Congratulations to Chukyodai Chukyo for winning their first Koshien in 43 years!

A pretty excited game all around.

Chukyodai Chukyo grabbed an early lead in the bottom of the first on Dobayashi's (堂林翔太) 2-run homer over the right-center field fence.

Over the next two innings, Nihon Bunri made their way to a 2-2 tie: two back-to-back doubles in the top of the second by Yoshida (吉田雅俊) and Y. Takahashi (高橋義人) for the first run and a solo homer in the third inning by J. Takahashi (高橋隼之介) over the left field fence for the second run.

The game would remained knotted at 2 until the bottom of the 6th when Chukyodai Chukyo sent 11 batters to the plate and scored 6 runs on 5 hits, 2 walks, and an HBP. If you were a Nihon Bunri fan, you just had to cringe because it wasn't a very pretty inning.

And it all started off innocently enough with a ground out to second, followed by a walk to Morimoto (森本隼平). After that, things slowly started to unravel for Nihon Bunri:

• a wild pitch moved Morimoto to second
• Yamanaka (山中渉伍) picked up a hit that probably should have been handled by the shortstop (ruled a hit). It was a tough play though.
• Kunitomo (国友賢司) tried to lay down a squeeze, but failed when Ito (伊藤直輝) purposely threw the ball outside
• Kunimoto still ended up getting on base on a hotshot that deflected off the third baseman's glove over to short. But by the time the shortstop was ready to throw the ball, everyone was safe (ruled an infield hit).

Ito managed to strike out Kawai (河合完治) for the second out, but that brought Dobayashi to the plate. Dobayashi nailed an 0-1 hanging slider into left field to break a 2-2 tie and give Chukyodai Chukyo a 4-2 lead.

And then more unraveling:

• An HBP to the next batter re-loaded the bases.
• Ito hit a high chopper back to the mound that Ito grabbed and turned to throw to first on, but neither the first baseman nor the second baseman were covering the bag. Another run scored and the bases remained loaded.

And then Shibata (柴田悠介) drilled one over the left fielder's head for a bases clearing double. And just like that, Nihon Bunri found themselves training by 6-runs.

The next two innings saw both teams exchange 2 runs that left Nihon Bunri still trailing by 6 runs heading into the top of the 9th.

Chukyodai Chukyo put Dobayashi back on the mound in the top of the 9th. He recorded the first two outs of the inning on a strike out looking and a ground out to short. And then he fell apart... Just 1 strike away from ending it all...

After walking Kitte (切手孝太) on 6 pitches, he threw a 1-2 wild pitch that allowed Kitte to advance to second. J. Takahashi managed to work the count to 3-2 (he also nailed a hanging 2-2 slider that just went foul) before driving a ball into the gap in left-center for an RBI double.

Dobayashi went to 1-2 on Takeishi (武石光司), but once again, the batter fought off some tough pitches to even the count at 2. On the 7th pitch of the at bat, Takeishi hit a liner to right that rolled all the way to the wall (right fielder couldn't stop it) and Takeishi had himself an RBI triple. Nihon Bunri cut Chukyodai Chukyo's lead to 4.

The next batter, Yoshida (吉田雅俊), hit a pop-up in foul territory that should have been easily caught by the third baseman, but ended up dropping harmlessly to the ground. Dobayashi hit Yoshida on the next pitch and was quickly relieved by Morimoto.

With the count 3-2, Y. Takahashi fouled off 2 pitches before working out a walk to load the bases. And that brought up Ito, who proceed to hit the ball through the left side to score 2 more runs and make it 10-8.

Pinch-hitter Ishizuka followed with another single into left that pulled Nihon Bunri to within 1 run of tying the game.

With the tying run on third and the go-ahead run on first, Wakabayashi (若林尚希) nailed a hard liner to third that was caught for the final out of the inning. Chukyodai Chukyo managed to hold on for a 10-9 win over Nihon Bunri.

