Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Day 2, Game 2 - Shizuoka (Shizuoka) v. Seiryou (Ishikawa)

Well, the 2nd day seems to be more of the same, wonder if it'll keep up in our 2nd game.

Shizuoka did have to face some stronger competition, but it was their first game they almost got tripped up.  A 2-2 draw against Suruga Sougou which they won 10-1.  Then a 6-3 win over Tokoha Tachibana, and a 3-2 win over Kakogawa Nishi for the title.

Seiryou's only close game was their final where they came back from down 8-0 in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Komatsu Ootani 9-8.  But outside of that game against that Tier 3 school, there were no other opponents of note.

I have a personal rooting interest in the game, but if you want my unbiased opinion, Shizuoka has at least had some testing done during the summer, which I can't say for Seiryou - and the one game they did have they were outplayed for 8.5 innings.

Shizuoka (Shizuoka)
CF Uchiyama Shun
2B Ooishi Tomoki
1B Kishiyama Tomohiro
C Horiuchi Kengo
SS Yasumoto Ryuuji
RF Suzuku Shouhei
3B Hirano Hidemaru
P Tsujimoto Hiromu
LF Koura Masaki

Seiryou (Ishikawa)
CF Tanigawa Touma
2B Nakamura Hayato
LF Fukushige Tatsumi
1B Murakami Kazuma
3B Yanase Takeshi
RF Satake Kaito
P Iwashita Daiki
SS Toratani Takaya
C Yokoyama Shouta

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11:03 - First Pitch!

Top 1st
Uchiyama leads off the game with a base hit through the left side.  Ooishi tries to bunt him over, but it's right at Iwashita.  He goes to 2nd, and Toratani is taken out by Uchiyama.  He gets a warning from the umpire, but I don't see anything too wrong with it.

Iwashita's control is wonting as Kishiyama fouls enough pitches to earn a walk, and then he uncorks one to the netting, advancing the runners.  Hayashi-kantoku calls for time.

Despite the control issues, he gets cleanup batter Horiuchi to swing and miss on a forkball for the 2nd out.

Another wild pitch!  Yokoyama can't get the glove up in time and Ooishi scrambles home to make it 1-0!

Yasumoto a hard ball up the line, goes off Yanase into foul territory! Kishiyama scores to make it a 2-0 game!

Suzuki grounds to short to end the inning, but it looks like Seiryou will be playing from behind again.

Bottom 1st
Tanigawa gives a Tsujimoto offering a ride, but Koura is there in front of the fence for the 1st out.

Nakamura attacks the first pitch and singles to center.  Fukushige does the same and it's over Uchiyama's head!  Nakamura scores and Seiryou immediately strikes back! RBI double makes it a 2-1 ball game!

Murakami with a liner to left!  But Koura is there is there for the catch and Fukue is caught taking off for 3rd! Throw goes to Ooishi and it's an easy DP to end the inning.

Top 2nd
Shizuoka getting back to work on offense, hitting a single through a diving Yanase and Toratani for a base hit.  He's moved over.

Koura, after working the count 3-0, has Iwashita find 2 pitches over the plate to fill up the count.  He loses the battle after grounding back to Iwashita for the 2nd out.

Iwashita falls behind Uchiyama 2-0 as well, and he's having trouble locating his off-speed pitches.  This time he's not as lucky as he walks Uchiyama.

And he's behind Ooishi 2-0, but Ooishi does go after the next pitch.

It's a weak swing, but the ball somehow finds its way through Yanase and Toratani for a base hit! Hirano is waved around, the throw from Fukue.... Not in time!  Hirano just gets the hand in there and Shizuoka leads 3-1!

Time is called yet again by Hayashi-kantoku.

Kishiyama meanwhile apparently didn't get the memo that Iwashita is having trouble throwing strikes.  He swings on the first pitch and quickly finds himself down 0-2.

I thought it might be a ploy to get him to throw balls, but nope, he chases a 1-2 slider for the 3rd out.  Still Shizuoka scraps that run back to lead again by 2.

