The lunchtime game features 2 teams that have had experience at Koshien, just not recently.
Minami Hokkaido's representative, Hokkai, is making their 34th apperance. But it's been 9 years since they traveled down here (no doubt hampered by Komadai Tomakomai in recent years).
From the prefectural stats, only the starting 9 has had any playing time. And subsequently the game rests on ace Kagiya's shoulders.
Aichi, whose prefecture was given the gift of a 2nd team, sends Toho out of the west region. They've been here 15 times, but it's been 6 years since making the short trip here.
They appear to use a 2-pitcher system similar to Saga Kita. It'll be ace Shimodaira and Wada to lead the way.
Not to say they don't have pop too. 1B Shimizu and RF Iwada hit 2 HR's each in the prefectural tournaments.
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Toho (Nishi Aichi)
C Yamada (2)
LF Ayake (7)
1B Shimizu (3)
3B Nonokawa (5)
RF Iwada (9)
CF Nishimoto (8)
2B Furuuchi (4)
SS Matsunaga (6)
P Shimodaira (1)
Hokkai (Minami Hokkaido)
RF Kobayashi Tomoya (9)
LF Mine (7)
SS Kobayashi Yuuto (6)
3B Ikeda
CF Ooshima (8)
1B Shouji (3)
C Tateshima (2)
2B Takeda
P Kagiya (1)
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12:10 PM
First pitch!
Top 1st
...driven to right center! Going back, going back, GONE!! Yamada with the leadoff homerun! 1-0!!
Bottom 1st
(Kobayahshi) Tomoya with the leadoff single, but nothing else for Hokkai.
Top 2nd
Kagiya loses Hashimoto, but later gets him on a strikeout throw 'em out DP at 3rd.
Bottom 2nd
Shouji with the one out-walk, but gets doubled off when Tateshima lines out back to Shimodaira.
Top 3rd
After Shimodaira strikes out, Yamada comes back up to the plate. He gets a hold on another pitch, but this time it's a fly to center.
2 down for Ayake, and he hits a liner, going to deep right! It's gone!!! Ayake with the liner homerun and Toho now leads 2-0!! These weren't the people I thought of when I thought of homeruns!!
Bottom 3rd
Leadoff single by Takeda, Kagiya tries to put down the bunt, but instead gets Takeda thrown out at 2nd. But he does advance to 2nd on a passed ball, and then to 3rd after Nonokawa makes a running catch into the camera well.
But that's as far as he would go...
Top 4th
Two down, Toho starts the wheels churning again.
Hashimoto gets a single through the left side. The first hit that isn't a HR. Then Furuuchi doubles to right center scoring Hashimoto! 3-0!
Then Matsunaga doubles to left! Furuuchi scores! 4-0!
They take a breather as Shimodaira walks.
But that doesn't last for long as Yamada singles through the left side! Matsunaga scores! 5-0!!
So much for Hokkai being intriguing...
Bottom 4th
One out for Hokkai and Ikeda drives one to deep left center. That ball is gone! Yet another home run in this game! 5-1!
Top 5th
Toho must be seeing the ball well. Shimizu hits a ball to deep center, but it's caught by Ooshita.
Nonokawa with the drive to deep center. Ooshita is NOT going to get to this one. Homerun Nonokawa! Toho is displaying disturbingly good offense with 3 homeruns already!! 6-1!!
Then 2 down, Hashimoto with the single to right! Steals 2nd on the first pitch!
Then Furuuchi with a sharp shot to 3rd! Ikeda with the great stop! His throw, no good! And Hashimoto scores from 2nd!! 7-1!!
Bottom 5th
Hokkai needs runs now. And they seem to be sensing how critical it is now.
Tateshima starts it off with a shot up the middle. After a failed sac bunt, Kagiya gets a single to left! Then Tomoya singles to right! But Takeda puts on the brakes late at 3rd! Kagiya is caught in between! Toho runs down Kagiya, but Takeda does go home to score. 7-2.
