7/9 Update - Keep calm and scramble on...

During the week most prefectures are off on qualifying except for the Kyushu region.  Some though with the sheer amount of schools have no choice but to continue playing through the week.

Gunma
8 games in play yesterday, and there was quite a few heart-stoppers.

At Shikishima, Tone Shougyou scores a run in the 7th and 8th innings and holds of Tatebayashi for the 3-2 win.  Moving to Takasaki, Nishioura fights hard against Tone Jitsugyou in the late innings and a 3-spot in the bottom of the 8th is just enough to win 6-5.

And best of all in Kiryuu, Shiritsu Maebashi scores 4 runs in their last 6 outs to tie at 5 against Tokiwa, then had to score a run in the bottom of the 10th to keep the game going... where it ended in a 6-6 draw!  Fortunately, the draw is in an early round that whomever wins gets 4 days off before their next game.

Ibaraki
There was more of the same here in Ibaraki:

• At Mito Municipal, Sakai trailed Mito Dai-ichi for 6 innings before scoring a pair of runs in the 7th and 8th to win 4-2.
• In Ibaraki Prefectural, Asou had to play catchup in the late innings against Iwai, tying the game twice, and the only lead they had was when they won the game in the bottom of the 10th.
• Over at Tsuchirura Tsuchiura Dai-ni sent out 5 pitchers to stave off Edogawa Gakuen 6-5.
• Moving on to Hitachi Naka Municipal Kamisu's Tanabe barely made a 6-run 4th stick against Kaiyou to win 6-5.

Higashi Tokyo
Only 5 games in Higashi Tokyo, all at either Meiji Jingu or Jingu #2.

Showa Tetsudo, who has a really cool building, outlasted Nakano Kougyou 14-8 in the opening game at the main stadium.  Shukutoku Sugamo staved off a mercy rule loss to Arakawa Kougyou in the 5th, but couldn't complete a comeback losing 10-7.

Fukuoka
The scares continue in Fukuoka.  Minami F-Block seed Fukuokadai Oohori made a single run in the 1st stick to get past Shuuyuukan 1-0. But for the most part, seeded teams like Toukai Dai-go and Ikutokukan got by with ease.

Saga
Midori no Mori still 1 day behind in games thanks to an opening day rainout.  Karatsu Nishi holds off Karatsu Seishou 5-4.

Blue Stadium opened on time, and there we had Kishima Shougyou using a 4-run 6th to tie the game against Kanzaki, winning it in the bottom of the 9th.

Nagasaki
6 games in Nagasaki today, and of note Isahaya Nougyou scrambles in the 7th and 8th innings for 4 runs to defeat Nagasaki Kakuyou 7-6.  Also one of my favorite teams, the seeded Seihou, started off slow defeated Chinzei Gakuin 3-0.

Kumamoto
Things relatively quiet in Kumamoto.  Mostly blowouts, and 5-Seed Toukaidai Seishou had no issues with Yatsushiro.

Oita
Same in Oita.  Tsurusaki Kougyou, Yufu and Touin all advance with no issues.

Miyazaki
Seeded teams kicked off yesterday.  Nichinan Gakuen, Nisshou Gakuen, and Nobeoka Gakuen all advanced, though Nisshou Gakuen only got by Nichinan 3-0.

Kagoshima
(This update covers all games from opening to yesterday)

So opening day in Kagoshima gave those that stayed after the ceremony a good show.  Kagoshima Jyousei trailed Tanegashima 2-0 before scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th and held on for the win.

First full day of action was rather uneventful with mostly blowouts.  Tokunoshima did break a scoreless draw with 2 in the 7th to defeat Izumi Chuo, and Sensatsu Seishuukan used a 4-run 8th to break a 3-3 tie over Hayato Kougyou and win 7-5.

On the 8th, there was 2 close games - Kagoshima Gyokuryuu scored a run in the 8th and 9th to defeat Kagoshima Suisan 2-1 in the bottom of the 9th while Koniya used a 4-run 8th to pass Kanoya Nougyou 6-3.

Same with yesterday - mostly non-competive games.  But Kagoshima Tousen held off a 9th inning rally from Tsurumaru to win 2-1, while Satsuma Chuo won their 2nd game over Takeokadai 2-0.

Interestingly though, in the final game at Kamoike, the combined team of Ariake・Kushira Shougyou・Minami-Oosumi did actually win their first game, and in convincing fashion over Sueyoshi 8-1 in 7 innings.

7/8 Update - 1st main wave of prefecturals underway! (Kinki to Kyushu areas)

And westward ho we continue!

Osaka
First full day of games started on the 7th and nothing really of note.  Some teams like Riseisha and Osaka Touin won't play until next week.

It was a bit of a thud for Aino as they opened the tournament at the Kyocera Dome with a 14-0 loss to Kita-Kawachi Satsukigaoka.  Hannan managed to play a full game in the follow-up but lost 8-3 to Nisshin.

Hyogo
Remember Sumoto? Back in 2012 they got to 春甲子園 losing to Naruto 2-1 in the opening round.  Here they opened the Hyogo tournament at Akashi Tocalo versus Tomioka and won a hard-fought close game to win 4-3.

And on the 7th, over in Handkerchief Memorial Nigawa Gakuin rallied from down 8-1 with 10 unanswered runs for the gyakuten victory over Takaradzuka.

Fukuoka
Opening games in Kurume on the 6th were rained out, and the game of Kanda Kougyou vs. Tagawa Kagaku Gijyutsu were actually rained out 2 straight days.  When they finally played on the 8th, Kanda Kougyou won 13-2 in 5 innings.

The other match-up saw Fukuoka Dai-ichi edge out Hakuryou 4-3, then because of the schedule had to turnaround and play Ukiha Kyuushinkan the next day.  Not a problem because they won 12-2 in 6 innings thanks to an 8-run 6th.

In other games, Nishi-Nippon Tankidai Fuzoku had the unfortunate draw of an extra game, but Miike Kougyu 8-0 in 7.  Kashii Kougyou managed to tie the game against Ariake Tousen at 2-2 but lost 3-2 in 10.  And Yahata Chuo managed to outlast Wakamatsu 4-3 in a 13 inning marathon.

Two games went into enchousen scoreless.  Yanagigawa defeated Chikushigaoka with a run in the 10th while Kaho bid sayonara to Tokiwa also in the 10th.

Seeded Moji Gakuen had to scramble to make an early 4-0 lead over Sue stick, winning 8-6.  The same could not be said for Kyushu Kokusaidai Fuzoku who was shutout 3-0 by Koga Kyouseikan!  And in a 3-3 in surprises at Kita-Kyushu Municipal, Iiduzka was in a close match with Shinguu before adding insurance runs in the 9th - but still managed to win by the small margin of 5-3.

Things did not improve over at Kasuga prefectural.  Chikuyou Gakuen managed the only run in the game against Seinan Gakuin, while Kurume Shougyou had to rally to defeat Yame 4-3!

And while they're not seeded, Fukuoka Koudai Jyoutou also won a slim 1-0 game to Fukuoka Kourinkan.

I'm sure by the time things end we'll probably see a regular in the finals.  But right now, the seeded teams look less than dominating and it's all up in the air right now.

Saga
Rain plagued Saga's opening day as well, pushing back games a day.  When the games finally began, Imari Shougyou gave the fans a show as they walked off against Karatsu Kougyou 2-1.

Nagasaki
Apparently Kyushu continues to have close games.  Kouka trailed Hokushou Nishi 2-0, tied it in the 8th and said sayonara in the 10th to advance.

Kumamoto
Oguni continued the trend, breaking a 3-3 tie with Shouyou with a run in the 11th on opening day, then Kumamoto Gakuendai Fuzoku rallying twice to win 3-2 in the bottom of the 9th over Tamana.

However, when it comes to the better teams in the prefecture, it's more business as usual with Kumamoto Kougyou and Hitsuyuukan advancing.

And I finally had a score that made me really cringe.  Tamana Kougyou scores no less than 5 runs in an inning blowing out Amakusa Kuratake 42-0 in 5 innings.

Oita
No real blowouts in Oita so far, with all games going 9 innings, and the largest winning margin being just 3 runs.  On opening day Oita Tsurusaki rallied from down 4-0 to take a 7-4 lead over Oita Kougyou, blew that lead in the final 2 innings before scoring the sayonara run in the 9th.

The first full slate of games saw Usa scoring the only run over Nakatsu Minami to win their game, then Beppu Shougyou erasing a 3-0 lead, scoring 2 in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Hita 4-3.

And today, Usa Sangyou Kagaku made a 2-0 lead over Usuki stick winning 2-1, and despite scoring a run in the first 5 innings, Mori needed one more in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Kunisaki 6-5, and former 甲子園 participant Hita Rinkou had one of the more "easier" games defeating Oita Houfu 5-2.

