Due to rain, the scheduled games for today have been postponed to Monday (JST). Instead of adding games to catch up, the matches have all been pushed back by one day.
Weather forecast for Nishinomiya indicates good weather for the next 2 days followed by a short system on Wednesday bringing more rain before clearing up on Thursday.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Day 1 - Game 3 - Kōsei Gakuin (Aomori) vs. Imabari Nishi (Ehime)
So 2 down, one more to go today. The final game feature Kousei Gakuin out of Aomori versus a familiar face to the tournament - Imabari Nishi out of Ehime. We've had an offensive exhibition and a bit of a pitchers duel already, so what will we see now?
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Kousei Gakuin (Aomori)
2B Tajimi
C Arai
RF Matsumura
CF Shimooki
LF Oozawa
1B Onodera
3B Kanizawa
SS Enomoto
P Rokuno
Imabari Nishi (Ehime)
RF Tsubouchi
C Kubo
SS Takino
CF Kanou
1B Seki
LF Sugihara
P Ooto
3B Hamamoto
2B Takaichi
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4:08 PM - First Pitch
Top 1st
Imabari's ace, Ooto looks solid early giving up a 2-out walk before retiring Shimooki to end the inning.
Bottom 1st
Kousei's starter Rokuno also looks good early, retiring the side in order.
Top 2nd
Onodera starts the Kousei offense with a base hit down the left field line for a one-out double. Kanizawa grounds out to 1st, but at least advances the runner.
And Enomoto hits a grounder past a reaching Seki and into right! Onodera comes in to score and Kousei has the 1-0 lead!
Bottom 2nd
Rokuno continues to retire Kousei's batters in expedient fashion, helped along by Imabari's aggressive play at bat.
3rd Inning
Both pitchers yield a base runner, with Rokuno giving up his first hit, but nothing materializes on either side.
4th Inning
More of the same. Ooto gives up a 2-out single to Kanezawa, but he gets caught stealing 2nd. Rokuno only needs 3 pitches for his 3 outs.
Top 5th
Ooto gives up yet another baserunner, but once again leaves him stranded. His key for the most part is to not let the leadoff hitter each inning get on base.
Bottom 5th
Rokuno too gives up a one-out single, this time to Sugihara. Ooto shows bunt late on the first pitch, not tipping it early like others. Meanwhile Rokuno makes several throws to 1st to keep the runner close. However, Ooto puts the bunt down and advances the runner.
Hamamoto then proceeds to draw a walk, putting runners at 1st and 2nd, but with 2 down.
However, Kanezawa-kantoku has seen enough. He pulls Rokuno in favor of Shimooki and puts Kobayashi in center.
Meanwhile, last batter Takaichi steps up to the plate.
Shimooki gets ahead 1-2, but Takaichi hits a grounder to the left side! Kanizawa reaches with his glove, but it's just out of his reach and goes to left field! Sugihara rounds 3rd for home, Oozawa comes up with the ball and throws home! Kanizawa gets the ball, relays it, but it's not in time! Sugihara scores and the game is tied 1-1!!!!!
Looking at the replay, I'm not sure the relay was necessary, but it's hard to tell.
Top 6th
It's a new ballgame now and Kousei looks to regain the lead. With 1 down, Shimooki grounds to short, but Takino throws the ball off line and Seki loses the ball when he tags Shimooki!
But that's all they can muster as Ooto retires the next two batters. His control continues to be excellent on his fastballs, but depends on the batter to wave at the offspeed stuff.
Bottom 6th
Kousei returns the favor as a grounder hit by Takino is bobbled by Tajimi and allows him to reach!
Kanou then hits a laser, but Onodera makes a great stop and starts the 3-6-3 DP to end the inning!
Top 7th
Kanizawa starts off the inning with an infield single as he barely beats the throw from Takino. He's moved along to 2nd, and Kousei has a good scoring opportunity.
A grounder to 2nd by new CF Kobayashi moves him to 3rd, but with 2 down they'll need a timely hit from Tajimi.
But instead, they elect to intentionally walk him! That seems very strange with two outs, but perhaps with one of the few hits for Kousei, Oono-kantoku figures that they'd be better off with the next batter Arai who's 0-2 so far.
But Arai works the count full and could get a walk. AH! Instead, he reaches down and hits a towering fly to center to end the inning. So the score remains tied with Kousei unable to generate any kind of offense.
Bottom 7th
Seki is pinch hit for by #10 Hino to try and jumpstart the offense, but he grounds out to first. And while Ooto gets a 2-out hit, he gets picked off ending the inning.
Top 8th
Kousei goes down quickly in order unable to mount any type of offense
Bottom 8th
Meanwhile, Hamamoto draws a leadoff walk. The feeling is short-lived though after being bunted to 2nd as the top of the order both strike out to end the inning.
Top 9th
Kousei finally gets the leadoff runner on base, as Onodera singles to left. Kanizawa moves him order to try an push the go-ahead run in.
Enomoto makes a bid for a base hit as he sharply grounds one to 3rd. Hamamoto bobbles the ball slightly, but he makes the throw just in time to get the out.
Ooto looks to get out of the jam, but then he walks Kobayashi!
After Nagao comes in to PR for Onodera, it's up to Tajimi to get the runner home. He gets a hold of a pitch, but it's right at Sugihara who's drawn in, and the threat is dissapated.
Bottom 9th
With 3 outs left and both pitchers doing well on the mound, it looks like we may be headed to extra innings.
But with one down, Kanou hits a slow grounder to Nagao. He waits for the ball, and his throw to 1st is not in time! By not charging the ball, Kanou beats out the throw!
And then he takes off on the 1st pitch! The throw by Arai is a little high and Kanou slides under the tag! With enchousen looming, Imabari is showing signs of life!
Hino steps up to the plate, but Shimooki pitches around him to create the force.
Now the job of getting the sayonara hit falls to Sugihara. But Shimooki is pumping gas down the pipe, reaching 145 kph or 90 mph!!
But it's his changeup that gets Sugihara! 2 down and now it's Ooto that can end it here.
And he hits a grounder to the left side. It's through! Oozawa charges and comes up firing! Kanizawa cuts it off, double clutches, throws home, and it's wide! SAYONARA!!!! Ooto comes up with the base hit to end the game!
But one has to immediately wonder whether the relay was really necessary. Oozawa came up with the ball in shallow left and appeared to make a decent throw home. But the decision to cut it off by Kanizawa and the double clutch certainly allowed Kanou to score.
It's a crushing defeat for Kousei as Imabari Nishi advances. Tip your cap to them as they certainly fought hard, as we witness another great game to end a very exciting 1st day of action at the 81st Spring Koushien.
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Notable performances
Onodera (Kousei Gakuin) - 2-4, 2B, R, K
Kanizawa (Kousei Gakuin) - 2-3
Rokuno (Kousei Gakuin) - 4.2 IP, ER, 4 K, BB
Shimooki (Kousei Gakuin) - 4 IP, ER, 3 K, 2 BB
Ooto (Imabari Nishi) - 2-3, RBI, サヨナラ RBI
Ooto (Imabari Nishi) - CG, ER, 4K, 3 BB
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Kousei Gakuin (Aomori)
2B Tajimi
C Arai
RF Matsumura
CF Shimooki
LF Oozawa
1B Onodera
3B Kanizawa
SS Enomoto
P Rokuno
Imabari Nishi (Ehime)
RF Tsubouchi
C Kubo
SS Takino
CF Kanou
1B Seki
LF Sugihara
P Ooto
3B Hamamoto
2B Takaichi
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4:08 PM - First Pitch
Top 1st
Imabari's ace, Ooto looks solid early giving up a 2-out walk before retiring Shimooki to end the inning.
Bottom 1st
Kousei's starter Rokuno also looks good early, retiring the side in order.
Top 2nd
Onodera starts the Kousei offense with a base hit down the left field line for a one-out double. Kanizawa grounds out to 1st, but at least advances the runner.
And Enomoto hits a grounder past a reaching Seki and into right! Onodera comes in to score and Kousei has the 1-0 lead!
Bottom 2nd
Rokuno continues to retire Kousei's batters in expedient fashion, helped along by Imabari's aggressive play at bat.
3rd Inning
Both pitchers yield a base runner, with Rokuno giving up his first hit, but nothing materializes on either side.
4th Inning
More of the same. Ooto gives up a 2-out single to Kanezawa, but he gets caught stealing 2nd. Rokuno only needs 3 pitches for his 3 outs.
Top 5th
Ooto gives up yet another baserunner, but once again leaves him stranded. His key for the most part is to not let the leadoff hitter each inning get on base.
Bottom 5th
Rokuno too gives up a one-out single, this time to Sugihara. Ooto shows bunt late on the first pitch, not tipping it early like others. Meanwhile Rokuno makes several throws to 1st to keep the runner close. However, Ooto puts the bunt down and advances the runner.
Hamamoto then proceeds to draw a walk, putting runners at 1st and 2nd, but with 2 down.
However, Kanezawa-kantoku has seen enough. He pulls Rokuno in favor of Shimooki and puts Kobayashi in center.
Meanwhile, last batter Takaichi steps up to the plate.
Shimooki gets ahead 1-2, but Takaichi hits a grounder to the left side! Kanizawa reaches with his glove, but it's just out of his reach and goes to left field! Sugihara rounds 3rd for home, Oozawa comes up with the ball and throws home! Kanizawa gets the ball, relays it, but it's not in time! Sugihara scores and the game is tied 1-1!!!!!
Looking at the replay, I'm not sure the relay was necessary, but it's hard to tell.
Top 6th
It's a new ballgame now and Kousei looks to regain the lead. With 1 down, Shimooki grounds to short, but Takino throws the ball off line and Seki loses the ball when he tags Shimooki!
But that's all they can muster as Ooto retires the next two batters. His control continues to be excellent on his fastballs, but depends on the batter to wave at the offspeed stuff.
Bottom 6th
Kousei returns the favor as a grounder hit by Takino is bobbled by Tajimi and allows him to reach!
Kanou then hits a laser, but Onodera makes a great stop and starts the 3-6-3 DP to end the inning!
Top 7th
Kanizawa starts off the inning with an infield single as he barely beats the throw from Takino. He's moved along to 2nd, and Kousei has a good scoring opportunity.
A grounder to 2nd by new CF Kobayashi moves him to 3rd, but with 2 down they'll need a timely hit from Tajimi.
