Fall tournament recap and possible invitees (Hokkaido & Tohoku)

So now we move onto the next baseball year.  2nd years and 1st years will continue on as seniors cheer them on.  Unlike previous years, I am scaling back on coverage such as brackets because it was very time consuming working on them alone and led to my recent burnout.

But without further ado... off we go!

Hokkaido Super-Regional (1 bid)

So Hokkaido was back to it's block play to determine the prefectural field.  Of the 19 blocks, 4 made a return after a long hiatus, and 2 were complete newcomers.  Your field was as follows:

• Sapporo A - Sapporo Shinkawa (4th appearance, 1st in 5 years).  Received scare from Sapporo Kaisei in the semis, but cleared otherwise.
• Sapporo B - Sapporo Ryuukoku (1st appearance) - Always appeared to be a solid team, finally broke through this year defeating such teams as Hokkai Gakuen Sapporo and Toukai Dai-yon!
• Sapporo C - Hokkai (37th appearance, 6th consecutive) - Outscored their opponents 16-2 in their 4 games which included 3 shutouts.  Fairly low scoring for a team of that calibur.
• Sapporo D - Sapporo Dai-ichi (19th appearance, 3rd consecutive) - Showed more offensive output winning their 4 games 35-5
• Muroran A - Hokkaido Sakae (14th appearance, 2nd consecutive) - No issues for Hokkaido Sakae though started slow against Tomakomai Kougyou.
• Muroran B - Shizunai (1st appearance) - Shizunai earned their 1st appearance as they defeated a well-known Mukawa 8-7!  Then they held on against Urakawa 5-4 to make it to the show (prefectural anyways).
• Hakodate A - Hakodate Kougyou (20th appearance, 1st in 4 years) - Hakodae Kougyou won their first 3 games 2-0, 2-0 and 1-0 before exploding for 8 runs to deny Hakodate LaSalle 8-3.
• Hakodate B - Hakodatedai Yuuto (33rd appearance, 4th consecutive) - Hakodatedai Yuuto breezed through their block in a bid to make it back once again.
• Otaru - Hokushou (33rd appearance, 11th consecutive) - Hokushou continues to dominate the town known for its canals and the anime Saishuu Heiki Kanojyou.  49-3 in their 3 games.
• Sorachi - Takikawa Nishi(16th appearance, 3rd consecutive) - With Komadai Iwamisawa eliminated at the hands of Takikawa Kougyou, it was an all-Takikawa final.  Nishi would beat the industrial school 3-1.
• Asahikawa A - Asahikawa Kougyou (9th appearance, 3rd consecutive) - Asahikawa Kougyou almost didn't make it for the 3rd straight year.  Asahikawa Nougyou gave them a run but fell short 6-5.
• Asahikawa B - Furano (6th appearance, 1st in 45 years) - Furano returns after 45 years having to get there the hard way winning 4 games topping it off with a 3-0 shutout of Asahikawa Jitsugyou.
• Nayoro - Teshio (3rd appearance, 1st in 23 years) - When Wakkanai Ootani fell to Shibetsu Shouun 3-2, it opened the door in the regional.  Teshio had to beat out Nayoro Sangyou 2-0 before thanking Shibetsu Shouun by defeating them 10-2.
• Kitami A - Memanbetsu (2nd appearance, 2nd consecutive) - Memanbetsu earns their 2nd consecutive appearance with ease.
• Kitami B - Kitami Shougyou (2nd appearance, 1st in 28 years) - Kitami Shougyou almost stumbles right out the blocks just sliding by Abashiri Minamigaoka 4-3.
• Tokachi A - Shirakaba Gakuen (10th appearance, 7th consecutive) - Shirakaba Gakuen was tested immediately against Obihiro Ryokuryou but prevailed 3-2.  After that it was a breeze winning their next 2 games by the 10-0 mercy rule.
• Tokachi B - Obihiro Hakuyou (10th appearance, 1st in 46 years) - Obihiro Hakuyou similarly had a close game against Obihiro Nougyou, but had no issues otherwise.
• Kushine A - Nayoro Kougyou (12th appearance, 2nd consecutive) - Nayoro Kougyou was challenged by Nakashibetsu in the finals, but returns to the prefectural finals 5-3.
• Kushine B - Bushuukan (5th appearance, 1st in 2 years) - Bushuukan needed 3-1 victories over Kushine Koryou and Kushine Shougyou.

And with that the field was set.

When the draw came out, Hokkai had a quadrant mostly to themselves.  Joining them in the same half was Hokushou, Shirakaba Gakuen and Asahikawa Kougyou.  On the other side, Hakodatedai Yuuto had a quadrant to themselves with Sapporo Dai-ichi and Bushuukan on the other quadrant.

As the games played out, Hokkai advanced, but still seemed a bit lackluster on offense.  Asahikawa Kougyou soundly defeated Shirakaba Gakuen, but fell to Hokushou... who then mercy ruled Hokkai 9-1!

Their opponent in the finals became clearer as Hakodatedai Yuuto lost 1-0 to the hungry Furano squad.  They almost made the semifinals, but fell to Sappporo Shinkawa.  It would be an all-Sapporo semifinal as Sapporo Dai-ichi had no problems with Bushuukan.  And while Sapporo Shinkawa has done better as of late - the powerhouse Dai-ichi moved to the finals.

In that final, it was as expected hotly contested.  Sapporo Dai-ichi took a 2-1 lead early only to see it slip away in the later innings.  But in the bottom of the 9th, with 2 out and a runner on 3rd, Sapporo Dai-ichi managed to tie the game, sending it into extras and the chance to earn their 1st title.

But it was not to be.  In the first extra frame Hokushou's #9 batter Takayama delivered a 2-out single to center to break the tie.  Ace Oogushi Kazuya closed out the frame and earned Hokushou their 4th title, 1st in 2 years.  More importantly, they will receive an invitation to Haru Koushien.

Automatic Bid - Hokushou - 4th appearance, 1st in 2 years

Tohoku Super-Regional (2 bids)

Tohoku at least baseball-wise is getting back to some normalcy.  Now it will never be the same for schools that were say in places such as Minami-Sanriku or Iwaki, but it probably helps them cope with the events of the past year.

Each prefecture would receive 3 bids for the super-regionals.  They were awarded as follows:

Aomori
Because of their summer qualification, Kousei Gakuin got an automatic pass to the prefectural finals.  Everyone else had to go through block play.

Of the ones that qualified, the most notables were Aomori Yamada, Touou Gijyuku, Hachinohekoudai-ichi, and Oominato.

Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately depending on who you were), the major players were split up into the different quadrants.  Oominato and Touou Gijyuku were on one side while the more prominent teams in Kousei Gakuin and Aomori Yamada on the other.  Hachinohekou Dai-ichi drew the short straw and was stuck with Kousei Gakuin.

The tournament though wasn't close.  At least for the title anyways.  Kousei Gakuin's lowest margin of victory was 6 (7-1 against both Hachinohekoudai-ichi and Aomori Yamada), and they demolished Oominato 21-3 in the final earning their 4th consecutive fall title and 13th overall.  Joining the pair would be Aomori Yamada, who defeated Touou Gijyuku 5-2.

Akita
Similar to Kousei Gakuin, Noshiro Shougyou also got a free pass to the fall prefectural.  Always nice to get a free pass when you can in single elim tournaments.  On the other side, Akita Chuo and Oodate Houmei were in one quadrant while Akita Kougou held the other quadrant down.

