Day 2 - Game 1 - Memanbetsu (Hokkaido) vs. Kyushu Gakuin (Kumamoto)

All right, we're off and running with the 84th Haru Koushien, and while the games have been a bit underwhelming as a whole, things (hopefully) will get more interesting today.

At least that's what 21st century invitee Memanbetsu hopes for anyways as Kyushu Super-Regional runner-up Kyushu Gakuin sets them in their sights.

Saying that Memanbetsu is a bit of an underdog is quite the understatement.  Hokkaido has not generally been known for good baseball teams, and throw in the fact that Memanbetsu only made the 2nd round of the super-regional, and it really suggests a weak team.  Add in that they're batting statistics mirror that of Hanamaki Higashi, and it's not really good at all.  Ace Nikaidou Seiji is the only pitcher they have, so he'll have to keep them in the game.

Kyushu Gakuin were the Kyushu runner-ups, but looking at their road, there isn't any waypoint we could use other than the 8-1 loss to Kamimura Gakuen to determine their real strength.  And even then all 9 runs in that game were scored in the first inning!

So it's really hard to gauge how good Kyushu Gakuin really is.  Offensively, their numbers look better than Memanbetsu's and against what probably would be a higher level of competition (even if slightly), means that Kyushu Gakuin should be favored to advance in this matchup.

Kyushu Gakuin (Kumamoto)

SS  Mizowaki Hayato
2B  Yamashita Yuuma
CF  Hagiwara Hideyuki
3B  Oota Kouhei
1B  Okayama Shirou
LF  Yonei Kenta
C  Asakawa Ryou
RF  Shimada Kairi
P  Ootsuka Takahito

Memanbetsu (Hokkaido)

C  Hirata Yuuto
2B  Andou Satoshi
1B  Kondou Rui
CF  Toshino Jyunya
RF  Sugawara Kento
SS  Maeda Kento
3B  Sakiyama Michiya
P  Nikaidou Seiji
LF  Yasumura Shouto

__________________________________________________

9:00 - First pitch!

Top 1st
Not a good start for Nikaidou as he walks leadoff batter Mizowaki.  But Yamashita can't lay the bunt down and bunts foul for the strikeout!

Hagiwara though continues the attack with a single through the left side!

I'm surprised though.  Nikaidou is still going after batters and gets strikes out Oota for the 2nd out!  He's almost out of the jam!

Okayama is a stubborn batter though and he works a 7-pitch walk to load the bases.

And before the atmosphere could get tense, Yonei lines a single to right!  Mizowaki scores!  Hagiwara is being sent home!  The throw is late and it's 2-0 Kyushu Gakuin!

Asakawa continues the barrage!  He hits a ball just fair down the right field line!  Sugawara runs it down, but not before both runners score making it 4-0!  Just like that Memanbetsu risks letting the game slip away here in the 1st!

Nikaidou stops the bleeding for now though as he strikes out Shimada to end the inning.

Top 2nd
Nikaidou continues to have inconsistent results as Mizowaki hits a one-out double down the left field line.  After yet another K to Yamashita, Hagiwara takes the first pitch to right for a single, scoring Mizowaki and making it 5-0.  Oota strikes out yet again to end the inning.

Bottom 2nd
Sugawara goes way down on a pitch and shoots it past Oota for a base hit!  However, Maeda's bunt attempt is too hard and it goes back to Ootsuka.  His throw to 2nd is just in time to get the lead runner.

Sakiyama strikes out on 3 straight, and it'll be up to Nikaidou to keep the inning running.  But he flies out to right to end the inning.

Top 3rd
Nikaidou looks to finally have a clean 1-2-3 inning, but Asakawa ruins that with a soft liner to left.  Two pitches later, though and Shimada grounds into a fielder's choice at short and Nikaidou finally puts up a 0!

Bottom 3rd
However, the Memanbetsu offense continues to put up 0's of their own.  Yasumura, Hirata and Andou go down in order and Nikaidou has to hurry back onto the mound.

Top 4th
Ootsuka with a slow roller up the 1st base side, Kondou charges in, but his toss is behind Nikaidou!

But after a sac bunt, the next two batters are retired quickly and we're quickly into the bottom of the 4th!

Bottom 4th
Toshino records Memanbetsu's 3rd hit with a solid one-out single past a diving Okayama!

But Sugawara goes down swinging, and while Maeda makes good contact, it's a liner right to Shimada for the 3rd out.


Top 5th
It looks like the nerves that perhaps plagued Nikaidou are gone, as he retires the side in order really quickly, but they're still facing a 5 run deficit.

Bottom 5th
I was about to write another 1-2-3 inning before the break, but Yasumura swings at a high fastball for strike 3, but reaches when it gets by Asakawa.  Then Hirata hits a liner to short center, and when Hagiwara's throw deflects off of Mizowaki, Hirata takes 2nd!

So runners at 2nd and 3rd with 2 down and perhaps Memanbetsu can get something back before the break!

But Ootsuka gets Andou to hit a grounder to 3rd.  Oota makes the throw to 1st and they're denied.

Top 6th
Asakawa hits a hard ball back up the middle.  Maeda makes the stop, but the throw is late.  After a sac bunt, Ootsuka steps in and hits a ball softly to left!  Yasumura comes up throwing, but the ball is cut off and the run scores!  6-0 now for Kyushu Gakuin.

Oy.  A errant throw to 1st advances the runner and the 6th might end up like the 1st.

But Nikaidou gets Mizowaki strikes out and Ootsuka is caught off 2nd to end the inning,

Bottom 6th
The news break encompasses the entire bottom of the 6th.

Toshino gets a one out single up the middle, but Sugawara grounds into the 6-4-3 inning ending double play.


Top 7th
Finally I can get around to the pitchers, Nikaidou is indeed what he is, throws a fastball that can get to the low 140's.  He has a shuuto and slider in the 120's and a forkball in the 110's, but...

Oops.  Yamashita hits a soft single down the right field line.  Then steals 2nd on a not so good throw.

Hagiwara walks and Nikaidou is in another pinch.

Oota with a single to right!  Yamashita holds at 3rd and it's manrui!

Okayama though grounds to 1st.  Kondou goes home for the force for one.

Nikaidou then gets Yonei to strike out, and he's one out away from getting out of the jam!

And he does!  Asakawa hits a popup to 2nd!  Andou settles under it and Kyushu doesn't score!

Bottom 7th
Now, can Memanbetsu score in their lucky 7?

Maeda give the ball a good run, but Hagiwara settles under it for the first out.  Sakiyama also gets a good charge on the ball, but Yonei is there for the out.

Nikaidou strikes out and the inning is over.

Top 8th
Nikaidou settles down again, recording 2 K's in a 1-2-3 inning.  He has recorded a fair amount of K's despite the score.

Bottom 8th
Kazama comes in for Yasumura but strikes out.  Another 1-2-3 inning and Kyushu Gakuin is one inning away from wrapping it up/

Top 9th
#13 Nomiya comes in to play LF.

Nikaidou was about to record a 1-2-3 inning, but Sugawara misjudged the ball.  #16 Tsutsumiuchi comes in to run for Sugawara.

No matter though.  Okayama flies out to center to end the inning

Bottom 9th
#17 Masuda comes in for Tsutsumiuchi and plays LF.  #13 Tanaka goes to 1B.

Kondou starts off the inning with a single back up the middle!

But when Toshino lines out to right, Kondou is caught running ahead and is doubled off.

Sugawara strikes out looking, and the game is over.

The game went pretty much as expected with Memanbetsu unable to do anything against Kyushu Gakuin.  They did get a couple of good hits in, and Nikaidou wasn't bad on the mound, just probably a case of nerves and good competition did them in.

Day 1 Thoughts

Well, opening day has ended with a bit of a letdown in the matchup of the giants.  It's clear that Sasaki-kantoku left Ootani off the fall tournament mound because of the control issues he had - and still has.  Would it have been better to send those pitchers he used in the fall tournaments instead?  The problem is he was on the edge all game, and the gaffes after the break came all at once so that by the time he could identify when to pull him out, they had already lost the lead.

On the other side, Fujinami looked much the better pitcher, but one wonders what would happen against a stronger offense.  Because Hanamaki Higashi is not known for being a power hitting team.

The other two games today went almost as expected.  Urawa Gakuin dispatched Tsuruga Kehi with little issue, while Mie and Tottori Jyouhoku were evenly matched despite Tottori Jyouhoku winning the Chuugoku fall title.  From the 3 games so far, unless Kyushu Gakuin shows something tomorrow, I expect Osaka Touin to advance out of the first quadrant.

Day 1 - Game 3 - Osaka Touin (Osaka) vs. Hanamaki Higashi (Iwate)

And now to the marquee game of the day.