Miyazaki
Miyazaki was more "normal" in what you'd you see early on.  That's not to say we had close game here either.

Saito Shougyou held of an late rally from Hyuuga Gakuin to win 4-3, and Miyakonojyou rallied late to send the game against Miyakonojyou Shougyou into enchousen and won 6-5 in 12.  And in a intra-city affair Hyuuga gives up an early 2-0 lead to Hyuuga Kougyou, then comes back from down 5-2 to win 6-5 in the bottom of the 9th.

Kagoshima
I just realized I hadn't translated this bracket.  This will have to be done today, and I'll have an update on it in a separate post. (ごめん！)

Okinawa
Okinawa in the 2nd weekend seemed to start off rather innocuously.  Teams like Okinawa Suisan and Futenma advanced without incident.

But then turn to the 30th, and all heck broke loose.  Ginowan, generally a good team, loses 5-4 to Kitanakagusuku.  The biggest upset goes to Misato who went 14 innings against seeded Hokuzan and won 2-1!  That opens it up for Kounan, who has scored double digits in their 2 games so far.

Onto the 3rd week, and Gushikawa was involved in their 2nd extra inning game, this time losing 5-4 to Misato Kougyou 5-4 in 14 innings.  Seeded Mawashi was challenged by Futenma, but managed to win 3-0 but will have another tough matchup in Okinawa Suisan.  Even the fall Kyushu Super-Regional champions Okinawa Shougaku had an 8-4 win over Chuubu Shougyou, but gave up some runs late.  Yaeyama, on the other hand dealt with Yokatsu 6-3.

In other games, Urasoe Shougyou looks to be in rebuild mode, surviving Tomoshiro 3-1 and Chinen fought hard for a 3-1 win in 14 over Nanbu Kougyou.  Yaeyama Shoukou scored in 7 of the 8 innings to win 12-7 over Okinawa Tousen.  It doesn't look look for their prospects this year.

7/8 Update - 1st main wave of prefecturals underway! (Hokkaido to Chuubu areas)

19 of 47 tournaments are now underway, and 2 of them are in the round of 16(ish).

Kita Hokkaido
Not too many upsets to speak of in regional play, and we're down to our final 16.  Asahikawa Kougyou is still alive for a 2nd straight appearance, but struggled against Asahikawa Shougyou in the regional block final.  In fact none of the teams that advanced look like they could run away with it all, and the teams that had blowouts in their final are from areas not known for strong teams.

This could open it for teams like Engaru, Kitami Hokuto, and Asahikawa Ryuukoku this year.  But as far as I'm concerned it's all up in the air.

Minami Hokkaido
We had some theatrics before reaching the final 15.  While it may not matter in the long-run, for Otaru Ouyou to rally from down 10-3 with just 9 outs left to win 13-12 over Otaru Kougyou in their 1st game is rather amazing.  Unfortunately, while they tried to pull it off again against Otaru Suisan and went from 4-0 to tied at 4, ace Tanabe couldn't keep it tied as they lost 5-4.

In the Sapporo regionals, Sapporo Dai-ichi led Shoushi Gakuen 3-0 going into the top of the 9th, but as they say, the final 3 outs are the hardest to get.  And despite Sapporo Dai-ichi being the more experienced team, they fell victim to the saying and 5 runs later, were eliminated.

For Sapporo Ryuukoku, who earlier pulled off a huge upset in Hokkai, they couldn't parlay that into a 2nd stage appearance, giving up 4 runs in the first to Sapporo Okadama losing 5-3.

The draw is out here for the 2nd stage as well, and Hakodate Chuubu gets the benefit of a 1st round bye.  It won't be much benefit though as they will have to play either Hakodatedai Yuuto or the aforementioned Sapporo Okadama.  Komadai Tomakomai gets a rather easy draw as they are on the opposite side of both Hokushou and Sapporo Nichidai (who could face each other in the quarterfinals).

I do like Hakodatedai Yuuto in this scenario.

Gunma
3 days in and quite a few seeded teams are underway.  Maebashi Ikuei and Kendai Takasaki both cruised as well as 5-8 seed Maebashi Kougyou.  Kiryuu Shiritsu Shougyou survived in walk-off fashion against Takasaki Shoudai Fuzoku and looks to be in a lot of trouble.

So does 3-4 seed Numata as today they needed a 4-run 7th to defeat Isesaki Kougyou 6-4.

Ibaraki
Ibaraki with mostly blowouts, though we had a couple of walk-offs on the first full day of action.  Tokiwadai couldn't hold a 1-run lead in the 9th, but won the very next inning over Toride Shouyou.  Tsuchiura Dai-san did the same to Iwase Nichidai in the 10th inning as well.

Highlights of today's action had Nakaminato Dai-ichi scoring 5 unanswered runs in the late innings to defeat Ryuugasaki Minami 6-5, at Hitachi Ibaraki Christian scoring 2 in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Hitachi Shougyou 5-4,and at Kasama Shimodate Kougyou outlasting Tskuba Kouka 2-1 in 11.

We won't see the seeded teams until the 12th.

Nishi Tokyo/Higashi Tokyo
Nishi Tokyo is rather quiet on their first day with little of note to speak of.  In Higashi Tokyo it was mostly the same, with a couple of exceptions.  Meguro Gakuin rallied from down 3-0 to tie it in the bottom of the 9th against Shinjuku and would eventually win in 12.  And over at Oota Stadium, Risshoudai Risshou scored 4 in the 9th to defeat Katsushika Shougyou 9-6.

Kanagawa
Kanagawa had their opening game at Baystars Stadium and Keiou Fujisawa had no problem with Kaiyou Kagaku 8-0 in a 7 inning game.

Gifu
It was a slow start to the Gifu tournament as games at Nagarakawa were called off due to rain.  This after they tried to get Chuukyou-Gifu in but was rained out with Chuukyou leading 2-0 after their part of the 3rd inning.

The only game of the opening day was played over in Oogaki as Oogaki Shougyou scored 7 unanswered runs to defeat Nourin 11-6.

Those rained out games were played the next day, pushing the scheduled games back a week.  Chuukyou still managed to win their game while Gizan blew out Kani Kougyou.

Aichi
Those who stayed at Mizuho Kouen for the opening game were treated to a low-scoring affair as Tougou eked by with a 1-0 win over the prefecture's namesake.

Aichi's first full day went without hitch with again mostly blowouts.  Inuyama Minami scored 4 runs in the final 3 innings to wipe out a 4-1 deficit to defeat Asahino 5-4.

At Kariya Stadium, Toyoda Kougyou pulled out to a 5-2 lead with 6 outs to go before Komaki Kougyou scrambled to level it at 5 in the bottom of the 9th.  However, they couldn't capitalize and would wind up losing in 13.  And in the game after that Iwadzu scored 2 in the 8th to tie it at 2 all over Kasugai Kougyou, but ace Shibata couldn't hold it, giving up the winning run in the bottom of the inning.

And over in Toyohashi, some home cooking was needed as Toyohashi Minami scored the only run of the game in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Kozakai.

6/28 Update - To the ends of Japan!

(FYI, all updates on the brackets can be found in the opening Natsu Koushien qualifying post.)

Ok, so here's where the ends of Japan stand.  And just for kicks we'll start from the south in Okinawa.

Only one of the seeded teams played on opening weekend, and it didn't look good.  Koza may be no slouch, but they almost upset Yaeyama falling 3-2.  Yaeyama Shoukou looked good in their opening game while Urasoe Shougyou did not edging Ginowan 4-2.

We've had really exciting games as Naha scores a run in the 8th, 9th and 10th innings to bid Nanbu Nougyou sayonara 7-6.  Gushikawa looked to be in the clear with 2 in the 12th over Urasoe Kogyou but almost gave it up winning 3-2.  And in a compete barn-burner, Miyako Kougyou led Yaeyama Nougyou 11-0 after 3, then held on for dear life as they won 12-10!

Moving on to Minami Hokkaido, and there was a shocker early.  At Sapporo Maruyama, Sapporo Ryuukoku upset Hokkai thanks to a 6-run 6th and are still alive with one more game against Sapporo Okudama before reaching the 2nd stage.  Elsewhere Sapporo Dai-ichi and Sapporo Nichidai got off to a good start in their first game.

In Otaru, only Hokushou really is relevant, and they just finished their first game with no issues in a 10-0, 5 inning win over Kucchan Nougyou.

Moving south to the Muroran region, Komadai Tomakomai has advanced to their block final, but have not looked impressive and will need to get past Tomakomai Higashi to reach the 2nd stage.  Hokkaido Sakae also looks poised to advance as well.