The draw was not as kind though as both Akita Shougyou and Meiou both were drawn into the same quadrant.  Thankfully for them they'd have to face only one of the 2 teams.  Honjyou did not make out of pool play, losing immediately to Akita Shougyou and Akita.

It seemed apparent that it was a matter of who could stop Noshiro Shougyou.  Akita Shougyou almost pulled off the feat, but fell 5-4.  Otherwise, it was a breeze for the Natsu Koushien representative shutting out Akita Kougyou in the finals 9-0.  Akita Chuo would shutout Oomagari 3-0 for the final spot.

Iwate
Hanamaki Higashi had no such help - they'd have to qualify like everyone else.  Not that it was hard, mind you. Other notable teams joining them were Moriokadai Fuzoku, Ichinoseki Gakuin, and Kuji.

The tournament itself was barely a challenge.  Hanamaki Higashi did get a small challenge against Moriokadai Fuzoku, but won 5-2.  Ichinoseki Gakuin, despite their continued futility in the super-regionals made it to the finals despite a challenge from Fukuoka Kougyou.

The final was all Hanamaki Higashi, shutting out Ichinoseki Gakuin 6-0.  Meanwhile in the battle of Morioka schools Morioka Dai-san, who had defeated Kuji, defeated Morioka Dai-yon 7-1 for the final bid.

Yamagata
Yamagata saw a lot of the prefecture's main players make it out of pool play.  Nichidai Yamagata, Sakata Minami both advanced along with secondary players Haguro, Yamagata Chuo and Tsuruoka Higashi.

The team though that surprised the field was Toukaidai Yamagata.  They not only shutout Yamagata Chuo, but then broke a 4-4 deadlock in the 9th with 7 runs against Nichidai Yamagata guaranteeing themselves a spot in the super-regionals.

Now, to win the title, they would have to face Sakata Minami, who uncharacteristically had close games against Yamamoto Gakuen and Yonezawa Chuo.

Toukaidai more than held their own against Sakata Minami, but couldn't form a reply to a 2-spot in the 6th - right after they had tied the game at 1.  Sakata Minami would earn their 7th title and 2nd consecutive fall title.

Joining the pair would be Nichidai Yamagata, who denied Yonezawa Chuo 8-3.

By the way, I would almost like to see Toukaidai Yamagata make it because of their pitcher's last names:

• 飯屋崎 - Iyazaki
• 勅使河原 - Deshigawara

Miyagi
Looking at who qualified out of block play, we found new powerhouse Rifu as well as Sendai Ikuei.  Cinderella story Furukawa Kougyou's road ended in double defeat to Furukawa Gakuen and Iwagasaki.

Missing from the picture was Tohoku.  They were sent immediately into the repechage with a 5-0 loss to Sendai Shougyou.  And after working their way up through, they were finally sent home by Seiwa Gakuen 5-4.

In the prefecturals, once Sendai Ikuei was laid to the roadside by Ishinomaki Shougyou 3-2, the title was Rifu's to lose.

They almost did.

In the semifinals, down to their last 3 against Furukawa Gakuen, Rifu's Sasaki hits a sayonara 3-run homerun to guarantee them a spot in the super-regionals.  Only Ishinomaki Kougyou stood in their way to the title.  In an 11-6 shootout, they claimed their 2nd title in 3 years.

Furukawa Gakuen then outlasted the aforementioned Ishinomaki Shougyou 13-7 for the 3rd spot.

Fukushima
As muddled as Fukushima's baseball picture is, there is apparently one shining light when it comes to the fall tournament.

That team would be Seikou Gakuin.  Advancing straight to the prefectural finals, they had just one hiccup when Kounan limited them to 2 runs.  Too bad they only managed 1.  And while Shouin Gakuin Fukushima also limited the Seikou offense, they were still shutout 3-0.  It would be Kousei's 6th consecutive fall title.

Fukushima Shougyou, who was mercy ruled by Seikou, edged out fellow mercy ruled opponent Tajima 4-3 to fill out the field.

Super-Regionals
The super-regional draw split up the 4 main contenders into each quadrant.  Kousei Gakuin (Aomori) and Hanamaki Higashi (Iwate) on one side, Seikou Gakuin (Fukushima) and Aomori Yamada (Aomori) on the other.

All 4 teams managed to advance to the semifinals with ease except for Hanamaki Higashi.  In usual fashion, they came from behind to defeat Nichidai Yamagata (3 runs in the bottom of the 9th), and Shouin Gakuin Fukushima (a run in the 8th and 9th innings) to advance.

In the semifinals, Hanamaki Higashi found the tables turned on them as they went up on Kousei early only to watch them rally for 2 in the 8th and 1 more in the 9th to pull off the 9-8 win.  Kousei's Tanaka Tatsuhiro went 3-4 with 2 HR's in the effort.

Joining them would be Seikou Gakuin who led wire-to-wire against Aomori Yamada 6-2.  None of Aomori's 5 pitchers could stop Seikou from a rematch.

Seikou looked to claim the title early after Saitou hit a solo HR in the 1st.  But there after, Kousei's ace Kanazawa would limit them to just one more hit in the game.  That allowed many opportunities to equalize the score - which Kimura did in the 4th with a 2-out 2-run double.  Another insurance run the next inning mean that Kousei Gakuin would claim the Tohoku title (3rd overall, 1st in 3 years)!

Automatic Bid - Kousei Gakuin (Aomori) - 5th appearance, 2nd consecutive
Projected Bid - Seikou Gakuin (Fukushima) - 3rd appearance, 1st in 4 years

And to a rather anti-climactic finish...

Day 14 was the semifinal games.  But in reality it really felt that the winner of the Nichidai-san v. Kanzei game would have the definitive inside track to the title.

No offense to our first semifinal participants Sakushin Gakuin or Kousei Gakuin, but barring a Nihon Bunri type run (with a happier ending), neither team really had shown that they would be able to withstand a finals matchup.

Nevertheless, the winner of the game would be able to at least claim that they reach the Natsu Koushien final.

And the game was a relative runaway.  Kousei Gakuin would score 2 in the bottom of the 1st.  In the top of the 3rd, we had a 95+ minute rain delay where I sat for a while then had to evacuate to the concourse because well... it was pouring like no other.

Despite the break, Sakushin couldn't get any traction as they just managed 6 hits against ace Akita and fell 5-0, giving Kousei Gakuin Aomori's 2nd finals representative since Misawa in 1969.

So were were onto the main event.  Kanzei's Mizuhara versus Sanko's Yoshinaga...

Eh?  Mizuhara's not starting?  It's Katada??  I hope they know what they're doing...

What?  Yoshinaga's not starting either?  It's Saitou??  What's going on here?  Is this a case of who blinks first?

Well, whatever it was, it seemed Kanzei's gamble wasn't paying off.  Right off the bat in the bottom of the 1st Katada hits Shimizu and walks Kaneko, which can't be a good thing as Azegami singles up the middle to give Sanko the quick lead.

Kanzei though struck back in the 2nd.  Two solid hits by Watanabe and Katada lead off the inning, and Seki's fielder's choice tied the game at 1.

Now, Katada was more than holding his own against Sanko.  So much so that it seemed like if Kanzei could take advantage, they may have a chance at the upset after all!

But despite my analysis showing that perhaps batters should be more patient against Yoshinaga, Kanzei wound up swinging away time and time again - with little results.

Yoshinaga would finally enter the game in the 5th after #9 batter Fukui got a bunt single and Ogura worked a walk.  He got Sanko out of the mess and continued to shut down the Kanzei offense.

