Day 7, Game 1 - Toukaidai Sagami (Kanagawa) v Seikou Gakuin (Fukushima)

Today we will have the last of the 49 teams to take the field, and the start of some team's 2nd games.

First, we need to get the last couple to make their debut for 2015.

Toukaidai Sagami forced the early retirement (as in not reaching Koushien, he apparently had planned on retiring this year regardless) of Yokohama's Watanabe-kantoku. They were dominant throughout, the closest game being a 4-0 win over unknown Souyou, while blowing out Tier 3 schools such as Hiratsuka Gakuen and Nichidai Fujisawa. The team batted a mind-boggling 0.381 and 0.396 in their final 3 games.

Seikou Gakuin is making their 9th straight appearance, but it's much like Chiben Wakayama dominating a prefecture perhaps minus the track record at Koushien given their best result is the quarterfinals (4 out of 11 appearances). The run looks good until the final where they barely beat Nichidai Tohoku 3-2. They only batted 0.355 in their last 3 games, which is concerning considering how they dominate the prefecture in general.

I think Toukaidai Sagami has their act together this time around, and it'll be an uphill battle for Seikou Gakuin to get past the first game.

Seikou Gakuin (Fukushima)
C Satou Toshiya
CF Murasaki Ryuuma
RF Asami Takeshi
1B Nishiyama Shinnosuke
3B Kasahara Akira
SS Fujita Satoshi
LF Kamakura Makoto (#17)
2B Katsuma Takumi
P Morikubo Shouya

Toukaidai Sagami (Kanagawa)
2B Chino Keijirou
CF Miyaji Kyouhei
SS Sugisaki Shigeki
RF Toyoda Hiroshi
1B Isoami Eito
C Nagakura Ren
3B Kawaji Seitarou
LF Takeuchi Daiki
P Yoshida Ryou(#11)

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08:00 - First Pitch!

1st Inning
Seikou tries to get off to a good start with a 1-out single by Murasaki. But Asami grounds into the 3-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Morikubo was about to get a 1-2-3 inning until Sugisaki doubles to left. Toyoda follows that up with a single back up the middle. He steals 2nd without a throw and Seikou Gakuin already in a bind, but just needs one out.

Isoami zoomer past Kasahara and down the 3rd base line! That easily scores 2 on the double and Toukaidai Sagami is off and running.

After a walk to Takeuchi, Nagakura with a booing ball of his own to left. That's off the wall and 2 more runs score to make it 4-0 already.

In the end it's 8 batters, 4 runs, and perhaps another one-sided game from start to finish.

Bottom 3rd
Once again Toukaidai starting something with 2 down. Isoami beats Kasahara down the 3rd base line for yet another double.

Takeuchi singles to center and that scores Kasahara to make it 5-0 with Takeuchi taking 2nd on throw.

Nagakura singles past Isoami into left and that scores Takeuchi, 6-0.

They try for 7 when Kawachi singles to right, but Asami's throw is on the mark and Nagakura is thrown out.

To break
Toukaisagami is happy to speed up the game up 6. Seikou Gakuin is getting more and more baserunenrs, for instance when they had 1st/2nd with 1 out. But you just don't get the feeling they're going to score. It's probably because they have more free passes (3) than actual hits (2).

To end
There just was nothing there for Seikou Gakuin against relief starter Yoshida.If not for back-to-back hits from Katsunuma and Morikubo in the 8th, they'd be shut out.

After the 1st out in the 9th, Toukaidai puts in their ace Oagasawara. And goes 148 back-to-back. Fast yes, control? We won't get a big indicator unless it's really bad.

He gets the final 2 outs to finish the game. I'd have to look through and see if I can find records of who pitched the majority of time, but if Yoshida was sent out to save the ace, it worked.