids.

It perhaps looked like they'd do it again in the semifinals against Nanchiku, tying the game late and going into extras.  Nanchiku for their part, had just upset Higashi-Fukuoka.  But when Doi gave up a run in the 11th, Moji couldn't find anything left in the tank as they fell 3-2.

On the other half, everyone who advanced had blowouts save for Jiyuugaoka who had to play Kurume Shougyou and escaped with a 5-3 win.  After that was a quarterfinal game against Jiyuugaoka.  And much like Moji Gakuen had done in the 2nd stage, they staged a comeback in the bottom of the 9th for 2 runs to send Teikyou Dai-go home falling short yet again.  Their opponent in the semifinals would be Kyusandai Kyushu who mercy-ruled Tobata and Yuusei to get there.  Still, against a upper level team, they would fall short losing 6-1, setting tup the final matchup.

And perhaps as expected Nanchiku would give up quick runs early and was not in contention.  Jiyuugaoka would go on to win 9-1.  What surprised me the most was that it was their first ever title!

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!

Yamanashi
Yamanashi has advanced to the semifinal stages. Let's see how they got there:

Completion of Round 1 saw A seed Koufu Kougyou barely beat out Koma 3-1. My favorite team, A seed Nihon Koukuu (aka Japan Aviation Academy), got a scare from Koufu Shougyou as they rallied with 2 in the top of the 9th to tie the game. But in the end they scored the sayonara run in the 10th. And both Minobu and Nichidai Meisei both won meaning all A & B seeds advanced. In other games, Nirasaki Kougyou blows open a 5-5 tie with Yamanashi Nourin doubling their run total.

Round 3

• Toukaidai Koufu takes their slight 3-1 win and takes it out on their next opponent Hokuto. 13 runs and 5 innings later they're in the semis.
• Yamanashi Gakuindai Fuzoku looks to make a return appearance to Koshien and passes Fujikawaguchiko 9-6.
• Teikyou Dai-san's run ends against A seed Koufu Jyousai but not without a fight. They were tied 2-2 after 8 before Jyousai scored 4.
• B seed Yoshida becomes the first seeded team to fall as Koufu Minami scores 5 in the 5th in a 7-4 upset.
• Koufu Kougyou one again wins by the skin of their teeth scoring the winning run in the bottom of the 8th against Koufu Dai-ichi to win 2-1.
• Nihon Koukuu apparently wants me to sweat out the prefecture as much as possible. Nirasaki Kougyou stays step for step with them then even takes a 4-3 lead. Thankfully (for me anyways), Nihon Koukuu ties it immediately there after then takes the lead for good in the 8th to win 5-4.
• Over at Prefectural Fujihoku, Minobu has no trouble with Hikawa, but Nichidai Meisei has problems with Tsuru. They take a 4-0 lead, then fall behind 5-4. Then they get ahead 9-5 then immediately fall behind again 10-9. They immediately tie the game, but then fall behind by one in the 9th. Then... they lose 11-10.

Quarterfinals - With the typhoon hitting, the games on the 20th were pushed to the 21st so all 8 teams were in play.

• Toukaidai Koufu found themselves behind Yamanashi Gakuindai Fuzoku 4-0. Things started to look bleak until the 8th where they scored 4 to tie the game! Shocking of all though was that Yamanashi scored the sayonara run in the 9th to send them home!
• Koufu Minami kept the upset theme up after ace Tamagawa 3-hits A seed Koufu Jyousai!
• Minobu looked to make it 3 in a row. When they gave up 2 to Koufu Kougyou in the top of the 1st, they scored 2 of their own. Then they scored a run in the 5th to take the lead! However, Koufukou would fire right back with 2 of their own to take the lead, tack on another in the 7th and one more in the 9th for good measure. Not to mention that in doing so they hit 4 HR's!!
• And as if to taunt me, Nihon Koukuu had trouble with their 3rd straight opponent in Tsuru. After leading 1-0 early, Tsuru scores 3 unanswered to take the lead. It would stay that way until the bottom of the 9th when they score 2 to push it into enchousen! Then in the 11th Tsuru scores the go-ahead run. Nihon Koukuu though doesn't give up, score two of their own for the sayonara win which is... yeah, you guessed it 5-4. Stop giving me heart attacks!!
  

Gifu
I always wondered about Gifu's qualifying in that they separate the first full round of play into 2 weekends. That means while some teams get about a week off, others get just 2 days. You can justify perhaps 2 days versus 3, but 2 versus 6??