And so the game continued tied at 1 apiece......


Until the 7th...

That was when Katada issued a leadoff walk to Suzuki.  Then he should have been picked off, but Katada's throw was short and they were unable to get him.

So he was bunted to 2nd, and then Katada hit Shimizu for the 2nd time - loading the bases.  This was the first serious pinch he was in since the 1st.

Kaneko would make sure Katada paid for it, driving a single through the right side plating Suzuki and giving Sanko the 2-1 lead.  Eura-kantoku, hoping to stem the losses sent in Arihara.

But throwing your ace into a bases loaded pinch already down 2-1...

It almost worked.

A grounder to 2nd may have been an inning ending double play, but Fukui instead goes home...

...and his throw short hops home and gets away from Seki allowing one more run to score making it 4-1.

That play seemed to open the flood gates as the next 4 people would reach safely - with Suganuma's 3-run HR in between.

By the time the carnage was over, Arihara was relieved from the mound and Sanko led 9-1.

And while Kanzei would finally get to Yoshinaga with 3 runs, it was far from enough.  Sanko would win 14-4.

So that would setup the finals the next day between Kousei Gakuin and Nichidai-san.

But really going into the game it felt like not a matter of if, but when Nichidai-san would just take control of the game.

While Kousei's Akita would manage to stave them off, the answer was the 3rd inning.

2 down, and in an attempt to pitch inside, he hits Azegami.  Then with the outfield playing WAAAAAYYY back, Yokoo bloops one to right.  And the coup de grâce was Takayama blasting a 3-run HR to center.

Kousei did show some life in the 5th when a single and walk put runners at 1st and 2nd with just one down.  Though Matsumoto would fly out to left, Akita delivered a single to right.  Trying to plate the run they send Kanayama home, only to get gunned down by Takayama.

Sanko would then decide to add an insurance run to punish Kousei for trying to score... then added 5 more in the 7th for good measure.

An 11-0 victory would give Sanko their 2nd Natsu Koushien title.  It gave Deanna's team the victory, and my teams left on the side of the road for dead.

*sighs*  There's always next year?

Round the final turn to the home stretch...

(I've taken a badly needed break from burnout, and with Haru Koushien around the corner, I'd better get this done so I can recap the fall tournament)

So, by the time we reached Day 10, I was exhausted from lack of sleep, the opening day sunburns were finally wearing off, and I cared less about the stats and more about the teams.  We were after all in the block finals.

Arriving late, I had to settle for the 1st Base Alps section.  Which wasn't bad necessarily if not for the fact I was in direct sun.  Ugh.

But I was in the Shin-Minato section as they faced off against Toyoudai Himeji.  I was shocked before when their oen-dan stretched all the way from the oen-dan section almost all the way to home plate.  It was as if the whole town had come down there.  And with 37,000-ish in the town (as their Wiki entry of 2003 says), it's quite possible that half made the trip!

That morning was no different.  Looking down the 1st base side, the light blue extended down just as far.  After winning their first ever game, and now playing a well-known squad for a spot in the best 8, it had better been.

But ace Futadani perhaps let the moment get to him early.  A wild pitch scores the first run, and a good squeeze bunt gave Himeji a 2-0 lead.

Shin-Minato then tried to get to work.  A leadoff triple cut the deficit in half, and it seemed that they might yet have another late-inning burst ahead of them.  But a one-out walk by Sawada was cut down trying to steal 2nd.  Which was a shame as Hayashi would double to right-center.  This after Futadani had held Himeji scoreless.

The loss of that moment seemed to be a turning point, as Futadani fell apart in the top of the 8th to the tune of 9 runs.  They had no other pitcher, so he had to stand out there and take it all.

The next game was between Kousei Gakuin and Tokushima Shougyou.  The game started off as a complete disaster.  Pitchers weren't really effective, there were fielding blunders on both sides which included a ball flicked in the outfield away from other fielders, and a whiff on a ball that causes an inside-the-park HR.  At the end of the 3rd inning, the score was 6-5 Kousei.  There on, the game settled down, and in fact no more runs were scored.

After that game, it was off to the 3rd base oen-dan because Kanzei was up next against Meihou.  I really couldn't believe that Kanzei was on the verge of a Best 8 appearance given that I had left them for dead when their opening round draw was Kyukoku.

Kanzei dominated the opening stages of the game, building a 6-0 lead.  But there were cracks - cracks that I hoped wouldn't be a repeat of the collapses during the Dass era (sorry Dass, guess we have to call it something).

First, 2 walks and a single to the bottom 3rd of the order in the 5th loads the bases with nobody out.  But a K looking and a 1-2-3 double play negates the threat.  Then an error in the 7th leads to a bases-loaded 2-out situation, but another K looking ends that too. 2 singles in the 8th got Mizuhara into trouble again, but he spins out of that one.

And if that wasn't enough to get me riled up, 2 singles to start the 9th, and then a base hit after the CF loses the ball on the catch after colliding with the wall loads the bases yet again with no one out.  It's as if the baseball gods were trying to tell me Kanzei was destined to be the ultimate bad-luck team.

Thankfully, Mizuhara didn't read up on recent history and he retired the next 3 batters to end the game 7-1.

And ending the first set of block final games was Chiben Gakuen against Yokohama.  Fortunately for me Yokohama was in the same section as I refuse to root for Chiben Gakuen as I am a Tenri fan (despite the headaches the seem to give me year after year).  Also fortunate was that I had got a digital SLR with an extra lens so I could zoom in to spot Otosaka Tomo's dad (which I did).  I got a quick chance to talk to him right before the game started, and while we didn't talk for long, I was really happy to have met him.

Early on, it was the Tomo show.  He led off the 1st, 3rd and 5th innings, got on base each time and scored each time.

By the 9th inning, it was a 4-1 game and Yokohama was on their way to the Best 8...

And then it all blew up in their faces.

Ace Yanagi started giving up hard hits all over.  Urano and Aoyama hit hard singles through the infield.  Nakamichi and Onoyama drove balls to deep center which were caught.  By this time, I know there was someone in the bullpen warming up.  Yet Watanabe-kantoku stuck with his ace.

Another hard single up the middle and a hit-by-pitch meant the score was 4-2 with the bases loaded and 2 down.

I think had it not been 2 outs, Watanabe-kantoku would have send in someone from the bullpen.  Yet perhaps without thinking about how those outs were recorded, he kept him in.

That's when PH Yoshimura singled to right tying the game.  A final 4-pitch walk to Sumitani to load the bases yet again finally pulled the plug on Yanagi's night.

But what was even more bizarre was what happened next.  #10 Souma comes in, throws a wild pitch, then gives up a 2-run double and is immediately pulled.  #17 Mukai follows, walks a batter, gives up a triple and a single before being yanked.  Finally #11 Yamauchi retires Onoyama to end the inning.

Final damage?  13 batters, 8 runs on 7 hits, and one stunned oen-dan (which included myself).

Day 11
Day 11 got me to the stadium early so I could get a good seat in the Narashino oen-dan.  They'd need all the help they could get against Kanzawa's flame-throwing ace Kamata.

And yet when the lineup was announced, it was #8 Arihara who was taking the mound!  I had to flip through my books to figure out what was going on.  He hadn't pitched before in the tournament, and I began to wonder if there was something wrong with their ace.

Yet, Kobayashi-kantoku must've known what he was doing because Arihara did one hell of a job against Kanazawa.  Fukuyama opened the scoring in the game as his timely hit gave Narashino a 1-0 lead.  Arihara couldn't keep the shutout though, and a single to left by top batter Sakurakichi tied the game.