When the draw came out, kokoyakyu writers everywhere probably circled this game immediately.  Not just because this was a match between scrappy Hanamaki Higashi and yet another offensive powerhouse in Osaka Touin, but because this game would feature the two tallest pitchers in the field by far - 193 cm (6'4") Ootani Shouhei for Hanamaki Higashi and 197 cm (6'5½") Fujinami Shintarou.

Yet, strangely enough, during the fall tournament, Hanamaki Higashi never turned to Ootani.

Not once.

Even more strange, Ootani appeared in just 5 of the teams 11 games.  I have had no time to research the reason why, but if whatever the reason was continues, this could be a slight problem for the team - especially since they're facing an offensive team right off the bat... again. 

That team is Osaka Touin.  And this time around it appears they have a #1 truly worthy of the number in Fujinami.  Now, he's not one of the fireballers that records a lot of K's (though he does throw pretty darn fast).  Instead, he uses the fastball and 12-6 curve to induce weak contact.

However, all Osaka Touin needs is a serviceable pitcher and the team automatically becomes a contender due to the offense.  Of the 118 hits, they had 38 doubles, 5 triples and 11 homeruns.  That's 46% of their hits going for extra bases for an ISO of 0.269.  Now, certainly their true level isn't that high, but even with regression it's still really good.

This should be one heck of a game to close the opening day of the tournament.

Osaka Touin (Osaka)

C  Mori Tomoya
2B  Oonishi Tomoya
RF  Mizumoto Gen
1B  Tabata Yoshiki
CF  Hakusui Kenta
LF  Yasui Kouki
SS  Mizutani Yukiya (#14)
3B  Kasamatsu Yuuya (#15)
P  Fujinami Shintarou

Hanamaki Higashi (Iwate)

2B  Oota Kazumasa
CF  Oomukai Yuuji
SS  Oosawa Eiki
P  Ootani Shouhei
1B  Takahashi Shouto
3B  Gotou Yuudai (#13)
RF  Tanaka Daiki (#7)
C  Sasaki Ryuuki
LF  Chiba Shuunta (#14)
__________________________________________________

15:57 - First Pitch!

Top 1st
Not so good of a start for Ootani as he walks Mori to leadoff the game.  Nishitani-kantoku puts on the bust-and-run but Oonishi grounds out to 2nd, but at least advances the runner.

Mizumoto with another hard hit to short.  Oota keeps it in front of him and makes the play at 1st.  2 down.

Hm.... Tabata gets plunked on an offspeed pitch and that puts a runner in scoring position for Hakusui.

Ootani is not exhibiting good control on the mound so far, walking one, hitting another and not really finding the plate.  And already C Sasaki goes to the mound for a conference.

But a passed ball continues to add pressure to the situation.

But a 136 kph slider inside gets Hakusui swinging and the inning ends without any damage.

Bottom 1st
Fujinami's innings starts much like Ootani's, walking leadoff batter Oota.  Unlike Ootani, Fujinami is hitting the high 140's and even 150 on the radar gun.

OH.  That's nasty.  Going down to a 117 slider for strike 3.

Sasaki-kantoku sends Oota, but he's thrown out at 2nd.  Oosawa grounds to short to end the inning.

Top 2nd
Well, now we see Ootani throwing hard, hitting the high 140's, but he still has no consistent control.  Perhaps that's why he's effective.  When the pitch is in the zone, it's good, but neither the batter or the pitcher know necessarily when that is.

And thus, he strikes out the first 2 batters and gets Kasamatsu to fly out to left.

Bottom 2nd
WHOA.

Ootani crushes a pitch right down the middle to right.  Mizumoto goes back to the wall, but gives up?!

HAITA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh man, now we know why he's in the middle of the lineup.  It's Hanamaki Higashi with the 1-0 lead!

AND WHY ARE YOU SLIDING INTO FIRST???? AUGH!!!!!!!! Gotou dives himself out when he hits a high chopper to 3rd.  Tanaka then strikes out to end the inning, but Ootani puts his team ahead with a booming HR!
 
Top 3rd
Ootani's control issues continue as he walks #9 batter Fujinami to lead-off the inning.  And now with Mori bunting, Ootani turns up the heat, hitting 148 and 145.

But another fastball is too much as Mori singles through the left side.  Runners on 1st and 2nd, no out.

Oonishi tries to bunt again, but pops the first one out foul.  And when he tries again, he fails!  He has to swing away, or free bunt!

He free bunts, but the pitch is over his head instead of the plate.  Another slider is too high(?!) as the count goes to 2-2.

Oonishi lays it down, but Ootani is right there and throws out Fujinami at 3rd!  One down, and another failed bunt!

Turning to Ootani's pitches, he has the fastball in the upper 140's, and a slider/fork in the high 120's-low 130's.  The fastball he can command, the offspeed... not as well.

Mizumoto grounds to 2nd, Oota's only play is to Ootani at 1st, so 2 runners in scoring position with 2 outs.

Ootani thinks he has Tabata on a 2-2 change, but doesn't get the call.  Instead, he throws the forkball and gets the call then to end the inning!

Bottom 3rd
For Osaka Touin, Fujinami has all the pitches that were covered earlier, and a two-seamer that is slightly slower than the fastball.  And his control is definitely above average.

He strikes out the first two batters, though it's entertaining watching #9 batter Chiba crouching and moving around in the box.

But then the lineup turns over, and both Oota and Oomukai reach on slow grounders to the left side.  Man, they are fast.

However, Oosawa grounds out to 1st to end the inning.

Top 4th
Hakusui finally gets hold of a ball, but gets under it as Oomukai is able to run it down in left center.

Yasui hits a pitch that Ootani leaves up and singles to left.

Also, Osaka Touin's band is kinda slow and too metered.  Needs more pace.

Ootani looks a bit better on the mound now.  He gets Mizutani to ground into the 6-4-3 inning ending double play!

Bottom 4th
Ootani leads off the 4th, and Fujinami is giving him NOTHING over the plate.  It's all away.  He gives up a walk, but probably considers that a win.  It'll be up to the rest of the offense to deliver for the rest of the game probably.

Shouto showed bunt and fouled it off, but swung away after that.  Fujinami is still throwing away but then crosses him up on a slider inside for his 6th K.

Gotou shows bunt, but quickly falls behind 0-2.  And on a bizarre play, Tabata backing up to 1st is called for missing the bag after taking the toss from Fujinami and everyone's safe!  Runners at 1st and 2nd with 1 out for Tanaka!

And he chops a two-seamer past a diving Oonishi into right!  Ootani is being waved home!  The throw is late and Hanamaki Higashi takes a 2-0 lead!!!

Now, #10 Sawada is warming up for Osaka Touin!  What's going on?

Ryuuki from the get-go is showing squeeze, but has yet to offer on a pitch until 3-1!  But he fouls it off.  Full count, what will Sasaki-kantoku have him do?

He free bunts, but doesn't recognize the slider in time and fouls out! Now it's busy Chiba at the plate.  He really chokes up on the bat.

But Hanamaki Higashi makes a running mistake!  Tanaka takes off for 2nd, but there's no throw!  It may have been supposed to be a delayed steal, but because Mori didn't throw it, Gotou is caught in between and run down!  Big mistake!

Top 5th
Still though, Hanamaki Higashi hold the 2-0 lead.

What I think I have to ask is where is the high-powered offense that was in the fall tournament?  Are they playing more conservatively at Koushien with the bunting?  Is the Osaka region THAT weak?  Are they just at a quandary because Ootani's pitches are so inconsistent?

Because as we enter the 5th, Kasamatsu and Fujinami both K on terrible (or great I guess depending on how you look at them) pitches from Ootani.  Another not-so-good pitch hits Mori.  But Oonishi flies out to right to end the inning.

So the question regarding Ootani is - is he effectively wild so that the batters don't know what to expect while he doesn't make a mistake over the plate?

Bottom 5th
Chiba tries a slap hit up the left side, but it's just a shade too hard and Kasamatsu throws him out.  Oota goes on the first pitch too and grounds out to 2nd.

Loks like the 9-1-2 batters are more of Ichiro-type infield hit players.

Oomukai goes down looking and we hit the break with the Osaka Touin offense nowhere to be seen, Hanamaki Higashi with the one with the HR!

Top 6th
The problem with Ootani's pitching is that while you aren't depending on the fastball to throw a strike because enough of his off-speed pitches catch the strike zone, there's has to be a limit to how effective that can be, especially in single elimination settings.

Post-break, Oonishi walks yet another batter in Mizumoto.  Then on a short fly to left by Tabata, Tanaka, Oomukai and Oosawa all converge, but no one catches the ball!  A rare fielding mistake gives Osaka Touin a chance to tie the game!

And Sakaki-kantoku calls time after Hakusui bunts the runners along.  Yasui, who's 1-2 on the day is the first one to try and level the score.

And boy does Ootani catch a break.  A ball in the dirt hits the umpire and stays near home.  But now #11 Sasaki is warming up in the bullpen as the count goes 3-1.  A rising 2-seamer gets the count full.

