Our 3rd game brings us the final team of the original 55 to the field as we shift our focus from the west to the north.
Moriokadai Fuzoku is the last team to step up to the Koshien grounds. They've waited 8 days for this moment. It's been 4 years since the school has been here. But, in every case they've been eliminated in the first round.
Komadai Iwamizawa held on an 8-6 victory over Shimonoseki Kogyo after letting them back into the game in the late innings.
For Morioka, their team does not appear to have a category of strength, although their pitching may help keep the team in the game.
While I expect this to be a close game, Komadai Iwamizawa should advance to the round of 16.
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Moriokadai Fuzoku (Iwate)
Kumaya (7)
Itou Kouta (11)
Nakamura (2)
Itou Satoshi (8)
Kiyono (6)
Sakamoto (9)
Sasaki (4)
Tokita (1)
Miura (5)
Komadai Iwamizawa (Kita Hokkaido)
CF Aoyama (8)
RF Kawamura (9)
LF Kodaira (7)
C Matsumoto (2)
3B Oikawa (5)
SS Furukawa (6)
1B Satou Shuuki (3)
P Itaki (1)
2B Takagi (4)
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1:37 PM
First pitch!
Top 1st
One down for Moriokadai. Itou Kouta gets a single up the middle. After a hit-and-run advances him to 2nd, it cleanup batter Itou Satoshi up to bat.
Single to left! Kouta rounds 3rd, heads for home! Throw by Kodaira home! Matsumoto with the ball, and Kouta is out at home! Nice play by Kodaira to prevent the run!
Bottom 1st
Wow, Tokita is huge for a pitcher. Flip to his stats, 190 cm, 93 kg (translation, 6'2", 205 lb)!
And he mows down the Komadai batters in order, garnering 2 K's along the way.
Top 2nd
One down again, Sakamoto with the dribbler up the 1st base line! Race to the bag, toss to 1st, dropped! Infield single!
Sasaki then works a walk! Runners at 1st and 2nd, one down for Tokita!
1-0 pitch crushed to right! Going, going, foul! Big swing for a big guy!
Unfortunately on the very next pitch, he grounds into the 4-6-3 DP to end the inning.
Bottom 2nd
Tokita continues to handle the Komadai batters well, retiring them in order once again. He's looking okay so far, but is still a little rough with his location.
Top 3rd
Itaki gets his first easy inning, retiring Moriokadai in order.
Bottom 3rd
One down, Itaki hits a drive to deep center, Satoshi running back, running back, leaps... and makes the catch at the wall! Nice play by the team captain!
Top 4th
Itaki after a shaky start, has settled down. Retires the side for the 2nd straight inning.
Bottom 4th
Back to the top of the order for Komadai.
Aoyama starts it off with their first hit! He takes one back up the middle for the leadoff single! Kawamura, as expected, bunts him along for Kodaira.
Tokita has other plans though, as he gets Kodaira to strikeout on a fastball high and away.
Cleanup batter Matsumoto to try and bring him in.
Wild pitch! The ball goes towards the 3rd base dugout and Aoyama advances to 3rd! Then Tokita walks Matsumoto! Runners at the corners!
And he's falling behing Oikawa 2-0, then 3-1! He looks like he could be tiring a little. Oikawa with the opposite field hit, but foul! Full count... and he walks him! Manrui!
Furukawa up, and Tokita is laboring. His pitches are missing their mark. 1-0 to Furukawa.
Next pitch, Furukawa smokes it! But Kiyono moves to his left and makes the catch! Disaster averted!
Top 5th
Now I know why Morioka used a plethora of pitchers. Tokita doesn't really have a lot of stamina.
AH! But I wasn't expecting this! Shuuki with the blast to center! Satoshi to the wall, climbs it, it's gone! Haita! Tokita gives up the leadoff homerun here in the 5th to Satou Shuuki! 1-0!!
After a groundout by Itaki, it becomes apparent that Tokita is really laboring on the mound now. His pitches are missing the mark and he's falling behind batters. And after he fights back from a 3-0 hole to Takagi to fill up the count, he loses him.