It was really unnerving sitting in the oen-dan as I was cheering about as hard as everyone else and the game was too close for my comfort.

Yet Arihara would make me worry me a bit less as with 2 down he leads a 3-batter rally that culminated with Katagiri's single to left, re-taking the lead.

The game wasn't over, and in the 9th Arihara would walk leadoff batter Ishida, and after a sac bunt Uono singles to right putting the tying run 90 feet away.

That's when Kobayashi-kantoku decided that it was a day for Arihara and sent in #10 Kimura Itsuhiko.

And Kanazawa tried a squeeze bunt!  But it was fielded and PR Iwasaki at 3rd was caught!  The tag was made and now there were 2 outs with the tying run at 2nd now!

Tanbo grounded to 2nd and that was the game!  Narashino was in the Best 8!

With both of my teams into the best 8 now, I retreated to the 1st base side and the shade for the next 3 games - starting with Sakushin Gakuin vs. Hachimian Shougyou.

I don't remember much about the game other than Hachiman being outplayed by Sakushin and falling 6-2.

The afternoon session began with Noshiro Shougyou and Jyosuikan.  And to be honest, I'd figure it'd be another yawner as I'd just as well assumed that Jyosuikan would send the Akita team home.

Boy was I wrong.  Not only did Noshiro Shougyou open the scoring in the game, but ace Hosaka held the Hiroshima representatives at bay.

Fast forward to the bottom of the 9th and Jyosuikan threatened to end it in regulation.  Yasuhara opened the frame with a single and advanced to 2nd.  When P Hamada doubled to the wall, the 3B coach sent him home.  But a perfect relay from Yoshino to Hatakeyama to Hirakawa cut him down at home, eventually sending the game into extras.

And in the 10th, it happened again.  This time, a leadoff double by Kanao looks to be stranded there after 2 outs are recorded.  But Kimura singles to right and they send him home once again.  This time, RF Yamada makes a strong throw and guns him down continuing the deadlock.

Surely, cutting down 2 runners at home should give momentum to Noshiro Shougyou, and indeed finally in the 12th, an untimely error by SS Monden gives them a 2-1 lead!

But as my video states here, I figured something might be up.  And sure enough it was.

Monden, who made the error the last half inning to give up the lead, works a walk.  Then with one down, Kanao singles to left.  Monden presses the initiative by stealing 3rd (though it was really close) and when a grounder to the right side is charged at by 1B Okada past 1st base, Monden holds up.  But there's no one covering 1st and Okada instead of running towards the batter-runner Shimazaki, he doubles back to 1st!  Monden seizes the opportunity and dashes home!  Okada fires the throw home, and it beats him, but Hirakawa can't hold on to it, and the game is tied!

There's still 2 outs though and all Hosaka needed was one more to keep the game going.

Uda hits a grounder to Hosaka, but he can't field it cleanly and it deflects to short!

The dagger was finally put in when a grounder by Kimura dribbles past a diving Ogawa into left.

So 7 of our 8 teams were set.  And they then had the draw for the Best 8 (remember that they do draws for the Best 8 and Best 4 matchups).  And when they came out, I was non-plussed.

First, Kanzei had to draw against Jyosuikan in an all-Chuugoku matchup.  But worst of all was that Narashino would face the winner of the final game...  Chiben Wakayama vs. Nichidai-san.

REALLY?  REALLY???????? Do the baseball gods hate me that much?

I continued to think about that as I watched Chiben Wakayama fall behind 5-0 in the first 2 innings.

But if there was one thing I could depend upon, it was Nichidai-san's ace Yoshinaga being wild.  Sure enough, 2 walks in the 5th made it a 5-2 game.  Then a 2-out walk in the 7th, and a fielding misplay at the LF wall made it a 5-4 game.  That'd be as close as they would get as Suganuma shut the door with a solo HR in the bottom of the 8th.

Great.  Just great.  My Narashino was going to face Nichidai-san.

And then I remembered that they had a hotel list for all the teams outside the stadium.

I jotted down the hotel and was going to dash back when I ran into several people from the Narashino oen-dan.  I figured perhaps I could convey the message to them instead.

Turned out they were just HS baseball fans who were cheering for Narashino.  I managed to talk to them for a bit, ate dinner, but then rushed back to Osaka to find the hotel.  I seriously considered going there and somehow giving a message telling them to be patient against Yoshinaga...

But I chickened out.  I figured I'd be a crazy gaijin.  And while a crazy American gaijin wouldn't be out of the ordinary, a crazy, koukouyakyuu-baka gaijin would be unbelievable.

So yeah.  I never went there.  I wish I did.

Day 12

With 2 games per day, it would be over quickly, but I would still have to be at the stadium early for the 8 AM start...  Ugh.

Game 1 of the quarterfinals was Kousei Gakuin versus Touyoudai Himeji.  Sure, Himeji beat Shin-Minato earlier, but man there just wasn't anything compelling about them.  Fortunately, they had an easier matchup in the boys from Aomori.

The game opened with leadoff batter Sawa for Kousei tripling off of the top of the padding in center... then getting stranded.  It then went at light speed as Himeji would swing away early in the count, and while Kousei was a little more patient, it was just.

The teams would trade runs in the middle of the game, but Himeji almost got the lead back in the 5th.  A single followed by not 1 but 2 runs by ace Akita put the go-ahead run 90 feet away.  But cleanup batter Masuda grounds into the 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Then in the 7th, a wild pitch by Hara helps score the go-ahead run for Kousei.  Himeji wouldn't get another chance thereafter.

Next was was my boys from Okayama, Kanzei.  They'd face off against their neighbors to the west, Jyosuikan.

When the lineups were announced, it seemed Jyosuikan's manager was looking to all areas for help.  3B Shimazaki was starting on the mound.

Early on, it seemed to work.  But come the 2nd inning, a walk and a hit batter both come around to score - and the experiment was over.  But it wasn't ace Hamada, but rather #11 Sakamoto who took the hill.  He held down the fort as his team went on the comeback trail.

That started in the 4th as a 2-out error by SS Sejima would score 1, then one inning later Kanao would hit a timely single to left to tie the game up.  And in fact, it would be the end for Mizuhara as he would shift to SS and 3B Katada would take the hill.

By this time, ace Hamada had taken the mound for Jyosuikan and it was now a 5-inning game.

And that's when the wheels fell off.

Shimazaki first commits an error on Fukui's leadoff grounder, then gets charged another error when Fukui on 3rd decoys him making his throw to 1st late and wide.  It all goes terribly downhill from there as Kanzei scores 4 in the frame to take a 6-2 lead.  Reliever Katada would make that lead stick, as Kanzei cruised to a 8-3 win and a spot in the Best 4!  Hooray!

Day 13
This was the day I was dreading in some ways.  This was the day Narashino would go into battle against vaunted Sanko.  But before that was the other battle of well-known but not necessarily powerhouse teams:  Sakushin Gakuin versus Chiben Gakuen.  We already know where my loyalties lie here.

But Chiben continued their momentum from the Yokohama game, breaking out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st.  Starting pitcher #10 Ono though makes a pickoff error, helping Sakushin pull within 1 just a half-inning later.  An inning after that, they almost bat around, scoring 3 and forcing ace Aoyama to the mound.

Before I continue, let me state that it is a balancing at that managers have to do when they have one main ace.  You have to play 5-6 games to win Koushien, and sometimes you're unsure if your ace can make it all the way through.  So do you pitch him until his arm falls off, or do you try to rest him hoping your relief corps is good enough to get you through?