Yasui gets one run back as he hits a grounder to 2nd.  Oota makes the play at first and it's 2-1.

Mizutani looks to extend the inning at least, and works the count full.  But a ball outside (and perhaps poorly framed) means the inning continues.

Kasamatsu up now, but Ootani gets ahead 1-2 with a couple of fastballs.

But he makes his first mistake at the worst time!!  He hangs a slider over the outside part of the plate and Kasamatsu drives it to left-center!  Tanaka tries to run it down, but it falls in front of the wall!  Tabata scores!  Mizutani rounds 3rd and he scores!  Gyakuten for Osaka Touin as they take a 3-2 lead!

Fujinami K's to end the inning, but a walk and a uncharacteristic defensive gaffe cost Hanamaki Higashi the lead!

Bottom 6th
Oosawa staring the inning for Hanamaki and he cannot afford to be out.  Because if he doesn't reach, expect Ootani to be given 1st base.

The count runs full and he fouls off a one, then another, and yet one more.  But he hits it to short and Mizutani makes the play.

And as expected, the first pitch is away.

Ootani decides to swing away, but lines out right to Kasamatsu.  (The question here is do you take the walk, or do you swing away?  I think more than anything else you need base-runners, so you have to take the walk.  The only exception is if you think the rest of your offense is that inept.)

Anyways, Shouto grounds to 2nd to end the inning, and now Hanamaki Higashi is on their heels.

Top 7th
Now Osaka Touin can go for the single run.  Against Hanamaki's offense, despite their scrappiness, another run is a lot to overcome.

Mori starts it off by (a) not being hit, and (b) hitting a double down the left field line.  And with a bunt to 3rd, they're that close to that insurance run I was talking about.

OH?

Mizumoto tries the squeeze on the 1-1 pitch, but fouls it off!

Ootani freezes him on a shuuto on the outside corner!  One more and he gets out of the jam!

Tabata is a little early on one pitch and drives it hard foul.

Oh boy...

Ootani makes his 2nd mistake, and this may be the nail in the coffin.  He hangs another shuuto and Tabata drives that to left.  Tanaka goes a bit towards the wall, but he knows...

...that's a goner.

And so Osaka Touin takes the 5-2 lead here in the 7th.  Looks like Ootani's luck finally ran out.

Yasui strikes out looking to end the inning, but they may have all the runs they need now.

Bottom 7th
Fujinami seems to have settled down nicely, retiring the side in order for the 3rd straight inning.  Despite my thoughts on Hanamaki Higashi's grittiness, they don't look like a team which can come back like previous years.

Top 8th
Kasamatsu collects his 2nd hit of the game with a soft liner to right.  Fujinami tries to lay down the bunt but gets Kasamatsu thrown out at 2nd instead.

A wild pitch by Ootani gets that runner to 2nd, but Mori is finally retired 4-3.

Bottom 8th
Ootani will get one more AB, but he needs runners in front of him first.  And even then he may not get a chance to swing the bat.

And it appears that Fujinami is taking advantage of the fact Hanamaki Higashi is trying to get runners by getting ahead with first pitch strikes.  That way they have to play a bit more defensively.  Oota for example weakly grounded back to Fujinami after falling behind.

Oomukai goes for the drag bunt up the 1st base line, and his dive just beats out Fujinami for an infield single!  Now Oosawa has to get on, but I wonder if they'll walk Ootani anyways if it gets to that point.

Ooh.  Fujinami gets the call on an outside fastball and gets ahead 1-2.  And with Oosawa swinging away, he hits a comebacker to Fujinami to end the inning.

Top 9th
After a first pitch out, Ootani gets into trouble, walking Mizumoto on 4 straight then hitting Tabata on the first pitch.

And a poor pickoff throw by Ryuuki goes into right and scores Mizumoto, making it 6-2.

A 4-pitch walk to Hakusui may be the end for Ootani, but Sasaki-kantoku just calls for time.  Perhaps Sasaki wants to see if Ootani has the mental toughness to finish it out.

Well, that's a good sign, Yasui goes down on 3 straight, though Hakusui steals 2nd in the process.

But yet another wild pitch scores another run for 7-2.

Oh....

A ball gets away from Ootani, and hits Mizutani's helmet.

And with 170 pitches thrown, Sasaki-kantoku I think wants to be safe rather than see mental toughness.  #11 Sasaki comes in for Chiba and takes the mound as Ootani goes to left and Tanaka goes to right.

They seem to get out of the inning when Ryuuki has Mizutani picked off 1st, but when Hakusui dekes home  Takahashi throws to 3rd, but it's high and sails into foul ground.  Both runners score and it's 9-2.

Finally, Sasaki strikes out Kasamatsu to end the inning.  The resignation showed here, as Osaka Touin scored 4 runs on no hits.

Bottom 9th
After a popout by Ootani, Hanamki Higashi starts a mini rally with Shouto and PH Kosui (#7) getting 2 singles.

But soon the inevitable happens.  PH Takahashi Hisashi (#16), and Obara (#12) strike out to end the game.

This looked like a different Hanamaki Higashi team than in past years.  The pitching wasn't as dominant, and the talent to be scrappy enough offensively seemed lacking.  As a result, they fell to Osaka Touin here today.  Was it a disappointing game?  Yeah, in some ways.  But like the saying goes, things don't always go as expected.


Notable Players
Tabata Yoshiki (Osaka Touin) - 2-3, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, K, 2 HBP
Mori Tomoya (Osaka Touin) - 2-3, 2B, R, 2 BB
Ootani Kazuya (Hanamaki Higashi) - 1-3, HR, 2 R, BB

Day 1 - Game 2 - Urawa Gakuin (Saitama) vs. Tsuruga Kehi (Fukui)

Well, we're off and running here in the 84th Senbatsu, and we just witnessed Mie take down the Chuugoku Super-Regional champion Tottori Jyouhoku.  Up next are two more champions - Tsuruga Kehi (Hokushinetsu) squaring off against Urawa Gakuin (Kanto).
Tsuruga Kehi blew through most of the Hokushinetsu Super-Regional before having to go 13 innings to earn a 1-0 win against a severe underdog in Chikyuu Kankyou.  More red flags appear when you look more in-depth.  They went into extras against Tottori Jyouhoku tied at 2 (I don't count tiebreaker rules in analyzing teams), and despite the relative ease in which they won the title, their offensive stats appear to reflect more of balls falling into play more than anything else.

So like many other teams, the burden falls upon ace Yamamoto Shouta and reliever Kishimoto Jyunki.  Yamamoto induces more contact, while Kishimoto appears to have a bit of control issues which lead to more K's, but more BB's as well.

Urawa Gakuin survived against Toukaidai Sagami, and a shootout against Takasaki Kenkoudai Fukushi before winning their super-regional.  Their offense seems to be more of their calling card, as their top hitter is actually their ace number - Satou Takuya.  I say ace number because Urawa Gakuin doesn't really have an ace to speak of - though if you were pressed to name a starter, it would actually be #11 Yamaguchi Rui.  Even then, he only pitched about a quarter of the team's innings. 

But since Satou's bat has to play he gets shifted to CF when Yamaguchi takes the mound, which in turn moves Ishibashi to LF.  It'll be interesting to see how Mori-kantoku handles this first round matchup.  Because while they have offense, sending a weaker pitcher out in the first couple of innings may backfire even despite the apparent lack of consistent offense.

Urawa Gakuin (Saitama)

SS  Takemura Haruki
C  Rinzaki Tatsuya
P  Satou Takuya
RF  Sasagawa Ryouhei
CF  Ishibashi Tsukasa
1B  Akashi Hyuuma
3B  Kigure Naito
LF  Yamane Yuuta
2B  Midorikawa Koutarou

Tsuruga Kehi (Fukui)

RF  Maeoka Ryouta
2B  Nishihara Kyousuke
SS  Nishikawa Ryouma
1B  Okada Yuuta
C  Kita Ryouta
CF  Yamamoto Tatsuhiko
P  Yamamoto Shouta
LF  Iwata Shinya (#18)
3B  Yonemitsu Issei


__________________________________________________

13:12 - First pitch!

Top 1st
Takemura starts off the game fouling out to Yonemitsu near the bullpen home plates.  Rinzaki grounds one right up the 3rd base line.  Yonezawa tries to backhand it, but it glances off and Rinzaki is on on the base hit.

Shouta is being a bit careful here on Satou, nibbling after getting ahead 1-2.  Unfortunately, he walks him which puts Shouta in a pinch early with cleanup batter Sasagawa up.

Brave putting a slow curve at 98 for a strike.

Oy...

Except that he hits him on then next pitch and it's manrui for Ishibashi.

Swings and misses on a 132 slider away.  He's looking for the base hit.

And if not for the early trouble, Deanna might like Shouta.  His hat flies off after some of his pitches.

