Sunday, August 17, 2014

Day 7, Game 2 - Hachinohe Gakuin Kousei (Aomori) v. Bushuukan (Kita Hokkaido)

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Hachinohe Gakuin Kousei (Aomori)
3B Houjyou Hiroyuki
SS Adachi Yuuya
1B Moriyama Hiroki
2B Fukae Taisei
RF Arai Katsunori
LF Nakazaki Jyukiya (#16)
CF Arai Katsutaka
C Baba Ryuusei (#12)
P Nakagawa Masashi

Bushuukan (Kita Hokkaido)
2B Shibasaki Yuu
CF Enomori Shunya
1B Hayasaka Naoki
C Shiga Kazusa
SS Nakamura Yuuto
RF Okamoto Kouki
LF Chiba Yuuya
P Tachibana Shouta (#10)
3B Yamada Kouhei

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10:40 - First Pitch!

Top 1st
Houjyou fly ball to center, Enomori charges in, dives.. and makes the catch! Right off the bat a great play from the first timers!

2 down now and Moriyama hits a liner to right!  Okamoto charging in, he dives... makes another great catch to retire the side!

Bottom 1st
One down for Bushuukan and Enomori battles and draws a walk from Nakagawa.

Kobayashi-kantoky has Enomori test out the arm of bench starter Baba, and just gets thrown out.

Hayasaki with a lazy fly to right ends the inning.

Top 2nd
Kousei having some trouble figuring out Tachibana to start the game.  Fukae with a routine fly to right, and Katsunori goes down swinging on a forkball. Tachibana walks Nakazaki, but gets Katsutaka to pop out to Nakamura and the side is retired with no issues!

Bottom 2nd
No hits yet for Bushuukan either, though Okamoto earns a 2-out walk.  Once again they test Baba's arm, but this time it's not even close.  He's thrown out and the side is retired.

(Also hey, they're playing Kenshin's theme I think)

Top 3rd
Kousei getting their baserunners via the walk more than by hits.  Baba gets a leadoff walk.  Nakagawa tries the push bunt, but pops it up and Hayasaka gets it for the out.

Tachibana gives the base anyways when he throws a wild pitch in the dirt.

Houjyou with a grimace as he swings on a high ball and skies it!  Shibasaki behind 2nd makes the catch in the outfield.

Tachibana trying to throw his offspeed pitches, but is missing high and walks his 3rd batter in Adachi.  The bullpen is warming up just in case, but it's not needed right now.  Moriyama goes after the first pitch and grounds it right to Hayasaka!  He takes it himself and the side is retired again!

Bottom 3rd
One down and it looks like Tachibana's day is done. #12 Ikeda comes in to hit for him.  Might be the right call given the prior half inning.

Ikeda though can't do anything in his only AB of the game as he grounds to short.

Thrown in a grounder to 3rd from Yamada and it's a quick 3 outs for Nakagawa.

Top 4th
#11 Yamazaki is now in the game for Bushuukan, perhaps trying to go 3-3-3 with his triumverate of pitchers.

Fukae lines a shot down the left field line, just foul.  Yamazaki wins the battle as Fukae grounds out to 3rd.

Katsunori with a fly ball to shallow center, Enomori charging in... makes the running catch for the 2nd out!

Nakazaki scorcher up the 3rd base line.. fair!  Chiba gets the ball in, but it's their first hit and they have a scoring opportunity!

Katsutaka with a ball through the right side!  Nakazaki holds at 3rd as the throw comes in.  Big chance for Kousei!

And Nakai-kantoku sends Katsutaka!  No throw from Shiga!  Now a base hit can score 2 for the favorites.

SANSHIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yamazaki goes up and in on Baba has not chance at it!  Side retired as Yamazaki lets out a yell!

Bottom 4th
Shibasaki with a slow grounder to 3rd, and Houjyou can't field it! Bushuukan has a leadoff runner!  Enomori showing bunt.

Hit-and-run! Enomori misses, Baba's throw to 2nd.. AHHHHHHHHH!

It takes Adachi almost into Shibasaki and it goes into center!  Shibasaki gets up and goes to 3rd on the throwing error!  Bushuukan with a great opportunity!

But Enomori goes down swinging for the 1st out.  Nakai-kantoku calls time.

Hayasaka not showing bunt, drives a ball to left!  Nakazaki makes the catch, and Shibasaki comes home!  Throw is cut off and Bushuukan has the 1-0 lead!!

Shiga grounds out to Nakagawa to end the inning, but Bushuukan takes advantage of mistakes from Kousei Gakuin and they ahve the lead!

Top 5th
Another walk given up by Bushuukan and Yamazaki, this time to last batter Nakagawa.

