Day 2 - Game 1 - Kochi (Kochi) vs. Jyousuikan (Hiroshima)

So the weather looks better today - morning showers turning to clouds later on. It won't be the mudpit that it was yesterday. As a result though, the teams switch places, and Jyousuikan gains the home advantage. But how will the teams play it today?

Kochi (Kochi)
LF Ikechi (#18)
2B Tanaka
SS Nishioka
C Kinoshita
P Kumon
RF Wada
1B Ooishi
3B Yoshii
CF Hamaguchi

Jyousuikan (Hiroshima)
CF Yamada
RF Shiraiwa
2B Ariyama
C Miyamoto
P Kouno
SS Uyama
1B Kanao
LF Kinugawa
3B Morikane

Hamaguchi and Ooishi switch spots in the lineup. Otherwise rosters are the same.

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8:31 AM - First pitch!

Top 1st
Kouno continues his work from yesterday with a 1-2-3 inning, although Tanaka battles him for 10 pitches before fouling off to C Miyamoto.


Bottom 1st
Kumon probably benefits more from the rainout having shaken off all the rust. He sends Jyousuikan down 1-2-3, with all 3 plays going to Tanaka!


Top 2nd
Kouno gets ahead of Kinoshita 0-2, then he lifts one to right center! Yamada gives chase, and haita???

Kinoshita hits a homerun! It certainly looked like it was a fly ball, but the wind blowing out to right center carries it out!! 1-0 Kochi!!

With 2 down, Ooishi gets hit by Kouno. Yoshii lifts a ball to left center. Kinugawa runs over as Yamada jogs in. Kinugawa reaches out and drops the ball!!! Ooishi, running all the way, scores! Yoshii had a better angle and the error results in another run! 2-0!!

Kouno then walks Hamaguchi on 4 straight... ugh.

And a scorcher by leadoff batter Ikechi eats up Morikane and dribbles down the left field line! Yoshii comes around and he scores! It's 3-0!!

Tanaka finally fouls out to 1st, but the damage has been done. It's Kochi that takes the lead at 3-0!


Bottom 2nd
One down, Kouno works a walk after falling behind 0-2. But Kumon retires the next two batters and looks solid to start.


Top 3rd
Kouno seems to have settled down, retiring the first 2 batters, but then Kumon lines one into left center. Yamada comes over to get it, but then Kumon aggressively goes for 2nd!! Yamada goes to the cutoff man and he has the double!

But Kouno K's Wada to end the inning.


Bottom 3rd
And Jyousuikan finally gets their first hit! Kinugawa singles through the left side! But when Morikane tries to bunt him along, it's right to Kumon who goes to 2nd!

Yamada lines out to right, but it's a bit of an adventure with RF Wada.

Kumon looks to get out of the inning Shiraiwa gets plunked. Runners on 1st and 2nd.

Ah! A wild pitch by Kumon and the runners advance! Now a base hit will score both

And then Ariyama lines one to RF again! Wada comes in, makes an awkward dive and it gets past him! The runners score as Ariyama ends up with a triple! 3-2!!

Miyamoto hits one to the left side, but Yoshii makes a great diving stop! The throw to 1st is in time and he prevents the tying run from scoring!!


Top 4th
Kouno has settled down down, retiring the side in order. We've got a close game, but it's still Jyousuikan that's behind.


Bottom 4th
The rain continues to come down, although the field still look okay.

With 2 down, Kanao singles past a diving Ooishi. After reaching 1st, he's replaced on the basepaths by #14 Morishige.

Then Kinugawa singles through the left side again! Runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 down! Morikane with an opportunity to tie the game here!

But Kumon has issues with last batter Morikane! Count runs full, and...

It's a liner past a diving Yoshii down the left field line!! Morishige scores and on the double, and we have a tie game!! 3-3!!

Time is called as Shimada-kantoku calls a conference. The field is starting to look a bit glossy with the rain starting to puddle up.

But the count runs full on Yamada too... and he walks!! Manrui for Jyousuikan!

And Shiraiwa lines one to center! Hamaguchi tries to cut it off, but it's past him and to the wall! It's a merry-go-round as everyone scores on Shiraiwa's triple!! 逆転!! 6-3!!

Ariyama grounds to 2nd to end the inning, but Jyousuikan has taken the lead!


Top 5th
Now Morishige's PR makes sense. #11 Ikeuchi comes in for Morishige, and takes the mound. Kouno goes to 1st.

I don't get the move though, because Kouno pitched well in the rain.

Speaking of which, the ground is looking worse...

And it doesn't look good after Ikeuchi walks the leadoff batter Ikechi on 4 pitches. After falling behind Tanaka 2-0, he's pulled as he and Kouno switch places.

The count goes full, but Tanaka lines out to right... 1 down.

Nishoka comes up and... oh boy...

He blasts one to left field! Kinugawa can only go the fence and look up as it leaves the park!!!! Haita~~~~~~~!!! Kochi gets within one with the 2nd HR of the day! 6-5!!!!

The pitching changes seem to have gotten the best of Jyousuikan as everyone's rhythm is thrown off! It's further changed when #15 Suzuki replaces Ikeuchi at 1st.

And Kinoshita then walks after working the count full! This doesn't look good!

Perhaps, though they get a reprieve. The umpures come out and call everyone in. The ground conditions have gotten too bad to play on. A light rain earlier has turned into a steady rain and we're now back in a rain delay...

9:40 AM - Rain delay (but the weather looks to clear up, so we may be better off than yesterday)

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10:10 AM - Guess not... game is called, as well as all others today. They will play as the 4th game on the schedule as opposed to the first.