The last game of the day should be a cracker of a game.
Sakushin Gakuin had no trouble in it's first game against Ueda Nishi. While the score was 10-6, the actual gap was much larger on the scoreboard. The only negative is the pitching. Kurai and Arita combined struck out 3 while walking 4.
Kyushu Kokusaidai Fuzoku for lack of a better term survived Osaka Kaisei having to rally not once but twice against them to win 10-9.
I'd like to say something nice about both schools, but right now I'm not a fan of either.
Sakushin Gakuin (Tochigi)
LF Akagi Rikuya
2B Yoshizawa Yuuma
SS Soeda Shinkai
1B Asayama Hirokazu
RF Kobayashi Koutarou
3B Kurosaki Kento
C Yokoo Nobumoto
P Kurai Yuusuke
CF Oohashi Kazuki
Kyushu Kokusaidai Fuzoku (Fukuoka)
SS Yoshii Kouhei
CF Yamaguchi Youhei
C Iwasaki Kaito
3B Yamamoto Musashi
LF Wakisaka Ryuuji
1B Uto Sou
2B Kameya Shouhei
RF Nakayama Tatasuhide
P Tomiyama Ryouga
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16:17 - First Pitch!
I'll need to fix his name in prior posts if I get to it, but it's ace Tomiyama, not Toyama.
So the first inning goes without much incident. Both aces retire the side in order.
In fact, the first hit of the game comes from Kobayashi in the 2nd with a bloop single in front of Nakayama. On the very next pitch though Kurosaki grounds into a 4-6-3 double play.
As for facing Yamamoto for the first time, it looked like Kurai was going to avoid him. After falling behind 3-0, he continues to attack and actually strikes him out on a fastball away!
Kyukoku's first hit is also a blooper, one from Wakisaki that just evades a diving Kobayashi.Unlike Kobayashi's though Wakisaki is able to take 2nd.
Uto absolutely crushes a ball to left. Kobayashi chases after it, reaches out, and somehow makes the catch! Wakisaki has to hurry and get back to 2nd as he thought certainly that Kobayashi wasn't going to get there.
Kameya grounder up the middle, Soeda is able to run that one down! Throw to 1st and the side is retired here in the 2nd.
Yokoo tries to jumpstart the offense in the 3rd for Sakushin Gakuin dumping a ball to right.
Once again though that runner is wiped out by a 6-4-3 double play.
Oohashi is unfortunately hit on the helmet by a slider that gets away from Tomiyama. Kurosaki comes in to run for him.
And with the count 1-2 he steals 2nd without a throw!
But Akagi strikes out on a slider in the opposing batter's box and the inning is over.
Fortunately for Sakushin Gakuin, Oohashi emerges and will continue playing.
The game re-enters silent mode with both teams doing a whole lot of nothing. What I'm not understanding is how some of the Sakushin Gakuin batters are completely fooled on Tomiyama's slider that ends up in the opposite box.
Sakushin Gakuin finally gets a good chance at a run when Kobayashi leads off the 5th with a single. and 2 batters late Yokoo follows suit. But Tomiyama gets a popup and a groundout, and just as quickly as the opportunity appeared, it disappeared.
Right before the break Tomiyama draws his 2nd walk (again curious because he's the #9 hitter and why aren't you going after him?).
And Yoshii hits a ball down the 1st base line fair! Tomiyama heads to 3rd and is being waved around! The relay throw home... And he's tagged out! The game remains deadlocked at 0 as we reach the mid-game break.
Sakushin Gakuin getting chances in the 6th as Akagi singles, but they don't bunt and then Araki is thrown out stealing 2nd. Soeda is then hit by a pitch and would have stolen 2nd if the batter didn't walk. Kobayashi grounds out, and that's the end of that.
Suddenly, though not out of nowhere, Kyukoku's Yamamoto crushes an outside pitch to left... and it leaves the yard! That's Yamamoto's 3rd HR in the last 2 games, and gives his team the 1-0 lead!
Sakushin Gakuin trying to find a response, gets one when Yokoo double to left center. After a walk to PH Sekiguchi (Kurai's day is done), Oohashi bunts the runners over. Then Akagi walks, bringing up Yoshizawa, hitless on the day.
And on the very first pitch he grounds to short ending the inning!
Next half inning, Arita comes in to pitch, and Yoshizawa is rewarded by being benched.
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At this point my body finally had enough and I fell asleep. Apparently right before Kyukoku scored their 2nd run. Sakushin Gakuin couldn't mount anything remotely close to a rally and so Kyukoku eliminates the Tochigi champs 2-0 setting up game v Waseda Jitsugyou.
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