Because as Aoyama entered the game... he shut down the Sakushin offense.

Meanwhile, Chiben worked on their 2-run deficit, getting one back immediately in the 3rd without the benefit of a hit (Aoyama walk, Nakamichi HBP, WP by Ootani, sac fly by Onoyama).

Then an error by Itazaki which would have ended the inning in the 5th, instead leads to a run as the following batter Yokohama singles to left.

Ootani would then be relieved by Oogaki in the 6th.  That lasted all of 2 batters.  A double and a sac bunt were the results.  1B Iino would then be sent to the mound.   But a wild pitch to Urano would complete the comeback for Chiben Gakuen as they would take the 6-5 lead.  And there was no relief in sight for the offense it seemed against Aoyama.

But remember that discussion I had regarding ace pitchers that many managers face?  Yeah, that was answered in the top of the 9th as Aoyama just ran out of gas.

Two singles through the right side and another to center immediately tied the game up.  2 batters later, Naitou hit a sac fly to give Sakushin the 7-6 lead.

This time around there would be no comeback for the boys from Nara.

Before the fated matchup between my team and Deanna's team, there was the matter of the Best 4 draws...


AW C'MON!!!!!  NOT AGAIN!!!!!!  ARE YOU KIDDING ME????????

As if the insult of the first draw wasn't enough, the Best 4 draw had Sakushin Gakuin versus Kousei Gakuin...

Which meant that Kanzei would have to face the winner of the Narashino-Sanko game!!!!!!  ARE YOU SERIOUS?????!!!!!  WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS??????

While this did mean that if Narashino could win their game, I'd have a team guaranteed in the finals, it also meant that there was no possibility that I would have a team guaranteed to win the tournament.

I couldn't worry about that because it was game time...

Narashino sent out ace Arihara to face the Sanko squad.  And Narashino had a great opportunity to score first.  Bottom 1, a walk by Miyauchi, a subsequent steal and sac bunt put a runner at 3rd with just one down.

But they try to immediately bank the run on a squeeze.  Fujii fails on the attempt and Miyauchi is run down...

And wouldn't you know it, the bottom of the order for Sanko gets to Arihara in the 2nd as Yoshinaga and Shimizu bring in 3 runs.

Now Narashino was behind the 8-ball.  Could they be patient during the times Yoshinaga went wild?

Fast forward to the bottom of the 3rd.  Koyama singles to lead off the inning and Miyauchi works a walk.  Nakamura bunts the runners along and there's a good scoring chance.

But it's frittered away as Fujii swings on the 1-1 pitch and pops out to 2nd.  Matsuyama then strikes out looking to end the inning.

An inning later, a leadoff double by Katagiri and a sac bunt once again provide an opportunity.  But neither Minagawa nor Arihara can drive him home.

Yet again, in the 5th Miyauchi works a one-out walk and steals his 2nd base of the game.  But Nakagawa is impatient, flying the 1-0 pitch to left.  Fujii goes to 3-1 then hits a swinging bunt down the 3rd base line and then he steals 2nd.  Once again though, new cleanup batter Saitou (#16) can't lay off the pitches, falls behind and grounds out to 2nd.

Katagiri would get things started in the 6th with a single.  He'd get himself to 2nd on a SB, but alas would be stranded.

By this time I'm yelling from the oen-dan (in English) that for heaven's sake be patient.  But by this time it was too late.  We had reached the latter third of the game, and Narashino had gotten desperate.  And that's where Yoshinaga would love to have them.  He retired the last 9 batters for Narashino shutting them out 5-0.

And that meant (to me anyways) that the winner of the Kanzei v. Nichidai-san game would be the 93rd Natsu Koushien champion....

Day 9 Recap

Well, I'm finally getting around to posting the rest of the tournament.  It's been 2 months since, but I do remember some things.  If you're wondering about the fall tournament, I'll give an overview eventually as well, but I think I would do a better service to focus more on players to watch than tournament brackets.  As much as I would like to provide complete coverage - it takes up too much of my time and in reality it's more about the star players or the magical teams.

I have to admit, by this time of the tournament my body was starting to fatigue under the lack of sleep and hot weather.  There were times when I was nodding off because I couldn't physically stay awake.

Day 9 was a short 3 game day, which allowed me to at least catch up a little.

First up was Eimei vs. Noshiro Shougyou.  While neither team were favored to win the tournament, Eimei had finally broken through to get to Koushien, which I was happy about, although they defeated Itoman - which I was conflicted about.  While Noshiro Shougyou had also gotten their first win against a decent Kamimura Gakuen team.

I think I've said it before, when it comes to games between teams of prefectures not generally considered contenders, it's usually either a blowout, or a low scoring game.

Bottom 1, Eimei immediately had a chance.  But a lot of self-inflicted wounds cost them as leadoff batter Nishioka drew a walk, failed to get moved over to 2nd on a bunt, advanced to 2nd on a hit on a single by Watanabe, then after a pickoff error advancing the runners got run down on a failed squeeze by cleanup batter Nakauchi.

The advantage seemed to stay with Eimei despite that when #9 batter Hashimoto got a leadoff single in the 3rd.  But Nishioka's scorched comebacker was snagged by Hosaka who started the 1-6-3 double play.  Undeterred, Iguchi hit one back up the middle that Hosaka couldn't get, and Watanabe seemed to continue the rally with a single up to left center, but Iguchi tried to stretch it out to 3rd and got gunned down by CF Yoshino.

But after that it was Noshiro Shougyou.  Back-to-back hits by Yamada Katsuki and Ogawa scored the first run, and added one more in the 6th when an leadoff error scored thanks to a hard hit ball off 1B Kamon.

Eimei had one last opportunity in the 6th, but again the team couldn't execute, failing to lay down a bunt, and failing to score the runners from 2nd and 3rd with just 1 down.  Noshiro Shougyou wins 2-0.

Next up was Shirakaba Gakuen versus Chiben Wakayama.  I remembered Shirakaba Gakuen from 2006 when I was there last, though I think their uniforms were different.  To be honest, with Hokkaido falling back down the baseball ladder, as it were, I expected this to be all Chiben.  Yes, they have a weakness in that their pitching is not as strong, but that doesn't usually show up until later rounds.

I was surprised then when leadoff batter Satou hit a triple to the RCF wall on the 2nd pitch of the game.  That opportunity though was wasted when the next two batters couldn't get the ball past the outfield and Omote struck out looking after a walk to cleanup batter Okada.

Things seemed to be all right in the world after ace Kobayashi walked two of the first 3 batters, who then later scored when Michibata hit the first pitch from reliever Kawagoe.

Though Shirakaba would get a run back on an uncharacteristic error by the Chiben defense, Chiben would extend the lead to 4 runs after 6 innings.

Then things, much like this entire tournament, went nuts.

After giving up a one out walk to last batter Nakamura, and a single to Satou, Uenoyama yielded to Furuta, who hit Ohara, loading the bases.

Next think I know, Kobayashi hits the first pitch down the left field line for a game-tying manrui home run!

And my jaw hits the floor.

Yet, Takashima-kantoku keeps Furuta in the game, and in the 8th, first batter Sasaki gets into a ball and sends it up the LF bleachers, giving Shirakaba Gakuen a shocking 6-5 lead with just 2 innings left to play!  Takashima-kantoku finally sends in ace number Aoki.  who was shaky himself, but manages to get out of the inning.

