...Chukyodai Chukyo picked up their 125th Koshien win yesterday when they beat Nagano Nichidai, 15-5. That's the most a team has ever won at the Koshien.

...Yusei Kikuchi's second fastball that hit 154km/h on the Koshien speed gun on Thursday also apparently hit 155km/h on a Lotte speed gun.

Speaking of Kikuchi, just how popular is he?

He's got some fans that are following his every move. Some have even taken paid vacations from their jobs to watch him pitch at the Koshien.

...Rissho announced that their captain, Hayashida (林田真央), tested positive for the swine flu after complaining of a high fever on Thursday night. Teammate Tsukada (塚田鉄也) complained of a fever on Thursday morning and his tests came back negative. Both players are not available for today's game.

Rissho is competing with only 13 players today.

...And Hanamaki Higashi beat Meiho earlier today in extra innings, 7-6. It was a pretty exciting game to watch.

And for those wondering, Kikuchi went 4.2 innings and tossed 67 pitches while giving up an unearned run on a hit, 4 strike outs, and a walk. Considering he pitched yesterday, that's actually not all that bad.

• 8/12: 118 pitches
• 8/17: 124 pitches
• 8/20: 125 pitches
• 8/21: 67 pitches

I guess his arm is not in the greatest shape right now. Even the manager admitted so much after the game. But it seems like Hanamaki Higashi is hopeful that a full day off will be enough for him to recover and start on Sunday. He also apparently hurt his back while pitching, which also contributed to his early exit.

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