Day 10 - Game 3 - Seiho (Nagasaki) vs. Toho (Nishi Aichi)

The final game of the day could prove to be a barn-burner between 2 offensive clubs. Or at least if that's what the first games these teams played indicated...

Seiho faced Hokuoudai Ashikaga and led wire-to-wire by a score of 11-3.

Toho faced Hokkai, and while it was a low scoring affair to start, 1-0 after 3 innings, the teams combined for 24 more in the remaining 6 as Toho won 15-10.

So what should we expect to see this game?

It's almost a fact that when a team runs up a score at any point during the tournament, they seem to lose in the next round or two. Perhaps they're overdoing it when they shouldn't, but I don't know. Maybe it's a karma thing.

The teams statistically seem to play to each other's strengths/weaknesses. Toho's batting seems strong, but so does Seiho's pitching. Seiho's batting generally isn't that great, but then again neither is Toho's pitching.

I personally am rooting for Seiho. But looking at it, saying Seiho makes sense since it's easier to exploit a team's relative weakness (Toho's pitching) vs. a team's strength (Seiho's pitching).

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Seiho (Nagasaki)
3B Yahisa (5)
LF Oda (18)
1B Yamazaki (3)
2B Tominaga (4)
SS Hayashi (6)
CF Aoki (12)
C Kawamoto (2)
P Imamura (11)
RF Chiga (9)

Toho (Nishi Aichi)
C Yamada (2)
LF Ayake (7)
1B Shimizu (3)
3B Nonokawa (5)
RF Iwada (9)
CF Hashimoto (8)
2B Furuuchi (4)
SS Matsunaga (6)
P Shimodaira (1)
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2:40 PM
First pitch!

Top 1st
Yamazaki gets a 2-out single against Shimodaira, but that's it.

Bottom 1st
Ayake gets the inning going after being hit by Imamura. Then with 2 down, Nonokawa draws a walk. So Imamura in a self-made mess here. But he strikes out Iwada to end the inning.

Early on the control of his fastball is good, but his offspeed stuff is missing the mark.

Top 2nd
Seiho goes down in order. Shimodaira looks about the same as Imamura. Good location on the fastball, but his breaking stuff isn't finding the glove.

Bottom 2nd
Imamura still with trouble locating his offspeed stuff, but retires the side in order otherwise. But he could be in trouble later if the batters start avoiding the breaking stuff and looking dead red.

Top 3rd
Imamura leads off the inning with a walk. Chiga puts the bunt down, Shimodaira up with the ball. Looks to 2nd, then goes to 1st, but Chiga is safe! Runner at 1st and 2nd with no out!

...ok, runners at 2nd and 3rd with 1 out for Oda. And he lines one through the infield into right! Imamura scores and it's 1-0 Seiho!

Yamazaki looking to continue the inning. He falls behind 1-2, then swings at a low ball, starting the 4-6-3 DP.

Bottom 3rd
Shimodaira looks to get the run back ASAP. He singles to left to start the inning.

And there's no bunt here. Yahisa swings away and shoots on through the infield and into left!

Ayake looking to bunt... at least at first. But now he's pulling it back and swinging away! Falls behind 1-2. Slider in the dirt, 2-2. Liner, foul! Still 2-2. Fastball way high and wide! Count full! Fouled off again. Freezes on a fastball on the outside! Sanshin!

Shimizu to try and score one. He gets ahead 2-0. Fastball, in there. 2-1. Fastball fouled off... 2-2. Ball in the dirt. Count full, runners will take off now! Fastball low! Ball 4, manrui for Nonokawa!

Offspeed inside corner, 0-1... Another offspeed low, 1-1. Chopper up the middle! Tominaga charging! Overruns it! Gets it and makes the play at 2nd for the 2nd out. But Shimodaira comes in to score! Tie game 1-1!

Iwada strikes out, but Toho has come right back and scored a run of its own!

Top 4th
With one down, Hayashi looks to give Seiho the lead again as he lines one over Nonokawa and into left for a double. But on the very next batter, he makes a running error as Aoki grounds to short and takes off for 3rd. He's subsequently run down and the opportunity is lost.

Shimodaira is locating his offspeed pitches better, so the advantage may be shifting to Toho.

Bottom 4th
Imamura falls behind Hashimoto, but he gets him to ground out to 1st.

Sure enough, Imamura falls behind Furuuchi, throws a 2-seam fastball in the zone and Furuuchi drives it down the left field line for a home run. No surprise here. The batters are starting to look for the fastball. 2-1 Toho!

Top 5th
Well, Imamura feels bad about that, so he drives one to left himself! It's over Ayake's head and Imamura is in with a double!

Chiga looks to bunt him along, but seems to change his tune when he gets ahead 2-0... Now it's 3-1. Ball 4, but Chiga makes an attempt at it! Full count. That was a big mistake. Fouls one off. Grounds one to short! Imamura goes for 3rd! But Matsunaga's only play is to 1st.

AH! Yahisa pops it up at home! Yamada gets under it, waits, and it's off his glove and bounces into foul territory! Fair ball! Fair ball! Imamura can't go home, but Yahisa is safe at first! Runners at the corners for Oda!

Hit-and-run! Yahisa takes off for 2nd! Oda's reaches down and gets a hold of it! Going to left center, and it drops in! Imamura scores and Yahisa goes to 3rd on Oda's double!

Yamazaki to keep the run going.

SQUEEZE!! AH!!! It's a pitch out! Yamazaki gets the bat on the ball, but pops it way up in foul territory! Yamada makes the catch for the 2nd out!

Up to Tominaga now. But he strikes out!

Seiho ties the game up, but they easily could have scored more runs!