Anyways, to the recap:

Round 1

• D Block's 2 seed Tounou Jitsugyou starts with a 9-2 win over Hashima.
• Oogaki Kougyou scores 6 unanswered late to beat Nakatsugawa Kougyou 6-2.
• Gujyou down 4-1 to Ginan Kougyou in the bottom of the 9th makes a comeback marked by Shimizu's 3-run HR!
• C Block's 2 seed Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou(!) mercy ruled Reitaku Mizunami 12-3 in 8.
• C Blocks top seed Gifu Dai-ichi actually trailed Oogaki Higashi 2-0, then 3-1 before scoring 4 in the bottom of the 8th for the win.
• D Block's top seed Ginan scores 2 in the 1st which would be the final margin of victroy as they beat Gifu Kakamino 3-1.
• Ena Minami lets a 3-run lead slip away to Gifu Kita, and while they eventually win 5-4 in 12, the extra innings with just 1 full day off may cost them.

Round 2

• A Block's 2 seed Seki Shougyou barely gets by Kaidzu Meisei with a run in the 9th, while top seed Oogaki Nichidai mercy rules their 2nd opponent Mizunami in 5 innings.
  
• B Block's top seed Oogaki Shougyou gets a 4-1 victory over Oogaki Minami and Gifu Sougou falls to 2 seed Chuukyou. And Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou who has been to Koshien recently but unseeded defeated Kanou 4-2.
  
• C Block started the next day. Oogaki Kougyou needed 10 innings, but made no doubt about the winner scoring 4 in the extra frame to win 5-1 over Nakatsu Shougyou. Top seed Gifu Dai-ichi couldn't shake off Gifu Jyouhoku. Everytime they'd score runs, Jyouhoku would score the same one inning later. Then in the 8th Jyouhoku sprung out and scored a run to take the lead! Now it was Dai-ichi who needed to play catch-up! And they did in the top of the 9th tying the game and playing for extras. Except that Jyouhoku wouldn't let them. They score the sayonara run to send the top seed home! Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou wins 10-1 in 7.
  
• D Block's top seed Gizan also got the short end of the stick. Having to play from behind, they tie the game at 2 in the 8th. In extras, they get a run in the 12th only to have Minokamo square it up again. And in perhaps the most heartbreaking manner, Minokamo wins the game in the bottom of the 15th inning, the last possible moment. Tounou Jitsugyou had more trouble in their 2nd game unable to pull away until 3 in the 9th over Hashima Kita.

Aichi
With so many games to cover at this point, I'm going to have to condense my coverage a bit to try and catch up...

Round 1

• Agui and Kouyou were scoreless in 11 before Agui scores 1 and then Kouyou scores 2 for the win.
• Ichinomiya Minami scores 3 in the 9th for a gyakuten victory over Nisshin.
• Okazaki Higashi scores a run in the 1st and makes it stick against Anjyou Gakuen.
• Chiryuu Higashi scores the winning run in the bottom of the 8th to beat Toyota 7-6.
• Shouwa blows a 4-0 lead, then has to (and does) scores 2 to tie the game at 6 versus Kouzouji. Then they win 9-6 with 3 in the 12th.
  

Round 2

• Anjyou holds off a late surge by Anjyou Higashi for a 6-5 win.
• In the battle of Aichi Sangyoudai schools, Kougyou defeats Mikawa 9-2 in 8.
• Kounan scores 3 in the 8th to reverse the deficit against Seto Kita Sougou for a 6-5 win.
• Toyota Kita scores 6 in the 8th to beat Kagaku Gijyutsu Toyota 10-8.
• Bihoku winds 2-1 in 11 over Toyohashi Kougyou.
• Tsushima Kita scores 4 runs late to defeat Anjyou Minami 5-4.
• Kariya Kita gets a lead against Kasugai, loses it ties it up then wins in 11.

Shizuoka
Round 1

• Gotenba Nishi and Shizuoka Kita go 14 innings before Gotenba wins 5-2.
• Fujieda Meisei scores 2 to tie it up at 2 versus Itou Shougyou, but Itou prevails in 12 3-2.
• Hamamatsu Oohiradai took a 3-0 lead against Yoshiwara, saw it evaporate into a 1-run deficit, then tied and eventually won 5-4 in 10.
• Hamamatsu Kotou scores in each of the last 5 innings, including 2 in the 10th for a 6-4 win over Kagaku Gijyutsu.
• Itou's Maeshima throws a 1-hitter against Hamamatsu Kaiseikan as they advance 3-0.
• Hamakita Nishi scores a run in the top of the 9th to defeat Hamamatsu Jyouhoku Kougyou 3-2.

