Day 6, Game 4 - Kakunodate (Akita) v. Yazu (Tottori)

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Kakunodate (Akita)
SS Satou Shouta
2B Nagasawa Seiya
RF Ogasawara Shouta
C Chiba Tenma
LF Komatsu Shouta
3B Kogita Atsuya
CF Akakura Takumi
1B Fujita Kouhei
P Souma Kazuki

Yazu (Tottori)
CF Nishihara Tomoya
2B Oomoto Takahisa
SS Nakao Naoya
1B Ookubo Ryouhei
LF Takeuchi Shun
C Nishigaki Masaki
RF Kawada Kenichirou
3B Fujiwara Naoki
P Kamaya Kouhei

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16:40 - First Pitch!

Top 1st
We get night baseball here thanks to the rain delays.

One down and Nagasawa hits a soft liner past a diving Nakao for a base hit.

Ogasawara works the count full, and takes a pitch the other way for another single! Nagasawa heads to 3rd, and Tokunaga-kanoku has to call time early.

Would you believe it, Chiba hits the ball off the end of his bat into shallow left center for ahit! Nagasawa scores and just like that Kakunodate leads 1-0!

Kamaya finally gets his 2nd out as he strikes out Komatsu.  Kogita grounds to 2nd, and Kamaya is out with minimal damage

Bottom 1st
Souma quickly retires the first 2 batters before issuing a walk to Natsumi.

Ookubo with a foul fly, Kogita makes a great running catch to retire the side

Top 2nd
After the shaky first, Kamaya has a clean 1-2-3 inning against the bottom of the Kakunodate lineup.

Bottom 2nd
Once again ace Souma issues a 2-out walk.  And once again, Souma retires the next batter, so no harm done/

Top 3rd
Nagaasawa collects his 2nd hit of the day with a ball through the right side.

But Ogasawara hits it right back to Kamaya who starts the 1-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Bottom 3rd
Souma gives his 3rd walk of today, but this time to lead off an inning.  After a sac bunt, he comes right back to strike out Oomoto for the 2nd out.

But Nakao hits a ball to right center! Kamaya easily scores from 2nd and the game is tied at 1-1!

Ookubo flies out again to Kogita in foul territory, but Yazu levels the score!

Top 4th
Kamaya hits Chiba to start off the inning.  After a bunt, he's moved to 3rd on a grounder by Kogita.

Kamaya strands the runner there by getting Akakura to fly out to left.

Bottom 4th
Takeuchi with a hard grounder to 3rd, but Kogita stumbles and the ball goes 90 degress into foul territory!
 E5, and the gyakuten runner is on base.

Nishigaki grounder up middle, but Satou is there! Steps on 2nd for 1, gets taken out by Takeuchi, but he makes the throw to 1st for the double play!

And that's key because Kawada hits a gapper to left center!  He in with a double, but tries to press for 3!  Relay throw from Satou, high! But Kogita has enough time to make the tag and Kawada is out to end the inning!

Top 5th
Kaamaya settling down nicely since the 1st.  Can't quite get the clean inning, as Satou bloops one just out of the reach of Takeuchi.

Yuzawa-kantoku, sensing this will be a low scoring affair, sends Satou to 2nd, and Nishigaki doesn't even offer a throw!

But Kamaya gets Nagasawa all twisted up on a fastball inside and he puts up another donut!

Bottom 5th
Yazu continuing to create scoring opportunities.  Fujiwara takes a hanging fastball and lines it to center for a base hit.  Kamaya bunts him over for the top of the order.

Souma strikes out Nishihara, but the ball is in the dirt and that allows Fujiwara to advance to 3rd.

And that wild pitch costs Kakunodate!  Souma tries to elevate, but Oomoto lines it to center for a base hit! Fujiwara scores and Yazu has their first lead of game! 2-1!

Nakao pops out to Chiba behind home plate for the 3rd out, but a timely hit from Oomoto gives his team the lead as we head into the break!

Top 6th
One down for Kakunodate and Chiba reaches base safely for the 3rd time as he singles to center.

Kakunodate can't make anything out of it though as Komatsu strikes out on the slider and Kogita grounds right to Nakao for the 3rd out.

Bottom 6th
Ookubo in a prolonged battle with Souma finally wins with a ball back up the middle.  Takeuchi bunts him to 2nd.

Nishigaki with a single to right!  Ookubo is being sent home! Komatsu fumbles with ball and there's no throw! 3-1 Yasu!

Kawata with a drive to right center! Nishigaki heading home.. doubles back to 3rd!  Souma getting hit hard here in the 6th.

Fujiwara ball back up middle!  Nishigaki and Kawada score and it's a 5-1 Yazu lead!

That'll be it for Souma.  He heads to LF, Komatsu comes in to play 1B, and #10 Itou comes in for Fujita to take the hill.

He retires the next 2 batters, but Yazu has blown open the game here in the 6th!

Top 7th
Once again, Kakunodate gets a 2-out runner when Souma singles past Nakao.  Satou follows that up with a soft single to right.  But they're going to need more to catchup.

Nagasawa hard grounder to short, Nakao backhands it, but the ball comes out and by the time he gathers it, everyone's safe! Manrui for Kakunodate as Ogasawara steps in.

But he swings on the first pitch and hits it to 3rd.  Fujiwara takes it to the bag himself and the side is retired!

Bottom 7th
Souma may be tiring out as he gives up a single to Oomoto and walks Nakao after that.  He's gets off the hook 2 batters later when Takeuchi grounds into the tailor made 6-4-3 double play.

Top 8th
Komatsu gives his team a one-out base hit instead of one with two outs.  After #10 Maeta comes in for Takeuchi, Kogita grounds into the 6-4-3 double play.

Bottom 8th
Yazu tacks on another run as after a Kawada double and Fujiwara single, Kamaya lays down the squeeze to make it 6-1.

Top 9th
Akakura gets plunked to start the inning and time is called as #17 Suzuki comes to bat for Itou.  But he flies out to left.

Yuzawa-kantoku emptying his bench. #12 Kudou to hit for Souma.

Liner over Nakao for a base hit as Akakura takes 3rd.

Satou, after 2 straight hits flies out to left and Nagasawa is their last chance.

Drive to right center... Kawada over, and makes the catch and tumble to end the game! Yazu advances to the 3rd round with a 6-1 win over Kakunodate!

Truth be told, I was happy Kakunodate made it to Koushien after their heartbreaking loss in 15 innings last year.

But as is the case generally, while they made it it probably was just one year past their prime.  Still, I'm happy they can put the banner in their school as proof they made it.

For Yazu, they get their first ever win at Koushien and will get to play again another day, perhaps under better conditions.