And in Hakodate, the two top seeds - Hakodatedai Hakuryou and Hakodate LaSalle will play tomorrow to advance out of their respective blocks.  LaSalle though is in more jeopardy having survived a 3-2 14-inning game against Hakodate Shougyou, then surviving 12-7 over Hakodate Tousen.  And in the final block, both of the secondary seeds have lost, though you can't blame Hakodate Ootani as they lost to a surprisingly unseeded Hakodatedai Yuuto.

Finally, in Kita Hokkaido realistically won't begin until the 2nd stage.  Yet, you still have to get there, and Komadai Iwamizawa almost got tripped up in their very first game. Against Takigawa Kougyou, they went into extras and fell behind 4-2 in the 13th inning.  It could have been the pressure of beating a well known team but whatever the case they couldn't hold it and Komadai came back for the 5-4 win.

In the Asahikawa regionals, Asahikawa Ryuukoku breezed through their first game, while Asahikawa Jitsugyou as a seeded team were blanked in their first game 6-0.    Kitami has gone rather normally with Engaru and Kitami Hokuto looking solid to start.  And Shirakaba Gakuen just needs to get past Obihiro Sanjyou to get out of Tokachi into the 2nd stage.

So nothing really of note there I guess for the major teams.  But for those who toil and probably are longshots, winning games and getting as far as they can means something.  Furano Ryokuhou led Rumoi 5-0 after the top of the 7th.  But Rumoi found a second gear and scored 4 in the 7th, 2 in the 8th and the sayonara run in the 9th to win 7-6.  Nakashibetsu was 3 outs away from the block final but gave up 4 runs to Kushiro Koryou to lose 5-3.  Kami-Furano looked to upset Asahikawadai, but fell apart in the 12th to lose 7-3.  Shiranuka led Kushiro Hokuyou 4-3 going into the bottom of the 9th but ace Sakimoto couldn't close it out and lost 5-4.

And finally, Komadai Iwamizawa's block final opponent, Sunagawa, trailed 4-1 going into the bottom of the 9th against Iwamizawa Higashi, found a way to tie it up and then won it in the 10th.

95th Natsu Koushien Qualifying (Updated 7/9)

So, to my surprise, the field was not expanded this year.  Not sure why not, but we're back to 49 teams once again this year.

Okinawa starts today, and I am working on the brackets.  Sadly PDF to excel conversion fails when it comes to brackets, so... no shortcuts for me.

Anyways, all brackets are completed and are up to date as of games on 7/9.

The links are here: Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Hokushinetsu, Chuubu, Kinki, Chuugoku, Shikoku, Kyushu

Haru Taikai Recap 3 - Chuugoku to Kyushu

Chuugoku Super-Regional
Shimane is the host this year, and so qualifies 4 teams while all other prefectures send 1:

• Okayama - Okayama Ridaifuzoku
• Hiroshima - Setouchi
• Tottori - Yonago Kita
• Yamaguchi - Takagawa Gakuen
• Shimane - Kaisei, Risshoudai Shounan, Izumo Nishi, Oki

Okayama's spring taikai was in 2 stages, with 24 teams qualifying for the 2nd stage.  Perhaps the favorite, Kanzei, reached the quarterfinals before giving up the lead to Okayama Jyoutou, falling 5-3.  Kurashiki Shougyou reached the semifinals before falling flat to eventual champions Okayama Ridaifuzoku.  They weren't necessarily dominant in their title run though - including coming back to defeat Okayama-ken Kyousei 7-6 so the prefecture probably remains open to all especially since Kanzei didn't look good at Senbatsu.

Hiroshima's taikai had 43 teams, including the prefectural stalwarts Jyosuikan and Kouryou.  But both would be upstaged by the same team - the champions Setouchi.  They defeated Kouryou first 5-2 in the quarterfinals, then blanked Jyosuikan 3-0 (striking out 14!) in the semifinals.  Both probably behind the ace Yamaoka Taisuke (山岡 泰輔), who apparently has a twitter account.  Anyways, in the final, he scattered 10 hits to Hiroshima Shinjyou en route to a 3-1 win.

What is interesting is that in those final 3 games he struck out 15, 14 and 15 batters. That's right, he struck out 15 Kouryou and 14 Jyosuikan batters!  This while having a fastball that apparently can tough 140 kph.

Tottori Jyouhoku led the field of seeded teams, but couldn't get past their first game, losing to Yazu 11-5.  Yazu isn't really a pushover so it's not that bad of a loss.  That win helped propel the team forward, where they faced another seeded team in Yonago Kita.  But the duo of Endou and Ukeshima held the Yazu squad to just 1 run, allowing their team to come back with 2 in the 6th for the 2-1 victory.

Yamaguchi is also a 2-stage spring taikai.  But from there teams such as Nanyou Kougyou, Ube Shougyou and Iwakuni all failed to advance to the Final 8.  Nanyou Kougyou coughed up a lead to Karyou, Ube Shougyou couldn't make a lead last to Ube, and Iwakuni lost to Yanai Gakuen 4-3 in 12 in their first game.

There were some familiar representatives including Ube Koujyou, the aforementioned Karyou, and Hayatomo.

Hayatomo would have one disastrous inning against Suo-Oshima giving up 7 runs in a 7-2 loss. Ube Koujyou would go through 2 close games - first a 5-4 win over Karyou, then using a 3-run Lucky 7 to get past the aforementioned Suo-Oshima 3-2 to reach the final.  Their opponent would be Takagawa Gakuen, who had no problems with Nagato and Hikari.

Surprisingly, Takagawa Gakuen's ace Hamamoto Shou (浜本 翔) limited Ube Koujyou to just 2 hits while striking out 5 and walking 1 in a 3-0 shutout!

Shimane also had a 2-stage taikai, with 15 groups and fall champ Masuda Shouyou getting a free pass to the 2nd stage.  Risshoudai Shounan and Kaisei also advanced, and both actually in workmanlike fashion got to the finals.  But Kaisei's ace Oda would somehow yield just 2 hits, but walked 8 and still managed to give up just 1 run for a 6-1 win.  Izumo Nishi would bid sayonara to the island school of Oki for 3rd place (though both advanced so Oki really didn't say "goodbye").

So with 8 teams and 4 from Shimane, they obviously would be broken up with the remaining prefectures drawing a spot against each of the teams:

• Kaisei (Shimane 1) vs. Okayama Ridai Fuzoku (Okayama 1)
• Oki (Shimane 4) vs. Takagawa Gakuen (Yamaguchi 1)
• Risshoudai Shounan (Shimane 2) vs. Yonago Kita (Tottori 1)
• Izumo Nishi (Shimane 3) vs. Setouchi (Hiroshima 1)

Not surprisingly, Shimane's 3/4 teams didn't get past the first game.  What was surprising though was that both gave their opponents a tough game.

Oki actually led Takigawa Gakuen before giving up the lead in the 8th.  They actually tied the game in the top of the 9th before losing it in sayonara fashion.  Again.  Setouchi actually led Izumo Nishi comfortably 8-3, but Izumo scored 3 in the 8th to make things interesting.

Kaisei actually blew their 8-3 lead in the 8th inning to Okayama Ridai Fuzoku, but won in the bottom of the 10th.  Only Risshoudai Shounan had an easy go with a 6 inning shutout the Tottori champs.

The good times did not roll for the hometown teams though.  Both were mercy ruled in 7 in the semifinals!!  Setouchi defeated Risshoudai Shounan 9-2, and somehow Takagawa Gakuen scored 7 runs on 4 hits (and 6 walks) to shutout Kaisei 7-0!

In the final, Takagawa Gakuen took a 3-0 lead in the 2nd on Setouchi and managed to stay one step ahead of Setouchi's rallies to win 6-5 for their first spring title!

Chuugoku Super-Regional
Each team qualified 2 for the Super-Regional so it's reach the finals and move on.

• Kagawa - Jinsei Gakuen, Kotohira
• Tokushima - Naruto, Seikou Gakuen
• Ehime - Imabari Nishi, Saibi
• Kochi - Kochi, Kochi Shougyou

With the exception of a 5-4 win over Ootemae Takamatsu and a 4-2 win over fellow seeded team Takamatsu Minami, Jinsei Gakuen had little problem winning Kagawa.  Kotohira came out of relatively nowhere to defeat Samukawa and Marugame in back-to-back games during a 4-game stretch where they won 1-run games before falling to Jinsei Gakuen.

In Tokushima the format was a little different.  Naruto got a free pass, and it would just be the winner of the prefectural tournament that would advance along with them to the Super-Regional.  The 4 seeded teams, Seikou Gakuen, Ikeda, Tokushima Shougyou and Kawashima all advanced to the quarterfinals with relative ease though the former 2 had to survive a 1-run game in the quarterfinals (and in Ikeda's case a 12-inning affair).

For Ikeda, the enchousen matchup proved to be costly as they went into extra innings again against Seikou Gakuen.  They cried uncle in the 14th, losing 3-2.  Meanwhile Kawashima waited until the bottom of the 9th to tie the game at 1-1 before finally winning in 12.