The only thing is, when underdogs are leading against established teams, there is always the propensity for teams to realize the gravity of the moment and struggle to close the game.

I had such a feeling and when Moriya's throw on a Kawasaki's grounder was off, the opportunity presented itself.  Nakamura, a defensive replacement in the 7th, took the 1st pitch to left center field and all the way to the wall, scoring Kawasaki and tying the game.

Into extras we went, and Moriya would get a one-out double.  Satou hits a blooper to center, and despite Kawasaki being closer to the ball, Nakamura comes running in trying to make the catch, but can't giving Shirakaba the lead!

But I've learned never to count Chiben Wakayama out, and they immediately went to work in the bottom of the 10th.

Nakamura opened with a single to center.  After a popup to short by cleanup hitter Michibata, Miyakawa doubled down the left field line tying the game up.

After an intentional pass to Hiraoka to create a double play opportunity it felt like Shirakaba was trying to survive now.

And when Ogasawara laid down the bunt, Omote's throw to 1st is low and gets away from Okada, allowing Miyakawa to score the sayonara run.

It's certainly painful to see a team fight hard not once, but twice only to lose, but Shirakaba didn't give up and I hoped then and still do that Hokkaido will rise up the ranks again.

Last up was the blockbuster with Kaisei's towering duo of Shirane and Mori versus the juggernaut that was Nichidai-san.  I expected a pitching duel.

Instead, I got an offensive explosion.

And in the beginning, it was all Nichidai-san.  Shirane did not look good on the mound right from the get-go and Sanko took advantage, sending their entire lineup to the plate in the 1st inning, scoring 3 and immediately putting the Shimane representatives in a hole.  And when back-to-back doubles by Takayama and Suganuma both came in to score in the 3rd making the deficit 5, I figured it would be all but over.

I apparently figured wrong.

5th inning now, and Kurosaki reaches on an error by Suganuma.  Innocent enough as Oohata singles to left, and Akikuni bunts the runners along.  At this point, they hope to get a one-shot timely from their big bat Shirane.

Instead he hits a soft liner to center, scoring both runs and making it 5-2, which was still fairly comfortable.

That was until Mori drove a pitch from Yoshinaga to deep center for a 2-run home run!  Now it was just a 1-run affair and we had a ballgame!

Now, by this time I had figured that the main key to defeating Sanko was to let Yoshinaga hang himself.  What I meant was that as good as he was, he had his moments when he lost his control.  Yet no other team had realized it to try and take walks when he was offering them.

Move onto the 6th and Kanayama draws a leadoff walk.  Yasuhara pops a safety bunt and lands in behind the defense for a base hit!

I'm also always one to call for the bust-and-run because most teams are expecting bunt.  And Yasuda must've been thinking the same thing!  He slaps one hard to LCF!  Azegami dives, but can't get to it!  It goes all the way to the wall as Kanayama and Yasuhara score!

But then they wave Yasuda home!  The relay from Yokoo nails him at the plate!  With no down, I didn't know about that decision.

Regardless, Kaisei erased a 5-run deficit and now held a 6-5 lead!  Here was the game I was looking for!

And then the bottom of the 6th came...

Mori, who had come in for Shirane in the 3rd, suddenly fell apart. After a leadoff single to Shimizu, Yasuda flubs a bunt from Kaneko.  Mori then walked Azegami to load the bases, and Yokoo would single back up the middle, giving Sanko the lead right back.  Eventually 12 batters would come to the plate, scoring 6 runs and placing Kaisei back in the 5-run hole they dug themselves out of.

You might be able to manage one comeback against Sanko, but 2 is almost impossible.

Yet in the 8th, there was hope.  3 consecutive hits leading off the inning from their 7-8-9 batters made it a 11-8 game.  And when Akikuni singled through the left side, putting runners at the corners with just one down, you had the feeling that Shirane or Mori would be able to tie the game, or at least pull within 1.

While I didn't have a good view of the pitch sequence to Shirane, I would have had them be patient at the plate as I would be certain that Yoshinaga would try to pitch around the duo as much as possible.

Shirane though got himself in defensive mode after reaching a 2-2 count and going down swinging.  Akikuni took the opportunity to take 2nd on the K putting both runners in scoring position.

2 down and Mori was up, but with 1st base open.  Certainly at this point Yoshinaga would pitch around him.  Instead, Mori tried to attack the pitches thrown when it was obvious that Yoshinaga was indeed giving him nothing to hit.  Mori grounds out to short, and that was that.  Unable to pull within a reasonable amount, the game was all but over for Kaisei.

Indeed they fell 11-8.

Now perhaps Mori rightly assumed that if he was walked, their chances of scoring would be diminished.  But down 3 with 4 outs remaining in the game, you have to keep the inning going at all costs, no matter what.  Even if it means you hand the baton off to someone else.

Nonetheless, Sanko survives the scare from Kaisei and moves on, one step closer to the title.

I'm sure anyone who's been following the tournament by now...

...knows that Sanko (aka Nichidai-san) won the 93rd Natsu Koushien outright against Kousei Gakuin. As expected, the Kousei batters did not let Yoshinaga get himself into trouble and thus had a relatively easy final.

I got a beer in the 8th, talked to the girl and told her this one was to "celebrate" their victory though I don't particularly like them for the reasons I stated earlier. She replied it was still the 8th, I said to be realistic and that down 9 runs it's not going to happen.

Oh, and how is it that the beer in Japan doesn't totally make me red in the face as much as it does in the states? I generally hate beer, but getting it here isn't bad. And no, it's not because the girls make the experience better (though they do). Oh to be young again.

Day 8 Recap

Day 8 started off great for me as I was able to sit in the Narashino oen-dan again before retreating to the shade of the infield.

Game 1- Meitoku Gijyuku (Kochi) vs. Narashino (Chiba)

So the game was pretty much all Narashino from start to finish. They scored 3 in the first, 2 in the 2nd and never looked back. Oono was on the mound today for Narashino and was dominant outside of a homerun he gave up to Kitagawa in the 4th.

About the only downside to the game was that there were 4 hit batters - the #3 and #4 batters Fujii and Minagawa, last batter Koyama, and pitcher Oono.

I know there's little retaliation in Japan baseball, though if you watched Mr. Baseball you'd think otherwise. But that's an odd bunch to hit.

Game 2 - Hachiman Shougyou (Shiga) vs. Teikyou (Higashi Tokyo)

The problem with leaving the alps section was that I needed to buy a ticket to get back in (they sell tickets based on sections, not individual seats).

Problem was, it was Obon and when I walked out there were lines everywhere. If I had ANY hope of getting back it I had to hop into the shortest line, which was the 3rd base alps.

By the time I had gotten back into the stadium, the game was entering the 4th inning. It was hot and miserable outside (as with every single day - when did it stop raining in Japan?) so about the top of the 7th inning I had to retreat into the concourse.

But what struck me about the game was that Itou wasn't starting for them for some reason. I can't read minds nor have I done any research since the game to figure out why this wasn't the case.

I did say before that Teikyou will never win Koushien until they get a true ace, and I didn't think Itou qualified, but he certainly seemed like their best option.Now that's not to say it was a bad decision per se, after all through 8 innings starter Watanabe had just given up 2 hits.

But as I watched on the monitors and heard the crowd outside, I saw with one down the next 3 batters for Hachiman reach base.

And then when Matsumoto bobbled that ball which brought in a run, well I though it was intersesting sure, but still down 2 and needing a base hit it didn't seem likely.

