Day 2, Game 4 - Oogaki Nichidai (Gifu) v. Fujishiro (Ibaraki)

Well, we're onto our last game of the day. Maybe this one will be a clean one.

Fujishiro didn't face much top competition on the way to the Ibaraki title, but a 5-1 win over Jyousou Gakuin is a statement win (as well as a 12-3 win over Kasumigaura in the final).  This despite close games against Shimodate Dai-ichi and Asao.

As for Oogaki Nichidai, they did have to play Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou and did defeat them 3-1, but otherwise weren't really able to work out the kinks versus stiffer competition.

Fujishiro (Ibaraki)
C Furuya Yuuto
SS Fuminari Taiki
CF Iidzuka Koudai
1B Nemoto Fumiya
3B Kobayashi Keita
P Takeuchi Yuu
RF Hamawatari Ryou
LF Kodaira Kenjirou
2B Oda Kouhei

Oogaki Nichidai (Gifu)
2B Taneda Masahiro
SS Yuguchi Ikumi
C Naitou Daiki
LF Takino Kaname
3B Nozaki Bunshi
RF Kaneda Kai
1B Ookubo Atsushi
CF Furutani Daishi
P Takada Kouki

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16:03 - First Pitch!

Top 1st
That rust appears to be showing as Furuya loops a ball to left to start the game. After a sac bunt, Iidzuka draws a walk.

Things go from bad to worse when he hits Nemoto to load the bases.

Kobayashi puts another blooper into play and Oida can't catch up to it! Furuya scores to make it 1-0!

I need to catch up, so let's just say things go from bad to worse, to catastrophic.

See, after that blooper, Takada hits Takeuchi driving in a run. Hamawatari grounds to short, and Yuguchi elects to go home, but the throw is offline and everyone's safe, scoring another.  That's 3-0 now.

Kodaira singles to right scoring 2, and after an out at home on a contact play, Furuya hits a ball down the left field line.  Takino chases after it, but can't get it on the slide and slams into the wall hard.  He's stunned and that allows Furuya a running 3-run HR to make it 8-0.  Fuminari strikes out to end the inning, but you get my point.

Bottom 1st
At least Oogaki Nichidai is showing some fight. Taneda leads off with a single to left.

After a fielder's choice, Naitou is plunked (lighty as you can get) on the head.

Sakaguchi-kantoku goes for the hit-and-run and Takino bloops in just out of the reach of Oda and Yuguchi score to make it 8-1.

Nozaki grounds into another fielder's choice, but Oda makes a dangerous spin throw to 2nd to get the runner.  Naitou scores to make it 8-2.

Sakaguchi putting the runners in motion as Nozaki takes 2nd without a throw. Takeuchi doing himself no favors with a big lead, walks Kaneda.

And the Ookubo hits a shot to left past Kodaira for a 2-run double and it's 8-4!

Ookubo straight steals 3rd? Without a throw?!

This is just straight silly.

It ends when Furutani pops a ball into foul territory.  Nemoto tips it to himself for the out to retire the side, but Oogaki Nichidai almost bats around and cuts the deficit in half!

Top 2nd
The top of the 2nd looks like a normal baseball game.  Oida makes a great running catch into the padding in foul territory for the first out, and now that Takada is throwing less hittable pitches, Nemoto and Kobyashi both strike out to end the inning.

That was easy.

Bottom 2nd
Takeuchi's inning is almost clean until he walks Taneda with 2 out.

Naitou grounds to short though and things might be settling down now.

Top 3rd
One down and Hagiwatari draws a walk.  Kobari-kantoku tries to steal 2nd, but is thrown out by a good margin.  And despite Kodaira getting hit, Oda flies out to end the inning.

Bottom 3rd
That's a quick inning for Takeuchi, as in just 4 pitches he retires the side, though there was help for the new face.

Top 4th
Oh man I'm getting old for this, it's hard to stay awake as Takada strikes out the side looking.  This tends to happen when there is an offensive explosion that the teams just enter a doldrums stage.

Bottom 4th
It's not 3 K's but CF Iiduzka does record all 3 outs of the inning though Furutani gets a single.

Top 5th
Nemoto gets their first hit since the 1st inning with a line double to left.  Takada gambles on the bunt by Kobayashi going to 3rd, but while the throw beats the runner, he's called safe perhaps as he avoided the tag.

Nemoto presses his luck a bit too far as he tries to tag on a shallow fly from Takeuchi.  Instead he's doubled off and there's 2 outs.

Oh boy.  Hamawatari with a drive to left, Takino goes all the way to the all, and runs into it as it lands about 10 rows up.

