32 teams in 32 days - Hiroshima Shinjyou (Hiroshima)

This is Hiroshima Shinjyou's first trip to Koushien, either in spring or summer.  And one would not fault someone for thinking that their one chance to make it had passed last summer.  In the Hiroshima taikai, they had defeated Jyosuikan to reach the finals, went to a 15 inning draw against Setouchi only to lose 1-0 two days later.  For a school like then, it's possible the team worked 3 years to build a team.  And yet, they were able to regroup and make another run - which took them all the way to Senbatsu!

Road to Senbatsu
Hokubu Regionals Round-Robin - Zone A

• def. Miyoshi Seiryou 12-0 (5 inn)
• def. Nisshoukan 7-1
• def. Sera 7-1

Hiroshima Prefecturals

• def. Miyajima Kougyou 4-0
• def. Hiro 10-3
• def. Hiroshima Shougyou 11-2 (7 inn)
• def. Kouryou 6-2
• def. Soutoku 5-3

Chuugoku Super-Regionals

• def. Iwami 3-1
• def. Kouryou 9-2 (7 inn)
• def. Takagawa Gakuen 3x-2 (10 inn)
• lost Iwakuni 4-3

So, they were able to back up their performance in the fall and in so doing defeated the other prefectural power Kouryou, not once, but twice (which is generally very hard to do).  The win against Soutoku has to be taken with a little bit of a discount as they had rested their ace.

Super-regional play got off to a bit of a shaky start with a narrow win against Tottori's 3rd place team Iwami though ace Yamaoka Shuuya (山岡 就也) did limit them to just 3 hits.  Then after their 2nd win over Kouryou, Yamaoka was involved in a battle with Soutoku and ace Sakai. In general Shinjyou had the better of it, but miscues by Sakai (including a wild pitch) sent Shinjyou to the finals.

In those finals though, two fielding errors in the 1st inning - first a poor FC choice by C Tanaka Keisuke (田中 啓輔) when on a bunt he fielded he threw to 3rd where there was no chance for a play, then later he threw to 2nd on a pickoff, but the defense wasn't ready for it.  So both mistakes led to 2 runs in the first.  Iwakuni would continue to be patient against Yamaoka, drawing walks and picking their spots, scoring another run in the 4th thanks to 2 walks and a base hit by leadoff batter Kawamoto.

It wouldn't be until the 8th inning when Hiroshima Shinjyou would fight back. Top of the order, back-to-back singles to the left side by Nakabayashi and LF Tanaka got the inning started.  2B Nishijima Haruto (西島 晴人) would then line a ball down the right field line scoring 1.  Sakagaki Kazuya (阪垣　和也) would get a sac fly to score another, and after an errant throw by Azuma, new RF Nikaku Hiroaki (二角 太陽) - younger brother of Yuudai who plays for Rikkio, pokes one to right tying the game. Nikaku would steal 2nd and 3rd but be stranded there when #10 Funabashi would strike out.

But Yamaoka would go completely off the rails, walking Kawamura, throwing a wild pitch, and then after a bunt, throwing another wild pitch, giving Iwakuna a run without the benefit of a hit.  That would be all she wrote for Hiroshima Shinjyou as they would fall 4-3.

Videos of Yamaoka are available, predominantly against Soutoku in the Hiroshima finals (1, 2, 3).  He can throw in the upper 130s and possibly has a cutter/two-seamer to go with the standard set of pitches.  However, he doesn't strikeout a lot of batters, and as seen in the Iwakuni game, he walks quite a few.  In fact in his 4 games in the super-regional, he almost allowed the same number of hits, walks and strikeouts (22, 18 and 21 respectively)!

The pitching once again worries me.  What Yamaoka reminds me of is Toukaidai Sagami's Hifumi Shinta. You know, the one who struck out and walked a ton of people and was wildly effective - and couldn't win the big one as a result.

It is generally not a recipe for success, and with no backups he's it for Hiroshima Shinjyou.  Yamaoka has shown it can work, but if opposing teams are patient I think he'll struggle.

Next up, across the water to the Shikoku champs Imabari Nishi!