Day 7, Game 1 - Shizuoka (Shizuoka) vs. Kisaradzu Sougou (Chiba)

The problem with trying to handicap these games is that most of them ended in blowouts, so it's very hard to make anything out of the games. Shizuoka had no problems with Ritsumeikan Uji, while Kisuradzu Sougou handled Okayama Ridai Fuzoku easily.

Shizuoka (Shizuoka)
RF Suzuki Shouhei
2B Ooshi Tomoki
CF Uchiyama Shun
C Horiuchi Kengo
SS Yasumoto Ryuuji
1B Hirano Hidemaru
LF Hirose Shun
P Muraki Fumiya
3B Sanpei Shinya (#13)

Kisaradzu Sougou (Chiba)
LF Kido Ryou
3B Ishii Ryou
CF Obara Naoki
SS Himura Atsushi
2B Koike Kazuki
1B Isogai Tomoya
RF Sasaki Shun
C Oosawa Shou
P Hawakawa Takahisa (#10)

__________________________________________________

09:00 - First Pitch!

Top 1st
Hayakawa gets the first base hit out of the way with a single through the left side.

Kuribayashi-kantoku decides to give the green light and Suzuki takes off for 2nd! Throw from Oosawa is in time to make the catch for the out!

After that, it's a routine grounder to Tomoya, and a pop fly to shallow left for Okayama.

Bottom 1st
Kido uppercuts a ball from Muraki and skies one to Yasumoto.

Ishii takes a ball the other way, but Suzuki is playing near the line and makes the catch for the 2nd out.

Ohara makes good contact and shoots a ball back up the middle for a base hit.


But Himura gets one off the end of the bat and pops it up. Sanpei makes the catch in foul territory to retire the side.

Top 2nd
Horiuchi with a slow roller to the right side, Koike charges in and throws to 1st for the out.

Yasumoto looking for a pitch to hit, fouls off a couple to stay alive. But Hayakawa put a fastball just out of his reach for the 2nd out.

Hirano falls victim to the fastball as well, swinging over one at the knees for the 3rd out.

Bottom 2nd
One down for Kisaradzu and Isogai simply places a ball into center for a base hit.

Muraki not without tricks of his own, pulls out the forkball on Sasaki to record his first K. Oosawa pops out on the next pitch and the side is retired. Early on, it looks like Kisaradzu has the better of it.

Top 3rd
Shizuoka's bottom of the lineup struggling early on. Hirose swings on the first pitch and flies out to left. After that Muraki chases a very high fast ball for Hayakawa's 3rd K. Sanpei gets a base hit, as his soft liner gets over Koike into right.

Kuribayashi-kantoku decides to send Sanpei, but the pitch home is high and allows Oosawa to make a quick throw, cutting Sanpei down by a wide margin.

Bottom 3rd
Hayakawa does the right thing and takes a pitch away to the opposite field. Kido takes a couple of poor bunts, but when he three bunts, it's good enough.

Ishii with a ball back up the middle! Yasumoto can't track it down! Hayakawa being sent home and the throw is cutoff! Ishii with a timely hit gives Kisaradzu Sougou the 1-0 lead!

After Obara goes down swinging on a curve, Himura drives a ball to deep left center. But he got under it and while Uchiyama has to make a run, he tracks it down for the 3rd out.

Top 4th
Suzuki (Shouhei) the only one who's seeing Hayakawa's pitches.  He hits another ball to left for a base hit. This time Tomoya bunts him over.

Uchiyama hits a fly ball to left, but Kido comes in to make the catch. 2 down for Horiuchi.

Blooper to left field, Kido charging in.. can't get to it in time! Shouhei scores and it's douten at 1-1!

Yasumoto connects on a ball and sends it to deep left center! That falls in at the wall and Horiuchi comes in all the way from 1st to give Shizuoka the 2-1 lead!

Hirano flies out to center, but they put together some base hits to turn the tables on Kisaradzu Sougou!

Bottom 4th
Koike with a single to left, puts the douten runner immediately on base. Isogai bunts him over.

And now Gojima-kantoku puts in #15 Yashiro to hit for Sasaki.

He tries to sneak the bunt down! Muraki on it and his throw to 1st just beats him out. Now only a base hit or an error will bring in the run.

But Oosawa chases the high fastball and the side is retired!

Top 5th
One down and Muraki checks in with his first hit with a single to right. Sanpei tries to lay down the bunt, but fouls his three bunt and goes down for the 2nd out.

Hawakawa close to getting out of the inning, but has a pitch get away from him and hit Shouhei! I wonder if it hit the bat and not the batter because he didn't react, but the umpire has made his call.

Tomoya with a slicer down the left field line.. fair!!!  It just falls in fair and that means Muraki will score! 3-1 in favor of Shizuoka!

Uchiyama almost beats out a slow roller up the right side, but is retired for the 3rd out. They're not making great contact, but the balls are falling in for base hits, and that's all that matters.

Bottom 5th
It seems like that Kisaradzu Sougou now is struggling at the plate. Muraki gets two infield popups, and while he yields another single to Ishii, Obara hits one back to Muraki to end the inning.