With both teams having played extra inning affairs, it would undoubtedly have an effect on the pitching staffs.  Yet it was Kawashima's pitching that would suffer a critical failure.  Seikou Gakuin would score in the final 5 innings for a 10-3 win.  But with 10 days off to rest the arms, perhaps they lost the momentum of the tournament as Naruto had an easy 8-3 win in the position round.

Ehime is a 2-stage taikai, and with Saibi participating at Senbatsu, they too would only qualify the winner (along with Saibi) for the Super-Regionals.

There were quite a few casualties in the 1st stage.  Saijyou was eliminated by Imabari Nishi in their first game.  Uwajima Higashi lost to Uwajima Minami in the block final.

There would be no stopping Imabari Nishi through the prefecturals, including a 4-1 over Matsuyama Seiryou in the final and an easy 6-4 win over Saibi in the position round.

And finally in Kochi, with 2 teams making it to Senbatsu, it would be a 2-stage affair.  The winner of the prefectural taikai would face the winner of Kochi and Tosa (the two Senbatsu participants) for seeding.

With those teams out of the way, Kochi Shougyou and Meitoku Gijyuku had relatively little trouble advancing through the bracket.  But Kochi Shougyou, despite eking out a 5-4 win over Okou, defeated Meitoku Gijyuku 7-5 to advance for seeding.

In the Senbatsu game, Tosa actually took an early 3-0 lead, but a pair of 2-run innings would give favorite Kochi the lead.  Tosa wouldn't give up easy though tying the game in the top of the 9th sending it to enchousen.  Alas, Kochi's experience would prevail in the 11th.  So it would be Kochi and Kochi Shougyou once again.  And despite playing in an extra inning game the day before, Kochi once again bests Kochi Shougyou 3-1 to take 1st in the prefecture.

Onto the Super-Regionals and almost all top seeds advanced.  The only casualty oddly enough was Kochi who let a 3-0 lead slip with 4 in the 8th losing 4-3.  In other games, Jinsei Gakuen survived a 9th inning rally from Seikou Gakuen to win 3-2, Kotohira was no match for Imabari Nishi, and Naruto had to scramble after giving up a pair in the bottom of the 8th to Kochi Shougyou, managed to tie the game at 2, then close it out with a 3-spot in the 10th.

Naruto and Jinsei Gakuen then had no issues in the semifinals setting up the title game.

Naruto took the early 1-0 and 3-1 lead.  But with just 3 outs to go for the title, they give up 3 runs to Jinsei Gakuen who proceeded to shut the door for just their 3rd title and 1st in 15 years.

Kyushu Super-Regionals
Like Shikoku, Senbatsu participants get a free pass.  Unlike Shikoku, they get a free pass to the Super-Regionals instead of the seeding game within their prefecture.  For this spring Super-Regional, Fukuoka qualifies 3, Kagoshima qualifies 2, host Miyazaki qualifies 4, and all other prefectures 1.

• Fukuoka - Toukai Dai-go, Kashii, Kurume Shougyou
• Kagoshima - Shoushikan, Kanoya Chuo, Kagoshima Jyouhou
• Nagasaki - Souseikan, Sasebo Jitsugyou
• Kumamoto - Seiseikou, Buntoku
• Okinawa - Okinawa Shougaku, Hokuzan
• Saga - Saga Kougyou
• Oita - Kitsuki
• Miyazaki - Nisshou Gakuen, Miyazaki Nichidai, Houshou, Miyakonojyou Higashi

Fukuoka had two regionals, each separated into 4 blocks.  Interestingly only one seeded team qualified out of block play.  Kurume Shougyou though needed to survive a one run game against Itoshima.  Yes, Moji Gakuen, Kyushu Kokusaidai Fuzoku, Iidzuka, Higashi-Fukuoka, and Chikuyou Gakuen failed to advance to the Best 8.  The only other well-known teams to advance were Jiyuugaoka and Toukai Dai-go.

The teams from the Hokubu/Nanbu regionals were redrawn for the quarterfinals.  Kurume Shougyou thought to have an easy game, but had to survive another 1-run affair against Yuusei.  Toukai Dai-go and Jiyuugaoka wound up drawing each other, and the game did not disappoint.  The lead changed 3 times in the span of 3 half-innings before the game would be tied up at 4-4.  Toukai Dai-go scored 2 in the top of the 11th, and then held off a rally from Jiyuugaoka to win 6-5.  In other games, Kashii shutout Fukushima 2-0, Seirin blanked Ikutokukan 8-0.

And with the way the bracket was drawn, once again the mainstays faced off, but it was Toukai Dai-go who dominated the game, mercy-ruling Kurume Shougyou in the minimum 5 innings!  They'd face Kashii, who had no trouble with Seirin.

Interestingly, Kashii made a game out of the final, only holding Toukai Dai-go to just 2 runs in a 2-0 loss.  Kurume Shougyou easily made mince meat of Seirin to lock down the last spot for the Super-Regionals.

Kanoya Chuo and Kagoshima Jyouhou both struggled a bit out of the blocks, but pretty much ran over the prefectural taikai after that.  It also helped that teams like Kagoshima Jyousai and more importantly Kamimura Gakuen were eliminated in earlier stages, while Shounan lost to Kagoshima Jitsugyou (who then lost to Kanoya Chuo).

Nagasaki was pretty much scratch as 5 of the 7 seeded teams (plus one team who occupied what would have been the 8th seeded team in Oomura Kougyou) advanced to the Best 8.  In the quarterfinals, Sasebo Jitsugyou had no problems with no-seed Nagasaki Nishi while sadly (for me anyways) Seihou was blanked by Kaisei 5-0.  Interestingly, Nagasaki Nichidai and Hasami both advanced by the unconvincing score of 1-0.

Those games did wind up being a bellweather of sorts as both of those teams would lose in the semifinals, but in close affairs.  Kaisei got by Nagasaki Nichidai 5-3, and Hasami narrowly lost to Sasebo Jitsugyou 4-3.  In the final, Sasebo Jitsugyou led wire-to-wire 4-1 to advance to the Super-Regional.

Kumamoto's taikai looked a bit weird.  Weird in that the "seeded teams" were not really well-known to me except for Kumamoto Kougyou and perhaps Kumamoto Kokufu and Jyouhoku.   Yashiro, Chinzei, Kumamoto Kita, and Yashiro Higashi all were seeded teams as well.  With so many well-known teams relegated to the ranks of the ordinary, the haru taikai was pretty much thrown into disarray.

Yet 5 of the 7 seeded teams did make it to the semifinals.  Kumamoto Kougyou and Kumamoto Kokufu amongst the regulars and Chinzei, Kumamoto Kita and Yashiro Higashi out of the unknowns.  But of those, only Kumamoto Kougyou and Yashiro Higashi advanced out of the quarterfinals.  Kumamoto Kita was blanked by the aforementioned Yashiro Higashi, Kumamoto Kokufu tapped out in the 15th losing 4-3 to Toukaidai Seishou and Chinzei lost to Buntoku 5-1.

Yashiro Higashi's run would end surprisingly at the hands of Buntoku despite a late game rally.  Kumamoto Kougyou on the other hand would successfully make a rally with 3 in the 7th to defeat Toukaidai Seishou 7-6.  In the final surprisingly it was Buntoku who dominated the game defeating Kumamoto Kougyou soundly 5-2 to take the title.

Okinawa, without Okinawa Shougaku still had major teams left to duke it out for the spot in the super-regionals.  Above-average teams such as Miyako and Ginowan were seeded, as well as perhaps the best known school - Kounan.

Kounan though would not make it past the quarterfinals, losing to a name we haven't really heard in a while - Yaeyama Shoukou.  Miyako and Ginowan couldn't even get past their first game, so things really were in flux (with perhaps the exception of the aforementioned Yaeyama Shoukou).

Itoman tried their best, but despite flipping between their two pitchers, they lost 1-0 to Hokuzan.  Mawashi and Yaeyama would be the other two teams advancing to the semifinals. The surprising bit is that Yaeyama Shoukou would actually lose to Hokuzan 4-1 in the semis.  Mawashi would tie the game in the 9th and then win in 11 against Yaeyama.

In the final, Hokuzan ace Taira Kentarou (平良 拳太郎) would strike out 15 in a 2-hitter against Mawashi for the 2-1 win.

Saga prefecture seems to not have a front-runner as of the 4 seeded teams - Saga Kita, Tosu Shougyou, Kanzaki Seimei and Kashima - only Kashima advanced to the quarterfinals.  And even then, they lost in their next game 6-1 to Saga Kougyou.  The only other recently successful team to advance into the semifinals was Saga Shougyou who took the lead late against Saga Gakuen to advance.  The remaining semifinalists were Koushien participants back in the day - Ryuukoku and Shiota Kougyou.

