Day 4, Game 3 - Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku (Hyogo) v. Seikou Gakuin (Fukushima)

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Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku (Hyogo)
CF Terayama Hiroto
2B Hayashi Kazuto
RF Takahashi Yuu
3B Takemura Riku
1B Iisako Keiji
LF Murase Yuuto
SS Uemura Shinya
C Nishi Toshihiro
P Kuroda Tetsuya

Seikou Gakuin (Fukushima)
LF Yaoita Takumaru
2B Fujiwara Issei
3B Yaginuma Kentarou
1B Yasuda Kouki
CF Isagi Shun
RF Iijima Tsubasa
SS Fujita Satoshi (#14)
C Takano Kouki
P Imaizumi Keita (#18)

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13:07 - First Pitch!

1st Inning
Imaizumi with the bench start making quick work of the top of the lineup as Teryama grounds to 3rd and Hayashi can only watch the forkball for strike 3.

But Takahashi drives a ball to deep right!  Iijima back to the wall, and it deflects off the fence and back towards the field!  Takahashi takes advantage and slides in with a triple!

Takemura though with a comebacker to Imaizumi!  Goes to 1st and the threat is averted!

After two quick out of his own, Kuroda runds into trouble.  First he walks Yaginuma on 4 straight.  Then a shot back up the middle by Yasuda.  That's followed up by a walk to Isagi and it's manrui for Iijima!

SANSHIN!!!

But like Imaizumi, Kuroda gets out of the jam! Iijima chases the slider and the side is retired!

Top 2nd
Kobe Kokusaidai's batters appear to have trouble timing Imaizumi's pitches.  Only Murase here in the 2nd makes solid contact, and even then it's right to Yaginuma who makes a great stop and throw for the out.

Bottom 2nd
I wonder if Seikou Gakuin knows what they are and aren't.  I say that because before the game the Japanese who commented on Seikou were looking at their team batting averages and were scared.  But I'm sure they know the competition in Fukushima is not as strong. so the results mean less.

Which is why after a one-out walk to Takano, Saitou-kantoku was having Imaizumi bunt.  Though in the end, he wound up bunting out (as it were).

Yaoita punishes a fastball up in the zone by Kuroda and singles to right center!  Takano advances to 3rd and Seikou Gakuin is threatening again!

But Fujiwara grounds to 3rd!  Takemura rushes his throw and bounces it, but Iisako makes the pick for the 3rd out!

Top 3rd
Wow, I can't believe the expediency that Imaizumi is sitting down the Kobe Kokusaidai batters.  He's using his offspeed pitches predominantly against the batters, and so far they can't get the timing down!  He under 30 pitches through 3!

Bottom 3rd
Yaginuma catches a fastball left up by Kuroda and lines a shot tor right for a base hit.

Yasuda was setting up the bunt, but after getting 2 strikes he has to swing away.  Before that Yaginuma takes off for 2nd!  Throw to 2nd not in time and now they don't need the bunt!

Better yet, Yasuda draws a walk!

Isagi showing bunt, but hasn't actually offered as of yet.

Instead he swings!  Grounder to 2nd, Hayashi goes to 2nd for 1, but Isagi is too fast to be double off.

And then Saitoiu-kantoku has Isagi take 2nd!  And he gets no throw!  Saitou-kantoku not afraid to put the game in motion.

SQUEEZE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Iijima lays down the squeeze and Yaginuma takes off for home! Kuroda charging in, tries to flip the ball, but can't! Everyone's safe and Seikou leads 1-0!

Fujita showing bunt too, and he gets hit by a ball that was a one bounder!  Manrui for Seikou Gakuin!

SQUEEZE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The pitch is high and Takano can't put the ball down on the ground! Kuroda makes the catch as everyone scrambles back! It's up to Imaizumi now to help his own cause.

It's a swinging bunt!  Kuroda rushes over to the ball on the 3rd base line, fires to 1st... In time!  Imaizumi perhaps not the fastest player out there and Kuroda had plenty of time to make the play

Top 4th
Imaizumi continued on cruise control until someone bumped the controls and Takemura drew a 2-out walk.  Imaizumi's still trying to fix the controls when he throws a ball in the dirt and Takemura advances to 2nd.

And then Iisako has to duck on a 2-2 pitch that goes over his head.

Now the alarm bell need to go off because Iisako drives a pitch to left center! The defense can't get to it as it rolls all the way to the wall!  Iisako is in with a RBI triple and we're tied at 1-1!

Murase with a grounder to the left side!  Fujita runs it down in the gaps, throw to 1st... in time!  Fujita prevents the gyakuten run from scoring but Iisako has tied the game!

Bottom 4th
And for this inning at least it seems like the roles are reversed as Kuroda needs just 9 pitches to retire the top of the order.

Top 5th
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