Bottom 2nd
Tsujimoto almost gets a clean inning, but after 2 routine grounders, Iwashita chops a ball back up the middle for a base hit.

But Tsujimoto gets yet another groundball from Toratani and Yasumoto is right at the bag to record the 3rd out.

Top 3rd
Horiuchi hits a shot right back at Iwashita.  He can get part of the glove on it, but it goes to center for a base hit.  Yasumoto bunts him along.

Oh?! Horiuchi takes off for 3rd on a blocked ball in the dirt!  Throw from Yokoyama not in time!

Ahead 3-1, Suzuki swings away, but grounds to 2nd! Horiuchi can't advance home and there's 2 outs.

Shizuoka's batters not understanding that Iwashita is struggling and are swinging away.  Hirano takes two bad swings, and the third is a flyout to left to end the inning.

Bottom 3rd
Yokoyama's head sliding makes a great play by Yasumoto closer than it needs to be, but I guess if you want to glide in like an airplane, knock yourself out.  He's bunted to 2nd.

Nakamura attacks the first pitch, but pops out to Ooishi for the 2nd out.

Grounder to short... AH!

Yasumoto picks up his glove early and it goes into left!  That error is a gift run for Seiryou and it's 3-2!

Cleanup batter Murakami in a prolonged AB with Tsujimoto, goes for the gusto and drive one to left.  But hes under it and Koura is there to make the catch for the 3rd out. But a key error narrows the deficit to 1.

Top 4th
Control issues still plague Iwashita as he issues his 3rd walk to Koura with 1 down.

Koura takes off for 2nd, throw from Yokoyama... OUT!  It looks close and I'm not sure if he didn't get in before, but my opinion doesn't matter.  There 2 down now, and make that 3 as Uchiyama grounds to 2nd fo rhe 3rd out.

Bottom 4th
Boy, I just posted the last half-inning update, and in 6 pitches, the side is retired!  Only Iwashita takes more than just 1 pitch in that inning.

Top 5th
Shizuoka still thinking it's better to swing away, gives the defense easy outs with ground balls.  Kishiyama was up 3-1, but rolled a ball to short for the 2nd out.

Horiuchi falls behind 1-2, and goes after an inside fastball for strike 3.  Iwashita hanging in there despite the continued control issues, retires side in order.

Bottom 5th
Well, this is interesting, #10 Muranaka comes in to hit for Toratani. But that doesn't work out as he grounds to short.

Yokoyama gets a clean hit his 2nd time up with a single through the right side.

No bunt from Tanigawa, and he winds up going down swinging.  Nakamura getting his hacks in, fouling several pitches off to stay alive.

Grounder to right side!  Ooishi runs it down in the outfield grass... spin throw to 1st... in time!

So we hit the break with what looked like a possible one-sided affair instead a close game with Iwashita for Seiryou hanging on to keep his squad in the game.

Top 6th
Muranaka stays in the game to play 2B, Nakamura goes to SS.  Try not messing that up something during the rest of the game.

Yasumoto leads off the inning with a single to shallow left.  As expected, he is advanced 90 feet.

Whether intentional or not (prolly not given his control issues), he walks Hirano on 4 straight.

Tsujimoto hits a grounder to short, Nakamura goes to Muranaka for 1, relay to 1st, in time for the double play to end the inning!  Chance for Shizuoka goes begging to open the 2nd half of play.

Bottom 6th
Defense seeming to let Tsujimoto down as a routine grounder to 2nd is muffed by Ooishi.  It looks to be another problem of anticipating the play.  Kuribayashi-kantoku calls for time.

No bunting for Murakami with no outs though.  He's getting his money's worth, sharply fouling off some balls, merely staying alive on others.

But on the 9th pitch, he lets a slider by that's just too close, and he's rung up!

Desperate for a run, Yanase lays down the bunt, leaving it to Satake, but he doesn't have a base hit on the day.

SANSHIN!!!!

Satake goes down swinging on the changeup and once again Tsujimoto holds the line!