Key Offensive Players
Nihon Bunri: J Takahashi (高橋隼之介) 4-for-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI; Y. Takahashi (高橋義人) 3-for-3, BB, 2B, 2 R, RBI; Ito (伊藤直輝) 1-for-5, 2 RBI

Chukyodai Chukyo: Yamanaka (山中渉伍) 3-for-6, 3 R; Dobayashi (堂林翔太) 3-for-4, BB, 2B, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI; Shibata (柴田悠介) 2-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI

Nihon Bunri

Chukyodai Chukyo

===

Some other news and notes:

...Chukyodai Chukyo wins it (out of 4,041 high schools that competed).

...Sanspo has pictures from the stands from the final day of the Koshien.

...The final attendance numbers are in: over the 15-day event, 812,000 people attended the games. For those wondering, 47,000 were in attendance for the Finals game on Monday afternoon.

...Kazuhiro Kiyohara was one of the 47,000 in attendance on Monday. Kiyohara was also on hand to watch the opening ceremonies and the opening game back on the 8th.

...And some interesting numbers:

• Chukyodai Chukyo became the 3rd team this tournament and the 64th team in tournament history to record a hit in every inning of a game (Finals games).
• Chukyodai Chukyo tied the record for most double by a team in a tournament with 19.
• Chukyodai Chukyo's Dobayashi tied the record for most double in a tournament with 6.
• Chukyodai Chukyo's Kawai set a new tournament record for most total bases with 28. The previous high was 27 held by three players.

...The Koshien will be creating special "Hero Bricks," dedicated to the heroes of this year's Koshien.

Backed by a strong outing by Ito (伊藤直輝), Nihon Bunri beat Ken Gifu Sho, 2-1.

Nihon Bunri took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 5th when Kitte (切手孝太) led off the inning with a triple and came around to score on J. Takahashi's (高橋隼之介) line single to right. They tacked on another run in the bottom of the 6th after Ito (伊藤直輝) led off with a double and, 2 outs later, scored on Nakamura's (中村大地) single into right.

Ken Gifu Sho did make things interesting in the top of the 9th. After the first batter struck out, Ikai (井貝星良) reached with a single. Yamada (山田智弘) was up next and Ito struck him out. Ken Gifu Sho then sent in pinch-hitter Furukawa (古川隼也) to keep the inning going, but he did more than just that: he jumped all over the first pitch he saw and hit it over the left fielder's head for a double, scoring Ikai all the way from first. But Ito kept his cool and and got Izumida (泉田純弥) to ground out to short to end the game.

Key Offensive Players
Ken Gifu Sho: Ikai (井貝星良) 1-for-3, BB, R; Furukawa (古川隼也) 1-for-1, 2B, RBI

Nihon Bunri: J. Takahashi (高橋隼之介) 1-for-4, RBI; Y. Takahashi (高橋義人) 2-for-4; Nakamura (中村大地) 2-for-4, RBI

Ken Gifu Sho

Nihon Bunri

===

This game was pretty much over after Chukyodai Chukyo put up a 5-spot in the bottom of the 4th that included a solo homer by Isomura (磯村嘉孝), an RBI single by Yamanaka (山中渉伍), and a 3-run triple by Kawai (河合完治).

But to be entirely honest, I think I kept thinking that Hanamaki Higashi might be able to pull off some sort of amazing upset until about the 5th or 6th inning, about the time I think the offense really started to sputter: Hanamaki Higashi went down in order in the 5th and the 6th inning ended with Sarukawa trying to stretch a single into a double (although a case could be made that it was a good risk to take).

When Hanamaki finally did manage to push a run across the board, it was in the top of the 7th and the run scored when Sasaki (佐々木大樹) grounded into a 5-4-3 double play.

Sad to see Hanamaki Higashi eliminated, but it was probably for the best.