And so we hit the break with the Tokai champs in what seems like a comfortable lead.

Top 6th
Horiuchi with a single through the right side and it looks like Hayakawa's day is done. Ace Suzuki Kenya comes in to relieve him.

Yasumoto with a soft liner to 2nd, and Koike lets it drop in front of him! Steps on 2nd for one, and it's an easy double play to 1st.

Hirano chases an outside fastball to end the inning.

Bottom 6th
Himura working the count full, tries to buy the walk, but falls a little as he see the umpire begin his strike call.

Two down for Isogai, and he hits a slow roller to the left side. Yasumoto charges in, but his throw is way high! Into the camera box it goes, and off Isogai goes to 2nd.

Yashitro grounds to 3rd though and Muraki bends, but doesn't break.

Top 7th
Hirose still without a base hit as he goes after the high fastball. After that though Kenya loses Muraki.

Kuribayashi-kantoku is having Sanpei bunt again, despite the sub-par effort last time.

It still looks bad, but he manages to lay it down.

Back to the top of the order and Shouhei, who is 2-2 with a walk.

Shouhei has already shown a propensity to wait for a pitch and runs the count full. 9th pitch of the AB and while he hits his target, the umpire isn't buying it!

And after that , Gojima-kantoku pulls Oosawa for his backup #13 Aga.

It's confirmation bias, but Kenya gets 2 called strikes and then Tomoya chases a fastball outside for the 3rd out.

Bottom 7th
Aga immediately gets an AB, hits the ball hard, but right to Sanpei.

Kenya with a booming drive to left center! Uchiyama sprinting back, stretches... and makes the running catch!

Kido kind of buys the HBP by turning, but not really getting away, from the ball inside. Kuribayashi-kantoku calls for time.

Ishii, the only bright spot in the lineup, gets his 3rd hit, with a line shot to center. Chance here to perhaps get a run back.

But Obara bites on the forkball! It rolls to Tomoki who gets it to 1st for the 3rd out!

Top 8th
Uchiyama and Horiuchi with routine flyouts to center.

Yasumoto has the ball squared up, but not the timing. In the end Kenya puts a fastball down the middle an Yasumoto immediately takes the walk back.

Bottom 8th
2 runs isn't a lot, but the Kisaradzu Sougou batters can't generate any sustained offense.

Muraki feels that turnabout is fair play and puts one on the outside half to freeze Himura for the 1st out.

Koike keeps the bat in the zone long enough to poke the forkball to right for a base hit.

Isogai connects on the forkball, down the left field line, but foul! He had that lined up, just too early on it.

And now he pops it up! Tomoki with it for the 2nd out.

Hey, Yashiro takes a ball the other way himself into left for another hit!

Uh oh! Now Muraki can't find the zone! He's behind Aga 3-1 before he gets a foul ball to fill up the count.

High fastball gets saved by a swing and a foul ball.

Aga jammed, but hits the ball to the left side where no one is! Yasumoto goes to get it, but has no play! All safe and manrui as Kuribayashi-kantoku calls time!

0-1 pitch for a strike and Horiuchi fires to 2nd where Aga is left stranded! But it's a trap! They look back home as perhaps it was to try and score a run.

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

Kenya is fooled on a curveball inside and the side is retired!

Top 9th
Things bight have finally broken for Kisaradzu Sougou. Kenya walks Hirano on 4 straight. When Hirose bunts, Kenya decides late to go to 2nd, but fails to notice that Hirano is almost there.

Muraki tries the push bunt up the left side, and almost makes it if not for Kenya scrambling off the mound.

Sanpei hits it right to 1st, it's a contact play but Isogai goes home and Aga gets the tag just before Hirano slides in.

Kenya, with 1st base open, is careful with Shouhei and ends up walking him. Gojima-kantoku calls for time.

But Kenya spikes the 1st pitch and it gets away from Aga. Hirose scores and it's 4-1. Tomoya grounds out to end the inning

Bottom 9th
One down for Kisaradzu Sougou and Ishii hits a slow ball up the middle. The defense is playing back, so there's no play.

Obara with a similar ball, but with the double play opportunity the defense is closer. Tomoki tags Ishii for the 2nd out.

Himura with a grounder to the left side, Yasumoto there, but his sliding backhand backfires! It goes off his glove and everyone's safe! Kisaradzu can bring the tying run to the plate in Isogai.

SANSHIN!!!

Muraki finally shuts the door with his forkball and his team advances to the Best 8!

Shizuoka advances, but not without some difficulty. Kisaradzu Sougou gets 14 hits off of ace Muraki, but with the exception of the 3rd inning, he found a way to a) scatter them and b) get out of any jam he was in. It's not a recipe for success by any stretch, but it did the job today.

Despite the 14 hits, it wasn't until the last stages where you felt they might have a chance at breaking Muraki. But there was little margin for error at that point. Hayakawa wasn't bad on the mound, there were wuite a few hits that just fell in instead of solid hits. So there's little you can do but shrug your shoulders and say it wasn't your day. I think they can come back and contend for the summer, but the offense will need to improve to make any type of run.