The semifinals were low-scoring affairs as both Saga Kougyou and Ryuukoku won by the narrow margin of 1-0 and in the final, Saga Kougyou would lead wire-to-wire rebuffing repeated rallies (including one in the bottom of the 9th) by Ryuukoku to win 5-4.

Oita's prefecturals went pretty much scratch to the semifinals, with the only exception being interestingly Jyouhou Kagaku (which translated is Computer Science!) who were mercy ruled in 7 by Kitsuki.  Meihou completely swept the floor with their opponents, Youshikan did much the same (though not double digits), and Oita was the weakest of the bunch surviving 2 1-run games.

Both semifinal games would head to enchousen.  While I have been unable to pull details, Oita broke a scoreless draw against Youshikan to win 1-0 in 10, and Kitsuki is making perhaps another case to make it's 2nd straight Natsu Koushien by upsetting Meihou 3-2 in 12 innings.  Kitsuki would dominate the final, defeating Oita 5-0.

Finally, with 4 bids and home-field advantage at stake in Miyazaki, this would be the year the average team would have the best chance of reaching the Super-Regional.

And it showed.  Each of the seeded teams got their opponent's best shot.  Takanabe made it just though one round before losing to Miyakonojyou Higashi.  Nobeoka Gakuen had to play Nichinan Gakuen in their first game, but would lose in the quarterfinals to Houshou.

The two that made it were Nisshou Gakuen (who had an opening game scare against Miyazaki Oomiya) and Miyazaki Nichidai who survived 2 straight 1-run games against St. Ursula and Miyakonojyou Izumigaoka.

Miyazaki Nichidai had another heart-stopper as they fell behind 3-0 to Miyakonojyou Higashi, came back to lead 6-4 only to blow the lead in the top of the 9th before finally winning in the 10th inning.  Houshou would give Nisshou Gakuen all they could handle, but it would not be enough falling 3-2.

All that would be left is seeding.  Houshou breezed through Miyakonojyou Higashi 6-2, while Miyazaki Nichidai and Nisshou Gakuen were involved in one heck of a final.  After falling behind 1-0 in the 1st, Miyazaki Nichidai would score 5 unanswered runs to take a dominating lead.  That is, until the final 3 innings.  Several pitchers would be called, but none could answer as Nisshou Gakuen scored 5 unanswered runs, the final one in the bottom of the 9th for the sayonara win.

The draw for the super-regional made sure that all top seeds and the Senbatsu participants did not have to play the extra game.  Two 2-seeds would also get the benefit of not playing an extra game:

• Kitsuki (Oita 1) vs. Winner of Kurume Shougyou (Fukuoka 3)-Miyakonojyou Higahi (Miyazaki 4)
• Souseikan (Nagasaki Senbatsu) vs. Hokuzan (Okayama 1)
• Kanoya Chuo (Kagoshima 1) vs. Seiseikou (Kumamoto Senbatsu)
• Toukai Dai-go (Fukuoka 1) vs. Nisshou Gakuen (Miyazaki 1)
• Kashii (Fukuoka 2) vs. Buntoku (Kumamoto 1)
• Miyazaki Nichidai (Miyazaki 2) vs. Shoushikan (Kagoshima Senbatsu)
• Saga Kougyou (Saga 1) vs. Sasebo Jitsugyou (Nagasaki 1)
• Okinawa Shougaku (Okinawa Senbatsu) vs. Winner of Kagoshima Jyouhou (Kagoshima 2)-Houshou (Miyazaki 3)

Not surprisingly, Kurume Shougyou has no trouble in the opening game.  Houshou give Kagoshima Jyouhou a hard time, but is unable to reach home losing 1-0.

Kurume Shougyou continued to benefit for a relatively easy draw as they handle Kitsuki 7-2.  They would not face Souseikan though.  Instead Hokuzan's 2-run 7th inning was all they needed to advance.  Seiseikou would face Toukai Dai-go (who needed runs in the 8th and 9th to pull off the victory) in the other quarterfinal in their half.

On the opposite side, Buntoku would outlast Kashii in 10 setting up a game with Miyazaki Nichidai who surprisingly had no trouble against Kagoshima's Senbatsu representative.  And finally, Sasebo Jitsugyou would easily advance to face an Okinawa Shougaku squad who did not look impressive once again in a 2-0 win over Kagoshima Jyouhou.

Now, at the time, I didn't know if this was more an indictment of Sasebo Jitsugyou than Okishou being mediocre, but they had to scramble against Okinawa Shougaku to send it into extras and win in 12.  But it wound up being the former as after Buntoku edged out Miyazaki Nichidai 1-0, they took care of Sasebo Jitsugyou to reach the finals.

Back to the other half and both Kurume Shougyou and Seiseikou shutout their opponents setting up what looked like a great semifinal.  And it was.  Kurume Shougyou took a 2-0 lead in the middle innings and held off a Seiseikou charge late to win 2-1 to reach the finals.

Surprsingly Kurume Shougyou, the 3 seed out of Fukuoka, would actually take a 4-0 lead over Buntoku early.  But Buntoku would chip away at the lead pulling within 1 and then tying it in the bottom of the 9th.  It would remain tied at 5 until the 13th when Seki would pull through for Kurume Shougyou with the go-ahead hit.  Imamura, who started the game, closed it our for Kurume Shougyou giving them their first ever spring title.

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Well, that's it for the spring tournaments.  But don't look now, natsu taikais are out for Kita and Minami Hokkaido, Kanagawa, Kumamoto and Okinawa.

Surprisingly, despite being a x5 year (95th), the field isn't expanding.  That seems odd, but guess we'll have to go with it.  Stay tuned!

Haru Taikai Recap 2 - All regions complete (Hokkaido to Kinki)

Hokkaido Super-Regional
Finishing up the first round, Hakodatedai Hakuryou edged out Obihiro Kita 2-1, while Towa no Mori San-ai continues to struggle on the big stage, mercy ruled by Hokushou.

The quarterfinals went almost as quietly.  Komadai Tomakomai mercy rules Hakodate LaSalle 8-1 in 8, Kushiro Kouryou was shutout 3-0 by Sapporo Nichidai, and so was the aforementioned Hakodatedai Hakuryou against Hokushou.

The only team tested was Komadai Iwamizawa, who trailed early 2-0, then 6-3 against Kitami Hokuto.  But even in weaker prefectures, either the teams who have been there before exert their experience or the teams facing them cave under pressure.  Komadai Iwamizawa rallies for 4 late to defeat Kitami Hokuto 7-6.

This left the possibility of an all-Komadai final.  Tomakomai obliged, keeping Sapporo Nichidai at arms length in a 7-4 win.  However, while Iwamizawa was able to take an early 3-1 lead, Hokushou would score in 5 of the final 6 innings to run away with a 10-4 win.

So the final once again featured two well-known teams.  Komadai Tomakomai took the first advantage with a 2-0 lead, Hokushou would level the score eventually in the 4th.  Tomakomai would pull away soon thereafter, scoring 5 unanswered runs to win 7-2 for their 4th spring title.

Tohoku Super-Regional
Tohoku perhaps went as planned, but perhaps questions still remain.

In Noshiro Shouyou's (Akita 1) fka Noshiro Shougyou's bracket, they easily handled a Morioka Dai-yon (Iwate 3) squad who earlier managed just two hits but defeated Sendai Dai-san (Miyagi 3) 1-0.  That set them up against a Fukushima Higashi (Fukushima 2) squad who surprisingly upset Rifu (Miyagi 2) 6-3.

And in a bigger surprise, Fukushima Higashi scores 3 in the first after giving up 2.  They'd score one more and held on to defeat Noshiro Shouyou 4-3!!

In Moriokadai Fuzoku (Iwate 1)/Aomori Yamada (Aomori 1) quadrant, both teams easily advanced via mercy rule over their opponents - Odaka Kougyou (Fukushima 3) and Kunori Gakuen (Yamagata 2).  But when push came to shove, Aomori Yamada once again falls flat, mercy ruled themselves 8-1 in 7 innings.

The only 1 seed to not advance past their first game?  My boys from Haguro (Yamagata 1).  In fact Hachinohe Koudai Dai-ichi (Aomori 2) dispatched them easily 8-2.  I won't make excuses, but to be fair, Haguro had the hardest 1st game.

Hachinohe Koudai Dai-ichi would face the dreaded Seikou Gakuin (Fukushima 1).  Apparently Honjyou (Akita 2) just can't catch a break.  Seikou Gakuin would easily pass through the Aomori squad with a 7-0 mercy win.