And Shouta gets him on a 117 change for the 2nd out.  He's almost out of the inning!  Captain Akashi stands in trying to not the big opportunity pass them by.

But he hits a grounder to 3rd!  Yonemitsu hauls it in and throws to 2nd for the third out!  Tsuruga Kehi is out of the jam!

Bottom 1st
Nishihara starts off the offense with a one-out single through the left side.  But he's thrown out trying to steal 2nd...

Nishikawa then walks on 4 straight, which would have been better had the runner been there.  And while he successfully steals 2nd, Okada chops back Takemura for the 3rd out

Top 2nd
Shouta seems to have a fastball that sits in the mid-130's, with a slider in the 120;s, change in the 110's, and a slow curve in the high 90's.  Control seems to be an issue as he releases early causing the ball to be high.

And now the issue is compounded further as Yonemitsu throws the bunt by Midorikawa wide!  Runners advance and Tsuruga Kehi is back in a pinch again!

Takemura takes the first pitch to deep left!  Iwata gently secures it, conceding the run.  Midorikawa advances to 3rd as Urawa Gakuin takes a 1-0 lead!

Urawa's batters have a good approach against the lefty Shouta.  Their lefties are trying to take the pitches the other way instead of fighting it. Rinzaki stays alive doing so and earns a walk.  Runners at the corners for Satou, and he lines the first pitch over Nishikawa's head to left center!  Both runners score and Shouta-kun risks letting the game get away early as Urawa leads 3-0!

A wild pitch sends Satou to 3rd, but Sasagawa is fooled and pops out to left, but not before Urawa takes an early lead!

Bottom 2nd
Satou retires the side in 8 pitches, which gives me just enough time to say that he apparently has a fastball and shuuto in the low-mid 130's, and at least a change in the high 100's.

Top 3rd
The troubles continue for Shouta as Ishibashi bloops one over Nishihara for a leadoff single.  Mori-kantoku will play for one run as he has Akashi bunt the runner along.

But he freezes Kigura on an inside fastball at the knees for out number 2!

Yamane with a grounder to first, but Okada's dive doesn't secure the ball!  It deflects to the left and behind Nishihara who is backing up the play!  Ishibashi scores and Urawa leads 4-0!

Yamane is thrown out trying to steal 2nd, but Urawa pads onto their lead.  Tsuruga Kehi needs to stem the tide soon.

Bottom 3rd
#18 Iwata gives the team that spark as he takes the pitch the other way right into the middle of the left-center field gap!  He dives in unnecessarily with a leadoff triple!

Satou is giving Yonemitsu nothing to hit as everything is low.  Yet Yonemits swings away at the first 2 before finally holding off and filling up the count.  He finally makes contact, sending a fly to center.  Ishibashi comes up throwing, but they cut it off conceding the run.  Tsuruga Kehi gets that run back and trails again by 3, 4-1.

However, the lefties cannot hold off on the change low and keep striking out - that goes for Maeoka for the 2nd out.

WOW!

Nishihara lines one back at Satou, who picks it for the 3rd out!  While Tsuruga has a bit of work to do, at least they're on the board.

Top 4th
Oh boy.

Midorikawa drives a ball the other way over the drawn in outfield!  Tatsuhiko runs back to the wall to chase it down, and Midorikawa slides in with a leadoff triple!

Shouta shows his defensive skills backhanding a liner from Takemura for the 1st out.  Still needs 2 more.

He gets one, but Rinzaki hits a ball to right.  Maeoka makes a throw home on the fly, but gets under it a bit and Midorikawa slides in to make it a 4-run game again.  5-1.

Satou pops out to end the inning, but Urawa Gakuin widens the lead once again.

Bottom 4th
Kehi's batter's are trying to work the count.  Okada takes the count full and singles to center.  But Kita swings and misses when he goes full.  2 outs for Tatsuhiko.

Tatsuhiko takes the count full yet again, and works a walk!  We're approaching the bottom of the lineup, so we'll see how well that strategy works.

Shouta up now to help his own cause and narrow the deficit.  Meanwhile #16 Watanabe warms up in the bullpen.  With no ace, Mori-kantoku is probably free to make changes at will.

Shouta can't hold off those changes outside, and falls behind 1-2.... and strikes out on yet another one of those pitches.

Top 5th
Shouta issues his 4th walk to Sasagawa to lead off the 5th, and Azuma-kantoku has #10 Kishimoto start to warm up in the bullpen as Ishibashi bunts the runner along.

Akashi pops up to shallow center, and Kigure to left to make it Shouta's first low-stress inning.

Bottom 5th
Tsuruga Kehi now goes for the swing early approach.  After a pop fly to 2nd, Yonemitsu doubles to left center, cycling the lineup back to the top.

Maeoka with a grounder to the left side and just wide of a diving Takemura!  Yonemitsu has to hold up for the grounder to get through, so runners at the corners with 1 out!

Nishihara stands in hoping to take advantage, but he crouches down and watches strike one on the outside corner.  Strike two comes inside on a slider.

Satou tries to get him to bite on one outside, but he doesn't.  Instead he swings away at the next outside pitch, but grounds to short.  Takemura snags it, but it pops out on the transition!  He makes the play at 1st (just), and Yonemitsu scores to make it 5-2!

Nishikawa grounds to short, and Takemura makes the routine play to end the inning.  We head to the break with Urawa seemingly in control of the game.  It's not that Tsuruga Kehi, or their ace Shouta is bad, I guess he's just not as effective as Satou.

Top 6th
Uh oh.  One down and Midorikawa hits a ball back at Shouta.  It deflects off his left hand and goes to 1st.  He immediately goes to the hand in a bit of pain.  But after a bit of shaking and waiting, he says he's fine as he throws a couple of practice pitches.

Two pitches to Takemura, and he retires him on a grounder to short.  Shouta has stopped the Urawa offense, but now it's his bats that must start heating up.

Bottom 6th
However, none of Tsuruga Kehi's batters can seem to make solid contact on the ball, as all three batters ground out weakly to the infield.  Things are starting to look bleak for the Hokushinetsu champions.

Top 7th
Shouta continues to be careful with Satou, issuing his 2nd walk to him this game with 1 down.  Sasagawa grounds one to the left of Nishihara, and yet he goes to 2nd for the force!  Sasagawa gets that base back as he takes 2nd on the high throw from Kita.

But Shouta freezes Ishibashi on a slider outside for the 3rd out!  No runs in Urawa's lucky 7, now what about Tsuruga Kehi?

Bottom 7th
No dice.  The bottom of Kehi's lineup goes down in order with little difficulty and it looks like the door will be closing on their tournament here in the first round.

Top 8th
Oh no....

Kigure lines one off of Shouta and he goes down to the ground.  The ball seems to deflect off the mitt and onto his ribs.  That's the second one he's taken this game.  He's being attended to, but that had to hurt.  That hit by Kigure was a solid comebacker.

He's carried off the field to the doctors as #10 Kishimoto warms up.

After a couple of minutes Azuma-kantoku heads out and it looks like Shouta's day is done.

But not in the manner I was expecting.  #10 Kishimoto comes in for Iwaki (who had the only good hit!) and takes the mound.  Shouta actually returning to the field and taking over in left!

Kishimoto does well in relief, yielding a liner to center to Midorikawa, but retires the side with no damage done (except to Shouta).

Bottom 8th
Down 3, 2 innings to go, and the top of the order up.

But Tsuruga Kehi continues to struggle making good contact.  Maeoka chops one to 1st.  Nishihara grounds out to short.  And despite having two slow curves for strikes, Nishikawa pulls a fastball, but Kigure snags it and throws to 1st for the third out.  Not much left for Kehi now...

Top 9th
#12 comes in relief of Kita and takes over pitch calling duties.

And Kishimoto's good start seems to have gown awry in the 9th.  He issues walks to Rinzaki and Satou, and Sasagawa grounds one through the right side, making it a 6-2 game.

Ishibashi squares to bunt, but Kishimoto's pitch bounced in between his legs and deflects to the 1st base side.  Runners advance.

Akashi's single to right center makes it an 8-2 game and the end of Kishimoto's day.  #11 Use comes in to pitch.

Yamane continues to pile it on as he grounds up up the 1st base line for a double.  9-2.

Midorikawa gets his 3rd hit of the game, a single through the right side.  Runners at the corners as Takemura becomes the 9th batter to come to the plate.

Midorikawa takes off for 2nd, throw from Yamada is high and off Nishikawa's glove.  Tatsuhiko bobbles picking up the ball and Yamane heads home.  The throw is short and Yamane slides in safely.  Urawa Gakuin hits double digits at 10-2.

Takehara flies out to right to mercifully end the inning.

Bottom 9th
#17 Nishoka takes over in center.

One down, backup C Yamada blasts one to center for a double.  He's eventually replaced with 2 down with #15 Takegami.  #13 Miyazaki comes to PH for Shouta with 2 down, and as many batters before grounded out to end the game.