By this time many of the younger kids had run outside. I was a little lightheaded still so I watched on TV the amazement of Endou's ball just clearing the right field fence. Right field! Hitting a HR there is almost like hitting one to LF at Safeco, it rarely ever happens!

But more importantly, it was a manrui homerun that gave Hasshou the 5-3 lead!

Masano would come in to relieve Watanabe, but not before the big damage had been done. Instead of winning the game by 2, they were now trailing by 2 with just 3 outs left to go!

And I watched in amazement as the Teikyou batters went fairly quietly in the bottom of the 9th
as Hachiman Shougyou pulled off the upset!

So first it was Kyukoku, now Teikyou. Who would be next?

Game 3 - Sakushin Gakuin (Tochigi) vs. Karatsu Shougyou (Saga)

Looking at this game, did I think Karatsu Shougyou have a chance to win it all? Not especially, and when you think about Kitakata Yuujyou's control, it seems like they may have little at all.

But I did think they stood a better chance than Sakushin Gakuin. In most cases, a pitcher's control issues will usually fail them a little later (though in Teikyou's case it was much earlier).

And early on in the game, it was Karatsu Shougyou who was leading the way with a run inthe 1st and another in the 3rd.
Sakushin would finally get a run thanks to a wild pitch on a strikeout no less.

And then one inning later, a hit batsmen combined with a relay throw error by Matsumoto led to the tying and the gyakuten run in the 5th! This while ace Ootani was shutting down the Karatsu offense.

With time running down, Karatsu did start creating scoring opportunities. The 7th they had the tying run in scoring position with 2 outs, then in the 8th with just one, and in the 9th with none! But in every single case, both Ootani and reliever Iino would shut down the threat meaning that Sakushin Gakuin advances to take on to face the aforementioned Hachiman Shougyou.

Game 4 - Jyosuikan (Hiroshima) vs. Higashi-Osakadai Kashiwara (Osaka)

Each of the teams playing here defeated an opponet who has pulled off an upset in their prefectural taikais. Jyosuikan in Seki Shoukou (Oogaki Nichidai) and Shigakukan (Aikoudai Meiden) for Higashi-Osakadai.

Again, I went and favored the team that had the experience, which would be Jyosuikan.

As the game started though, it was a lot closer. Jyousuikan had the early opportunity in the 1st, but it was Kashiwara who scored the first run on a double by Matsunami in the bottom of the 2nd. An RBI triple by Kanao though the very next inning tied it right back up again.

Once again, in the 5th Kashiwara would retake the lead on a double by Matsumoto Taiki.

And with the score still at 2-1, things would start to get really weird in the 7th.

With 2 down for Jyosuikan, Kanao gets hit, Shimazaki doubles, and then Tanaka walks to load the bases.

Kimura then hits a groundball right to 2B Nakagawa...

...except it goes right through the wickets! 2 runs come in to score on the error and now Jyosuikan leads 3-2. Add in one more when Yasuhara singles and it's a 2-run lead! Kashiwara's own Shirane comes in to record the final out, but Jyosuikan might be finally hitting it's stride.

Bottom 7 now and the top of the order is due up for Kashiwara. Izumi comes in to PH for Mochidzuki and promptly singles to center. After a bunt and another single, there's runners at the corners for Ishikawa.

Ishikawa hits a grounder to 3rd. Higuchi's throw causes a collision between 1B Kanao and Ishikawa. Izumi scores on the error, but unbenounced to Kanao, Taiki had been running from 1st the whole time and was heading home! By the time Kanao realized this it was too late and it was a tie ball game!

But though it was a tie game, the pressure was on Higashi-Osakadai Kashiwara. Jyosuikan was putting undo pressure on Shirane. If Kashiwara was going to win this, they'd have to do it in regulation. And they had that chance in the 9th. 2 outs, runner on 1st, Ishikawa singles then Nishida gets an infield single when no one was covering 1st. The winning run 90 feet away, Yamazaki stands in to get the run home. But he strikes out looking to end the inning.

And by this time it was too late. Jyosuikan would put 3 on the board in the 10th and that was all she wrote for the newcomers.

Before I work on more recaps...

...I will never, ever, EVER, root for Nichidai-san. They are officially my arch-nemesis. And I don't particularly want to talk about the game even though Narashino deserved to lose that game.

Day 7 Recap

Yeah, the lack of sleep really got to me. I wound up oversleeping on Day 7 and arriving at Koushien late. By the time I had gotten there, the first two innings of the first game had completed.

Game 1 - Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri (Nagano) vs. Meihou (Oita)
Well, to say that Meihou would have been a favorite in this game probably would have been right, but then again a lot of Meihou's success before was with Imamiya, and of course he's not there anymore, so it's really up to the next group to pick up the flag as it were. And if nothing else, they did get back here.

And after quickly settling in, it was apparent that Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri was struggling on offense, while Meihou was putting pressure on ace Sagamihara.

The flood gates finally opened in the 6th. After back-to-back triples, Satou is called out on strikes. However, C Furuya goes to the home plate umpire and has the K recalled back as a foul ball. Mind you, this was on a 3-2 count. With new life, he actually earns a walk and continues what would be a 6-run inning.

Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri made a late run and actually cut the deficit in half, but Okamoto who had come in to relieve Takao closed the job.


Game 2 - Tsuruoka Higashi (Yamagata) vs. Chiben Gakuen (Nara)
So Chiben Gakuen should have just been defaulted in as the Nara representative when Tenri withdrew. It's almost like clockwork how those two teams qualify.

But if there's one thing I've learned, it's that generally without competition it's hard to take the team to the next level.

While Nara has 2 teams, Yamagata is a bit jumbled with several teams that are above the prefectural average, but no one that really stands out.

Neither team really gained any traction in the game until the 4th when the first 3 batters for Chiben Gakuen reached safely eventually resulting in 2 runs. Tsuruoka came back and manufactured a run in the 5th but never really challenged with any scoring chances thereafter. Chiben Gakuen wins rather pedestrianly 2-1.


Game 3 - Takasaki Kenkoudai Fukushi (Gunma) vs. Yokohama (Kanagawa)
So Takasaki Kenkoudai's day of reckoning with Yokohama finally came. As much as I was down on Yokohama, I didn't think this would be the game they would trip up in.

And after quickly building a 5-0 lead, it seemed like it was all by the book.

Then in the post-break inning for Takasaki Kenkoudai Fukuishi, the unthinkable started happening.

Yanagi who had given up some hits here and there, started giving them up in bunches. Outside of a sac bunt, 5 batters reached safely with a double from Uno making it 5-3 that would knock him out. Souma was one out away from getting out of the jam when top batter Koike tripled to right tying the game at 5!

I mean, I knew Yokohama was beatable, but not like this!

Worse yet, Yokohama's offense had stalled against ace Katagai! Now all Takasaki had to do was to score a run and the upset may be theirs!

The problem was they couldn't get anything going either.

So the game went into enchousen where Nagasaka had a 2-out single and stole 2nd. Uno put a ball through the left side, but when Nagasaka was rounding for home, it was obvious that he'd be out. I think it was a matter of desperation as they need a run soon because I don't think they could have lasted much longer.

And sure enough in the bottom of the 10th, the game ended when Takasaki singled in Date.


Game 4 - Kanazawa (Ishikawa) vs. Seikou Gakuin (Aomori)
If there was one thing that I could tell about Kanazawa is that ace Kamata had learned to dial it down a bit to gain control.

And it was showing against Seikou Gakuin. He was limiting the offense quite a bit but still gave up the opening run.