And finally, in Sendai Ikuei's bracket (Miyagi 1), they had no issues with Akita Chuo (Akita 3) with a 9-1 victory.  Their quarterfinal game would be against none other than Sakata Minami (Yamagata 3) who had no problems with Hachinohe Kougyou (Aomori 3) 8-2, then against Senshuudai Kitakami (Iwate 2) trailing 6-1, scored 9 answered runs then survived a 3-run 9th to win 10-9.

Sakata Minami couldn't pull one more upset, and was mercy ruled 9-1 in 8 innings.

So while we had a possibility of an all-Fukushima final, the chances were slim as Fukushima Higashi needed to upset Moriokadai Fuzoku, while Seikou Gakuin must face Sendai Ikuei - who is in all likelihood trying to redouble their efforts after a poor Haru Koushien showing.

Since we're all familiar with the other schools, I tried to find something on Fukushima Higashi.  All I could find were videos on their oen-dan, which aren't bad.

Indeed, both Fukushima teams lost rather handily.  Fukushima Higashi did score the first run against Moriokadai Fuzoku, but couldn't make it last after the 5th inning break as Moriokadai scored 6 runs afterwards.  Sendai Ikuei led wire-to-wire in a 6-2 win over Seikou Gakuin.

And in the final Sendai Ikuei had no trouble with Moriokadai Fuzoku, cruising to a 5-1 win for their 11th title - and 1st in 14 years.

So Sendai Ikuei wins another Super-Regional.  But the poor showing at Senbatsu still raises questions on their abilities outside of the Tohoku region.  It also could raise questions on the Tohoku region as a whole come time for Natsu Koushien.

Hokushinetsu Super-Regionals
In the Hokushinetsu Super-Region things did, and didn't go as planned.  Big statement, I know.

The draw for the super-regionals wound up as follows and did not necessarily play favorites:

• Seiryou (Ishikawa 1) vs. Winner of Harue Kougyou (Fukui 2)-Shibata Chuo (Niigata 2)
• Toyama Dai-ichi (Toyama 1) vs. Winner of Kanazawa Gakuin Higashi (Ishikawa 3/4)-Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri (Nagano 2)
• Ueda Nishi (Nagano 1) vs. Winner of Tsuruga Kehi (Fukui 1)-Kanazawa (Ishikawa 3/4)
• Murakami Sakuragaoka (Niigata 1) vs. Winner of Yuugakukan (Ishikawa 2)-Toyama Shougyou (Toyama 2)

That's right, Tsuruga Kehi got the short end of the stick, and drew Kanazawa - who isn't a powerhouse per se, but is definitely one of the upper level teams in the region.

In the opening round, Harue Kougyou continued to disappoint.  After taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 3rd, they quickly let Shibata Chuo level the score in the 4th, then a bases loaded walk in the 6th opening a 3-run inning from which they could not recover, falling 5-3.  Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri with the help of a 3rd inning, 3-run homerun by RF Ishihara.  Tsuruga Kehi went all out against Kanazawa, sending out ace Kishimoto.  CF Mine then helped out with a leadoff HR.  And while Kanazawa would tie the game in the 1st, hits by Asai, Hiranuma and Iwata gave the cushion they needed as Kishimoto struck out 10 in a 4-1 win.  And finally, Yuugakukan did what it normally does, mercy ruling Toyama Shougyou 10-1 in 7 innings.

Onto the quarterfinals where all 1 seeds are in play, and it was a mixed bag.  Seiryou expectedly had no trouble with Shibata Chuo mercy ruling them in 7 innings.  Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri tried a 9th inning rally, but could only cut the deficit in half, losing 5-3.  I truly wanted Ueda Nishi to succeed, but it will have to wait for the summer.  After fighting back to tie the game at 2 in the 7th, they would play 7 more as Tsuruga Kehi scored one in the 14th for the 3-2 win.  Also of note is that Kishimoto was not used in the game at all - which sadly may be a bigger notch against Ueda Nishi.  And while Murakami Sakuragaoka may have won Niigata, they were no match for the veteran Yuugakukan mercy ruled in 7.

So the semifinalists were well-known names.  Results though, were a bit surprising.  Seiryou continues to hit a ceiling, losing to Toyama Dai-ichi.  After taking a 2-0 lead, they give up the lead, only to fight back in the bottom of the 8th to tie it at 3... only to have Toyama score 5 in the 9th to wipe out the Ishikawa champions.

And Tsuruga Kehi?  Let's just say it wasn't a good day for Kishimoto.  He gives up 5 runs early, and while the team pulls within one, reliever Mosome couldn't keep his team in it, giving up a 3-spot in the 8th as Yuugakukan moves on with the 9-5 win.

Yuugakukan looked to be the favorite in the super-regional final, but it was Toyama Dai-ichi who scored first with a pair in the opening frame.  They couldn't hold the lead though for long as Yuugakukan struck back with 3 in the 3rd, and opened the lead to 5-2.  Toyama could only manage one run the rest of the game as Yuugakukan takes just their 3rd title, but first in two years.

Kinki Super-Regional
The Kinki Super-Regional is rather small given the prefectures involved.  Only host prefecture Nara qualifies more than just 1 team.  So it really is win and advance for most teams in the spring.

Oumi advances out of Shiga, but had to survive many close games against not so well known teams such as Oumi Kyoudaisha and Yasu, and some we have heard of such as Shiga Gakuen before rallying in the bottom of the 9th against Hachiman Kougyou for a gyakuten sayonara 3-2 victory.

In Kyoto, there were no surprises in the 1st stage of play as teams such as Kyoto Subaru, Ritsumeikan Uji, Kyoto Gaidai Nishi, Kyoto Seishou, Toba, and Fukuchiyama Seibi joined Senbatsu participants Ryuukokudai Heian and Kyoto Shouei.

It was almost amazing then that the aforementioned 8 teams were almost all separated.  The only exception was Kyoto Shouei and Kyoto Gaidai Nishi.  In that matchup, the Kinki fall champions routed Kyoto Gaidai Nishi 13-3 in 7 innings.  Other than that, all other teams had relatively little problems, except for Kyoto Seishou who gave up a 4-spot to Kita-Saga in the 3rd inning in a 5-3 loss.

Kita-Saga continued their run, and in rather shocking fashion.  I need to go back and see if I can't pull up particulars, but the game was tied 1-1 going into extras.  Kyoto Shouei scored 4 in the 13th and seemed to have the game in hand.  But much like the White Sox-Mariners game, Kita-Saga mounted a comeback.  Instead of tying the game though they score 5 to completely shock the fall champions 6-5!!

Elsewhere, Ryuukokudai Heian had no problems with Otokuni 6-4, Fukuchiyama Seibi surprisingly was nowhere to be seen against Toba, and Ritsumeikan Uji routed Kyoto Subaru in 7.

It would be a surprise for the finals as Toba defeated Ryuukokudai Heian 4-1, while Kita-Saga continued their surprising run, once again rallying late after giving up the lead in the bottom of the 8th for a gyakuten win against Ritsumeikan Uji.

In the final, Kita-Saga held a lead against Toba, but Toba would tie it up in the 6th at 3.  The game would go into enchousen, but not for long as Toba scores one in the 10th.  There would be no rally this time though as Toba would take it 4-3.  I would say though that Kita-Saga has surprised me here in the spring.  All I know so far is their pitchers are Katabuchi Wataru(?) (潟淵 亘) and Komori Naoki (小森 直己).

In Osaka, despite the large field, it was predominantly business as usual.  Despite 172 teams in the field, the Best 4 were all well-known names - Riseisha squaring off against Osaka Touin, and Konkou Osaka versus Daishoudai (aka Osaka Shougyoudai).  In the blockbuster semi, Riseisha had led right from the get-go until Osaka Touin's lucky 7 where they scored 3 to tie the game at 5.  The game would head to enchousen, but for just one inning as Riseisha scored 4 on starter Amimoto for the win.  They would play Konkou Osaka, who had little difficulty with Daishoudai.  And in the final, Konkou Osaka would give Riseisha all they could handle as Sakashita and Honno would limit them to a 1st inning run by Okita.  Unfortunately, that's all Riseisha would need as ace Higashino would spread out 9 hits in a complete game shutout to take the title.

Moving on to Hyogo, they only sent in 36 teams - no Nishinomiya Kita for me (sorry Haruhi).

Anyways, the main players were there, but the first to fall is the always precarious Touyoudai Himeji.  After uncharacteristically getting through their first game easily, they lost another low-scoring affair to Shiritsu Amagasaki 3-2.  Amagasaki's run didn't last much longer sadly as they found themselves on the wrong end of the 3-2 score in the next game versus Yashiro.  Looking back, they've gone to just one Koushien, the 2004 Haru where they got to the semifinal game, losing to Aikoudai Meiden.  Interestingly, they used a two pitcher system in Oomae and Tsuboi.  This time around, it looks like the same thing, with dual aces Niimi and Hirauchi.