The Hokushinetsu champions just couldn't get any good contact off of Satou, and thus was eliminated here today 10-2 by Urawa Gakuin.  Another victim of poor offense.

Urawa Gakuin meanwhile will move on to face another "mid-major" team in Mie in 5 days.


Notable Players
Midorikawa Koutarou (Urawa Gakuin) - 3-5, 3B, 2 R, SB
Yamane Yuuta (Urawa Gakuin) - 2-4, 2B, 2R, RBI, BB, K
Satou Takuya (Urawa Gakuin) - CG, 2 ER, 6 H, 4 K, 2 BB
Iwaki Shinya (Tsuruga Kehi) - 1-3, 3B, R

Day 1 - Game 1 - Tottori Jyouhoku (Tottori) vs. Mie (Mie)

Well, with the opening ceremonies completed, the other teams exit as Mie and Tottori Jyouhoku take the field for the tournament opener.

Now, admittedly there probably won't be a whole lot of people here.  Though with the final game being a headliner, it's quite possible the stands might be a little more full than expected for a game like this.

That's not to say Mie or Tottori Jyouhoku aren't good teams, they're just not attention grabbers.

Tottori Jyouhoku won the Chuugoku Super-Regionals, albeit against a slightly weaker field.  Their offense is pedestrian at best (and that was against a weaker field), which means much of the burden will lie with ace Hirata Shouma and reliever Nishisaka Ryou.

First up for them will be Mie.  Now, Mie is no perennial title contender, however they did take Aikoudai Meiden the full 9 in the Toukai Super-Regional final, falling just short 4-3.  Their offense is probably a tick better than Tottori's, but it'll probably also boil down to their ace Miura Koutarou.  They have used many other relievers, but none with extensive playing time, meaning it'll probably be Miura or bust.

I would probably expect a low-scoring affair due to the offenses more than the pitching.  Though if either ace wears down, their game - and subsequently their tournament, ends just after it started.

Tottori Jyouhoku (Tottori)

RF  Satou Kouji
2B  Komai Yuusuke (#6)
CF  Kimura Tatsuya
1B  Kawano Shou
3B  Taniguchi  Hibiki (#15)
LF  Hamada Kouki
C  Kinoshita Yuugo
SS  Hirayama Takuma (#5)
P  Hirata Shouma

Mie (Mie)

3B  Kitade Kazuma
CF  Ishizaki Shouki
1B  Okamoto Takurou
RF  Ogawa Tomoya
SS  Maekawa Naoki
P  Miura Koutarou
C  Kobayashi Daiki
2B  Oda Hayao
LF  Maekawa Jinya

___________________________________________________________________________
 
10:32 - First pitch!

Top 1st
Miura starts the game off by getting Satou to swing at three straight pitches.  But as quickly as he records his first K, he walks Kumai on 4 straight, and almost walks Kimura on 4 pitches (it was 5).

And immediately timeout is called  as #15 Shigeyama comes out to the mound.

Cleanup batter Kawano looks for a ball to hit as he fouls off a 2-0 pitch.  Miura gets in a second strike on the outside corner and now Kawano is on the defense just fouling off a pitch.

The swings give Miura a second wind as he strikes out Kawano on a lsider, then Taniguchi on three straight to end the inning!

Bottom 1st
Hirata looking good to start, but a routine grounder to short is thrown high by Hirayama and Mie gets a baserunner.

But just as quickly, Kitade is caught off first and a pickoff throw forces him to 2nd where despite a collision Hirayama holds onto the ball.

It's too bad as Ishizaki takes a ball the other way into the gap.  He rounds the bases as the ball falls softly in for a stand-up triple!  Mie back on the offensive!

Okamoto up and he's brushed back with a pitch up and in!

But when Hirata tries to go down and away, Okamoto golfs it to center!   Kimura fields it conceding the run and Mie scores the first run of the tournament!  They lead 1-0!

Ogawa goes down swinging to end the inning, but not before Mie draws first blood!

Top 2nd
A little on ace Miura.  He's pretty much your average pitcher, with a fastball that can hit 135.  His slider is a bit erratic and can be anywhere from 125~132.  He also has a curve in the high 100's-low 110's.

Despite his lack of control early, he manages to strike out Hamada to start the inning, then gets some help as Kitade plays self-defense on a liner right at him for the 2nd out.  Finally Hirayama flies out to center and it's a much smoother inning for Miura.

Bottom 2nd
Mie's oen-dan goes into Big6 songs.  Whee!

Miura's opponent is about the same.  Fastball in the 134~138 range, slider in the low 120's and a change in the 100's.  He does seem to exhibit better control than Miura.

But Naoki lines a fastball right back up the middle for a leadoff hit.  Miura lays down the bunt and it's up to Kobayashi to get the runner home.

He gets ahead 3-1, but eventually winds up grounding to 3rd.  Oda comes up now to try and play add on.

They try to paint the corner on a 1-2 pitch, but it goes begging.  Doesn't matter because they try it again and Oda offers and misses to end the inning.

Top 3rd
Miura gets himself into trouble yet again.  One down, he hits top batter Satou.  Then Komai lays down a bunt down the 3rd base line that stays fair for a base hit!

Kimura make Miura pay for it as he lines one over Okamoto down the right field line for a double!  That scores Satou and the game is tied at 1-1!

Kawano then hits a grounder to 3rd.  Kitade charges, but his only play is to 1st.  That scores Komai to make it 2-1!  Taniguchi grounds a chopper to 2nd to end the inning, but not before the Chuugoku champs take the lead!

Bottom 3rd
Jinya manages to reach 1st via a dead ball and is bunted to 2nd.  He's advanced to 3rd on a grounder, but there's two outs and they need a one-timer from Okamoto.

Hirata gets him to hit a chopper back to him, but he can't field it cleanly and it goes off his glove! It deflects back towards the left side of 2nd.  Hirayama comes in, but bobbles the ball allowing Jinya to score, tying the game at 2-2!!

Dunno if that chopper rattled him a bit, but he walks Ogawa and now is in a slight pinch.  But he gets Naoki to strike out on a slider down and in to limit the damage.

Top 4th
Miura seems to have on and off innings.  After having a soft liner forcing him to duck for a single, he gets Hirayama to hit a comebacker to him.  Miura proceeds to start the inning ending 1-6-3 double play.

Bottom 4th
Meanwhile, Mie's batters seem to be timing Hirata well.  Miura hits a deep fly to center, followed by a liner to center by Kobayashi.  Oda finally succeeds in actually getting a hit with a liner to center.  Jinya is not as lucky though, as Hirata starts throwing junk and he strikes out to end the inning.

Top 5th
Miura continues to have trouble with leadoff batter Satou, issuing a one-out walk.  But when Komai lines one to Jinya in shallow left, he's too aggressive!  Jinya throws him out trying to return to 1st and the inning is over!

Bottom 5th
Kitade starts off the Mie offense with a slicer over Taniguchi!  It goes all the way to the wall for a leadoff double!  Ishizaki lays down the bunt, and it's up to Okamoto.

And he takes a pitch letter high and drives it to center!  It's over a running Kimura!  Okamoto eases into 2nd with an RBI double!  3-2 Mie!

But Mie helps him limit the damage as Ogawa chases a ball in the dirt, and then Okamoto is caught in between 2nd and 3rd and is run down.  But as we head to the break, Mie leads 3-2!

The game is about what I expected.  Not necessarily good offenses per se, and the pitching is average.  It'll come down to who can get the timely hits more than anything else.

Top 6th
Miura is certainly settling down it seems.  First pitch strikes and a bit more control as the game has progressed.  Kimura pops out to right, cleanup batter Kawano strikes out swinging on a slider outside, and while Taniguchi slices down the left field line for a single (good play by Jinya to limit him), Hamada routinely grounds out to short to end the inning.

Bottom 6th
Bad luck seems to plague the Chuugoku champions.  Naoki hits a hard ball to the right side, but Kawano smothers it!  However, his toss to 1st glances off Hirata's glove and Naoki's safe!

Mie continues to play for a run at a time, and Miura bunts him along.

Kobayashi can't hold up his swing on a ball down and away, and it's up to Oda once again.  He hit a liner back up the middle last time up.

Hirata, aware of this isn't giving him anything good.  Sliders down or fastballs away.

Oda's doing his best, fouling off pitches to stay alive...

And he lines one over Taniguchi into left!  But Hamada is playing in and Naoki can't score!

Up to Jinya to try and get the runs home.

But instead Oda runs the team out of the inning as he's thrown out trying to steal 2nd!  Why?!

Top 7th
Lucky 7 for Tottori Jyouhoku, and they're starting to run out of time.

Kinoshita gets a break when a grounder to 3rd is thrown short by Kitade and bounces over Okamoto's glove.  E5 and the tying run is aboard.