Top 7th
Shizuoka playing the losing proposition of swinging at Iwashita's pitches, Koura actually tries a bunt, but pops out.  Uchiyama is jammed and hits one back to Iwashita.

Ooishi gets ahead 3-1, but chases the high fastball before being bailed out on a ball way up and in.  He takes off for 2nd, and Yokoyama's double clutch allows him to get in safely.

Kishiyama grounder to left side, Yanase can't make diving pick!  Ooishi comes around to score and Shizuoka takes a 4-2 lead!

Horiuchi grounds out to 2nd to end the inning, but not before Shizuoka picks up a crucial insurance run!

Bottom 7th
Muranaka just pounds a high bounder over the mound.  Yasumoto tries to play the ball as quickly as he can, but it just hangs in the air for way too long.

AH!!!!  Groudner to 2nd by Yokoyama is flubbed by Ooishi and his 2nd error gives Seiryou life here in the lucky 7th!

Grounder to the right side, everyone's out of position!  Kishiyama runs to the ball goes to 2nd??!!  That's not in time and the throw goes into left!  Muranaka scores and it's 4-3!!

Time is called, but the defense for Shizuoka is getting sketchier and sketchier by the minute.

The collapse is almost complete as Nakamura singles to right!  There will be no throw home and Seiryou has tied the game at 4-4!

Tsujimoto decides then to bypass the infield, and gets both Fukushige and Murakami to fly out to end the inning.  But the damage has more than been done.  Despite the tie, Shizuoka is on the verge of losing the game.

Top 8th
Yasumoto tries to go deep on Iwashita, but Satake makes the leaping catch to keep that from happening.

Suzuki gets ahead in the count, but winds up taking a pitch too close and goes down looking.

And with Hirano going after a 3-1 pitch and grounding to 2nd, momentum is officially with Seiryou.

Bottom 8th
The gallows are being prepared as Yanase takes a slider to center for a base hit.

Satake looks to be laying the bunt, but winds up taking strike 2!  He lays down the bunt on the three bunt and manages to advance the runner.

Iwashita with a drive to right center, and that will go to the wall!  Yanase easily scores and the hatchet comes down on Shizuoka!  Iwashita completes the comeback with a RBI double!  5-4!

Yokoyama goes down swinging, but that doesn't matter, what does is that Seiryou has taken the lead when it matters, Shizuoka is down to their final 3 outs!

Top 9th
Shizuoka pulling all the emergency handles.  #17 Mochidzuki in to hit for Tsujimoto.

But he goes down swinging on an inside forkball for the 1st out.

Another PH as #13 Katou comes in to hit for Koura.  Seiryou counters with sending #15 Takeya to take over in RF.

Katou on the 2-2 pitch booms a ball to left, but it goes foul.

Instead the high fastball does him in and there's 2 out.

Uchiyama fittingly goes down swinging on a high fastball and the game is over.  Seiryou gives Shizuoka the rope to hang themselves and they do so willingly 5-4.

While this was a comeback, this I think was much different than the Komatsu Ootani win.  There, the opponent had the pressure of finally slaying the dragon.  Here, Shizuoka took the lead they had and told Seiryou they liked it, but didn't want it anymore.  4 errors, all by the infield and 3 by the players up the middle were more than enough to do them in.

Furthermore, whatever Shizuoka's strategy was early versus Seiryou ace Iwashita, they changed it somewhere around the 4th or 5th inning when they decided they could attack his pitches.  This despite the fact he was struggling with his control.  That allowed him to gain confidence and settle down for the stretch run.

Well, the better team won today and Seiryou is on to the 2nd round.

Notable Players
Iwashita Daiki (Seiryou) - 2-4, 2B, GW RBI
Nakamura Hayato (Seiryou) - 2-4, R, RBI
Tsujimoto Hiromu (Shizuoka) - CG, 5 R, 2 ER, 9 H, 4 K, 0 BB
Yasumoto Ryuuji (Shizuoka) - 2-3, RBI
Ooishi Tomoki (Shizuoka) - 1-2, BB, 2 R, RBI, SB, 2 E

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