Houjyou not bunting, grounds to short!  Nakamura to Shibasaki for 1, throw to 1st... double play!!  Tailor made DP turned by Bushuukan's defense and there's 2 outs!

Adachi grounds to 1st, Hayasaka tosses to Yamazaki and he gets to the bag for the 3rd out! Bushuukan maintains their lead!

Bottom 5th
Bushuukan still unable to get a hit. Nakamura with a ball of the end of the bat softly lines to Adachi.  Okamoto hits a chopper back to Nakamura for the 2nd out.  And Chiba grounds to 1st for a clean inning for Kousei.

But as we hit the break, it's Bushuukan who has the lead, but is being no-hit!

Top 6th
Moriyama chopper back up middle.  Shibasaki charging in, throws to 1st.. OUT!  The throw beats a diving Moriyama by the slimmest of margins!

Fukae can't level a slow curve and he pops it up!  Nakamura makes the catch for the 2nd out!

And Katsunori grounds to 1st!  Hayasaka tosses to Yamasaki and he beats Katsunori for the 3rd out!  Bushuukan continues to put up 0's against the former finalists!

Bottom 6th
And Yamazaki's time is up! #13 Nohisa comes to hit for him.

Comebacker to Nakagawa! It deflects off his foot and right to 1st!  Moriyama steps on the bag for the out.

Nakagawa throws a couple of pitches and is fine.

Yamada with a line shot, but Moriyama picks it off for the 2nd out.  And Shibasaki goes down swinging for the 3rd out.

Top 7th
So the next pitcher to come into the game is ace # Tokuhashi.  He will be going down the homestretch for Bushuukan.

Nakazaki chases after a slider high and goes down swinging for the first out.

Tokuhashi working really fast, was ahead to Hirotaka 1-2, but ends up filling up the count.  And he loses him!

Baba showing bunt, but Tokuhashi's pitches are running high.

What? Baba lays down the bunt and Shiga collides with Baba! Baba stumbles as Shiga goes to 2nd for one, throw to 1st, double play!

Baba failed to give way to the ball that Shiga had a right to, and no interference is called!

Bottom 7th
Enomori with a slicer down the left field line.. fair!  Bushiikan has their first hit as Enomori comes in with a double!

Hayasaka lays down the bunt, but Nakagawa goes to 3rd, and they get Enomori on the tag!  1 down.

Shiga comebacker to Nakagawa and he starts the 1-4-3 double play to end the inning!

Top 8th
Nakagawa tries to get the offense going, and he hits a single to left!  That turns over the lineup to Houjyou.

And he's showing bunt!

Lays it down!  Yamada throws to 2nd, AHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Nakamura doesn't secure it and it goes into center! E5 on the play and Kousei is threatening!  Kobayashi-kantoku calls time for the first time this game.

Bunt again up the left side! Tokuhashi goes to 3rd.. SAFE????

That looked like it was there in time, but now it's manrui with no down!

Moriyama ball back up middle!  That gets through the drawn in infield as Nakagawa and Houjyou score to take a 2-1 lead!

Fukae hits a fly to deep left that will score another to make it 3-1.  Katsunori singles to right and reality may be setting in.  4-1 Kousei.

Nakasaki hits into the 6-3 double play to end the inning, but the dam finally bursts and Kousei takes the lead.

Bottom 8th
#17 Takaku comes in for Nakazaki to play LF.

One down and Okazaki gets Bushuukan's 2nd hit, a single to left center.  Nakai-kantoku calls time.

Chiba with a ball the opposite way and Katsunori has to play it on a hop!  He's in with a double!

Tokuhashi grounds to 2nd, Kousei willing to give up the run for an out. 4-2 Kousei.

Yamada grounds back to Nakagawa, goes to 1st for the 3rd out.  But they'll be trailing by at least 2 going into the 9th.

Top 9th
Katsutaka gets another base hit for Kousei, and looking for an insurance run, Nakai-kantoku has Baba bunt him along.

But Nakagawa and Houjyou fly out and now it's just left to Nakagawa to get the final 3 outs and advance.

Bottom 9th
One pitch, one out. Shibasaki flies out to Katsunori.

Enomori chopper back to Nakagawa, throws to 1st, 2 down.

Hayasaka grounds to 2nd and Kousei survives with a 4-1 win over Bushuukan!

Bushuukan gave us an entertaining game despite the loss.  26-yr old Kobayashi Masato I think has the right idea and did way so much more with his school than perhaps any of us thought.  Like last year, you had the thought that they might just win despite the fact that in all intents and purposes they shouldn't.  And while it fell apart at the end, it was a pleasure to watch.

1 comment:

View From the Skybox said...

Bushuukan showed incredible sportsmanship towards the end there. They were smiling and having a great time until the final bow was over.