Key Offensive Players
Hanamaki Higashi: Sarukawa (猿川拓朗) 3-for-3, BB; Chiba (千葉祐輔) 2-for-3

Chukyodai Chukyo: Kunitomo (国友賢司) 1-for-2, HBP, BB, 2 R; Kawai (河合完治) 3-for-5, 2 3B, HR, 2 R, 5 RBI; Isomura (磯村嘉孝) 1-for-3, HR, R, 2 RBI; Ito (伊藤隆比古) 1-for-4, BB, HR, R, RBI; Kanayama (金山篤未) 2-for-3, BB, HR, 2 R, RBI

Hanamaki Higashi

Chukyodai Chukyo

===

Some other news and notes:

...And then there were 2...

...Sanspo has pictures from the stands from Day 14.

...If you're at the Koshien, you might want to think about picking up a Hermann Dog (500yen). Vendors are currently selling about 200 of these a day.

The Hermann Dog is modeled after the first hot dog that was sold in Japan back in 1934. That hot dog was created by Hermann Friedrich Wolschke, a sausage maker from Germany.

...Nihon Bunri manager Michio Ohi wasn't feeling well after the game and was diagnosed with a minor heat stroke.

...Ken Gifu Sho ace, Tomohiro Yamada, was taking pain-killers for most of the tournament due to a bruised right index finger he suffered during the Gifu Tournament that never had a chance to heal.

===

What's on tap tomorrow:

13:00 - Nihon Bunri vs Chukyodai Chukyo

With runners on first and third, Teikyo took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 1st on Haraguchi's (原口文仁) single into left. But the lead wouldn't last for very long.

In the bottom of the 1st, Gifu Ken Sho started things off with a single back up the middle by Matsuda (松田智宏). The number two batter, Fujita (藤田知晃), attempted to move Matsuda over to second with a sac bunt, but Hirahara (平原庸多) was quick off the mound and threw out Matsuda at second. Hirahara struck out the next batter for the second out of the inning, but then threw a wild pitch, moving Fujita into scoring position. Esaki (江崎秋馬) poked single through the right side and Fujita rounded third. He stopped and began running back to third when he saw the throw going home, but the ball went over the catcher's head. Hirahara, backing up the play, quickly recovered the ball and threw over to third to try and get Fujita, but the throw was off the mark and rolled into the outfield and gave Fujita more than enough time to cross home plate. Game tied at 1.

A runner still on second with 2 outs, Yamada (山田智弘) poked a single by the shortstop. Esaki, who was on second, was off on the pitch and rounding third when the throw went to home. An off-base slide allowed Esaki to score safely and Ken Gifu Sho had a 2-1 lead.

Ken Gifu Sho tacked on 4 more runs in the bottom of the 3rd to take a 6-1 lead.

Teikyo did manage to score 2 runs in the top of the 5th to make it 6-3, but they also missed a great chance in the top of the 3rd when they had had runners on first and third with only 1 out, but failed to get a run across. Hoshi (星宏樹) couldn't lay down a 1-1 squeeze and ended up striking out. The next batter walked to load the bases, but Ariga (有賀ナビル) grounded out second to end the inning.

In the top of the 6th, Teikyo had another scoring opportunity when Kaneko (金子竜也) and Taguchi (田口公貴) picked up back-to-back 1-out singles, but Hirahara grounded into a force at second and Sato (佐藤秀栄) struck out to end the inning.

Still down 6-3 in the top of the 9th, Hirahara almost led off the inning with a single, but Fujita made a great play to get to the ball and throw it over to first in enough time to get a diving Hirahara (his momentum was taking him toward second). The next batter, Sato, took Yamada's 3-2 pitch into right. As rounded second, he hesitated a bit and then kept going. And it was that hesitation that got him thrown out at third. The game ended when Ikai (井貝星良), the third baseman, grabbed Haraguchi's pop-up in foul territory.