One out, runner on first for Aoyama. Morioka should be getting their relief pitcher in now!
And with a 2-0 count to Aoyama, the change is made as Kanazawa comes in. The question is, is it too late?
He works the count full to Aoyama... sanshin! But Takagi is off for 2nd! Throw by Nakamura, not in time!
2 down, runner on 2nd for Kawamura. Single to left! Takagi rounding 3rd, going home!! Throw by Kumaya home! In time! Takagi is out at home!
But, Komadai with the HR by Shuuki to dead center gives them the 1-0 lead!
Top 6th
Miura starts the inning with a leadoff walk. Kumaya puts down the obligatory bunt to advance him to scoring position.
Kouta up now. Two grounders foul up the first base line, and he's behind 0-2. Gets it fair the 3rd time around, and grounds to 1st. Miura at 3rd, but 2 down.
Need a timely hit from Nakamura now...
Comeback liner! Itaki with the reflex catch! That could have been disastrous in more ways than one! But the catch saves him, and leaves Miura stranded at 3rd!
Bottom 6th
One down, Matsumoto with the grounder to 1st, but it's off him and into right field! What happened there?
Oikawa with the grounder to left! And it's off Kumaya's glove! It goes into the air and behind him! Matsumoto rounding 3rd, going home! And two consecutive errors lead to another run for Komadai!! 2-0!!
Furukawa getting in on the act! He hits a deep gapper to right center! Oikawa scores, and Furukawa ends up at 3rd! 3-0!
Shuuki up, looking for more. Gets it! Grounder sizzled past a diving Miura! Furukawa scores on Shuuki's double! 4-0!
And that's it for Kanazawa. #3 Tada comes in to relieve him. But I'm afraid that it's probably too late for Moriokadai.
Itaki grounds to 2nd, but no, Nakamura is called for catcher's interference. Tada comes back though and strikes out Takagi. And then he picks off Shuuki at 2nd.
Inning over, damage done...
Top 7th
Satoshi leads it off and takes a drive to right! Kawamura back, back, and makes the catch at the track. The ball just got caught in the wind there, as this year's Koushien, the winds continue to blow from right to left...
And while Sakamoto gets a 2-out single, he is thrown out stealing 2nd.
Bottom 7th
Aoyama back up at the plate. He draws the 4-pitch walk. He's moved over to 2nd, but Kodaira strikes out. 2 down.
Matsumoto draws a walk. Runners at 1st and 2nd.
Oy! Oikawa with the rive to the right center field gap! That's at the wall! Oikawa in with a bases clearing triple! 6-0.
Top 8th
One down, Tada with the grounder down the 3rd base line! He on with a single.
Miura walks on 4 straight. Kumaya walks as well! Manrui!
Is Komadai going to fall into the same problem as with Shimonoseki?
Kouta with the grounder to 1st. High hop! Shuuki leaps! Has it! He makes the put out at first, but Tada scores! 6-1.
Nakahara with the liner to center! Miura scores! Kumaya scores! 6-3!!
Satoshi with the grounder through to right! It's falling apart again!
Double steal!! No throw! Can Kiyono keep it going?
NO! Chopper back to Itaki! He makes the play at first. Itaki gives up 3, but still maintains the lead.
Bottom 8th
Itaki gets a one-out walk. He's bunted to 2nd by Takagi.
And Aoyama with the single to right putting runners at the corners.
Kawamura follows that up with a single up the middle. Itaki scores. 7-3.
With Kodaira up, Tada's pickoff throw to 1st is wild! By the time someone gets to it, Aoyama scores all the way from 2nd! 8-3.
And Kodaira earns a walk... Moriokadai I don't think has any pitchers left, so Tada has to finish it up.
And he strikes out Matsumoto...
But any chance they might have had to get more runs against a tiring Itaki and tie the game have probably gone out the window...
Top 9th
Moriokadai gets one final hit before being retired in the 9th.
A valiant try for Moriokadai Fuzoku. They held in there against Komadai for 6 innings. Doesn't make losing feel any better though, as shown in the express of ace Tokita after the end of the game...
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