10-4 and Sakaguchi-kantoku makes a change.  Takino goes to the mound, and #10 Tanaka comes in for Takada and goes to left.

Takino gets a grounder to end the inning, but Fujishiro extends their lead and are at double digits.

Bottom 5th
Yuguchi gets Oogaki's offense going with a triple to center.  But it isn't until Takino that he gets driven in via a sac fly to make it 10-5.

It's at this point I dozed off (I'm getting too old for long nights like this).

Nozaki gets a single back up the middle, but winds up being picked off in some manner to end the inning.  So we hit the break with Fujishiro still in front by a good margin, but it's not quite safe.

Top 6th
Post break Takino seems to have things under control (remember, he was the one that slammed into the wall in the 1st).  He actually retires the side in order and gives his team a chance.

Bottom 6th
So I'm able to scramble back to the computer after an infield single by Kaneda, a groundout and a walk.

#14 Sakakiyama comes in to hit for Tanaka.  Kobari-kantoku counters with #11 Yamazaki coming in for Kodaira and taking the hill while Takeuchi going to left.

But the first pitch misses everything and the runners advance.  What's worse, his ball 4 to Sakakiyama goes wild and Ookubo scores from 3rd!  It's 10-6!

And I've seen this story before.  Kobari-kantoku puts back Takeuchi on the mound and sends out #10 Takahashi to go back to left.  That is a mark that the team is in a lot of trouble.

(Looking at the program, the only other pitcher available is Nemoto, but he wasn't effective at all - 2 IP, 3 R.  And if Kobari-kantoku's hook was that quick, they could be in a lot of trouble)

It looks like though that the brief break helped as Takeuchi gets two popups to retire the side.  The lead is still at 4, but it looks even more tenuous.

Top 7th
Sakakiyama stays in the game at 1B, while Ookubo goes to left.

Well, Fujishiro gets a break as Iidzuka's grounder goes under Oida's glove and into right.

Nemoto liner to short! And Iidzuka is caught off 1st and is doubled off !  That's unfortunate for Fujishiro and with Kobayashi grounding to short, it's another quick inning with Oogaki Nichidai back on the bats!

Bottom 7th
Uh oh.  Naitou leads off the inning with a single to center.  Still no bunting from the Oogaki squad and instead Takino takes the next pitch into right!  Naitou hustles to 3rd and Fujishiro's in trouble again!

Sakaguchi-kantoku continues to put the pressure on, as Takino goes for 2nd on the strikeout by Nozaki, and there's no throw!  Now a base hit can make it a 2-run ballgame!

Takeuchi trying to bring the game home throws slider after slider to Kaneda and he goes down swinging on just 3 pitches!  2 outs for Fujishiro!

Oh no!

Taneda with a deep drive to left center!  No one's going to get that as it goes all the way to the wall!  Ookube winds up at 2nd as 2 runs score and it's a 10-8 ball game!

And now Furutani singles to left!  Ookubo being waved home and the throw is cut off!  It's 10-9!!!!

Sakakiyama flies out to left, but Fujishiro is in a lot of trouble.  If they can't score the next half-inning, they may be done for.

Top 8th
And is the case when a team is at Defcom 1, they try to swing their way out of the mess and any plans they had are thrown out the window.

And as a result, Takeuchi, Hamawatari and Takahashi go down in order...

Bottom 8th
Taneda opens with a drive to left center! That goes to the wall and he's in with a leadoff triple! The douten runner is in scoring position!

And now he loses Yuguchi to a walk!  The gyakuten runner is on base!

Naitou with a grounder to 2nd! Oda goes to 2nd for one, throw to 1st, not in time!  So Taneda scores adn the game is tied at 10-10 with the gyakuten runner still on base!

Takino next pitch grounds to 1st, Nemoto goes to the bag which allows Naitou to advance to scoring position.

あ。。。

Well, that pretty much does it.  Nozaki blasts a no-doubter to right field giving Oogaki Nichidai the 12-10 lead.

And while Takeuchi finally gets the 3rd out after a Kaneda base hit, much like the other teams it's hard to see Fujishiro coming back from this.

Top 9th
Fujishiro gets some life with one down when Furuya's grounder to 2nd is thrown away by Oida.  Iiduzka gets a 2-out single to put the douten runner on base.

But Nemoto grounds out to Nozaki to end the game.

Fujishiro's players are as you would expect inconsolable after letting an 8-0 lead slip away.  People celebrate the comeback, and glamorize the losers in their emotions.  Oogaki Nichidai gets the win, but sometimes I wonder if there are any winners in a sense...