Key Offensive Players
Teikyo: Kaneko (金子竜也) 2-for-4, R; Sato (佐藤秀栄) 3-for-4, BB, 2B; Haraguchi (原口文仁) 2-for-5, R, RBI; Yoshioka (吉岡駿) 2-for-2, HBP, BB, RBI

Ken Gifu Sho: Fujita (藤田知晃) 2-for-4, HBP, 2 R; Yokoyama (横山貴大) 1-for-2, 2B, R, 2 RBI; (平林一浩) 2-for-3, BB

Teikyo

Ken Gifu Sho

===

With 2 outs in the bottom of the first, Kawai (河合完治) and Dobayashi (堂林翔太) hit back-to-back singles. Dobayashi nailed the first pitch he saw from Shinnishi (新西貴利) and deposited it over the left-center field fence to give Chukyodai Chukyo a 3-0 led. With that one swing, the tone for the rest of the game was set. Well, that and a solid out by Dobayashi.

Chukyo tacked on another run in the bottom of the 3rd on an RBI double by Dobayashi.

Miyakonojosho finally pushed 2 runs across and cut Chukyo's lead to 3-2 in the top of the fourth on an 2-run double by Mera (米良孝秋). But after that hit, Dobayashi was simply un-hittable, retiring 16 of the last 17 batters he faced (he surrendered a walk in the 5th).

In the bottom of the 7th, Kawai's RBI single to left with a runner on second and Dobayashi's towering RBI double up against the wall in left-center with Kawai on first made it 6-2.

Key Offensive Players
Miyakonojosho: Mera (米良孝秋) 1-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI

Chukyodai Chukyo: Kawai (河合完治) 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI; Dobayashi (堂林翔太) 3-for-3, BB, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI; Isomura (磯村嘉孝) 2-for-4, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI

Miyakonojosho

Chukyodai Chukyo

===

Some other news and notes:

...And then there were 4...

...Sanspo has pictures from the stands from Day 13.

...A sign of rough economic times? A shrine (Susano'o Shrine) that usually gets quite a few visits from teams wanting to win at the Koshien has seen about a 50% drop in traffic this year, compared to last year.

It's the first time since 1955 that two schools from the Tokai Region (Ken Gifu Sho and Chukyodai Chukyo) made it to the semifinals at the Summer Koshien.

Two schools from the Tokai Region (Tokoha Gakuen Kikugawa and Ogaki Nichidai) did face off against each other in the finals during the 2007 Spring Koshien.

===

What's on tap tomorrow:

11:00 Ken Gifu Sho vs Nihon Bunri

13:30 Hanamaki Higashi vs Chukyodai Chukyo

Yusei Kikuchi (菊池雄星) started the game strong, retiring the first 12 batters in a row.

On the other side of the mound, Imamiya (今宮健太) held Hanamaki Higashi to 1 run over the first 3 innings. But things fell apart for Imamiya in the 4th. He surrendered a lead-off double and single before allowing Hanamaki's second run of the game to score on an infield single to Sasaki (佐々木大樹).

Kikuchi was up to bat next and he laid down a bunt to move the runners up a base. The bunt was good, but Kikuchi ran hard into first and bumped into the first baseman. He crumpled to the ground and looked to be in pain, but he got up, shook it off, apologized to the first baseman, and returned to the dugout.

With runners on second and third, Yamada (山田隼弥) poked a single through the left side to push Hanamaki's third run across the home plate. Meiho then brought in Noguchi (野口昂平) to try and get out of the inning without surrendering any more runs, but Noguchi gave up a first-pitch single back up the middle to Kashiwaba (柏葉康貴) that gave Hanamaki a 4-0 lead.

Meiho finally scored a run off Kikuchi in the bottom of the 5th on a sac fly by Kawano (河野凌太). Kikuchi retired the next batter on a pop-up to short, but he also began putting his left hand on his right hip, as if to try and stave off some pain. Kikuchi was relieved by Sarukawa (猿川拓朗) after that.

In the bottom of the 6th, with the bases loaded and 1 out, Sarukawa surrendered a 2-run single to Kotobuki (寿雄大).