But instead, they elect to intentionally walk him! That seems very strange with two outs, but perhaps with one of the few hits for Kousei, Oono-kantoku figures that they'd be better off with the next batter Arai who's 0-2 so far.
But Arai works the count full and could get a walk. AH! Instead, he reaches down and hits a towering fly to center to end the inning. So the score remains tied with Kousei unable to generate any kind of offense.
Bottom 7th
Seki is pinch hit for by #10 Hino to try and jumpstart the offense, but he grounds out to first. And while Ooto gets a 2-out hit, he gets picked off ending the inning.
Top 8th
Kousei goes down quickly in order unable to mount any type of offense
Bottom 8th
Meanwhile, Hamamoto draws a leadoff walk. The feeling is short-lived though after being bunted to 2nd as the top of the order both strike out to end the inning.
Top 9th
Kousei finally gets the leadoff runner on base, as Onodera singles to left. Kanizawa moves him order to try an push the go-ahead run in.
Enomoto makes a bid for a base hit as he sharply grounds one to 3rd. Hamamoto bobbles the ball slightly, but he makes the throw just in time to get the out.
Ooto looks to get out of the jam, but then he walks Kobayashi!
After Nagao comes in to PR for Onodera, it's up to Tajimi to get the runner home. He gets a hold of a pitch, but it's right at Sugihara who's drawn in, and the threat is dissapated.
Bottom 9th
With 3 outs left and both pitchers doing well on the mound, it looks like we may be headed to extra innings.
But with one down, Kanou hits a slow grounder to Nagao. He waits for the ball, and his throw to 1st is not in time! By not charging the ball, Kanou beats out the throw!
And then he takes off on the 1st pitch! The throw by Arai is a little high and Kanou slides under the tag! With enchousen looming, Imabari is showing signs of life!
Hino steps up to the plate, but Shimooki pitches around him to create the force.
Now the job of getting the sayonara hit falls to Sugihara. But Shimooki is pumping gas down the pipe, reaching 145 kph or 90 mph!!
But it's his changeup that gets Sugihara! 2 down and now it's Ooto that can end it here.
And he hits a grounder to the left side. It's through! Oozawa charges and comes up firing! Kanizawa cuts it off, double clutches, throws home, and it's wide! SAYONARA!!!! Ooto comes up with the base hit to end the game!
But one has to immediately wonder whether the relay was really necessary. Oozawa came up with the ball in shallow left and appeared to make a decent throw home. But the decision to cut it off by Kanizawa and the double clutch certainly allowed Kanou to score.
It's a crushing defeat for Kousei as Imabari Nishi advances. Tip your cap to them as they certainly fought hard, as we witness another great game to end a very exciting 1st day of action at the 81st Spring Koushien.
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Notable performances
Onodera (Kousei Gakuin) - 2-4, 2B, R, K
Kanizawa (Kousei Gakuin) - 2-3
Rokuno (Kousei Gakuin) - 4.2 IP, ER, 4 K, BB
Shimooki (Kousei Gakuin) - 4 IP, ER, 3 K, 2 BB
Ooto (Imabari Nishi) - 2-3, RBI, サヨナラ RBI
Ooto (Imabari Nishi) - CG, ER, 4K, 3 BB
Day 1 - Game 2 - Kamimura Gakuen (Kagoshima) vs. Chūkyōdai Chūkyō (Aichi)
After that amazing game, one wonders if the next two will continue the trend.
And the next match-up could deliver. Kamimura Gakuen, a school founded just recently from Kagoshima (but strong), comes up against Chuukyoudai Chuukyou, a perennial power team from Aichi.
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Kamimura Gakuen (Kagoshima)
LF Uechi
2B Yamanouchi
SS Eguchi
3B Oohata
C Nakamura
1B Tokunaga
RF Suzuki
P Koike
CF Yoshikawa
Chuukyoudai Chuukyou (Aichi)
SS Yamanaka
2B Kunitomo
3B Kawai
P Doubayashi
LF Isomura
C Shibata
1B Morimoto
RF Kaneyama
CF Iwatsuki
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2:05 PM - First Pitch
Top 1st
Unlike the first game, Chuukyou's ace Doubayashi starts off well yielding only a 2-out single.
Bottom 1st
Kamimura Gakuen's ace Koike returns the favor retiring the side with some help from Chuukyou's aggressive batters.
(I have to go back to the MBS replays as the live feed from justin.tv has become inconsistent flipping between channels. Expect to be at least 2 innings behind the live coverage from here on out.)
Top 2nd
Doubayashi is pitching really well. He's hitting his spots and making the batters look rather silly. He retires the side in order with 2 K's.
Bottom 2nd
Koike gives up his first baserunner as he walks Doubayashi to start the inning. Isomura bunts him along to 2nd yielding the first real scoring opportunity.
Shibata gets a hold of the first pitch and lines it! But it's right at Oohata for the 2nd out!
And Morimoto weakly grounds to 1st to end the inning. The pitchers are really on their game.
Top 3rd
Doubayashi continues his dominance on the mound, retiring the side in order again, but not before getting a scare as the #9 hitter Yoshikawa, drives one to deep left. It also looks like the wind is picking up blowing out to left, so perhaps we may yet see more HR's before the day is done. Just not in this game.
Bottom 3rd
With pitching dominating the scene the teams need to scramble and get their offenses going. Chuukyou finally gets their first hit as #9 batter Iwatsuki gets a one-out single through the right side. It's now back to the top of the order and Yamanaka.
And he takes the first pitch deep to left! Uechi runs back, but it's over his head! Iwatsuki heads for 3rd, and the relay is bobbled by 3B Oohata!! Iwatsuki easily comes in to score and Chuukyou takes the 1-0 lead! Meanwhile, Yamanaka goes to 3rd on the error!
It's Kunitomo's turn to bring the runner home, but it looks like they're not bunting. But wait! With the count 2-0 they do put down the squeeze!!! But Kunitomo pops it up!! Koike easily camps under it, and since Yamanaka was running all the way home, he's easily doubled off 3rd for the inning ending DP. A shame, but Chuukyou has scored the first run!
Top 4th
Kamimura Gakuen needs to answer as one run could easily win this game. Yamanouchi makes a bid for a hit with a grounder up the middle. Kunitomo makes a fine play in the gap, but his throw pulls Morimoto off the bag and Yamanouchi is safe! He's promptly moved over by Eguchi into scoring position.
And while Oohara moves him to 3rd on a grounder to 1st, Nakamura can't bring him in.
Bottom 4th
Chuukyou tries to continue on it's "rush". Kawai singles past Tokunaga to start the inning. Doubayashi looks to bunt him over, but he instead pulls the bat back and swings away!!! It's right at Koike though, and he goes to 2nd for one, but the relay is offline and Doubayashi reaches.
That doesn't deter them though as Isomura singles through the left side! Runners on 1st and 2nd with one down!
But Shibata and Morimoto both swing away early and fly to left, ending the threat. Koike is pitching well, but is definitely showing more cracks that Doubayashi.
Top 5th
Doubayashi yields his 2nd hit, a one-out bloop single to center by Suzuki. But Koike's attempt to bunt him over does the exact opposite as Doubayashi starts the 1-6-3 DP just barely getting Koike to end the inning. Halfway through the game, and it looks like Chuukyou's 1 run may just be enough.
Bottom 5th
Koike keeps Kamimura Gakuen in the game, retiring the side in order. But he needs the offense to get going otherwise it'll be for naught.
Top 6th
Kamimura gets their leadoff batter on as Yoshikawa gets plunked by Doubayashi. And he takes off for 2nd on the 1st pitch! But Shibata has none of it and throws him out! It looked close though, and he may have been safe. Nonetheless, he's out and Kamimura has no answer as the next two batters are retired.
Bottom 6th
Chuukyou gets yet another runner as Kawai lines one to right field. Then Nakamura lets a ball get by him and Kawai advances to 2nd! A second run for Chuukyou could be crushing.
Doubayashi stays patient and hits a line shot! But it's right at Yamanouchi and he easily doubles off Kawai to end the inning!
But Kamimura Gakuen only has 9 outs remaining...
Top 7th
Doubayashi continues to cruise along, with the batters continuing to hit the ball on the ground.
But Oohata grabs a hold of one!!! That's driven to right center! Iwatsuki goes back...
HAITAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Out of nowhere, cleanup batter Oohata hits a hanging pitch and drives it out to tie the game!!!!! 1-1!!
Doubayashi gets the next two batters, but it's a new ball game!
Bottom 7th
Chuukyou looks to retake the lead. Isomura hits a blooper down the right field line, but Yamanouchi makes a fine catch. Then Koike gives up a walk to Shibata and a single back up the middle to Morimoto putting runners at 1st and 2nd with one down for Kaneyama.
Koike is starting to leave his pitches high, perhaps a sign of fatigue...
But he gets Kaneyama to pop up in foul territory and he's one out away from getting out of the inning.
Iwatsuki steps up, already having driven in their only run back in the 3rd.
And he gets a hold of the first pitch! That's going into center!!! Yoshikawa hurries back!!! He's running, and running, leaps and it's off his glove!!! Shibata and Morimoto come in to score and Chuukyoudai Chuukyou regains the lead, 3-1!!
Koike gets out the inning without further damage, but he finds himself behind once again.
Top 8th
Looking for any spark they can get, Yamamoto-kantoku sends out Shirazawa to pinch-hit to start the 8th. He hits a soft liner to left to start the inning, and he's heading for 2nd!! He reaches easily and Kamimura is in business!
Koike hits a grounder to 2nd advancing Shirazawa. This time around, it looks like they're not putting on the squeeze.
Or not... Yoshikawa shows bunt, but pulls it back! Are they going to try for it?
Nope. He's swinging away and fouls one off. And another.
But Doubayashi puts him away as he whiffs on a change! 2 down!
Uechi grounds out to 2nd to end the inning. It looks like it's over for them.
Bottom 8th
Koike looks to have settled down again, retiring the first 2 batters with ease. But then he inexplicably walks Doubayashi on 4 straight. And he's having trouble pitching a strike to Isomura.
But Koike hangs one which Isomura takes to left-center to put runners at the corners for Shibata!
Shibata then hits a scorcher past a diving Oohata!! Doubayashi comes in to score and it's 4-1!
Morimoto steps up, and he hits a comebacker to Koike! But it's off his glove! Oohata rushes in, but has no play! Isomura scores and it's a 5-1 game!
And Kaneyama also hits a comebacker!! That too is off of Koike's glove!! But it's right at Eguchi who's able to make the play at 1st to end the inning. But now the deficit seem insurmountable for Kamimura Gakuen with only 3 outs left.