Hirayama tests Kitade again with a bunt down the left side.  Kitade's throw is short again, but Okamoto just picks it for the out.

Trouble for Miura!  Last batter Hirata grounds one past a diving Kitade to left!  Jinya is playing in again, so the runners have to stop.  But the tying run is 90 feet away!

Okita-kantoku calls time to try and slow down the momentum.

But Miura's nemesis is at the plate in leadoff batter Satou. This time around, Miura gets ahead 1-2!  But Satou works the count full, and drives a pitch down and in to center!  It's deep enough and Kinoshita scores easily!  We're douten at 3-3!!

Komai makes Kitade make one more play at 3rd to end the inning, but the 7th indeed provides to be lucky as Tottori Jyouhoku ties the game!

Bottom 7th
Jinya's troubles at the plate continue as he continues to swing at sliders down and in for a K.

Kitade looks to make up for the error as he reaches out and hits a seeing-eye single to left.

Odd, Okita-kantoku isn't calling or a bunt.

Oy...  Kitade pushes it when a ball gets away from Kinoshita, but Ishizaki was holding up the stop sign and Kinoshita throws him out easily.  Ishizaki hits a lazy fly to center and the inning is over just like that.  Momentum may be swinging to Tottori at just the right time.

Top 8th
Problem is, they still cannot get good contact on Miura's pitches.  It's the middle of the lineup, and Kimura hits a grounder to 2nd, Kawano nubs one back to Miura for 2 quick outs.

Taniguchi though seems to be getting in the groove as he sends one into the left center field gap for a 2-out double!  Chance for Tottori, but Hamada steps in 0-3 on the day.  Miura needs to get him as Kinoshita stands on the on-deck circle.

Hm?  Miura's throwing in the low 140's?  Didn't notice that now.  He just threw a 144 pitch.

But it's a high change that he dribbles back to Miura who throws him out to end the inning!

Bottom 8th
Okamoto gets his 2nd hit of the day, a ball just under the glove of Hirayama into left!  It's a given that Ogawa's going to try to lay down the bunt.

But he can't lay it down!  He's down 1-2 in the count and is still showing bunt?  Yes, he still going for it!

And he lays it down beautifully!  Mie now has the go-ahead run in scoring position for Naoki!  But he's just 1-3 with a single back up the middle in the 2nd...

Naoki gets good contact on one, but it's right at Satou!  He doesn't move an inch to record the 2nd out!

Now Miura has to help his own cause with 2 out.  Can he do it?  He did hit a deep drive to center, but otherwise has laid down 2 bunts.

Grounder to short... off Hirayama and into center!!!  Kimura runs it down, but not before Okamoto scores giving Mie the 4-3 lead!

Kobayashi with a single to left!  Miura advances to 3rd as Hamada runs it down and Tottori is in big trouble!  Yamamoto-kantoku calls time and tries to settle down Hamada.

But Oda guides a pitch down and in to the right side and just past a diving Komai into right!  Miura scores on the RBI double and it's now 5-3 Mie!

And finally Yamamoto-kantoku pulls the plug on Hirata when he falls behind Jinya 2-0.  #10 Nishisaka enters the game.  He looks like the same, a righty who has a fastball in the 140's and a change in the high 110's.

But Nishisaka strikes him out on a wild pitch!  Kinoshita hurries to the ball, but everyone's safe!  Kobayashi scores and it's now 6-3 Mie!

Kitade properly strikes out to end the inning, but the damage is done.  Tottori Jyouhoku finds them down 3 again with just 3 outs to go...

Top 9th
Miura gets ahead of Kinoshita 0-2, but nibbles and fills up the count.  And walks him!!

#4 Yokozeki comes in to PH for Hirayama.  But he's way ahead of an 0-2 curve and strikes out swinging!

New P Nishisaka offers at 3 straight pitches away and there's quickly 2 outs!  It's down to captain Satou to keep the game alive!

OH!!!!

Satou with a solid drive to right!  Ogawa running to the wall...

HAITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Satou drives a ball out to right (which isn't easy) and pulls Tottori Jyouhoku within 1!  It's 6-5!!

And now is it Miura that's rattled??  He walks Komai on 4 straight and now the douten run is aboard!  Okita-kantoku calls time.  He needs Miura to settle down quick or else it could get out of hand.

Kimura with a solid hit though the right side!  Runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 out!!  And cleanup batter Kawano stands in!!

Whoa.  Big swing and miss on the first pitch.

Fouls off the second, and he's down to his last strike...

Pitch outside, and he holds off.. 1-2.

Fouls off another one letter high away...

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

Kawano finally bites on the slider away and misses to end the game!  Mie holds on to win 6-5!!!!

Tottori Jyouhoku mounted a rally here in the 9th, but just falls short.  It's Mie who will advance to the next round as the Chuugoku champions gather their Koushien dirt and will return back to Tottori.

For Mie, it's a hard fought win that will not get any easier.  With Miura already laboring in their first game, and no real relievers to speak of, it will be difficult to advance in the next round.


Notable Players
Satou Kouji (Tottori Jyouhoku) - 1-2, HR, 2 RBI, BB, HBP
Kimura Tatsuya (Tottori Jyouhoku) - 2-4, 2B, RBI, BB
Taniguchi Hibiki (Tottori Jyouhoku) - 2-4, 2B, K
Oda Hayao (Mie) - 3-4, 2B, RBI, K
Okamoto Takurou (Mie) - 2-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI

Translated brackets are up!

The matchups were mentioned earlier, but here is the spreadsheet with the brackets.  Games start in less than 6 hours!

Translated rosters...

... are finally done!  Took a while for some teams as they don't start their first 9 (for those that aren't familiar, generally the starting 9 have a number that corresponds with the position number they play, 1 = P, 2 = C, 3 = 1B, etc.).  Hanamaki Higashi is a good example.  Their SS wears #4, their 2B wears #6.  Their 1B wears #7 (which should be LF), while their actual LF wears #8 and their CF who should wear #8 wears #17.  Finally, #10 (which is usually a P), plays 3B.

In other notes, there are teams that have apparently changed around their starting 9 so that they get more offense in.  Case in point is Yokohama where 1B Ozeki Ikki has been moved to C so that backup 1B Yamauchi Tatsuya, who hit well in the fall, can get into the lineup.

Anyways, T-6 hours to opening ceremonies, and T-7 hours and 20 minutes to approximate first pitch!  Welcome to senbatsu!

Senbatsu full draw is finally out!

So, the random draw for senbatsu is out and here is the draw (teams in same quadrant in same colors):

Day 1, Game 1 - 10:20 - Mie (Mie) v. Tottori Jyouhoku (Tottori)
Day 1, Game 2 - 12:50 - Tsuruga Kehi (Gifu) v. Urawa Gakuin (Saitama)
Day 1, Game 3 - 15:20 - Osaka Touin (Osaka) v. Hanamaki Higashi (Iwate)
Day 2, Game 1 - 09:00 - Kyushu Gakuin (Kumamoto) v. Memanbetsu (Hokkaido)

Osaka Touin apparently has a pitcher worthy of the ace designation.  Should that really be the case, their offense can let it rip all day.

Hanamaki Higashi was my wild card going in, able to play toe-to-toe with the top tier competition and giving teams who may have overlooked them the scare of their lives.

Even still, Hanamaki Higashi has to have the worst luck recently.  It was Teikyou in the summer, now it's Osaka Touin in the spring.  That's gotta hurt.  Interestingly, it'll be the battle of the two tallest pitchers in the tournament, 191 cm Ootani Shouhei for Hanamaki Higashi versus 197 cm Fujinami Shintarou.  Should be an great game, even without the towers taking the mound.

I love Mie, because while they are not necessarily considered one of the real rural teams, they have the blue collar mentality that I love.  I still think of that 3B coach/player who was not waving the runner home with one arm, but with both!

However, they get Chuugoku champion Tottori Jyouhoku.  I'm not looking forward to that matchup.

The far north draws the far south.  Memanbetsu is given no favors in their first appearance, drawing one of the better teams from Kyushu.  I want to see Hokkaido do good so bad, you don't even know.

And overlooked is Tsuruga Kehi and Urawa Gakuin, two regulars who don't really stand out this year.


Day 2, Game 2 - 11:30 - Tenri (Nara) v. Takasaki Kenkoudai Fukushi (Gunma)
Day 2, Game 3 - 14:00 - Ishinomaki Kougyou (Miyagi) v. Kamimura Gakuen (Kagoshima)
Day 3, Game 1 - 09:00 - Sumoto (Hyogo) v. Naruto (Tokushima)
Day 3, Game 2 - 11:30 - Sakushin Gakuin (Tochigi) v. Kurashiki Shougyou (Okayama)

Despite the two 21st Century teams here, this is still a hard bracket.  Even if my team that has fallen out of favor (Tenri) advances out the first round, the likely opponent would be Kamimura Gakuen, a worthy opponent that could easily oust them from the tournament.  Meanwhile, Naruto is not a front-runner to win, but should defeat Sumoto which then puts them probably against Sakushin Gakuin - one of the favorites to win it all.