Joining Yashiro would be Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku and Houtoku Gakuen - though Houtoku had to come back against Takigawa Dai-ni.  The final semifinalist would be Akashi Shougyou, who literally outlasted Suma Shoufuu (who apparently has a radio station) with 5 runs in the 15th for a 7-2 victory.

What was more interesting was that both semifinal games would head to enchousen.  For Akashi Shougyou, that would be bad news - especially against Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku.  After fighting back to tie the game in the 8th, they would lose 4-3 in 11.

As for Yashiro, they and Houtoku Gakuen would go 15 innings without a winner.  In the replay the next day, Yashiro's kantoku would go into their bullpen and started Nagao (永尾).  That didn't work out as Houtoku would score 3.  Another Nagao (長尾) and Niimi held down the fort, but the offense couldn't muster a run as they fell in the replay 3-0.

To add insult to injury perhaps, while the game didn't count for qualification for the super-regional, the 3rd place game between Akashi Shougyou and Yashiro would also go into enchousen.  14 innings in fact before Akashi Shougyou finally ended it 4-3.

As for the final, Houtoku Gakuen's 4th game in 4 days took its toll against Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku as they fell behind quickly and lost 8-2.

Chiben Wakayama's hold on Wakayama prefecture may be waning.  Despite breezing through to the semifinals, Minoshima's triumvirate of Ueshiba, Takagawa and Susami defeated them 2-1.  They would go on to defeat Kinkidai Shinguu in the final despite blowing a 6-0 lead 11-7.

And as for host Nara, the prefectural tournament was a mess - if you were a big name.  Tenri was unceremoniously ousted 5-2 by Nara Suzaku in the first round.  Haru Koushien participant Yamato Kouryou had the unfortunate task of playing Chiben Gakuen right off the bat, and were routed 10-1 in 7 innings.

So Chiben Gakuen remained the big name remaining and their title to lose.

And they did.

In uncharacteristic fashion, they let Naradai Fuzoku score in 5 consecutive innings with the nail in the coffin a 5-run 7th which led to them winning 11-10!  In the 3rd place game, Kashihara Gakuin defeated Kashihara 4-3 to take the final spot in the super-regionals.

Onto the Super-Regionals, and it's no surprise that of the 3 Nara teams that qualified, only veteran Chiben Gakuen advanced to the semifinals.  However, they blew a 4-1 lead to Minoshima in the top of the 9th before Nakanishi delievered the sayonara manrui hit to win 5-4.  Naradai Fuzoku actually gave Riseisha a challenge though tying the game a 2-2 in the 8th before Okita delivered the sayonara hit for Riseisha.  Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku and Toba had no problems in their games.

The semifinals were no-contests as both Kobe Kokusaidai Fuzoku and Riseisha breezed through Chiben Gakuen and Toba respectively.

The finals were a completely different story.  After taking a 3-0 lead early, Kobe Kokusaidai yielded 5 runs in the 3rd, only to claw back in the 5th.  The teams traded a run in the 8th, and then Takahashi for Kobe would blast his 2nd HR of the game, giving his team the 7-6 lead.  But like the 8th they couldn't hold it as Inoue delivered the sayonara 2-run double with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th for the sayonara gyakuten victory.  Interestingly, this is Riseisha's 1st ever Haru title.

(Chuugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu recaps to come shortly)

Haru Taikai Recap - Hokkaido to Tokai

So, here's what's going on in the Haru Taikai's.

Hokkaido Super-Regional
In Hokkaido, it's much of the same process, each region qualifies a team - Sapporo has 4 blocks, Hakodate 2.  Hokushou and Engaru automatically advance having played at Haru Koushien.

They still won their regionals, but since they got automatic bids, the losers of the finals were guaranteed to advance - Otaru Ouyou out of the Otaru region, and Kitami Hokuto out of Kitami.

Many familiar names reached the 2nd stage.  Both Komadai Tomakomai and Komadai Iwamizawa advanced, along with Hokkai and Sapporo Nichidai.  Lesser known teams such as Towa no mori san-ai and Hakodate LaSalle both advanced as well.

Missing from the list of teams is Asahikawa Jitsugyou, who lost 4-1 to Asahikawa Ryuukoku as well as Shirakaba Gakuen who fell 8-7 to Obihiro Kita after they rallied for 5 in the 7th before hanging on by the slimmest of margins.

The super-regionals started the other day and we already have a few casualties.  Hokkai fell 7-5 to Hakodate LaSalle while Engaru couldn't get past the first round falling to Sapporo Nichidai 4-3.  In other games, Komadai Tomakomai had no problems with Wakkanai Ootani, while Otaru Ouyou's reprieve lasted just one game, losing to Kushiro Koryou.  Kitami Hokuto and Komadai Iwamizawa has also advanced.

Tohoku Super-Regional
Prefectures have finished up their qualifiers, and there are not many surprises.

In Aomori, Aomori Yamada cleans up on Hachinohe Koudai Dai-ichi with Hachinohe Kougyou taking the 3rd spot.

No Hanamaki Higashi in Iwate, instead Moriokadai Fuzoku outlasts Senshuudai Kitami 7-3 to take the title while Ichinoseki Gakuin loses out yet again, this time a 5-1 loss to Morioka Dai-yon.

Newly formed Noshiro Shouyou (merger between Noshiro Shougyou and Noshiro Kita) takes Akita in sayonara fashion in the 10th over tough-luck Honjyou with Akita Chuo winning the 3rd place match.

We haven't really heard from Haguro recently out of Yamagata recently, but they defeat Kunori Gakuen 5-2 to take the spring title.  Sakata Minami was relegated to 3rd after an 11-4 win over Yonezawa Chuo.

Miyagi is still missing Tohoku.  Meiji Jingu champ Sendai Ikuei and Rifu have filled the gap in the meantime - though a 16-9 score doesn't exactly instill confidence in the prefecture in the summer.  Sendai Dai-san blanked Sendai Shougyou 4-0 to take the last spot.

And in Fukushima, status quo is maintained.  Seikou Gakuin wins once again, this time a 25-2 whitewashing over Fukushima Higashi.  Odaka Kougyou finishes in 3rd.

Kanto Super-Regional
Kanto for the spring includes Tokyo, so they're grouped in with everyone else in the region.  Play has been completed, and it perhaps sheds some light for the summer.

With Tochigi hosting, they receive 4 bids while all others get 1.  No real surprise from those 4 teams - Sano Nichidai, Ootawara, Sakushin Gakuin and Hakuoudai Ashikaga.

Urawa Gakuin got a free pass but still won Saitama in an 8-0 win over Hanasaki Tokuharu. That meant that the 3rd place team advanced from Saitama and that team was Washinomiya in a 5-3 win over Saitama Sakae.  Going over the results, my Kasukabe Kyouei squad had to face Urawa Gakuin and gave them the best fight in-prefecture, losing 2-1 in 12 inning.  I was going to hope those two teams were going to be split up this year (Saitama will be split up this time around along with other major prefectures), but with Kasukabe Kyouei an ~20 min drive to Urawa Gakuin... my guess is no.  Darn.

Elsewhere...

• In Ibaraki Kasumigaura held on for dear life to defeat Jyousou Gakuin 3-2.
• Shifting to Gunma, Takasaki Kenkou Fukushidai re-emerges but cannot hold a lead late and falls just short against Maebashi Ikuei losing 5-4 in 12.
• To the southwest in Chiba, Toukaidai Bouyou finally wins the prefecturals, overcoming a 3-0 deficit to Senshuudai Matsudo winning 5-4.
• Tokyo qualified 2 familiar faces with Teikyou defeating Nichidai-san.  Teikyou survived back-to-back enchousen games against the aforementioned Sanko and Nichidai Tsurugaoka.  Their schedule was littered with Koushien-brand teams - before Nichidai Tsurugaoka was Kanto Dai-ichi, Yasuda Gakuen, and Kokushikan.
• Ace Matsui out of Toukou Gakuen struggles to get more support as they cannot win it all as they fall to Touin Gakuen in the Kanagawa final.  This after defeating Yokohama, Yokohama Hayato and Nichidai Fujisawa.
• And finally in Yamanashi, Fuji-kawaguchiko - a team that has done fairly well in the prefecture, reached the final, but couldn't overcome Yamanashi Gakuindai Fuzoku.

As for the super-regional, the games were for the most part were close.  Teikyou couldn't get past their first game, falling to Jyousou Gakuin 5-4.  Toukou Gakuen, with no Matsui almost got to the semifinals, but a 4-run 7th by Maebashi Ikuei squashed their chances.

Uragaku had an immediate test in the Super-Regionals facing ever-present Sanko.  However, they were able to shut them down in a surprising 2-0 score.  In fact, Ojima was used just twice.  Once in part against Sanko, and then again in the semifinals against Toukaidai Bouyou as Urawa Gakuin took the Kanto Super-Regionals over the aforementioned Maebashi Ikuei.