Top 9th
And as expected, Kamimura Gakuen battles, but eventually goes quietly in the 9th as Chuukyoudai Chuukyou advances to the 2nd round.
Doubayashi looks good on the mound, and if the offense can get clicking, Chuukyou could be a force in the tournament.
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Notable performances
Oohata (Kamimura Gakuen) - 1-4, HR
Doubayashi (Chuukyou) - CG, ER, 5 H, 5 K, BB
Isomura (Chuukyou) - 2-3, R
Morimoto (Chuukyou) - 2-4, R, RBI
Iwatsuki (Chuukyou) - 2-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI
And the next match-up could deliver. Kamimura Gakuen, a school founded just recently from Kagoshima (but strong), comes up against Chuukyoudai Chuukyou, a perennial power team from Aichi.
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Kamimura Gakuen (Kagoshima)
LF Uechi
2B Yamanouchi
SS Eguchi
3B Oohata
C Nakamura
1B Tokunaga
RF Suzuki
P Koike
CF Yoshikawa
Chuukyoudai Chuukyou (Aichi)
SS Yamanaka
2B Kunitomo
3B Kawai
P Doubayashi
LF Isomura
C Shibata
1B Morimoto
RF Kaneyama
CF Iwatsuki
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2:05 PM - First Pitch
Top 1st
Unlike the first game, Chuukyou's ace Doubayashi starts off well yielding only a 2-out single.
Bottom 1st
Kamimura Gakuen's ace Koike returns the favor retiring the side with some help from Chuukyou's aggressive batters.
(I have to go back to the MBS replays as the live feed from justin.tv has become inconsistent flipping between channels. Expect to be at least 2 innings behind the live coverage from here on out.)
Top 2nd
Doubayashi is pitching really well. He's hitting his spots and making the batters look rather silly. He retires the side in order with 2 K's.
Bottom 2nd
Koike gives up his first baserunner as he walks Doubayashi to start the inning. Isomura bunts him along to 2nd yielding the first real scoring opportunity.
Shibata gets a hold of the first pitch and lines it! But it's right at Oohata for the 2nd out!
And Morimoto weakly grounds to 1st to end the inning. The pitchers are really on their game.
Top 3rd
Doubayashi continues his dominance on the mound, retiring the side in order again, but not before getting a scare as the #9 hitter Yoshikawa, drives one to deep left. It also looks like the wind is picking up blowing out to left, so perhaps we may yet see more HR's before the day is done. Just not in this game.
Bottom 3rd
With pitching dominating the scene the teams need to scramble and get their offenses going. Chuukyou finally gets their first hit as #9 batter Iwatsuki gets a one-out single through the right side. It's now back to the top of the order and Yamanaka.
And he takes the first pitch deep to left! Uechi runs back, but it's over his head! Iwatsuki heads for 3rd, and the relay is bobbled by 3B Oohata!! Iwatsuki easily comes in to score and Chuukyou takes the 1-0 lead! Meanwhile, Yamanaka goes to 3rd on the error!
It's Kunitomo's turn to bring the runner home, but it looks like they're not bunting. But wait! With the count 2-0 they do put down the squeeze!!! But Kunitomo pops it up!! Koike easily camps under it, and since Yamanaka was running all the way home, he's easily doubled off 3rd for the inning ending DP. A shame, but Chuukyou has scored the first run!
Top 4th
Kamimura Gakuen needs to answer as one run could easily win this game. Yamanouchi makes a bid for a hit with a grounder up the middle. Kunitomo makes a fine play in the gap, but his throw pulls Morimoto off the bag and Yamanouchi is safe! He's promptly moved over by Eguchi into scoring position.
And while Oohara moves him to 3rd on a grounder to 1st, Nakamura can't bring him in.
Bottom 4th
Chuukyou tries to continue on it's "rush". Kawai singles past Tokunaga to start the inning. Doubayashi looks to bunt him over, but he instead pulls the bat back and swings away!!! It's right at Koike though, and he goes to 2nd for one, but the relay is offline and Doubayashi reaches.
That doesn't deter them though as Isomura singles through the left side! Runners on 1st and 2nd with one down!
But Shibata and Morimoto both swing away early and fly to left, ending the threat. Koike is pitching well, but is definitely showing more cracks that Doubayashi.
Top 5th
Doubayashi yields his 2nd hit, a one-out bloop single to center by Suzuki. But Koike's attempt to bunt him over does the exact opposite as Doubayashi starts the 1-6-3 DP just barely getting Koike to end the inning. Halfway through the game, and it looks like Chuukyou's 1 run may just be enough.
Bottom 5th
Koike keeps Kamimura Gakuen in the game, retiring the side in order. But he needs the offense to get going otherwise it'll be for naught.
Top 6th
Kamimura gets their leadoff batter on as Yoshikawa gets plunked by Doubayashi. And he takes off for 2nd on the 1st pitch! But Shibata has none of it and throws him out! It looked close though, and he may have been safe. Nonetheless, he's out and Kamimura has no answer as the next two batters are retired.
Bottom 6th
Chuukyou gets yet another runner as Kawai lines one to right field. Then Nakamura lets a ball get by him and Kawai advances to 2nd! A second run for Chuukyou could be crushing.
Doubayashi stays patient and hits a line shot! But it's right at Yamanouchi and he easily doubles off Kawai to end the inning!
But Kamimura Gakuen only has 9 outs remaining...
Top 7th
Doubayashi continues to cruise along, with the batters continuing to hit the ball on the ground.
But Oohata grabs a hold of one!!! That's driven to right center! Iwatsuki goes back...
HAITAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Out of nowhere, cleanup batter Oohata hits a hanging pitch and drives it out to tie the game!!!!! 1-1!!
Doubayashi gets the next two batters, but it's a new ball game!
Bottom 7th
Chuukyou looks to retake the lead. Isomura hits a blooper down the right field line, but Yamanouchi makes a fine catch. Then Koike gives up a walk to Shibata and a single back up the middle to Morimoto putting runners at 1st and 2nd with one down for Kaneyama.
Koike is starting to leave his pitches high, perhaps a sign of fatigue...
But he gets Kaneyama to pop up in foul territory and he's one out away from getting out of the inning.
Iwatsuki steps up, already having driven in their only run back in the 3rd.
And he gets a hold of the first pitch! That's going into center!!! Yoshikawa hurries back!!! He's running, and running, leaps and it's off his glove!!! Shibata and Morimoto come in to score and Chuukyoudai Chuukyou regains the lead, 3-1!!
Koike gets out the inning without further damage, but he finds himself behind once again.
Top 8th
Looking for any spark they can get, Yamamoto-kantoku sends out Shirazawa to pinch-hit to start the 8th. He hits a soft liner to left to start the inning, and he's heading for 2nd!! He reaches easily and Kamimura is in business!
Koike hits a grounder to 2nd advancing Shirazawa. This time around, it looks like they're not putting on the squeeze.
Or not... Yoshikawa shows bunt, but pulls it back! Are they going to try for it?
Nope. He's swinging away and fouls one off. And another.
But Doubayashi puts him away as he whiffs on a change! 2 down!
Uechi grounds out to 2nd to end the inning. It looks like it's over for them.
Bottom 8th
Koike looks to have settled down again, retiring the first 2 batters with ease. But then he inexplicably walks Doubayashi on 4 straight. And he's having trouble pitching a strike to Isomura.
But Koike hangs one which Isomura takes to left-center to put runners at the corners for Shibata!
Shibata then hits a scorcher past a diving Oohata!! Doubayashi comes in to score and it's 4-1!
Morimoto steps up, and he hits a comebacker to Koike! But it's off his glove! Oohata rushes in, but has no play! Isomura scores and it's a 5-1 game!
And Kaneyama also hits a comebacker!! That too is off of Koike's glove!! But it's right at Eguchi who's able to make the play at 1st to end the inning. But now the deficit seem insurmountable for Kamimura Gakuen with only 3 outs left.
Top 9th
And as expected, Kamimura Gakuen battles, but eventually goes quietly in the 9th as Chuukyoudai Chuukyou advances to the 2nd round.
Doubayashi looks good on the mound, and if the offense can get clicking, Chuukyou could be a force in the tournament.
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Notable performances
Oohata (Kamimura Gakuen) - 1-4, HR
Doubayashi (Chuukyou) - CG, ER, 5 H, 5 K, BB
Isomura (Chuukyou) - 2-3, R
Morimoto (Chuukyou) - 2-4, R, RBI
Iwatsuki (Chuukyou) - 2-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI
Day 1 - Game 1 - Konkou Osaka (Osaka) vs. Kurashiki Kougyou (Okayama)
The tournament kicks off with 2 regional teams - Konkou Osaka out of Osaka-ken and Kurashiki Kougyou out of neighboring Okayama-ken. Kurahsiki Kougyou went from the 4th best team out of Okayama to the winner of the Chuugoku region. Konkou Osaka finished a distant 2nd to PL Gakuen in the Osaka regionals, but held its own in the Kinki regionals.
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Konkou Osaka (Osaka)
2B Ishii
C Nakajima
RF Nakamura
SS Youkawa
1B Arikawa
LF Yoshida
3B Nagae
P Koba
CF Nishida
Kurashiki Kougyou (Okayama)
C Yori
CF Inoue
SS Mimura
2B Miki
1B Kusaka
3B Uchiyama
P Yamazaki
RF Yamagata
LF Ogata
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10:32 AM - First Pitch!
Top 1st
Kurashiki's ace, Yamazaki is having issues early. He hits Ishii to start the game, and after a failed bunt, walks Nakamura and hits Youkawa to load the bases for Arikawa. And he lines one just under Mimura at short to left! 2 come in to score and Konkou Osaka takes an early 2-0 lead! Yamazaki settles down though and retires the next two batters, but Kurashiki falls behind early.
Bottom 1st
Leadoff batter Yori grounds to 2nd, but Ishii throws the ball high and takes Arikawa off the bag! E4! Inoue bunts him along for Mimura. And he bloops one into shallow right center! Yori rounds for home, and the throw is not in time! Kurashiki gets one right back, 2-1!
Miki then works a walk! Both pitches are having trouble early! Runners at 1st and 2nd, 1 out!
Kusaka steps up looking to tie the game. It's a grounder right of 2nd! Ishii has it, bobbles it! Toss to 2nd, safe! Back to 1st, they get one. 2 down.