The game really started to move in the bottom of the 8th as Imamiya led off the inning with a double. A strike out and an HBP later, Kawano (河野凌太) drove in the tying run with a double down the first base line. Kimori (木森恭平) followed that with another double that cleared the bases and gave Meiho a 6-4 lead.

Two consecutive singles put runners on second and third for Hanamaki in the top of the 9th. Yokokura (横倉怜武) followed with a single into right-center that cleared the bases and tied the game at 6. One batter later, with a runner on third, Imamiya returned to the mound and struck out the next two batters to end the inning.

Imamiya had a chance to win the game for Meiho in the bottom of the 9th when he stepped up to bat with a runner on second and 1 out, but Hanamaki played it safe and gave him a free pass.

In the top of the 10th, Kashiwaba picked up an infield single with 1 out. Sato (佐藤涼平) bunted him over to second and hit Meiho's first baseman pretty hard and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher.

It was now up to the captain, Kawamura (川村悠真), to make some noise, which he did, with a single back up the middle that scored Kashiwaba from second. Hanamaki had their lead.

Sarukawa gave up a 1-out walk, but retired the next two batters on ground outs to give his team a 7-6 victory.

Key Offensive Players
Hanamaki Higashi: Kashiwaba (柏葉康貴) 2-for-4, HBP, IBB, R, RBI; Kawamura (川村悠真) 2-for-6, R, RBI; Yokokura (横倉怜武) 3-for-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI; Yamada (山田隼弥) 2-for-3, RBI

Meiho: Hirai (平井徹) 2-for-5, R; Kotobuki (寿雄大) 2-for-4, HBP, R, 2 RBI; Kawano (河野凌太) 1-for-3, IBB, 2B, R, 2 RBI; Kimori (木森恭平) 1-for-3, BB, 2B, 2 RBI

Hanamaki Higashi

Meiho

* Imamiya (今宮健太) hit 154km/h on the radar gun.

===

This game was actually a pretty close contest early on.

In the bottom of the second, with the bases loaded and 1 out, Sakida (崎田聖羅) gave up a run-scoring single to Nakamura (中村大地). But he bounced back and got out of the inning on a double play.

Trailing 1-0 in the top of the 4th, Rissho got runners on first and third with 2 out. Narita (成田渉) followed with a bloop single into center that scored the runner at third and tied the game at 1. Ito (伊藤直輝) walked the next two batters and gave Rissho a 2-1 lead. In the bottom of the inning, Ito (伊藤直輝) hit a 1-out double and came around to score on Nakamura's (高橋隼之介) single through the left side.

Rissho took the lead again in the top of the 6th on Sakida homer into the left field stands. But that lead wouldn't last very long as Nihon Bunri quickly tied the game in the bottom of the inning on an RBI triple by Kitte (切手孝太). A first pitch wild pitch to the next batter then allowed Kitte to cross the plate and give Nihon Bunri a 4-3 lead. A double and a ground out later, Sakida's second wild pitch of the inning gives Nihon Bunri a 5-3 lead.

And from this inning on, it was pretty much over for Rissho. They went down in order in the 7th, gave up a run in the bottom of the inning (RBI double by Nakamura), got 2 runners on in the 8th but failed to score, and gave up 5 more runs in the bottom of the 8th (RBI triple by Yoshida, a 2-run homer by Y. Takahashi, and a 2-run single by Kitte) before going down in order in the top of the 9th.

Still, what a gutsy performance by Sakida. 9 innings and 165 pitches.

Key Offensive Players
Risshodai Shonan: Sakida (崎田聖羅) 3-for-3, BB, HR, 2 R, RBI; Narita (成田渉) 2-for-3, BB, RBI

Nihon Bunri: Kitte (切手孝太) 2-for-4, HBP, BB, 3B, R, 3 RBI; Takahashi (高橋隼之介) 3-for-5, 2B, R, RBI; Takahashi (高橋義人) 3-for-5, HR, R, 2 RBI; Nakamura (中村大地) 4-for-4, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI

Risshodai Shonan

Nihon Bunri

===

Some other news and notes:

...And then there were 6...