Bottom 5th
It seems like the player that makes the last error tries to make up for it immediately thereafter!

Yamada up to start the inning. He chops one up the middle. It takes a high hop! Tominaga with the leap and grab! His throw to first is wild and goes into foul territory! Yamada advances to 2nd!

Ayake hits his own chopper to 1st. Yamazaki leaps, makes the same grab and finished the put out at 1st. But now Yamada is at 3rd.

Shimizu up, and a sac fly would bring in the go-ahead run.

He does more than that! He hits a drive deep to left! Oda running back! It's a one hopper off the wall! Yamada scores and Shimizu walks in with a RBI double! 3-2!!!

Imamura's control is still having problems. He issues a walk to Nonokawa and now there's runners at 1st and 2nd with one down.

He comes back to strike out Iwada, and there a little look of relief on his face.

The inning isn't over yet. Nishmoto steps up to the plate. And he hits one to right, but right at Chiga. 3 out, but Toho has regained the lead.

Top 6th
With one down, Aoki hits a grounder to the left side. Yamada makes the diving stop, but can't get the throw to 1st in time!

Seiho elects to bunt Aoki to 2nd, so now runner on 2nd and 2 outs for Imamura. He's been good at the plate so far.

And he hits a drive to left! Ayake running back, and it's over his head and to the wall! Aoki comes around to score on Imamura's double, and we're tied one again 3-3!!

Bottom 6th
Furuuchi, who earlier hit the HR, comes to bat again. And he gets frozen on the slider!

Matsunaga drives one to right! But the wind knocks it down for Chiga.

And Shimomura does his best Bugs Bunny impression, "Strike one, strike two, strike three, yer out!"

Top 7th
So now we're back on Seiho's serve as it were.

Yahisa starts the rally with a grounder through to right. Oda, although 2-3 on the day with 2 RBI's, bunts him along for Yamazaki.

He's very patient at the plate, looking for a pitch he can drive. He works the count full before falling victim to Shimodaira's forkball.

Tominaga up now. He's hit by Shimodaira! Runners at 1st and 2nd for Hayashi! He's 1-3 so far today. Can he deliver the timely hit?

Shimodaira falls behind 2-0! Now 3-1! Swings at a ball down and away! Count full! Runners in motion! Ball 4! Manrui! Manrui for Aoki!

#10 Wada is warming up in the bullpen. He may be all ready to go. But they're sticking with Shimodaira against Aoki.

Two balls away, 2 strikes! Fouls off another pitch away! Sanshin! Shimodaira goes away all 4 times for the strikeout and Seiho leaves the bases loaded!

Bottom 7th
Yamada builds off the momentum from the last half inning! He drives one to deep to left! That falls at the base of the wall for a double! Runner at 2rd, no out!

Make that runner at 3rd, one out. Shimizu up to bring that run in.

Fly to deep left center! Aoki hustles to make the catch, but Yamada easily walks in and Toho has the lead again 4-3!!

Nonokawa with the drive to right! Chiga runs that one down!

BUT! Toho has broken serve again! And with two innings left to go, Seiho has to break serve back if they want to continue here at Koshien!

Top 8th
Kawamoto with the drive to center! Hashimoto runs back, dives! It over his outstretched glove! Kawamoto in with a leadoff double!

Imamura tries to put the bunt down, but he can't and he falls behind 1-2! What will he do now?

He's swinging away, but the ball it outside, 2-2. Check swing, jammed foul! At his feet! Full count! Sanshin! He swings at a ball in the dirt!

One down for Chiga. He's looking to bunt! NO!! Swings away! Liner through the infield and into right! Kawamoto rounds 3rd and he scores!

We're tied again 4-4!!!

Yahisa to try and give Seiho the lead. AH! First pitch swinging and it's a popup to 2nd! 2 outs!

Oda now to try and deliver the go-ahead hit. But he grounds to short!

Seiho has tied the game up, but they MUST hold serve here in the bottom of the 8th!

Bottom 8th
Imamura looked to have Iwada with strike 3 swinging, but they call foul ball. He continues to fight and on the 9th pitch draws a walk!

Hashimoto up to bunt. Imamura has other plans! He fields the ball and goes to 2nd! But his ball looks more like a curve than a throw and it gets past Hayashi! All safe!

Furuuchi up and bunts the runners along! Runners at 2nd and 3rd for Matsunaga!

They're going to pitch to him.

SQUEEZE!!! He kills it at the plate and Imamura's only play is to 1st! Iwada scores!

Toho regains the lead 5-4!!

Imamura strikes out Shimodaira, but once again Toho breaks serve back and leads with only 3 outs left to go!

Top 9th
Seiho only has held the lead once, and that was after the top of the 3rd. Since then, they've been either tied or trailing.

Now there is no option, you MUST tie or go ahead!

The heart of Seiho's lineup is up. And ironically, it's the part of the lineup that has struggled the entire day! Can they come through here when it counts?

Yamazaki, 1-4 today... he strikes out swinging on a pitch outside....

Tominaga up, 0-3 with 2 K's and a BB... he works the count full. Check swing. Appeal to 1st. No! No swing! He gets his 2nd walk!

Hayashi up, 1-3 with a 2B and a BB.... he squares to bunt! Pulls it back, but falls behind 1-2! Sanshin! He watches strike 3 come in on the outside corner!

Last chance falls with Aoki, 1-4 with a K. Lefty on lefty...

Outside corner for strike one, swinging on outside pitch for strike two. Just outside for 1-2.

SANSHIN!!

Aoki swings at a pitch down and away!

What a back and forth game that was to close the day! The teams continued to trade runs back and forth, but in the end, Toho scored the final run in the bottom of the 8th and edged out Seiho 5-4!!