Up to Uchiyama now. He falls behind, but is fighting at the plate. But a slow curve by Koba freezes him to end the inning. But Kurashiki has cut the lead in half.
Top 2nd
Koba leads off the inning with a hit to shallow left. Okada charges in, but leaps up! He misjudges it! Koba charges to 2nd and reaches! Last batter Nishida moves him to 3rd and cycles the lineup to the top.
Ishii wastes no time! He takes the first pitch through the middle for a base hit! Koba scores, 3-1 Konkou Osaka!! Nakajima follows that up with a hit down the left field line for a double! Runners at 2nd and 3rd with one down! Yamazaki is once again in a big pinch!
They semi-intentionally walk Nakamura to get the force. But Youkawa does them a favor! He swings at the first pitch popping out to Yori in foul territory! And Arikawa hits a sharp grounder to 3rd! Uchiyama has it and steps on 3rd for the last out. But Konkou reclaims its 2 run lead.
Bottom 2nd
Koba continues to struggle on the mound as he walks Yamazaki. Yamagata tries to bunt him along, but Nakajima goes to 2nd! Youkawa reaches out and they get Koba at 2nd!
Okada swings at the first pitch and lines out to center, 2 down.
Yori won't let the inning die quickly here and he singles to center! Runners at 1nd and 2nd for Inoue. And after falling behind 0-2, starts fighting pitches off. It's for naught though as he grounds to 2nd to end the inning.
Top 3rd
Konkou Osaka looks to keep the pedal down as they start the 3rd. But instead, Yamazaki settles down and retires the side in order giving his team a breather.
Bottom 3rd
Koba looks to be settling down too, but with one down he hits Miki on a slow curve. And Kusaka grounds one up the 3rd base line past a diving Nishimura! It's a double! Runners on 2nd and 3rd!
Uchiyama then hits a liner to center! But the outfield is in and Nishida makes the running catch freezing the runner! 2 down!
It's up to Yamazaki, but he grouds to short! Youkawa bobbles the ball, but easily throws Yamazaki out at 1st. Big opportunity lost for Kurashiki...
Top 4th
Yamazaki appears to be in his groove now as Nishida grounds to 2nd. Back to the top of the order for Ishii.
But he gets a hold of one! Okada runs back to left field foul pole, he looks up...
HAITA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ishii hits a homerun down the left field line! Konkou Osaka extends the lead to 4-1! Yamazaki gets the next 2 batters, but the lead is extended yet again. Kurashiki risks letting this game get away.
Bottom 4th
Kurashiki continues to get baserunners. With one down, Okada gets plunked by Koba. He's replaced by Ikeda. Yori battles at the plate and he reaches down and hits a blooper just over Youkawa at 2nd! Runners at 1st and 2nd for Inoue.
And Nakayama-kantoku elects to bunt the runners along! Runners at 2nd and 3rd for Mimura.
And he hits a ball to deep left! Yoshida runs back to the same spot Okada did earlier. HE LOOKS UP!
HAITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!!!
Mimura with the 3-run homerun! GOTEN!!!!! 4-4!!!!!!
Miki grounds out to end the inning, but Kurashiki has tied the game up!
Top 5th
With new life in the game, Kurashiki looks to hold Konkou Osaka.
But with 1 down, Arikawa gets his 2nd hit with a grounder through the left side. Then Yoshida lines one down the 1st base line for a double! Konkou is threatening again with runners at 2nd and 3rd!
Nagae is up and he takes the 1st pitch to center! That's to the wall! Inoue can't catch up to it! Arikawa scores! Yoshida scores! Nagae heads for 3rd!!! The relay to 3rd and he's out! Konkou Osaka retakes the lead 6-4!!
Bottom 5th
Kurashiki Kougyou refuses to give up. Kusaka drives one to the left-center field gap for a leadoff double! Uchiyama is up, but what's this? Nakajima catches Kusaka sleeping at 2nd and picks him off on the 0-0 pitch! That kills the Kurashiki attach as the next batters are retired in order.
Top 6th
Konkou looks to add to the lead. With one down, leadoff batter Ishii gets his 3rd hit of the day, hitting a scorcher past Uchiyama and down the 3rd base line for a double! He's 3-3 with a single, double and a homerun!
Nakajima follows that up with a single to right! Runners at the corners for Nakamura!
But he grounds into a 6-4-3 DP! Yamazaki holds off the threat, but they still find themselves down by 2 runs, and running out of time...
Bottom 6th
Kurashiki tries to fight back. WIth 1 down, new LF Yamamoto hits a grounder to the gap in left, but Youkawa backhands the ball and makes a great throw to 1st for the out. Yori works a 2-out walk. Inoue would love to get on base now for Mimura.
But Yori wastes no time! He steals 2nd on the 1st pitch!! Now a base hit can cut down the lead!!
Inoue works the count, and he bloops one down the right field line!! Yori scores!! It's now 6-5 Konkou and Mimura is at bat!!
But he lines to center ending the inning. But the game is getting that much closer now.
Top 7th
Konkou can't be feeling comfortable with their one run lead. Arikawa tries to change that as he blasts one to deep left! Yamamoto goes back to the wall and makes the catch! And while Yoshida bloops one in the infield for a base hit, he's eventually stranded.
Bottom 7th
Miki earns his 3rd base-on-balls as he's hit on a slow curve by Koba. Nakayama-kantoku appears to be looking for the tying run as he's asking Kusaka who's 2-2 with 2 doubles to bunt. Koba however, can't throw a strike and the count is 3-0! The bunt is still on and at 3-1, he puts it down advancing Miki to 2nd for Uchiyama.
Uchiyama moves him along to 3rd with a grounder to 1st. But he goes on the first pitch and weakly grounds to 3rd to end the inning.
Top 8th
With one down, Nishida starts the inning by getting plunked by Yamazaki and it's back to the top of the order for Ishii. He wastes no time by getting a base hit through the left side. Once again, Konkou is threatening!
But Nakajime grounds to short! Mimura bobbles it, but he completes the 6U-3 double play to end the inning! But Kurashiki is running out of time...
Bottom 8th
#5 Nishimura comes in the game at RF.
Yamagata starts off the inning with a drive to center. Nishida runs back, and it's over his head! Yamagata starts off the inning with a lead-off double!
And immediately, Nakayama-kantoku asks Yamamoto to bunt, but he can't put it down! The count goes to 1-2, and he has to swing away. But no! He squares up again and puts the bunt down! Yamagata advances to 3rd, but can they get him in?
Back to the top of the order for Yori. But he can't get him home! He grounds to 2nd, and Yamagata can't come in to score! 2 down for Inoue - can he get it done?
It's a blooper to left center! Nishida and Yoshida come in, they almost collide! But it drops in!!! Yamagata comes around to score!!!!! GOTEN!!!! 6-6!!!!!!!!!!! And Inoue winds up at 2nd!!!
And now both oen-dans are cheering their teams on. Konkou's to hold them off, Kurashiki's to get them ahead. And while Mimura grounds to 2nd to end the inning, Kurashiki has tied the game up heading into the 9th!!!
Top 9th
And Konkou looks to answer! With one down, cleanup batter Youkawa drives one to deep left for a double! Arikawa flies to right in foul territory allowing Youkawa to advance to 3rd. It's up to Yoshida to bring the go-ahead runner home.
The count gets worked to 2-2. And it's a grounder to short! Mimura comes up with it, but the throw is high!!! It goes into foul ground and Youkawa scores!!! 7-6!!!
And the error gets compounded immediately.... Nagae lines one down the right field for a double line scoring Yoshida, and before I can get that recorded in the scorebook, Koba also singles to right scoring Nagae and it's suddenly 9-6...
And that puts an end to Yamazaki on the mound as he's replaced by Hayafuji. While he gets Kurashiki out of the inning, it could be too late as they have 3 outs to get 3 runs.
Bottom 9th
Kurashiki continues to fight! With one down, Kusaka works a walk. Then he steals 2nd! Uchiyama then singles to center and it's runners at the corners!
New P Hayafuji steps up to the plate and he singles past a diving Youkawa to left! Kusaka scores!! 9-7!!
And Yamagata hits one down the right field line... FAIR!!! IT'S FAIR!!!! Uchiyama scores!! Hayafuji rounds 3rd, the throw comes in, not in time!!
KURASHIKI HAS TIED THE GAME 9-9!!!!!!!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!
And Yamagata has advanced to 3rd! One down and now Kurashiki has the sayonara chance!!!
Yamamoto steps up to the plate and they try the squeeze! But it's ball 1. Next pitch, he tries it again!!! He puts it down! Koba glove tosses it home!! Yamagata slides, but he's late and he's out at home! Chance lost for Kurashiki! And after Yori flies out the opening game, already a thriller, heads to enchousen!
Top 10th
Hayafuji shuts down Konkou Osaka yielding only a 2-out hit to Youkawa who promptly gets thrown out trying to steal 2nd.
Bottom 10th
Koba's day is done as #10 Fujimoto takes the mound. He retires the side in order, and now it turns into a grinders game. Who can grind out that one run to win the game...
Top 11th
Of course I could be wrong. Arikawa leads off the inning with a single to the left side. But instead of bunting, they go for the hit-and-run! Yoshida though hits a weak fly to right and Arikawa has to return to 1st.
Nagae grounds to 3rd, and Arikawa advances to 2nd for Fujimoto.
And Konkou's new P gets a base hit through the left side! Runners at the corners for Konkou with 2 down!
#9 batter Fukue steps up to the plate looking for the timely hit. The count is worked full, and Hayafuji walks him! Manrui for Ishii!!!!
This looks bad for Kurashiki. Can Hayafuji get out of this pinch?
YES! He gets Ishii to pop up to left to end the inning!
Bottom 11th
Kurashiki tries to answer as Kusaka singles through the left side! He's moved along by Uchiyama. And now they can end it with a base hit.
Hayafuji steps up to the plate and it's a wild pitch! Kusaka advances to 3rd!
And you have to figure the squeeze is on with Hayafuji at bat.
And they go on the first pitch! But it's a pitchout! Hayafuji throws the bat out, but he has no chance! Kusaka is left out to dry and is eventually run down! You have to think that Nakayama-kantoku could have waited to try the squeeze....
It's too bad though, as Hayafuji hit a weak chopper down the 3rd base line for an infield base hit. But while trying to steal 2nd, PH Uchida Takayuki (#18) is called for batter interference and the inning is over.
Top 12th
Konkou tries to take advantage of the momentum swing as Nishimura drives one down the right field line for a triple! Konkou with a great chance!
