The second game of the day pits two teams that last appeared back in 2006.
Kanazawa made it here with a sayonara squeeze play in the 10th inning of the championship game.
Kiryu Daiichi comes in with the distraction of allegations against a lower level player of inappropriate conduct. They look to be the superior team in the matchup, but will that issue distract them?
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Kanazawa (Ishikawa)
LF Sasaki (7)
RF Ishino (17)
C Kawamoto (2)
1B Hayashi (3)
SS Yamamoto (6)
2B Kokon (4)
3B Nozaki (5)
CF Motoi (8)
P Sakurai (11)
Kiryu Daiichi (Gunma)
CF Tomita (8)
2B Suzuki (4)
SS Tabei (6)
1B Takenouchi (3)
RF Yoshida (9)
3B Uematsu (5)
LF Hosaka (16)
C Mikami (2)
P Nakata (1)
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11:23 AM
First pitch!
Top 1st
While Tanaka gives up the leadoff walk, he retires the next 3 batters.
Bottom 1st
Sakurai gives up a one out single to Suzuki, but that runner too is left stranded.
Top 2nd
With one down Kokon draws a walk. He steals 2nd on the first pitch. Then a wild pitch sends him to 3rd! The batter Nozaki then draws another walk.
And Motoi with the squeeze! He's got it! Kokon scores! 1-0 Kanazawa!
Bottom 2nd
Sakurai gives up the single to left. And while he gets to 2nd on Uematsu's groundout, Sakurai strikes out Hosaka and gets Mikami to ground to 2nd.
Top 3rd
Sasaki with antother walk, but a nice play by Uematsu and a K by Tanaka ends the inning. Kanazawa still doesn't have a hit, but leads 1-0.
Bottom 3rd
Tanaka with the shot to left, but Sasaki makes the running catch at the base line! Tomita on the next pitch sends that to center and over Motoi's head for a double!
And Suzuki with a bounder through the left side means runners at the corners with 1 down!
Tabei ties the game with the grounder to 3rd! Tomita scores! 1-1!
Top 4th
Kanazawa retired in order. Still no hits.
Bottom 4th
Yoshida with the hit to left center. Off the wall! He's in with a double! Uematsu moves him to 3rd.
Hosaka with the grounder to short! Yamamoto goes home and Yoshida is meat at the plate. Wasn't even close.
But Kiryu gets another chance. Hosaka steals 2nd on the 1-0 pitch, then advances on a wild pitch! Mikami however grounds to short and the game remains tied.
Top 5th
I highly double Kanazawa can get another run without a hit, so it would behoove them to start now.
And they do! Motoi with the grounder off Sasaki gets the inning started! After a sac bunt, it's the top of the lineup and Sasaki.
And he sends a shot to left! Hosaka running back! He's got it! NO! He doesn't have it! Motoi rounding 3rd, he scores! Sasaki in with a triple! On the replay it shows it did land in his glove, but it bobbled about, almost had it in his left hand, and then dropped!! 2-1!!
Ishino up. Tries the squeeze! Takanouchi waits and waits... foul! Just foul! That was close!
Ishino then strikes out. @ out for Kawamoto.
He singles up the middle! Sasaki scores! 3-1 Kanazawa! The bats come alive this inning and Kanazawa takes the 3-1 lead!
Bottom 5th
After Sakurai retires Tanaka, the manager pulls him for #10 Kitada. While they do run multiple pitchers, Kitada isn't the normal replacement. In fact in the only game he pitched, he gave up 7 runs in 4 innings of work.
But the manager must know what he's doing, because Kitada retires the next 2 batters.
Top 6th
Kokon gets a one out hit, and takes 2nd on the failed hit-and-run. 2 down.
Ara? He's out? The umpire calls batter interference on Nozaki as he twirled in front of Mikami making the throw.
Bottom 6th
Tabei with the single to center to start the inning! Kitano then hits Takenouchu! And Yoshida moves them both along. Big chance!
That's it for Kitada. He's pulled for #18 Kawahara, a submariner.
First pitch to Uematsu is lifted to right. Ishino with the catch in shallow center. Tabei is going for home! The throw in by Ishino is in time to make the tag for the 3rd out! Surely they could have waited for a better opportunity.
Top 7th
Motoi leads it off with a grounder down the 1st base line for a double! He's bunted along to 3rd for Sasaki.
Squeeze! Sasaki puts the squeeze on! It works! Motoi home in!
Not done yet! Ishino with the double to left center! And Kawashima with the liner! But right at Uematsu.
Bottom 7th
Hosaka with the leadoff hit, and he eventually advances to 3rd with 2 down, but Kiryu can't get that timely hit to bring him in.
Top 8th
We're in the 8th, and this game so far has gone a neat 100 minutes.
Shimura retires the first two batters, but then gives up a walk to Kokon. The very next pitch to Nozaki and he takes that to right! All the way to the wall! Kokon scores! 5-1 Kanazawa!
Bottom 8th
Suzuki with the single to center to start the inning.
Tabei replaces him at first after his liner goes off Kawahara and right to Yamamoto. Then with 2 down, Yoshida singles to left! Runners at the corners!
But Kawahara gets Shimizu to ground to short. Time is running out for Kiryu.
Top 9th
One down, Sasaki hits a ball to center. Tomita coming in, dives, but just can't get it! Sasaki's in with a double!
Ishino with a single through the left side! Runners at the corners!
Kawamoto up. Squeeze! But it just goes foul. Squeeze again!! He pulls back. Throw to 3rd, not
in time. Ishino takes 2nd!
Wild pitch!! Sasaki comes in to score! 6-1!
Kawamoto lines out to short, and Hayahi strikes out looking.
Bottom 9th
Down to their last 3 outs. One down, PH Kojima #15, singles to left. The next PH #7 Hayashi almost grounds into the inning ending DP.
Tomita finished the game as he grounds to Kawahara. But the umpires call it foul. No wait, it's catcher interference and Tomita goes to 1st! 2 down runners at 1st and 2nd. It's small, but there's some life!
But Suzuki flies to center, and that does it. Kanagawa's bats rose to the occasion in the middle of the game as they advance with the 6-1 victory.
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