That lasted for 2 inning when errors by Seikou Gakuin led to Kanazawa taking the lead 2-1. They extended the lead to 3 thanks to some errors and the lead seemed to be dormy.

Seikou Gakuin though started making some runs when they manufactured one in the 8th to cut the lead to 2, and then in the 9th worked the bases loaded with 2 outs. However Nakamura would not be able to get the timely hit and Kaanzawa would advance.

Day 6 Recap

Day 6
Day 6 is where I think my body started to hit a wall. I hadn't been getting much sleep each night (about 4-5 hours) and the extra walking plus being outside took it's toll to the point that (a) I got sick partially thanks to the A/C, and (b) I started nodding off at games.

Game 1 - Kaisei (Nagasaki) vs. Touyoudai Himeji (Hyogo)
So the other Kaisei got to play today against no pushover in Touyoudai Himeji. Last time ther were at Koushien was when I was there last.

They actually did keep up with them for 3 innings before giving up their first run, but their offense never really did get started and as a result went down quietly 4-0. If not for the 3-run HR given up in the 8th it would probably more reflect thier performance as ace Makise and reliever Nagae (who had to come in because of an injury in the 4th) held the Himeji offense in check.


Game 2 - Kousei Gakuin (Aomori) vs. Senshuudai Tamana (Kumamoto)
I was actually excited to see Senshuudai Tamana. It seemed like there were competing year after year, but never making it. So to seem them here was great.

And then the game started...

It was innocent at first, with both teams being held scoreless. But then in the 3rd, after the first 3 peopel reach, Ameku singled to right, then Kawakami hit a grand slam homerun and the game was blown wide open. The final damage would be 16-1 in favor of Kousei.


Game 3 - Fujishiro (Ibaraki) vs. Tokushima Shougyou (Tokushima)
Fujishiro was one of those "cardiac kid" teams that won their bid by coming back to beat Kasumigaura 6-5. They drew Tokushima Shougyou who isn't a bad team for being where they're from.

In the game itself, it was Fujishiro who opened the scoring with a run in the first. And perhaps I thought that there was more to this team. However Tokusho was able to string some hits together for a pair of runs in the 4th, and add another in the 5th to give them a 3-1 lead. Tatsuta did the rest, giving up just 1 run on 4 hits for the win.


Game 4 - Kyushu Kokusaidai Fuzoku (Fukuoka) vs. Kanzei (Okayama)
As much as I irrationally like Kanzei, I am a realist for the most part and I realized that drawing Kyukoku was probably one of the worst 1st round draws to have.

Early on though, while Miyoshi was having little problem with the Kanzei batters, Kanzei ace Mizuhara was actually standing up well to the Kyukoku hitters.

But when Mizuhara walked in a run in the 4th I thought this was where Kanzei was going to break down.

On the contrary, in the bottom half cleanup batter Watanabe hits a ball deep to left and to my surprise leaves the yard for a solo shot tying the game at 1!

Even more surprising was that as I checked my scorebook in the 8th I had to do a double take. Not only had Mizuhra held his own, he had limited Kyukoku to just 4 hits! 4!!

And when an error leads to a run for Kanzei in the bottom of the 8th I thought to myself, "Surely I can't be seeing what I'm seeing, right?"

Well going to top 9 and the last 3 outs for Kyukoku, they had their 3-4-5 batters coming up.

And naturally Miyoshi hits a ball that deflects off a diving 3B for a double.

"It's never easy with Kanzei", I said to myself.

And after a K, Ryuu lines a double to right and just like that we were tied back up at 2. Mizuhara would shut it down from there, but into enchousen we would go.

Looking at the scorebook, I noticed that not only did Kanzei was the home team, but that they had their middle of the lineup coming first before Kyukoku.

But after Mizuhara sits down the 8-9-1 batters with little trouble and a nice play from the defense, Kanzei too would go down in order as their 3-4-5 batters were retired in relatively quick succession.

So while the game continued, the advanage at this point was back in Kyukoku"s favor.

But once again, Mizuhara works the count a bit high, but gets the job done.

Kanzei in the bottom half of the 11th gave themselves their own sayonara opportuniy with a 1-out double by Mizuhara himself. After Seki Takanori K's it'd be down to #9 batter Fujii.

And he singles to right! Mizuhara is being waved in but...

Well, let's just say they were a little too ambitious... and we went to the 12th.

There Mizuhara continued to dominated the Kyukoku offense to my surprise while opportunites abounded for Kanzei.

Bottom 12, leadoff walk to Ogura. Successfully sacrificed over, he advances to 3rd on a wild patch on ball 4 to Satou.

So the sayonara run is 90 feet away with cleanup batter Watanabe up.

He hits a hard ball to the right side where Hirabaru takes it and fires home...

but Ogura is called safe! Kanzei wins! Kanzei wins!

KANZEI WINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Needless to say I was shocked, along with the majority of people at the stadium (except for the homers from Okayama of course).

So one of the favorites went down, and to one of my irrational favorites to boot.

And it wouldn't be the last one.

Small jump ahead

So just do I don' fall completely behind, I'm going to quickly go over the Best 8 matchups:

Day 12, Game 1 - Touyoudai Himeji (Hyogo) vs. Kousei Gakuin (Aomori)
So these two teams probably came out of the weakest brackets in the field. With no Ryuukokudai Heian to challenge them, Himeji cleared the 4-team bracket, though Shin-Minato gave them fits for 8 innings.

Kousei Gakuin did struggle with Tokushima Shougyou who is an upper mid-range team.

Neither team really stood out to me in any way, though if I were to pick a winner I may go with Kousei Gakuin.

Day 12, Game 2 - Jyosuikan (Hiroshima) vs. Kanzei (Okayama)
Um, even though I irrationally root for Kanzei, can I raise my hand and say I never saw this coming?

First defeating Kyukoku, one of the favorites to win it all, then Meihou who isn't quite the same without Imamiya.

Jyosuikan basically outlasted all three of their opponents, which in a close game as this one may very well be, it could be to their advantage. The only thing is, it's arguable now that Kanzei is none of those teams.

I'd like Kanzei to win, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Day 13, Game 1 - Chiben Gakuen (Nara) vs. Sakushin Gakuin (Tochigi)
Yokohama was supposed to win Chiben Gakuen's bracket, but something funny happened on the way there. I did think Yokohama was beatable, but not in the manner they lost.

Also, it was supposed to be the familiar Chiben Wakayama that had a better chance of being here than their Nara counterpart, yet the reverse is true. If nothing else, Chiben Gakuen has the no-panic attitude of their well known sister school.

The same could be said for Sakushin Gakuin. Teikyou was by far the favorite, but their lack of a true ace cost them in the end. With them gone, the bracket opened up. Now Sakushin Gakuin did have good wins against Karatsu Shougyou and the surprise Hachiman Shougyou.

I remember telling someone that I'd not root for Chiben Gakuen, and I think I'll favor Sakushin Gakuin. Outside of the 9th inning against Yokohama, they have shown little.

Day 13, Game 2 - Narashino (Chiba) vs. Nichidai-san (Nishi Tokyo)
Deanna, I guess we're on different sides again.

I like what I've seen out of Naraahino, though the game yesterday vs. Kanazawa scared me to death.

Nichdai-san has been, well... Nichidai-san showing their scoring abilities against squads like Kaisei (Shimane) and Chiben Wakayama.

But, like Yokohama, I think there's a good sized weak spot that I think they recognize they'll significantly increase their chances.

I want to pick Narashino, but it's not a guarantee at all.