Kurashiki elects to intentionally walk Youkawa to give them a double play chance... Can they get out of yet another pinch?
NO! Arikawa drives a fly to deep center, easily scoring Nishimura! Konkou takes the lead 10-9!
Yoshikawa strikes out to end the inning, but the damage has been done.
Bottom 12th
Kurashiki looks yet again for another answer. Yamamoto grounds to SS, but it's off Youkawa's glove and into the outfield! E6! Yori looks to bunt the runner along, but AH!!! He pops it up! One down!
Inoue up and he puts down the safety bunt! Arikawa charges in, but he has nowhere to go! ALL SAFE!! Runners on 1st and 2nd with one down!
And Mimura singles to right! Yamamoto rounds 3rd, but he's held up! Manrui sayonara chance!!
There's nowhere to put Miki!
He singles to right! Yamamoto scores! Inoue rounds 3rd, he's heading home!!! Kawaguchi with the strong throw home!!! It's in plenty of time to get Inoue out, but once again Kurashiki comes through again!!!! GOTEN!!! 10-10!!!!!!
Kusaka has a chance to end it here. And he hits one to right! Kawaguchi dives, but it's in for a base hit!!!!! SAYONARA!!!!!
SAYONARAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kurashiki, who never held the lead, continued to fight back each time, from a 3-1, 6-4, and a 9-6 deficit before finally coming through in the 12th to take the victory away from Konkou Osaka.
What a heck of an opening game. And while you have to applaud Kurashiki's continued battling under pressure, you have to feel bad for Konkou Osaka as they had numerous chances to put the game away, only to see it slip away time after time.
So please, applaud Konkou Osaka for their efforts. It's too bad that there had to be a loser in this hard fought game.
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Notable Performances
Ishii (Konkou Osaka) - 4-6, 2B, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, HBP
Arikawa (Konkou Osaka) - 3-6, 3 RBI
Mimura (Kurashiki Kougyou) - 3-7, HR, 2R, 4 RBI
Yamagata (Kurashiki Kougyou) - 2-5, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI
Kusaka (Kurashiki Kougyou) - 4-5, 2 2B, R, サヨナラ RBI
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Konkou Osaka (Osaka)
2B Ishii
C Nakajima
RF Nakamura
SS Youkawa
1B Arikawa
LF Yoshida
3B Nagae
P Koba
CF Nishida
Kurashiki Kougyou (Okayama)
C Yori
CF Inoue
SS Mimura
2B Miki
1B Kusaka
3B Uchiyama
P Yamazaki
RF Yamagata
LF Ogata
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10:32 AM - First Pitch!
Top 1st
Kurashiki's ace, Yamazaki is having issues early. He hits Ishii to start the game, and after a failed bunt, walks Nakamura and hits Youkawa to load the bases for Arikawa. And he lines one just under Mimura at short to left! 2 come in to score and Konkou Osaka takes an early 2-0 lead! Yamazaki settles down though and retires the next two batters, but Kurashiki falls behind early.
Bottom 1st
Leadoff batter Yori grounds to 2nd, but Ishii throws the ball high and takes Arikawa off the bag! E4! Inoue bunts him along for Mimura. And he bloops one into shallow right center! Yori rounds for home, and the throw is not in time! Kurashiki gets one right back, 2-1!
Miki then works a walk! Both pitches are having trouble early! Runners at 1st and 2nd, 1 out!
Kusaka steps up looking to tie the game. It's a grounder right of 2nd! Ishii has it, bobbles it! Toss to 2nd, safe! Back to 1st, they get one. 2 down.
Up to Uchiyama now. He falls behind, but is fighting at the plate. But a slow curve by Koba freezes him to end the inning. But Kurashiki has cut the lead in half.
Top 2nd
Koba leads off the inning with a hit to shallow left. Okada charges in, but leaps up! He misjudges it! Koba charges to 2nd and reaches! Last batter Nishida moves him to 3rd and cycles the lineup to the top.
Ishii wastes no time! He takes the first pitch through the middle for a base hit! Koba scores, 3-1 Konkou Osaka!! Nakajima follows that up with a hit down the left field line for a double! Runners at 2nd and 3rd with one down! Yamazaki is once again in a big pinch!
They semi-intentionally walk Nakamura to get the force. But Youkawa does them a favor! He swings at the first pitch popping out to Yori in foul territory! And Arikawa hits a sharp grounder to 3rd! Uchiyama has it and steps on 3rd for the last out. But Konkou reclaims its 2 run lead.
Bottom 2nd
Koba continues to struggle on the mound as he walks Yamazaki. Yamagata tries to bunt him along, but Nakajima goes to 2nd! Youkawa reaches out and they get Koba at 2nd!
Okada swings at the first pitch and lines out to center, 2 down.
Yori won't let the inning die quickly here and he singles to center! Runners at 1nd and 2nd for Inoue. And after falling behind 0-2, starts fighting pitches off. It's for naught though as he grounds to 2nd to end the inning.
Top 3rd
Konkou Osaka looks to keep the pedal down as they start the 3rd. But instead, Yamazaki settles down and retires the side in order giving his team a breather.
Bottom 3rd
Koba looks to be settling down too, but with one down he hits Miki on a slow curve. And Kusaka grounds one up the 3rd base line past a diving Nishimura! It's a double! Runners on 2nd and 3rd!
Uchiyama then hits a liner to center! But the outfield is in and Nishida makes the running catch freezing the runner! 2 down!
It's up to Yamazaki, but he grouds to short! Youkawa bobbles the ball, but easily throws Yamazaki out at 1st. Big opportunity lost for Kurashiki...
Top 4th
Yamazaki appears to be in his groove now as Nishida grounds to 2nd. Back to the top of the order for Ishii.
But he gets a hold of one! Okada runs back to left field foul pole, he looks up...
HAITA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ishii hits a homerun down the left field line! Konkou Osaka extends the lead to 4-1! Yamazaki gets the next 2 batters, but the lead is extended yet again. Kurashiki risks letting this game get away.
Bottom 4th
Kurashiki continues to get baserunners. With one down, Okada gets plunked by Koba. He's replaced by Ikeda. Yori battles at the plate and he reaches down and hits a blooper just over Youkawa at 2nd! Runners at 1st and 2nd for Inoue.
And Nakayama-kantoku elects to bunt the runners along! Runners at 2nd and 3rd for Mimura.
And he hits a ball to deep left! Yoshida runs back to the same spot Okada did earlier. HE LOOKS UP!
HAITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!!!
Mimura with the 3-run homerun! GOTEN!!!!! 4-4!!!!!!
Miki grounds out to end the inning, but Kurashiki has tied the game up!
Top 5th
With new life in the game, Kurashiki looks to hold Konkou Osaka.
But with 1 down, Arikawa gets his 2nd hit with a grounder through the left side. Then Yoshida lines one down the 1st base line for a double! Konkou is threatening again with runners at 2nd and 3rd!
Nagae is up and he takes the 1st pitch to center! That's to the wall! Inoue can't catch up to it! Arikawa scores! Yoshida scores! Nagae heads for 3rd!!! The relay to 3rd and he's out! Konkou Osaka retakes the lead 6-4!!
Bottom 5th
Kurashiki Kougyou refuses to give up. Kusaka drives one to the left-center field gap for a leadoff double! Uchiyama is up, but what's this? Nakajima catches Kusaka sleeping at 2nd and picks him off on the 0-0 pitch! That kills the Kurashiki attach as the next batters are retired in order.
Top 6th
Konkou looks to add to the lead. With one down, leadoff batter Ishii gets his 3rd hit of the day, hitting a scorcher past Uchiyama and down the 3rd base line for a double! He's 3-3 with a single, double and a homerun!
Nakajima follows that up with a single to right! Runners at the corners for Nakamura!
But he grounds into a 6-4-3 DP! Yamazaki holds off the threat, but they still find themselves down by 2 runs, and running out of time...
Bottom 6th
Kurashiki tries to fight back. WIth 1 down, new LF Yamamoto hits a grounder to the gap in left, but Youkawa backhands the ball and makes a great throw to 1st for the out. Yori works a 2-out walk. Inoue would love to get on base now for Mimura.
But Yori wastes no time! He steals 2nd on the 1st pitch!! Now a base hit can cut down the lead!!
Inoue works the count, and he bloops one down the right field line!! Yori scores!! It's now 6-5 Konkou and Mimura is at bat!!
But he lines to center ending the inning. But the game is getting that much closer now.
Top 7th
Konkou can't be feeling comfortable with their one run lead. Arikawa tries to change that as he blasts one to deep left! Yamamoto goes back to the wall and makes the catch! And while Yoshida bloops one in the infield for a base hit, he's eventually stranded.
Bottom 7th
Miki earns his 3rd base-on-balls as he's hit on a slow curve by Koba. Nakayama-kantoku appears to be looking for the tying run as he's asking Kusaka who's 2-2 with 2 doubles to bunt. Koba however, can't throw a strike and the count is 3-0! The bunt is still on and at 3-1, he puts it down advancing Miki to 2nd for Uchiyama.
Uchiyama moves him along to 3rd with a grounder to 1st. But he goes on the first pitch and weakly grounds to 3rd to end the inning.
Top 8th
With one down, Nishida starts the inning by getting plunked by Yamazaki and it's back to the top of the order for Ishii. He wastes no time by getting a base hit through the left side. Once again, Konkou is threatening!
But Nakajime grounds to short! Mimura bobbles it, but he completes the 6U-3 double play to end the inning! But Kurashiki is running out of time...
Bottom 8th
#5 Nishimura comes in the game at RF.
Yamagata starts off the inning with a drive to center. Nishida runs back, and it's over his head! Yamagata starts off the inning with a lead-off double!
And immediately, Nakayama-kantoku asks Yamamoto to bunt, but he can't put it down! The count goes to 1-2, and he has to swing away. But no! He squares up again and puts the bunt down! Yamagata advances to 3rd, but can they get him in?
Back to the top of the order for Yori. But he can't get him home! He grounds to 2nd, and Yamagata can't come in to score! 2 down for Inoue - can he get it done?
It's a blooper to left center! Nishida and Yoshida come in, they almost collide! But it drops in!!! Yamagata comes around to score!!!!! GOTEN!!!! 6-6!!!!!!!!!!! And Inoue winds up at 2nd!!!