Hokushinetsu Super-Regional
Ishikawa is the host this year for the Hokushinetsu Super-Regional, so they qualify 4 teams while all others send 2.

And Godzilla's alma mater is trying their darnest to get to Koshien this year.  Well, if the spring taikais are any indication.  Seiryou had to survive two 8-7 ballgames against Kanazawa and Yuugakukan to take the spring title.  On a slightly unrelated note, they also defeated my friend's JET assignment Komatsu Meihou.  Joining the trio is Kanazawa Gakuin Higashi.

In Fukui, the secret is out.  Tsuruga Kehi is good.  So while I suppose you can hide some things, there probably isn't a whole lot to hide anymore.  With that said, they won the rematch against Harue Kougyou 6-3 in the final.

I really wish Ueda Nishi would get to Koushien one day.  I don't know why Ueda Nishi other than that Ueda was used for bits of the Onegai Twins! series.  I guess for now a spring prefectural victory will have to do.  They defeated both Matsushou Gakuen and Chikyuu Kankyou before defeating Tokyo Shidai Shiojiri 2-1.

Over in Toyama, Toyama Dai-ichi will look to challenge this summer after defeating both Tonami Kougyou and runner-up Toyama Shougyou.  A 3-0 11 inning win though in the final means they'll probably have their hands full.

And finally in Niigata, there are two names I am not totally familiar with.  Murakami Sakuragaoka almost fritters away a 6-0 lead, but holds on to defeat Shibata Chuo 6-5.  I haven't really been able to find anything about either team, so I will be curious to see the summer taikai as both Nihon Bunri and Niigata Kenou Kougyou both reached the semifinals.

Tokai Super-Regional
Tokai has already completed play and I can't say I'm completely surprised by the teams that made it.

Since it's a non-Koshien taikai, each prefecture sends just 2 teams to the super-regional.

Shizuoka is always a focus for me because of Tokoha Kikugawa and Tohoha Tachibana.   Sadly, both were in the same half, and wound up facing each other in the semifinals.  Tachibana held the slim 2-1 lead before Kikugawa scores a run in the 8th, then walks off in the 9th to reach the super-regionals.  Joining them will be Shizuoka, who never really competed with Kikugawa in the final.

Gifu brings back one of the possible contenders at Haru Koushien - if not for injuries.  So how did Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou bounce back?

Well, they did win Gifu, but it looks like they didn't use Fujita. It showed as they went through several close games against many seemingly non-contenders... and still won the prefecture.  Oogaki Nichidai joins them, but don't look to be serious contenders at this moment.

In Mie, Inabe Sougou Gakuen takes out a possible contender in Komono in the quarterfinals, then almost coughs up the victory against recent newcomer Tsu Shougyou before winning 6-5 in 11 innings.  Not sure that Tsu Shougyou has in their arsenal that has made them contenders in Mie at least, but I don't think we've seen the last of them.

(I did try to look up players from Tsu Shougyou, and all I can find is the battery of Moriyama Takuma 森山　拓魔, and Shimizu Tomoki 清水　智貴 - who happen to be the 3-4 batters for the team)

Aichi happens to be the only surprise out of the 4.  Both Chuukyoudai Chuukyou and Aikoudai Meiden both lost in the quarterfinals, opening the field up for the title - which would be taken in spectacular walkoff fashion by Haruhigaoka 3-2 over Eitoku.

Onto the super-regionals and it looks like Fujita isn't 100% yet.  He started versus Shizuoka, but did not last long as they got to him early and often in an 8-3 loss.  Oogaki Nichidai proved my premise right about Gifu as they lost to Inabe Sougou Gakuen, while Tsu Shougyou only yielded a 9th inning run against Haruhigaoka.

Much to perhaps all the other prefectures' dismay, it was an all-Shizuoka final as Tokoha Kikugawa and Shizuoka squared off yet again.  After trading 3-spots in the 1st, another 3-run inning by Kikugawa in the 5th proved to be just enough as they take the spring Tokai tournament 6-5.

The biggest concern has to be for Kengifushou and Fujita.  If he's not 100%, they're just another team.  They need him to be fully ready for the run this summer... or it really was a pyhrric victory over Osaka Touin.

Haru Taikais - What are they used for?

In the Kokoyakyu calendar year, everything seems to lead into the next thing.  The 秋大会 (aki, or fall taikai) leads to 春甲子園 (haru koushien or senbatsu).  Then there's the summer qualifying for 夏甲子園.

But what puzzles me is the 春大会, or haru taikai.  They don't seem lead to anything.  It's not like it's used for qualification to any 甲子園, so what is it really used for?

While I don't have a fully concrete answer right now, I can only fathom several possibilities.

One thing that I can say for sure, though it is not uniform across the prefectures is that that the top finishers get the top seedings for the summer prefectural qualifiers.  This is definitely the case in Okinawa where Okinawa Shougaku, Kounan, Okinawa Suisan and Urasoe Kougyou all received the top 4 seeds in the summer prefecturals after finishing in that order in the haru taikai.
Now, of course being a top seed in an otherwise random draw doesn't necessarily mean a whole lot - perhaps a first round bye (two byes if you're in Aichi - which actually makes a difference).  But compared to other prefectures where they use last year's top 4 (or more), it certainly seems like a better indicator since most schools have a bevy of 3rd years on the roster who have obviously since graduated.

If you're in a prefecture that doesn't use the haru taikais for Natsu Koushien seeding, then the only other thing I can think of is that it gives teams to work together as a team in a simulated tournament setting before the Natsu Koushien qualifying.  During the fall taikais it was the 1st and 2nd years participating (now 2nd and 3rd years).  Now with the incoming freshman class, it gives teams and managers the ability to evaluate talent against competition outside of single game settings.

The drawback is the same as the fall taikai. Since Haru Koushien is an invitational, all one team really needs to do is to get into the field of qualifying teams.  Now, the committee has passed on teams that if we went from top down would qualify.  But if one can make a good case with their performance, generally they are accepted.

So let's say you're in the Kinki super-region where they qualify 6 teams.  Unless you had an easy road and got annihilated in the semifinals, or perhaps skated by a couple of games, chances are if you make the semis you're in.  So outside of the pride of winning it all (which being Japan obviously means something), there is something to be said for giving away too much information to your possible opponents about your team.  Heck, I've even found videos that have had things blurred out so you couldn't see players or the like - until Koushien was over.

So while you may get extra work in, it can also be a place where people get to see your new, or congealing talent, and for people to prepare.

That's all I can really come up with for now.  But since it can at least shed some light on possible teams to track for the summer, I'll be giving the haru taikais (including super-regionals) some coverage of the next couple of weeks (Shikoku and Kyushu have already concluded).

Looking back and going forward

While I still have games to recap that I missed while working a convention, suffice it to say that I'm surprised at how things turned out.  As good as Sendai Ikuei was, they were shutdown by Kochi.

For Tsuruga Kehi, I was down on the whole Hokushinetsu region, but they proved me wrong by upsetting 2 other super-regional champions and reaching the Best 4.

For sending 6 teams to Haru Koushien, and despite knowing most of the region was weak, not one team advanced to the Best 8.  Not even Osaka Touin, though perhaps injury had more to do with that than anything.

Meanwhile Kenritsu Gifu Shougyou looked to be a force, if not for having their entire battery roughed up in the Osaka Touin game.  They won the battle, lost the war.

That loss was to a team from Shikoku who had 2 teams represented in the Best 4 and guaranteed one in the finals.  And if not for 3 games in 3 days, who knows what would have happened to Saibi?

We had many teams win their first game, most notably Moriokadai Fuzoku, but including Shoushikan, Yamagata Chuo and Engaru.

I was personally entertained by Souseikan's oen-dan, and while they will rival my Seihou in the summer, I wouldn't mind seeing them this summer as well.

And we know of stars that have already been there that have risen in this tournament.  Not the least of which are aces Ojima Kazuya and Anraku Tomohiro, Urawa Gakuin cleanup batter Takada, amongst others.

So as the players march around the field for the last time and the door is closed on the 85th Haru Koushien, the teams will prepare for the 95th Natsu Koushien, another special Koushien where we will see the field expanded once more and more teams will get a chance for the coveted title of Natsu Koushien champions.

*FYI, the special multiple of 5 Koushien tournaments apply to the summer too:

• Saitama becomes Kita + Minami Saitama
• Chiba becomes Nishi + Higashi Chiba
• Kanagawa becomes Kita + Minami Kanagawa
• Aichi becomes Nishi + Higashi Aichi
• Osaka becomes Kita + Minami Osaka
• Hyogo becomes Nishi + Higashi Hyogo

So you should expect 55 teams this summer!