...Sanspo has pictures from the stands from Day 12.

...Yusei Kikuchi had x-rays taken of his back and everything appears to be ok with him. He probably won't do anything throwing today (Saturday) to give his body some time to heal. It is still not known whether or not he'll be ready to pitch on Sunday.

Kikuchi also gave the crowd a big scare when he ran into Meiho's first baseman really hard in the top of the 4th on a sac bunt.

...Hanamaki Higashi's Sato (佐藤涼平) caused a bit of a scare in the 10th when he crashed into the first baseman on a sac bunt. He left the field on a stretcher to get treatment and didn't return to the field immediately after the inning ended, so there was some concern that he may have injured himself badly. But moments later, he ended up running out of the dugout with a big smile on his face; he played out the rest of the game.

...Hanamaki Higashi's Yamada (山田隼弥) was taken out after the 6th inning because of a cramp in his left calf, likely brought on by a heat stroke.

...Nihon Bunri became the first team to play 2 straight games where where every member in the starting line-up has at least 1 hit.

...Rissho ace Sakida (崎田聖羅) tossed 165 pitches in his team's loss on Friday. For the tournament, he threw 3 complete games and threw 413 pitches.

===

What's on tap tomorrow:

11:00 Teikyo vs Ken Gifu Sho

13:30 Miyakonojosho vs Chukyodai Chukyo

Down 6-5 in the top of the 9th, Imamiya (今宮健太) stepped up to the plate with a runner on third and no out. He fouled off four pitched before finally poking a single through the right side (on the 6th pitch, all of which were fastballs) to tie the game at 6.

In the bottom of the inning, Shoji (庄司隼人) had a chance to return the "favor" when he stepped up to bat with a runner on first and 2 out. When Imamiya (今宮健太) threw him a fork, the two just smiled at each other. Shoji (庄司隼人) ended up grounding out to short on a fastball down the plate.

Meiho loaded the bases in the top of the 12th with 1 out. On Shoji's (庄司隼人) 208 pitch, Hirai hit a gounder to short. Tokoha almost turned a double play on the grounder, but the throw to first was a little late. And the slight pause while Tokoha waited for the ump to make his call was just long enough for Meiho to score their second run of the inning.

Ushia (牛場友哉) struck out in the bottom of the 12th with Shoji (庄司隼人) on second to end the game.

Key Offensive Players
Meiho: Hirai (平井徹) 1-for-7, 2 RBI; Sunagawa (砂川哲平) 3-for-6, BB, 2B, 3B, 3 R; Imamiya (今宮健太) 3-for-3, 3 BB, 2 B, R, RBI; Kotobuki (寿雄大) 1-for-1, 2B, 2 RBI

Tokoha Gakuen Tachibana: Koizumi (小泉泰樹) 3-for-4, BB, 2B, R, 2 RBI; Shoji (庄司隼人) 2-for-6, 2 RBI; Hayakawa (早川顕一) 3-for-5, RBI; Yamada (山田飛輝) 2-for-5, 2 R

Meiho

Tokoha Gakuen Tachibana

*Imamiya (今宮健太) topped out at 153km/h on the radar gun.

===

Nagano managed to tie the game at 5 in the 5th, but after that, Chukyodai completely shut-down their offense, limiting them to just 1 hit over the final 4 innings of the game.

Meanwhile, Chukyodai exploded for 10 runs on 10 hits (3 of which were doubles) over their final 4 innings of the games.

Incidentally, 7 of the 15 runs Chukyodai scored were unearned.