And now both oen-dans are cheering their teams on. Konkou's to hold them off, Kurashiki's to get them ahead. And while Mimura grounds to 2nd to end the inning, Kurashiki has tied the game up heading into the 9th!!!
Top 9th
And Konkou looks to answer! With one down, cleanup batter Youkawa drives one to deep left for a double! Arikawa flies to right in foul territory allowing Youkawa to advance to 3rd. It's up to Yoshida to bring the go-ahead runner home.
The count gets worked to 2-2. And it's a grounder to short! Mimura comes up with it, but the throw is high!!! It goes into foul ground and Youkawa scores!!! 7-6!!!
And the error gets compounded immediately.... Nagae lines one down the right field for a double line scoring Yoshida, and before I can get that recorded in the scorebook, Koba also singles to right scoring Nagae and it's suddenly 9-6...
And that puts an end to Yamazaki on the mound as he's replaced by Hayafuji. While he gets Kurashiki out of the inning, it could be too late as they have 3 outs to get 3 runs.
Bottom 9th
Kurashiki continues to fight! With one down, Kusaka works a walk. Then he steals 2nd! Uchiyama then singles to center and it's runners at the corners!
New P Hayafuji steps up to the plate and he singles past a diving Youkawa to left! Kusaka scores!! 9-7!!
And Yamagata hits one down the right field line... FAIR!!! IT'S FAIR!!!! Uchiyama scores!! Hayafuji rounds 3rd, the throw comes in, not in time!!
KURASHIKI HAS TIED THE GAME 9-9!!!!!!!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!
And Yamagata has advanced to 3rd! One down and now Kurashiki has the sayonara chance!!!
Yamamoto steps up to the plate and they try the squeeze! But it's ball 1. Next pitch, he tries it again!!! He puts it down! Koba glove tosses it home!! Yamagata slides, but he's late and he's out at home! Chance lost for Kurashiki! And after Yori flies out the opening game, already a thriller, heads to enchousen!
Top 10th
Hayafuji shuts down Konkou Osaka yielding only a 2-out hit to Youkawa who promptly gets thrown out trying to steal 2nd.
Bottom 10th
Koba's day is done as #10 Fujimoto takes the mound. He retires the side in order, and now it turns into a grinders game. Who can grind out that one run to win the game...
Top 11th
Of course I could be wrong. Arikawa leads off the inning with a single to the left side. But instead of bunting, they go for the hit-and-run! Yoshida though hits a weak fly to right and Arikawa has to return to 1st.
Nagae grounds to 3rd, and Arikawa advances to 2nd for Fujimoto.
And Konkou's new P gets a base hit through the left side! Runners at the corners for Konkou with 2 down!
#9 batter Fukue steps up to the plate looking for the timely hit. The count is worked full, and Hayafuji walks him! Manrui for Ishii!!!!
This looks bad for Kurashiki. Can Hayafuji get out of this pinch?
YES! He gets Ishii to pop up to left to end the inning!
Bottom 11th
Kurashiki tries to answer as Kusaka singles through the left side! He's moved along by Uchiyama. And now they can end it with a base hit.
Hayafuji steps up to the plate and it's a wild pitch! Kusaka advances to 3rd!
And you have to figure the squeeze is on with Hayafuji at bat.
And they go on the first pitch! But it's a pitchout! Hayafuji throws the bat out, but he has no chance! Kusaka is left out to dry and is eventually run down! You have to think that Nakayama-kantoku could have waited to try the squeeze....
It's too bad though, as Hayafuji hit a weak chopper down the 3rd base line for an infield base hit. But while trying to steal 2nd, PH Uchida Takayuki (#18) is called for batter interference and the inning is over.
Top 12th
Konkou tries to take advantage of the momentum swing as Nishimura drives one down the right field line for a triple! Konkou with a great chance!
Kurashiki elects to intentionally walk Youkawa to give them a double play chance... Can they get out of yet another pinch?
NO! Arikawa drives a fly to deep center, easily scoring Nishimura! Konkou takes the lead 10-9!
Yoshikawa strikes out to end the inning, but the damage has been done.
Bottom 12th
Kurashiki looks yet again for another answer. Yamamoto grounds to SS, but it's off Youkawa's glove and into the outfield! E6! Yori looks to bunt the runner along, but AH!!! He pops it up! One down!
Inoue up and he puts down the safety bunt! Arikawa charges in, but he has nowhere to go! ALL SAFE!! Runners on 1st and 2nd with one down!
And Mimura singles to right! Yamamoto rounds 3rd, but he's held up! Manrui sayonara chance!!
There's nowhere to put Miki!
He singles to right! Yamamoto scores! Inoue rounds 3rd, he's heading home!!! Kawaguchi with the strong throw home!!! It's in plenty of time to get Inoue out, but once again Kurashiki comes through again!!!! GOTEN!!! 10-10!!!!!!
Kusaka has a chance to end it here. And he hits one to right! Kawaguchi dives, but it's in for a base hit!!!!! SAYONARA!!!!!
SAYONARAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kurashiki, who never held the lead, continued to fight back each time, from a 3-1, 6-4, and a 9-6 deficit before finally coming through in the 12th to take the victory away from Konkou Osaka.
What a heck of an opening game. And while you have to applaud Kurashiki's continued battling under pressure, you have to feel bad for Konkou Osaka as they had numerous chances to put the game away, only to see it slip away time after time.
So please, applaud Konkou Osaka for their efforts. It's too bad that there had to be a loser in this hard fought game.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notable Performances
Ishii (Konkou Osaka) - 4-6, 2B, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, HBP
Arikawa (Konkou Osaka) - 3-6, 3 RBI
Mimura (Kurashiki Kougyou) - 3-7, HR, 2R, 4 RBI
Yamagata (Kurashiki Kougyou) - 2-5, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI
Kusaka (Kurashiki Kougyou) - 4-5, 2 2B, R, サヨナラ RBI
Thursday, March 19, 2009
81st Spring Rosters are up!
Rosters are up! Thanks to Sponichi for getting them up in a readable manner (at least for me). NHK's rosters are garbled.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Brackets are up!
The draw for the Spring Koushien has happened and the brackets are here. It's the first sheet.
I'll have more after I finish eating dinner. Once again, there appears to be at least one tough quadrant.
11:03 AM - After a second look. The brackets stink. It's got to be one of the worse draws I've seen... Bah.
11:34 AM - Here's why I think the brackets stink. Short term, it's great. Long term it's bad. Let's break each of the quadrants down (in order of schedule of games to be played)
Quadrant 1
Konkou Osaka (Osaka) vs. Kurashiki Kougyou (Okayama)
Chuukyoudai Chuukyou (Aichi) vs. Kamimura Gakuen (Kagoshima)
Kousei Gakuin (Aomori) vs. Imabari Nishi (Ehime)
Takasaki Shougyou (Gunma) vs. Meitoku Gijuku (Hyogo)
There are several brand-name teams here (Chuukyoudai Chuukyou, Imabari Nishi) mixed in with some new up and comers (Meitoku Gijuku, Konkou Osaka). This by far appears to be the most balanced quadrant of the 4.
Quadrant 2
Seihou (Nagasaki) vs. Nihon Bunri (Niigata)
Fukuchiyama Seibi (Kyoto) vs. Kokushikan (Tokyo)
Kaisei (Shimane) vs. Keio (Kanagawa)
Minoshima (Wakayama) vs. Oita Uenogaoka (Oita)
More brand-name teams litter this quadrant. Seihou, Keio as well as Fukuchiyama and Kokushikan who face each other. Nihon Bunri faces a tough task in Seihou while either Minoshima and Oita Uenogaoka will have to bow out in the first round. This will definitely be a tough bracket to get out of.
Quadrant 3
Saijyou (Ehime) vs. PL Gakuen (Osaka)
Nanyou Kougyou (Yamaguchi) vs. Maebashi Shougyou (Gunma)
Hanamaki Higashi (Iwate) vs. Mukawa (Hokkaido)
Meihou (Oita) vs. Shimotsuma Dai-ni (Ibaraki)
One of my sleeper teams Saijyou gets a rude awakening as they draw PL Gakuen. PL looks to be the favorite to come out of this quadrant, although Meihou may give them fits if they get that far.
Quadrant 4
Toyama Shougyou (Toyama) vs. Kounan (Okinawa)
Tenri (Nara) vs. Waseda Jitsugyou (Tokyo)
Hikone Higashi (Shiga) vs. Narashino (Chiba)
Rifu (Miyazaki) vs. Kakegawa Nishi (Shizuoka)
This is a killer for me. Tenri draws Waseda Jitsugyou... you've GOT to be kidding me. Meanwhile, they're joined here by Narashino and Kounan. This should yet be another tough bracket to get out of.
The reason I say the brackets stink is that I think there are a lot of cases where in the opening round games, strong teams are facing strong teams and weak teams are facing weak teams. It's nice sometimes to have a bracket of death, but in this case it's just a 1st round where good teams will be exiting.
So the draw is set, and the games will begin next week. I can't wait, but I can't believe the draw.
I'll have more after I finish eating dinner. Once again, there appears to be at least one tough quadrant.
11:03 AM - After a second look. The brackets stink. It's got to be one of the worse draws I've seen... Bah.
11:34 AM - Here's why I think the brackets stink. Short term, it's great. Long term it's bad. Let's break each of the quadrants down (in order of schedule of games to be played)
Quadrant 1
Konkou Osaka (Osaka) vs. Kurashiki Kougyou (Okayama)
Chuukyoudai Chuukyou (Aichi) vs. Kamimura Gakuen (Kagoshima)
Kousei Gakuin (Aomori) vs. Imabari Nishi (Ehime)
Takasaki Shougyou (Gunma) vs. Meitoku Gijuku (Hyogo)
There are several brand-name teams here (Chuukyoudai Chuukyou, Imabari Nishi) mixed in with some new up and comers (Meitoku Gijuku, Konkou Osaka). This by far appears to be the most balanced quadrant of the 4.
Quadrant 2
Seihou (Nagasaki) vs. Nihon Bunri (Niigata)
Fukuchiyama Seibi (Kyoto) vs. Kokushikan (Tokyo)
Kaisei (Shimane) vs. Keio (Kanagawa)
Minoshima (Wakayama) vs. Oita Uenogaoka (Oita)
More brand-name teams litter this quadrant. Seihou, Keio as well as Fukuchiyama and Kokushikan who face each other. Nihon Bunri faces a tough task in Seihou while either Minoshima and Oita Uenogaoka will have to bow out in the first round. This will definitely be a tough bracket to get out of.