Tenri's pitching I don't think is strong enough to last, and I expect a loss to Kamimura Gakuen.  They in turn would probably face Sakushin Gakuin.  Should be a good quarterfinal game.


Day 3, Game 3 - 14:00 - Oumi (Shiga) v. Takasaki (Gunma)
Day 4, Game 1 - 09:00 - Hokushou (Hokkaido) v. Kousei Gakuin (Aomori)
Day 4, Game 2 - 11:30 - Chikyuu Kankyou (Nagano) v. Riseisha (Osaka)
Day 4, Game 3 - 14:00 - Miyazaki Nishi (Miyazaki) v. Aikoudai Meiden (Aichi)

The big elephant in the room is that the finalists of the Meiji Jingu Tournament reside here in this quadrant.  Bad news for all other teams here as they will have to get through one, if not both teams if they wish to advance to the semifinals.

Looks like neither team from Hokkaido has been given any help.  Fall champ Hokushou has the unfortunate honor of being Kousei's first opponent.  Meanwhile Miyazaki Nishi, who was chosen over Souseikan draws Ichiro's Aikoudai Meiden.  They'll have to prove their worth immediately or be sent home after one game.

My favorite team this time around (not necessarily to win, mind you) is Chikyuu Kankyou.  I can't believe they actually made it, but they're thrown immediately into the fire with a game against Riseisha.  Should they survive that, it's probably Aikoudai Meiden.  Fun times.

Chances are we're going to see that finals rematch in the quarterfinals.  And I bet Aikoudai Meiden will be licking its chops to exact a bit of revenge in that game.


Day 5, Game 1 - 09:00 - Yokohama (Kanagawa) v. Kochi (Kochi)
Day 5, Game 2 - 11:30 - Seikou Gakuin (Fukushima) v. Toba (Kyoto)
Day 5, Game 3 - 14:00 - Hayatomo (Yamaguchi) v. Chiben Gakuen (Nara)
Day 6, Game 1 - 09:00 - Beppu Aoyama (Oita) v. Kanto Dai-ichi (Tokyo)

The final set of games present one more storyline - one that I was first-hand witness to.

I remember sitting in the 三塁 oen-dan with Yokohama, very happy having met Otosaka Tomo's father.  Yet what people, including myself, will also remember is the collapse in the 9th inning as they lost to Chiben Gakuen.

So yes, again we could have another revenge match on our hands should Yokohama and Chiben Gakuen advance past the first two rounds.  Yokohama has to get past Kochi first though, but should they do that probably face little competition against either Seikou Gakuin or Toba.

Chiben Gakuen meanwhile will face Hayatomo in the first round.  I didn't even consider Hayatomo's chances of making it into the field, but a further glance once they were first accepted showed they aren't a bad team.

Beppu Aoyama must have been very happy to have finally made it to Koushien, but their draw puts them behind the 8-ball immediately as they face Kanto Dai-ichi.  While perhaps not as strong as recent years, it can still be intimidating facing the sole representative from Tokyo.

We may very well see a rematch here too.  And while Yokohama will look to not repeat the collapse of last summer, they'll have to prove it to me first that they can have the instinct to close the game.

No predictions of who is the favorite to win now that the draw is out, but it does look to be entertaining.

Other teams... err... pitchers to watch out for

What seems to compliment any championship wining team at Koushien is a great pitcher.  They do not necessarily have to be Shimabukuro-esque, but they do generally have to throw harder than the average pitcher and/or exhibit excellent control throughout the grueling tournament.

Now, a pitcher is only part of it.  You can't win a game if you don't score.  But a good pitcher can get you pretty far (as long as your offense isn't like the 2011 Mariners - sorry).

So, which teams might have a pitcher that can give them such a chance?

Memanbetsu (Hokkaido) - 21st Century Team - Nikaidou Seiji (二階堂 誠治)
Despite coming into the tournament via a 21st Century bid, Memanbetsu's Nikaidou Seiji more than held his own in their 2nd round loss to Hokkai.  He had limited them to 3 runs in 8 innings while striking out 9.  And while Hokkaido's record outside of home field seems to be wanting, it's not a bad outing.

Nikaidou is said to have 4 pitches - a fork and shuuto to go with the obligatory curve and slider.  His fastball can hit 145, but probably sits around 140.


Mie (Mie) - Miura Koutarou (三浦 浩太郎)
Much like Nikaidou, Miura also has a fastball that sits generally around the 140 mark (though he has hit 145).  Outside of the slider, he is purported to have a change, shuuto and splitter.  However, in his 3rd game of work in the Super-Regional where they faced Aikoudai Meiden, it was a total mixed bag, giving up 3 runs in a complete game effort while striking out 9, but he gave up 11 hits and issued 4 walks.


Osaka Touin (Osaka) - Fujinami Shintarou (2) (藤浪 晋太郎)
When I think of Osaka Touin, I generally think offense.  More recently, Nakata Shou comes to mind.  Yes, he became a pitcher, but that was generally because he threw hard.

So when they come up on a search for pitchers, it definitely has my attention.

Fujinami Shintarou gets your attention right when you first see him.  He stands a towering 197 cm (6'5"), and can already hit 150 on the radar gun though he generally sits in the low-mid 140's.  To add to his height, he has an overhead delivery, which helps when he throws his 12-6 slow curve in at 100 kph.  There's question as to what his other pitches are, as he has at least another pitch that sits in the 120's.  Consensus is that he has a slider and recently picked up a forkball.

If his secondary pitches are the real thing and he's not predictable, there is a chance that Osaka Touin shouldn't be written off after all.


Tenri (Nara) - Yamanoto Tatsuya (山本 竜也)
Tenri in my opinion has fallen far.  Given Nara is a 2-team prefecture, but it has failed to progress deep at Koushien in recent years, though not necessarily because of it's pitching.  Rather, it has generally been a lack of offense on the big stage that has been their nemesis.

Still, you can't win without pitching.  The focus though has been on relief pitcher Yamamoto Tatsuya.  He throws slightly harder than staff ace Nakatani Keita (he has hit a max of 145, though he probably sits in the mid-high 130s).  He only sports a slider and slow curve, which would explain his low K rates (~5 K/9 in the Kinki Fall Super-Regionals).  He throws in the strike zone, which explains his high hit rates and low walk rates.

In contrast, Nakatani throws in the low 130's with a slider, curve and possible two-seam.


Tottori Jyouhoku (Tottori) - Nishisaka Ryou (西坂 凌)
Normally a team like Tottori Jyouhoku would be passed on when talking about contenders for the title, but when a team manages to limit the eventual Meiji Jingu Champions to just 2 runs in 7 innings, you have to take some notice.  But something doesn't add up.

Nishisaka throws in the high 130's, which is not really that good.  His speed also means that he doesn't strike out that many batters, which is also not a good sign.  He had two great games against Tsuruga Kehi and Chiben Gakuen, but labored against Kousei Gakuin (8 H, 5 BB) while giving up just 2 R over 7 innings.  Apparently he has a big curve that possibly explains all this.  The question that will be asked of them is will the get the good Nishisaka all tournament?  Because any game like the one against Kousei Gakuin could take a toll later on.

Hayatomo (Yamaguchi) - Aidzu Yuusa (間津 裕瑳)
I discounted Hayatomo because, well... It's Chuugoku, and outside of teams from Hiroshima (Kouryou/Jyosuikan) and Okayama (Kanzei), there are few teams that can be considered for title contenders.

But, Hayatomo ace Aidzu Yuusa has apparently gotten some notice.  He's gotten more than his fair share of K's during the fall tournament, the only question is - how tough really was his competition?  He did after all give up 6 runs in a CG loss to Kurashiki Shougyou in the semifinals.

Aidzu has a max of 144, though probably sits more in the high-130 range.  He has a slider, curve and change, which probably puts him in the above average category.  However, there is some question regarding his control - not necessarily in that he can't find the zone (2 BB/9), but perhaps around the zone.  And you don't want a mistake in the strike zone (which may explain the game against Kurashiki Shougyou).


So, there are some aces to watch at Koushien this time around.  If one of these teams takes the flag at the end, their aces will definitely be part of the reason why.

Examining the field - Title Contenders

So, we have the full field for the 84th Haru Koushien set.  The question is, how do we handicap the field?

To be honest, a lot of the big names aren't here, and those that are (Yokohama, Osaka Touin) do not seem to be front runners to win this year.  That means that for the middle-tier teams that make it, the door appears to be open for them to walk through.  But who?