Key Offensive Players
Nagano Nichidai: Niimura (新村涼賢) 1-for-5, HR, R, 2 RBI; Kitazawa (北沢哲) 2-for-4, R; Kobayashi (小林聡) 3-for-4, RBI; Hondo (本藤昇吾) 2-for-4, R, RBI; Kato (加藤幸宏) 2-for-3, 2B, R, RBI

Chukyodai Chukyo: Yamanaka (山中渉伍) 2-for-5, HBP, 2B, 3 R; Kunitomo (国友賢司) 2-for-3, HBP, R, 3 RBI; Kawai (河合完治) 3-for-6, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI; Dobayashi (堂林翔太) 2-for-4, BB, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI; Shibata (柴田悠介) 3-for-4, HBP, 3 R; Kaneyama (金山篤未) 1-for-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI

Nagano Nichidai

Chukyodai Chukyo

===

Sato (佐藤涼平) was at it again today:

• 1st AB: 10 pitches / result: strike out
• 2nd AB: 3 pitches / result: HBP
• 3rd AB: 3 pitches / result: single
• 4th AB: 5 pitches / result: fly out

A TV report I saw mentioned that he spends a lot of time practicing how to foul pitches off.

In any case, another very solid start by Yusei Kikuchi.

Hanamaki's offense wasn't really overpowering. They scored their first run in the 3rd inning on Yamada's (山田隼弥) slap hit through the left side (he was faking a bunt) that scored Sasaki (佐々木大樹) from second. Their second run was pretty much manufactured by Sato (佐藤涼平) in the 4th as he got on base with an HBP, moved to second on a sac bunt, stole third, and then came around to score on Yokokura's (横倉怜武) chopper to short. And the third run scored in the bottom of the 5th after Yamada (山田隼弥) reached on a bunt single, stole second and advanced to third on a bad throw by the catcher, and finally crossed the plate on a chopper to first. The fourth and final run came in the bottom of the 8th and was the product of a HBP, a wild pitch that moved the runner to second, and a single that passed by a diving shortstop.

Tohoku lone run scored in the top of the 6th on a double by Ito (伊藤航) and an RBI single by Kiryu (桐生穂高).

After the game, Kikuchi said he was feeling tired and still felt a bit tight but managed to overcome all that with a boost in adrenaline during the game.

Key Offensive Players
Tohoku: Ito (伊藤航) 1-for-3, HBP, 2B, R; Kiryu (桐生穂高) 1-for-2, RBI

Hanamaki Higashi: Yokokura (横倉怜武) 1-for-2, HBP, R, RBI; Chiba (千葉祐輔) 2-for-4, RBI; Yamada (山田隼弥) 3-for-3, R, RBI

Tohoku

Hanamaki Higashi

* Kikuchi (菊池雄星) hit 154km/h on the gun twice, which establishes a new high for lefties at the Koshien.

===

Okada had a rough game, giving up 3 big runs in the top of the first on an RBI single by Matsubara (松原大輔) and a 2-run double by Tominaga (冨永圭太).

Chiben managed to return a run in the bottom of the inning when Nishikawa (西川遥輝) hit a grounder that went through the first baseman's legs and into right field, scoring Ohhata from second.

And while Okada managed to keep his team in the game by giving up only 1 more run over the next 8 innings, the offense just could not get anything going against Shinnishi. They did get 2 runners on in the bottom of the 8th with 1 out, but Shinnishi retired the next two batters on a strike out and a fly out.

Key Offensive Players
Miyokonojosho: Fujimoto (藤本雄也) 2-for-5, RBI; Uchida (内田祥文) 2-for-4, BB, 2B, R; Tominaga (冨永圭太) 2-for-4, BB, 2B, 2 RBI

Chiben Wakayama: Ohhata (大畑勇) 1-for-3, BB, R; Iwasato (岩佐戸龍) 2-for-4; Kitabatake (北畠良真) 2-for-4

Miyokonojosho

Chiben Wakayama

* Not an excuse but... Okada (岡田俊哉) was actually feeling under-the-weather prior to the game. He had a fever on Wednesday and almost popped a blister on his middle finger after his start on the 18th. He ends his summer with 37 strike outs over 3 Koshien starts.