Round 2

• Well, there goes one of my teams. Tokoha Tachibana loses in their 2nd round game to Nirayama 3-2, though it did take them scoring the 3 runs late for the win.
• Seikei scores 5 runs in the last 2 innings, including 3 in the bottom of the 9th for the 7-6 sayonara win over Izu Sougou.
• Fukuroi bids sayonara to one of the Nichidai teams in Nichidai Mishima 3-2.
• Hamamatsu Tousen pulls it out against Shizuoka Taisei 3-2.
• Seeded Shizuoka Shougyou has no trouble in their first game, dispatching Gotenba Minami 7-0. Mikkabi, Shizuoka and Hamamatsu Nishi follow suit.
  
• Hiryuu on the other hand had issues with Shiritsu Numadzu. Tied 1-1 going into extras, it took 2 tries to put them away. They would finally win 3-2 in 12.
• My other team, Tokoha Kikugawa started off their summer with a 4-0 win over Shimada.
• Seisei, who was at senbatsu, won their first game 12-5 over Haibara.
• St. Christopher (aka Seirei) scores all 7 of their runs in the last 3 innings, then hang on for dear life as Gotenba Nishi rallied to within one in the bottom of the 9th.
• Shizuoka Minami scores 1 to tie against Shizuoka Higashi, then fires off 2 runs after Minami gets one in the 10th.
• Hamamatsu Minami with 5 in the bottom of the 8th to beat Fujinomiya Nishi 5-3.
• Yoshiwara Kougyou and Kakegawa Higashi finish out our coverage of round 2. Down 2, bottom 9, Yoshiwara finds a way to tie the game and send it into extras. Kakegawa Higashi was already on their 2nd pitcher, Yoshiwara would send in their reliever in the 10th. The innings would go by, another reliever would be brought in on both sides, yet the game would end in a 4-4 draw! The replay wouldn't be for another 3 days, giving both sides time to rest. Once again it would be a back and forth affair as Kakegawa jumps out to a 2-0 lead then Yoshiwara firing back with 3 in the middle innings. After a 3 spot by Kakegawa and 2 from Yoshiwara in the 8th inning, they were tied once again. Kakegawa would try to end it in regulation by scoring a run in the 9th, except that it was Yoshiwara who would end it scoring 2 for the 7-6 win!

Ok, so that the posts don't run into each other, I'm going to make posts by region covering all completed days of competition. So for the Hokushinetsu prefectures, games covered will go until the 12th.

Niigata
Day 2 for Niigata saw Tookamachi Sougou scored the sayonara run in regulation to defeat Maki Sougou 5-4 at Sanjyou Kikai, while over at Midori no mori Murakami Sakuragaoka's 6-run 7th was just enough as Niigata Nishi rallied to within 1 late, but fell 10-9. Teikyou Nagaoka pulled off the victory with 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Niitsu 3-2. And rounding out the day, Toyosaka down 3 in the bottom of the 9th to Kashiwazaki Sougou, somehow score 3 to send it to extras where they score the sayonara run in the 11th.

The 11th had Arai defeating Yoshida 4-3 never trailing, but scoring the go-ahead run in the 9th and Niigata Meikun starting their run with a 8-1 win over Shibata in 7.

But the game of the tournament so far has to be Nagaoka Shougyou vs. Muramatsu. Down 5-3 in the bottom of the 9th, they score 2 to send it into extras. The game then becomes a grind as both teams cannot manufacture a run. Then in the 14th, Muramatsu scores a run, putting Nagaoka behind the 8-ball. But they get a 3rd life as it were by scoring one of their own! That pushed the game to the 15th where Muramatsu again scored a run. Nagaoka now just needed a run to at the minimum ensure a replay.

They do more than that though, they score 2 runs to win the game in the last half-inning!!

Nagano
Nagano for the 3 days of games had many uncontested games. Some of the notable games included:

• 2006 Natsu Koushien participant Matsushiro defeating Ueda Chikuma 3-1.
• Maruko Shuugakukan, a perennial challenger, easily handling Okaya Higashi 11-4.
• Akaho scoring 8 runs in the 5th and 6th innings to finally separate themselves from Karuizawa, winning 13-7.
• Suwa Seiryou coming from down 2-0 to Nagano Nishi to send it into extras, winning in the first extra frame 4-2.