Kousei Gakuin (Aomori)

See, the thing is with Kousei was that despite reaching the final, in all the games I got to see them play live, they just didn't seem that impressive.  You never looked at the team and thought, "Wow, that's team's going to be scary."  In fact, their road to the Koushien final seemed rather pedestrian:

• 16-1 win over Senshuudai Tamana (Kumamoto)
• 6-5 win over Tokushima Shougyou (Tokushima)
• 2-1 win over Touyoudai Himeji (Hyogo)
• 5-0 win over Sakushin Gakuin (Tochigi)

Add an 11-0 loss to Sanko in the final, and that just reinforced that belief.

Yet, it was Kousei that not only won their super-regional, but the Meiji Jingu tournament (albeit with a little controversy) that allowed Hanamaki Higashi to receive an invite.

Still, their 11-game winning streak was not necessarily fraught with landmines.  They had a 7-1 and 7-2 wins against Hachinohe Koudai-ichi and Aomori Yamada in the prefecturals, a 9-8 win over Hanamaki Higashi, and an 11-8 win in extras over Kamimura Gakuen and the 6-5 win over Aikoudai Meiden in the Meiji Jingu tournament.

The problem is, they're all known teams, but none have really been considered top-tier in recent years.  They're just quality wins by name only it seems.

You can't deny them though that they managed to win 11 straight regardless, especially after losing ace pitcher Akita.  Kanazawa Yuuki (金沢 湧紀) takes over as the ace pitcher.  He throws in the high 130's with a slider and curve.  It's not as fast as Akita, but he seems to have taken over nicely.

In relief is Jyouma Ryuuhei (城間 竜兵).  Not listed or used as a pitcher last year, he wears the #4 jersey.  Despite not appearing to have game experience, he can throw in the low 130's and has the obligatory slider.

Offensively, 3 players remain from last summer's team - all played in the starting 9, and interestingly enough, all of them are on the left side of the field.  There's your infield in 3B Tamura Tatsuhiro (田村 龍弘) and SS Houjyou Fumiya (北條 史也) with LF Ameku Shouto (天久 翔斗) joining them.  Houjyou was the better hitter at Koushien, though Tamura wasn't bad himself while Ameku's penchant for getting hit helped him get on base despite not carrying a good bat.

• Ameku - 2-11, RBI, 2 K, 2 BB, 4 HBP - 0.182/0.471/0.182
• Tamura - 5-19, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 K, 5 BB - 0.263/0.416/0.417
• Houjyou - 7-19, 3 2B, 8 RBI, 3 K, BB - 0.368/0.400/0.526

Aikoudai Meiden (Aichi)

Well, it's hard not to mention the Meiji Jingu runner-ups, however their road included some close games against some lower-level teams.  In the super-regionals they had 4-1 wins over Komono and Shigakukan, then survived a late rally by Mie.  And though they went on at the Meiji Jingu tournament to defeat both the Tokyo and Kanto representatives in Kanto Dai-ichi and Urawa Gakuin, you could argue that combined they had one quality win the entire fall tournament (Kanto def. Teikyou 2-0).

Leading the squad is ace Hamada Tatsurou (濱田 達郎).  He has a fastball that can touch 145 km/h (~90 mph) and compliments that with a slider, splitter and curve.

Offensive, the team is led by 3B Nakano (Yoshinori) (中野 良紀).  He has good bat speed, and had a timely double and triple in the 6-5 loss to Kousei Gakuin.  Joining him is RF Matsuoka Daisuke (松岡 大介), whose name also seems to be called when a run is involved.

Meiden has had little success at Koushien recently, it'll be interesting to see if this class can turn the tide.

Sakushin Gakuin (Tochigi)

Sakushin Gakuin, much like Kousei, didn't have much of a hard road to the Best 4.  They did have a win against ace Kitakata Yuujyo, and out-dueled Chiben Gakuen.  Still, the fact that they made a run to the finals of the Kanto Super-regionals defeating teams such as Hanasaki Tokuharu and Yokohama give them at least some credibility as a threat to win it all.

Leading the charge once again is ace Ootani Shigehiro (大谷 樹弘).  He performed fairly well at Natsu Koushien, but doesn't display the stuff that makes you think "dominant ace".   Instead he compliments his 141 kph fastball with a wide variety of pitches (slider, curve, change, split, shuuto) that induce contact instead.  He gives up his fair amount of hits, but limits his walks to offset it.

Offensively, there's SS Ishii Kazunari (石井 一成), who put up an impressive 0.44/0.469/0.690 at Natsu Koushien last year.  He'll have to do quite a bit better this time around that slash line.

Helping him in the middle of the lineup is Takayama Ryousuke (高山 良介), who saw a PH appearance at Koushien but not much else, yet has been slotted into the 3rd spot in the lineup this fall.

Hanamaki Higashi (Iwate)

Yes, Hanamaki Higashi made it to Senbatsu only because of Kousei Gakuin.  But I consider them a wild-card in the tournament.  They do not have the talent necessarily to be a front-runner.  However, whatever Sasaki-kantoku is preaching to his kids there, it works.  I know I've stated this to death, but Hanamaki Higashi is like that fly that bugs the crap out of you, but you just can't kill.  I don't think it matters who they face, they seem to have a chance against them.  In fact, I bet if they had played Sanko last summer, they would have given them the scare of their lives.  And so I think they are the ultimate wild card in this tournament.

Returning for Hanamaki Higashi is Ootani Shouhei (大谷 翔平), who actually came in relief in their only game against Teikyou if you don't remember and actually did a pretty good job in his stint.  He's a tall (191 cm!), hard-throwing righty who can hit the 150's, but generally settles in the upper 140's to go along with his slider, curve and good forkball.

If you had to point out someone on the offensive side, it would have to be SS Oota Kazumasa (太田 知将).  Against Teikyou, he was 2-5 with a 3B.  Now, he was 0-8 in the super-regionals, but he might be one to watch at the top of the order once again.

But really, Hanamaki Higashi generally doesn't depend on one or two players on the offensive side.  It's a concerted team effort that goes beyond individual effort.  They just work hard and never quit, there's just no other way to put it.

Chiben Gakuen (Nara)

Chiben Gakuen has always competed with Tenri, but has now finally placed their stamp as the head of the class in Nara.  Tenri over the last couple of years have frittered away chance after chance at Koushien with an inability to execute when the time is called.  Meanwhile Chiben has shown that ability, albeit with some help from Yokohama this past summer.

The thing is, the Kinki super-regional as a whole seemed down.  Chiben Gakuen had wins against Riseisha and against Tenri (twice!), while Tenri defeated an Osaka Touin that sneaked into the field.  And yet these two wound up being 1-2 in the entire region.

Taking the hill yet again for this campaign is ace Ooyama Daiki (青山 大紀).  He was on the hill against Tsuruoka Higashi and Yokohama, and came in relief when spot starter Ono failed to get past the 3rd inning.  He has a fastball in the mid-upper 140's with a two-seam fastball, change, slider and curveball.  He's not a Shimabukuro/Kikuchi K-guy, but he still manages to strike out his fair share of batters.

But if Chiben Gakuen is the best chance the Kinki region has... no offense, but good luck.


Kamimura Gakuen (Kagoshima)
The best chance out west lies with Kamimura Gakuen.  Denied a chance at Koushien multiple times, they've roared back and trying to stay.  Outside of letting Oita come back in the super-regional quarterfinals to make it a 7-6 ballgame, they dominated the fall.  And if not for the new tiebreaker rules, they may have usurped Kousei Gakuin at Meiji Jingu.

2nd year Hirayabi Jyuichirou (平藪 樹一郎), a lefty with a fastball that is in the low-mid-130's but has a two-seam fastball, cutter, slider and curve.  He'll need them all if he is their starter.

I only say that because they also have SS/P Kakizawa Takehiro (柿澤 貴裕).  He only pitched one inning in their opening game loss to Noushiro Shougyou, but gave up no runs on 2 hits, striking out 1.  In the fall tournaments he limited Kyushu teams to just a shade over 1 run per 9 before giving up 3 earned in 6 against the summer runner-ups.  Kakizawa has an above-average fastball that can at least get to 145 and is reported to have a slider, curve, change, and sinker.  Unless he has stamina issues, or they have no better option at the keystone, he should be taking the hill for the team.

Offensively, they turn to two players who saw little experience at Koushien, but have proven their mettle.
First up is OF Koga Iori (古賀 伊織).  He had a PH appearance at Koushien versus Noushiro Shougyou and reached on an error by P Hosaka.  Now the cleaup batter, he made a bases clearing triple to tie the game in the 8th before they fell in extras against Kousei Gakuin.

The other is the one that replaced him after the PH appearance, Niiro Shinya (新納 真哉).  A good eye helps him draw walks, and a time to 1st base of 4 seconds helped him steal 11 bags in the fall tournament.


There may be others in the field, and I'll try to cover players and teams as I look into it further.  But on first glance, these teams may be the front-runners to win it all this spring.