Quadrant 3
Saijyou (Ehime) vs. PL Gakuen (Osaka)
Nanyou Kougyou (Yamaguchi) vs. Maebashi Shougyou (Gunma)
Hanamaki Higashi (Iwate) vs. Mukawa (Hokkaido)
Meihou (Oita) vs. Shimotsuma Dai-ni (Ibaraki)
One of my sleeper teams Saijyou gets a rude awakening as they draw PL Gakuen. PL looks to be the favorite to come out of this quadrant, although Meihou may give them fits if they get that far.
Quadrant 4
Toyama Shougyou (Toyama) vs. Kounan (Okinawa)
Tenri (Nara) vs. Waseda Jitsugyou (Tokyo)
Hikone Higashi (Shiga) vs. Narashino (Chiba)
Rifu (Miyazaki) vs. Kakegawa Nishi (Shizuoka)
This is a killer for me. Tenri draws Waseda Jitsugyou... you've GOT to be kidding me. Meanwhile, they're joined here by Narashino and Kounan. This should yet be another tough bracket to get out of.
The reason I say the brackets stink is that I think there are a lot of cases where in the opening round games, strong teams are facing strong teams and weak teams are facing weak teams. It's nice sometimes to have a bracket of death, but in this case it's just a 1st round where good teams will be exiting.
So the draw is set, and the games will begin next week. I can't wait, but I can't believe the draw.
Saitou Yuuki is even bigger than I thought...
Whatever you may say about the "Handkerchief Prince" - that's he's the greatest thing since sliced bread, or the most over-hyped prospect in Japanese baseball - there's no doubt that he has made a permanent impression on high school baseball. And after discovering this little nugget while going through the Fall Tournaments, it just gets bigger.
After the unbelievable 2006 Summer tournament where Saitou and Tanaka Masahiro went toe-to-toe for 24 innings over 2 days, they faced each other again on October 4th. Waseda would win the rematch 1-0. The broadcast of the match-up drew record ratings.
As a memorial to the battle between the two, the city of Takasago, Hyogo-ken applied to have it's stadium renamed. And on October 8th, 2007 the name was officially added:
"ハンカチメモリアルスタジアム" or Handkerchief Memorial Stadium
No joke. See the wiki article and the official release by the Takasako City website. (Both in Japanese)
After the unbelievable 2006 Summer tournament where Saitou and Tanaka Masahiro went toe-to-toe for 24 innings over 2 days, they faced each other again on October 4th. Waseda would win the rematch 1-0. The broadcast of the match-up drew record ratings.
As a memorial to the battle between the two, the city of Takasago, Hyogo-ken applied to have it's stadium renamed. And on October 8th, 2007 the name was officially added:
"ハンカチメモリアルスタジアム" or Handkerchief Memorial Stadium
No joke. See the wiki article and the official release by the Takasako City website. (Both in Japanese)
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Favorite bands/melodies
I love the school bands that attend the games. There's a lot of familiar songs - "Touch", "Sakuranbo", etc. But there are some that do a real good job, or have something distinct.
By the way, there's a montage of all 32 teams in the tourney here. I just love the joy the teams have in those pictures. Saijyou's pic is pretty fitting too.
Narashino Koukou (here too)
Their unique rally music is really catchy.
Keiou Koukou
They take after their university band. Good thing too because I love their medley.
Waseda Jitsugyou
Um. Konpeki no sora. Yeah. Scary amazing. (My video)
Komadai Tomakomai
I loved their medley. Very catchy and one I could rally around. (This was the 9th inning of the replay after the 15 inning duel which was just amazing. I almost lost it watching Komadai come back. So did my new friend sitting next to me who had flown down all the way from Tomakomai and stayed the extra day.)
Chiben Wakayama (applies to Chiben Gakuen too)
That big C is as intimidating as Chiben Wakayama is. Their rally music is just as good. The continual chant calling on the batter could lift any team to victory.
Special mention goes to ace Akagawa Katsuki of Miyzaki Shougyou. His music when he was at bat was "Zankoku na tenshi no teeze" or for those more familiar "Cruel Angel's Thesis" from Neon Genesis Evangelion. I had seen it as a track on a Braban Koushien CD, but never heard it in practice until Akagawa. That's an automatic win in my book. He's not a bad pitcher either.
By the way, there's a montage of all 32 teams in the tourney here. I just love the joy the teams have in those pictures. Saijyou's pic is pretty fitting too.
Narashino Koukou (here too)
Their unique rally music is really catchy.
Keiou Koukou
They take after their university band. Good thing too because I love their medley.
Waseda Jitsugyou
Um. Konpeki no sora. Yeah. Scary amazing. (My video)
Komadai Tomakomai
I loved their medley. Very catchy and one I could rally around. (This was the 9th inning of the replay after the 15 inning duel which was just amazing. I almost lost it watching Komadai come back. So did my new friend sitting next to me who had flown down all the way from Tomakomai and stayed the extra day.)
Chiben Wakayama (applies to Chiben Gakuen too)
That big C is as intimidating as Chiben Wakayama is. Their rally music is just as good. The continual chant calling on the batter could lift any team to victory.
Special mention goes to ace Akagawa Katsuki of Miyzaki Shougyou. His music when he was at bat was "Zankoku na tenshi no teeze" or for those more familiar "Cruel Angel's Thesis" from Neon Genesis Evangelion. I had seen it as a track on a Braban Koushien CD, but never heard it in practice until Akagawa. That's an automatic win in my book. He's not a bad pitcher either.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Koshien Pitcher Review!
I happened to stumble upon YouTube vids of pitchers that will be participating in the Spring Kōshien.
Please don't rip me in my analysis. I have little idea what to look for, so I just make my best estimation.
Imamura (Seihou Koukou - Nagasaki - RHP)
Seems to have a high 80's fastball along with a 70's slider. Control isn't that great, so it appears he'll have to depend on his defense to keep them in games.
Imamiya (Meihou Koukou - Oita - RHP)
Definitely not an overpowering pitcher. Low 80's fastball, high 70's slider and a 60's slow curve tries to keep the batters off their timing. However, while his control on the off-speed is good, his fastballs are not so. If he doesn't have control on his off-speed pitches, it could be a long day for Meihou.
Shimooki (Kousei Gakuin - Aomori - RHP)
A 3/4 delivery seems to give Shimooki a mid 80's fastball that tails back towards a right-hander (not so good). He does have a slider and something like a 1-7 curve that are in the low 70's. His control is pretty good, but the tailing fastball could pose issues.
Shiramura (Keiou Koukou - Kanagawa - RHP)
Apparently, he's the 2nd half pitcher in their system although he wears the ace number. There's good reason though. He has a tendency to either release early of open his body (not sure which) that can make the ball fly either high or up and in to a right-hander. The delivery also appears to give a fastball that can be as fast as the high 80's, but as slow as high 70's. He has an off-speed pitch in the 60's. Not sure what to make of him.
Akiyama (Saijyou Koukou - Ehime - RHP)
Wow. I'm impressed by Akiyama. First of all he stands at a not so small 6'-1". Nice smooth delivery consistently hits around 135 kph (low 80's). With a good 12-6 curve in the 60's, and I think one other pitch I can't discern, he can make short work of batters. Really depended a lot on his off-speed late in the game, and wasn't as accurate with his fastball - so if they have a servicable backup Saijyou could go far. He's not that bad with the stick either. Good low ball hitter, can get around to hit the inside pitches, very patient.
Nishifuji (Mukawa Koukou - Hokkaido - RHP)
Another big pitcher (5'-11"), however he doesn't have the same control as Akiyama. In fact, he's all over the map. He can hit 90 with his fastball, but it doesn't do him any good if he can't locate it.
Nakano (PL Gakuen - Osaka - LHP)
A bit smaller in size to our last 2 pitchers, Nakano brings us back down to the other side of the spectrum. A fastball that just touches 80 with off-speed pitches around 70 means he certainly won't overpower the batters. He does have some control issues to boot, so PL will need offense and some good defense behind Nakano if they want to advance far.
Onoda (Waseda Jitsugyou - Tokyo - RHP)
A 1st year, he's the 1st half of the Waseda staff along with Suzuki. A fastball in the 135 kph range with an off-speed at 116 kph (low 70's) with above-average control bodes well. Tact that he's slotted as their cleanup hitter and can drive the ball doesn't hurt either.
That's all I can find for now. If I can find more, I'll post it here and bump it up.
Iwamoto (Nanyou Kougyou - Yamaguchi - RHP)
Hm. Not much here on Iwamoto. Plus he's wearing the backup pitcher #10 (unless they're giving the ace #1 to a senior). Mostly fastballs are displayed here.
Please don't rip me in my analysis. I have little idea what to look for, so I just make my best estimation.
Imamura (Seihou Koukou - Nagasaki - RHP)
Seems to have a high 80's fastball along with a 70's slider. Control isn't that great, so it appears he'll have to depend on his defense to keep them in games.
Imamiya (Meihou Koukou - Oita - RHP)
Definitely not an overpowering pitcher. Low 80's fastball, high 70's slider and a 60's slow curve tries to keep the batters off their timing. However, while his control on the off-speed is good, his fastballs are not so. If he doesn't have control on his off-speed pitches, it could be a long day for Meihou.
Shimooki (Kousei Gakuin - Aomori - RHP)
A 3/4 delivery seems to give Shimooki a mid 80's fastball that tails back towards a right-hander (not so good). He does have a slider and something like a 1-7 curve that are in the low 70's. His control is pretty good, but the tailing fastball could pose issues.
Shiramura (Keiou Koukou - Kanagawa - RHP)
Apparently, he's the 2nd half pitcher in their system although he wears the ace number. There's good reason though. He has a tendency to either release early of open his body (not sure which) that can make the ball fly either high or up and in to a right-hander. The delivery also appears to give a fastball that can be as fast as the high 80's, but as slow as high 70's. He has an off-speed pitch in the 60's. Not sure what to make of him.
Akiyama (Saijyou Koukou - Ehime - RHP)
Wow. I'm impressed by Akiyama. First of all he stands at a not so small 6'-1". Nice smooth delivery consistently hits around 135 kph (low 80's). With a good 12-6 curve in the 60's, and I think one other pitch I can't discern, he can make short work of batters. Really depended a lot on his off-speed late in the game, and wasn't as accurate with his fastball - so if they have a servicable backup Saijyou could go far. He's not that bad with the stick either. Good low ball hitter, can get around to hit the inside pitches, very patient.