Yamanashi
Top 4 seed Toukaidai Koufu had a tough opening game opponent in Fuji Gakuen. Though they were able to score 3 runs early, they gave them opportunities throughout the game. They did advance 3-1, but their progress bears watching.

Last year's representative, Hikawa, did not receive a seed and instead has to work from all the way at the bottom of the bracket. They started off with a 10-0 win over Yamanashi in 5.

The 10th ended with a flash as Yamanashi Nourin and Koufu Nishi met. Nourin held a 4-1 lead only to see Koufu Nishi level it at 4 in the 8th. That game would go into extras, where in the 12th Nourin's starting pitcher Kajiyama hits a sayonara home run!

5-8 seed Yamanashi Gakuindai Fuzoku started their trek with a 11-1 win over Koufu Shouwa on the 11th.

And on the 12th, top 4 seed Koufu Jyousai defeated Kyounan 10-0 in 5, 5-8 seed Yoshida shuts out Shirane 5-0, and another Teikyou school advances as Teikyou Dai-san defeates Uenohara 10-0 in 6 innings.

Gifu
Okay, so not every Teikyou school is spectacular at baseball. Teikyoudai Fujimi falls to Oogaki Minami 2-1 on the first full day of games.

Meanwhile in A Block, #2 seed Seki Shougyou defeats Yamagata 9-3. and top seed Oogaki Nichidai wins 10-0 in 5 over Hida-Kamioka.

And in B Block, top Oogaki Shougyou dispatches Mashita Seifu 8-1 in 7 and Chuukyou pulls it out late with a 7-4 win over Mugi (no, not that Mugi. I don't think she knows baseball anyways, but would probably be overly enthusiastic about it).

Finally, Shiritsu Gifu Shougyou shuts out Tajimi Kougyou 5-0 to advance to the next round.

Aichi
Winding up the first full weekend of games in Aichi...

• Yokosuka holds off Isshiki 3-2 at Agui Stadium
• Toyoake scores the sayonara run in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Ichinomiya Koudou 2-1
• Anjyou Minami scores the only run in their game against Tsushima
• Kakujyougaoka rallies from down 4-1 with 3 in the 8th and one in the bottom of the 9th for the win against Nisshin Nishi
• Nagoya Ootani slides by Ichinomiya Kita with 3 runs in the final third of the game to win 6-5.
• Hekinan and Meitou fired 1-run shots at each other with Hekinan holding a 5-3 lead. That was until Meitou bucked the trend by scoring 2 in the 8th. In enchousen, Hekinan scores 2 in the 11th to win.
• Just to mention the name, Haruhigaoka defeates Aichi Kougyou 8-2.

Shizuoka
In Shizuoka, Toukaidai Shouyou defeated Mishima Kita 7-5. Izu Sougou, after giving up 7 runs in the 6th and 7th innings to Fujieda Nishi, score 7 of their own in their lucky 7 to tie the game! And in the first inning of enchousen, they score the sayonara run!

And in another lucky 7, Kakegawa Kougyou scores 9 to flip a 9-3 deficit into a 12-9 win over Ikeshinden, while Kikugawa Nanryou scores 4 in the 8th to defeat Ogasa 6-5!!

In other games, Tokoha Tachibana, who is not seeded this year, starts their run by defeating Hamamatsu Higashi 10-0 in 6 innings.

Apparently, big innings are in vogue in Shizuoka because Fujieda Higashi scores 7 in the 8th en route to a 10-6 win over Mishima Minami.

And over at Shimizu Ihara, Fukuroi Shougyou comes from down 2-0 to Jyounan Shizuoka to score the sayonara run in the 10th to win 3-2.

Kusanagi Stadium saw Gotenba Minami explode for 5 runs in the 8th to defeat Inasa 7-3, while over at Shimada, Ooigawa just scores 2 to do the exact same thing to Shimada Kougyou 4-3, and Fujieda Kita after yielding the go-ahead run to Iwata Nougyou in the top of the 9th score 2 in the bottom of the 9th for the last second win.

Shizuoka Taisei after letting the lead slip late to Hamamatsu Shougyou, defeats Shizuoka Taisei 4-3 in 10, and Iwata Kita from 4-0 down to Kosai to score the sayonara run, winning 5-4.