Mine singles to right! Tomoya scores! 7-3.
But after a walk to Yuuto, HR hitter flies out to center.
Top 6th
Kagiya settles down relatively, and has a somewhat smooth inning.
Bottom 6th
Ooshita with leadoff double to right! Then with one down, Tateshima doubles to left center! Ooshita scores! 7-4!!
Takeda with the walk!
But Kagiya flies out to center...
Top 7th
...and then this game goes all to heck.
(I'll cover this when the game ends. It's that screwy)
Now that the game is over, I will go into how the last 3 innings went.
Top 7th (again...)
Shimizu comes up to bat and singles to right. He's moved along to 2nd by Nonogawa.
Then Iwada puts one through the right side! That scores Shimizu. 8-4
Hashimoto draws the walk on a full count. Now runners at 1st and 2nd.
Furuuchi then lines one off 3B Ikeda. It bounces off his head and into shallow left. While the umpires help him to the dugout, it wasn't that hard of a blow and a minute or two later he's back out again. But the bases are loaded.
And then the first pitch to Matsunaga is scorched up the middle. Iwada scores! Hashimoto comes in behind him! 10-4!
Hokkai's manager has finally seen enough, and pulls Kagiya for #18 Adachi. Problem is, during the prefectural qualifying, there was NO 2nd pitcher used.
Wada, the new P for Toho also draws a walk. Manrui AGAIN... and for Yamada.
But first a wild pitch! Furuuchi scores! 11-4!
Then, Yamada takes a ball to the left center wall!! Matsunaga and Wada score! 13-4!!
Toho is then kind enough to give us time to catch our breath as Oyake grounds to 3rd.
But it just keeps going. Shimizu, up for the 2nd time this inning, hits a single through the right side, scoring Yamada. 14-4 now.
And Nonogawa for variety hits one through the left side.
Now Adachi is pulled, and #10 Sasaki comes in to pitch.
Thankfully, he gets Iwada to pop to short.
(Hita-rin Kogyo vs. Osaka Toin is starting, so back to this game later)
(And now since the game is in a rain delay, I can finish this!)
Bottom 7th
Mine starts the inning with a walk. Yuuto follows that with a single through the right side. After an Ikeda flyout, Ooshita doubles to right center! Mine comes in to score! 14-5!
Now #14 Mitani comes in to pinch-hit for Shuuji. And he hits a double down the right field line! Kobayashi scores! Ooshita scores! 14-7!!
Tateshima grounds out to 1st, so there's 2 down.
But they're not done yet! #12 Itou, pinch-hitting for Takeda, singles to right center! Mitani scores! 14-8!!
Now they're done. New P Sasaki grounds out to short.
Top 8th
Hashimoto leads off the inning with a single to center. Then Furukawa walks thereafter.
Matsunaga then grounds to Sasaki, but his only play is to 1st. Then Sasaki walks Wada.
That brings up Yamada who's a triple short of the cycle. He hits one deep to left center! Off the wall! Furuuchi scores! 15-8!
That's it for Sasaki. He's pulled and #17 Machida comes in to pitch. Like Sasaki he gets his first batter out to end the inning.
Bottom 8 & Top 9
These half innings go surprisingly quietly
Bottom 9
So Hokkai is down to their final 3 outs. But they're not going to go quietly.
Ikeda lines one right at Nonokawa, and it bounces off of him! He reaches on the error.
After a popup by Ooshita. Mitani comes to the plate and hits a single to right!
Tateshima follows that up with a single up the middle! Ikeda scores! 15-9!!
But Itou grounds into a fielder's choice and now there's two down.
Machida then steps up. Liner to left! Off Nonokawa and into foul territory! Mitani scores! 15-10!!
Hokkai is showing some life here in the 9th!
But the rally ends there. Tomoya pops up to 1st to end the game.
It was definitely a wild game, and Toho advances. But there certainly are weaknesses in their armor that showed here.
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