Nishifuji (Mukawa Koukou - Hokkaido - RHP)
Another big pitcher (5'-11"), however he doesn't have the same control as Akiyama. In fact, he's all over the map. He can hit 90 with his fastball, but it doesn't do him any good if he can't locate it.
Nakano (PL Gakuen - Osaka - LHP)
A bit smaller in size to our last 2 pitchers, Nakano brings us back down to the other side of the spectrum. A fastball that just touches 80 with off-speed pitches around 70 means he certainly won't overpower the batters. He does have some control issues to boot, so PL will need offense and some good defense behind Nakano if they want to advance far.
Onoda (Waseda Jitsugyou - Tokyo - RHP)
A 1st year, he's the 1st half of the Waseda staff along with Suzuki. A fastball in the 135 kph range with an off-speed at 116 kph (low 70's) with above-average control bodes well. Tact that he's slotted as their cleanup hitter and can drive the ball doesn't hurt either.
That's all I can find for now. If I can find more, I'll post it here and bump it up.
Iwamoto (Nanyou Kougyou - Yamaguchi - RHP)
Hm. Not much here on Iwamoto. Plus he's wearing the backup pitcher #10 (unless they're giving the ace #1 to a senior). Mostly fastballs are displayed here.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Kōkōyakyū schedule
After finding out that the Spring participants are derived from the fall tournament, it makes the high school baseball schedule that much more interesting.
Now given, the teams that qualify in the fall tournament are not the same ones you see at Koshien. These teams are now without their 3rd year players and are pretty much playing new players.
Interestingly enough, that means that there is a lot of pressure on the teams that make it to the Summer Koshien. If you think about the turnaround time, and the time taken off to attend the tournament, it could really affect teams that need to prepare for the fall tournament. There hasn't probably been a study, but let's just take the 2008 Summer Koshien participants and see where they ended up in the fall tournament:
And it seems that the short turnaround doesn't affect these teams for the most part either, which at least for me I find interesting.
- August-September - Fall Tournament Prefectural Qualifiers
- September-October - Fall Tournament Regional Qualifiers (This determines teams to the Spring 甲子園)
- November - National Fall Tournament
- March - Spring 甲子園
- June-August - Qualifiers for the Summer 甲子園
- August - Summer 甲子園
Now given, the teams that qualify in the fall tournament are not the same ones you see at Koshien. These teams are now without their 3rd year players and are pretty much playing new players.
Interestingly enough, that means that there is a lot of pressure on the teams that make it to the Summer Koshien. If you think about the turnaround time, and the time taken off to attend the tournament, it could really affect teams that need to prepare for the fall tournament. There hasn't probably been a study, but let's just take the 2008 Summer Koshien participants and see where they ended up in the fall tournament:
- North Hokkaido - Komadai Iwamizawa - Lost in Hokkaido Regional Semi-finals to Mukawa 14-6.
- South Hokkaido - Hokkai - Lost in 2nd round (had 1st round bye) of the Hokkaido Regional to Mukawa 7-0.
- Aomori - Aomori Yamada - Lost in quarterfinals of the Tohoku Regionals to Ichinoseki Gakuin 7-5.
- Iwate - Morioka Daifuzoku - Lost in quarterfinals of Prefectural Qualifiers to Fukuoka 3-2.
- Akita - Honjyou - Lost in the 2nd round of the Central Sub-Regionals to Akita Shougyou 6-5.
- Yamagata - Sakata Minami - Lost in quarterfinals of the Tohoku Regionals to Rifu 3-2.
- Miyagi - Sendai Ikuei - Lost in 2nd round of the Tohoku Regionals (had 1st round bye) to Seikou Gakuin 4-3.
- Fukushima - Seikou Gakuin - Lost in quarterfinals of the Tohoku Regionals to Kousei Gakuin 3-1.
- Ibaraki - Jyousou Gakuin - Lost in semifinals of the Prefectural Qualifiers to Shimotsuma-ni 5-4.
- Tochigi - Hakuoudai Ashikaga - Lost in quarterfinals of the Prefectural Qualifiers to Kokugakuin Tochigi 5-4.
- Gunma - Kiryuu Dai-ichi - Lost in quarterfinals of Prefectural Qualifiers to Takasaki Kenkou Fukushidai 11-7.
- North Saitama - Honjyou Dai-ichi - Lost in 3rd round of Prefectural Qualifiers to Tokyo Nodai-san 4-2.
- South Saitama - Urawa Gakuin - Lost in 2nd round (had 1st round bye) of Prefectural Qualifiers to Namegawa Sougou 3-0.
- East Chiba - Kisaradzu Sougou - Lost in quarterfinals of the Kanto Regionals to Keio 7-3.
- West Chiba - Chiba Keizaidai Fuzoku - Lost in 1st round of Prefectural Qualifiers to Ryuutsuu Keizaidai Fuzoku Kashiwa 15-8.
- East Tokyo - Kantou Dai-ichi - Lost in Block 13 finals to Meijidai Nakano 1-0 on a sayonara run.
- West Tokyo - Nichidai Tsurugaoka - Lost in 2nd round of Tokyo Regionals to Teikyou 6-5. Nichidai had a 5-0 lead going into the bottom of the 9th. You can figure out the rest.
- North Kanagawa - Keio - Won the National Fall Tournament
- South Kanagawa - Yokohama - Lost in 3rd round of Prefectural Qualifiers to Nichidai Fujisawa 3-2.
- Niigata - Niigata Kenou Kougyou - Lost in 1st round of Prefectural Qualifiers to Teikyou Gakkan Niigata 4-1.
- Nagano - Matsushou Gakuen - Lost in quarterfinals of Prefectural Qualifiers to Tokai Dai-san 10-0.
- Yamanashi - Nihon Koukuu - Lost in 1st round of the Kantou Regionals to Maebashi Shougyou 5-1.
- Shizuoka - Tokoha Kikugawa - Lost in 2nd round of the Prefectural Qualifiers to Shizuoka Shougyou 5-4.
- East Aichi - Oobu - Lost in the quaterfinals of the Prefectural Qualifiers to Kyoei 6-5.
- West Aichi - Touhou - Lost in quarterfinals (1st game) of the Tokai Regionals to Seisei Kougyou 4-3.
- Gifu - Gifu Kenritsu Shougyou - Lost in 2nd round of Prefectural Qualifiers to Gifu Kenritsu Sougou 2-1.
- Mie - Komono - Lost in 2nd round (had 1st round bye) of Prefectural Qualifiers to Nabari Kikyougaoka 2-1.
- Toyama - Takaoka Shougyou - Lost in quarterfinals of Prefectural Qualifiers to Mizuhashi 11-4.
- Ishikawa - Kanazawa - Lost in quarterfinals of Prefectural Qualifiers to Seiryou 5-2.
- Fukui - Fukui Shougyou - Lost in quarterfinals of Prefectural Qualifiers to Fujishima 3-1.
- Shiga - Oumi - Lost in 1st round of Kinki Regionals to Minoshima 5-1.
- Kyoto - Fukuchiyama Seibi - Lost in semifinals of Kinki Regionals to PL Gakuen 2-1.
- North Osaka - Osaka Touin - Lost in quarterfinals of Kinki Regionals to Konkou Osaka 3-2.
- South Osaka - Kinki Daifuzoku - Lost in 5th round of Prefectural Qualifiers to Konkou Osaka 2-0.
- East Hyogo - Houtoku Gakuen - Lost in quarterfinals of Kinki Regionals to PL Gakuen 7-0.
- West Hyogo - Kakogawa Kita - Lost in 2nd round of Prefectural Qualifiers to Miki Kita 8-7.
- Nara - Chiben Gakuen - Lost in 3rd round of Prefectural Qualifiers to Nara Daifuzoku 1-0.
- Wakayama - Chiben Wakayama - Lost in 1st round of Kinki Regionals to Konkou Osaka 7-5.
- Okayama - Kurashiki Shougyou - Lost in 1st round of Prefectural Qualifiers to Kanzei 6-5.
- Hiroshima - Kouryou - Lost in quarterfinals of Prefectural Regionals to Shinjyou 5-3.
- Tottori - Tottori Shougyou - Lost in 1st round of Chuugoku Regionals to Shinjyou 1-0.
- Shimane - Kaisei - Lost in semifinals of Chuugoku Regionals to Nanyou Kougyou 4-1.
- Yamaguchi - Shimonoseki Kougyou - Lost in quarterfinals of Prefectural Qualifiers to Nanyou Kougyou 7-0.
- Kagawa - Kagawa Nishi - Lost in quarterfinals of Prefectural Qualifiers to Takamatsu Shougyou 6-1.
- Tokushima - Naruto Kougyou - Lost in quarterfinals of Shikoku Regionals to Jinsei Gakuen 10-3.
- Ehime - Saibi - Lost in 1st round of Shikoku Regionals to Meitoku Gijuku 3-1.
- Kochi - Kochi - Lost in quarterfinals (bad 1st round bye) of Shikoku Regionals to Imabari Nishi 7-3.
- Fukuoka - Iidzuka - Lost in quarterfinals of Prefectural Qualifiers to Touchiku 10-7.
- Saga - Saga Shougyou - Lost in 2nd round (had 1st round bye) of Prefectural Qualifiers to Kashima Jitsugyou 10-3.
- Nagasaki - Seihou - Lost 2nd round (had 1st round bye) of the National Fall Tournament to Saijyou 12-8.
- Kumamoto - Jyouhoku - Lost in 4th round of Prefectural Qualifiers to Touryou 6-2.
- Oita - Hita-rin Kougyou - Lost in 2nd round (had 1st round bye) of Prefectural Qualifiers to Mie Sougou 5-4.
- Miyazaki - Miyazaki Shougyou - Lost in 1st round of Prefectural Qualifiers to Miyakonojyou Izumigaoka 5-1.
- Kagoshima - Kagoshima Jitsugyou - Lost in semifinals of Prefectural Qualifiers to Kawauchi 5-1.
- Okinawa - Urasoe Shougyou - Lost in quarterfinals of Prefectural Qualifiers to Miyako 4-1.
- 2 made the National Fall Tournament - Keio and Seihou. Keio won it all.
- 18 made the Regional Tournaments
- 3 made it to the Prefectural Best 4, but that was as far as it went.
- 13 made it to the Prefectural Best 8, but could not go further.
- 19 did not make it to the Prefectural Best 8.
And it seems that the short turnaround doesn't affect these teams for the most part either, which at least for me I find interesting.
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