** Nishikawa (西川遥輝) had been nursing a fractured left thumb he suffered during a practice game in June.

===

Some other news and notes:

...And then there were 8...

...Sanspo has pictures from the stands from Day 11.

...Teikyo's manager, Mitsuo Maeda, recorded his 48th career Koshien victory, good for third on the All-Time list.

===

What's on tap tomorrow:

11:00 - Meiho vs Hanamaki Higashi

13:30 - Nihon Bunri vs Risshodai Shonan

In the top of the 4th, PL Gakuen finally got on the board with a run. But they may have been able to score more had Nakai (中井都雄) not been so aggressive on the base paths and gotten thrown out at home for the second out of the inning. It was a pretty close play, so perhaps it was a fair risk.

After Yamada (山田智弘) led off the bottom of the 4th with a double, a throwing error by the first baseman on a sac bunt allowed him to score, giving Ken Gifu Sho a 4-1 lead.

Murata's (村田穏行) double in the 5th with a runner on first pulled PL Gakuen to within 2 of Gifu. But a home run by Yamada (山田智弘) in the 5th pushed PL Gakuen away once again.

The two sides exchanged singles runs again in the 7th: Yoshikawa (吉川大幾) hit a home run for PL Gakuen and Ikai (井貝星良) drove in a run with a double for Gifu.

After Yoshikawa's home run in the 7th, Yamada (山田智弘) retired the next 9 batters in a row to give Gifu a 6-3 win over PL Gakuen.

Ken Gifu Sho makes it into the Best 8 for the first time in 31 years.

Key Offensive Players
PL Gakuen: Yoshikawa (吉川大幾) 1-for-4, HR, R, RBI; Murata (村田穏行) 2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI; Nanba (難波清秀) 1-for-2, RBI

Ken Gifu Sho: Matsuda (松田智宏) 2-for-4, R; Ikai (井貝星良) 1-for-3, BB, 2B, R, RBI; Yamada (山田智弘) 2-for-4, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI

PL Gakuen

Ken Gifu Sho

===

Nihon Bunri collected 20 hits and scored 12 runs. And while Ito gave up 5 runs, he still picked up a complete game victory.

Nihon Koku Ishikawa did make things a bit interesting in the top of the 9th when they managed to collect three straight hits after a double and a ground out to score three runs. But Ito (伊藤直輝) ended the game by getting pinch-hitter Ebisu (胡寛志) to ground into a double play.

Nihon Bunri makes it into the Best 8 for the first time in 25 years.

Key Offensive Players
Nihon Koku Ishikawa: Fukui (福井航輝) 2-for-4, 2B, R; Kitadera (北寺宏規) 2-for-4, 3B, 2 R; Izumi (泉隆史) 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI

Nihon Bunri: Kitte (切手孝太) 3-for-5, 2 R; Takahashi (高橋隼之介) 1-for-3, 3B, R, 3 RBI; Takeishi (武石光司) 2-for-5, 2B, 2 R, RBI; Yoshida (吉田雅俊) 2-for-5, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI; Takahashi (高橋義人) 4-for-5, 3B, 2 R; Ito (伊藤直輝) 3-for-4, HR, R, 6 RBI; Nakamura (中村大地) 2-for-3, 2 2B, 2 R

Nihon Koku Ishikawa

Nihon Bunri

===

5 hit batsmen, 2 of which came around to score in the 6th and 8th innings, and timely hitting by Sakida (崎田聖羅) allowed Rissho to get back into the game after trailing for most of it.

In the top of the 9th, Rissho finally broke through for a lead. With 2 outs in the books, Hayashida (林田真央) drove a ball to deep right-center that split the outfielders. He was running hard right out of the box and slid safely into third. Ono's (小野友輔) double over the center fielder's head scored the go-ahead run and Goto's (後藤静磨) double down the first base line gave Rissho an insurance.

Sakida hit a batter with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th, but retired the next two batters to give his team a 4-2 victory over Tono-dai Ni.

Key Offensive Players
Rissho-dai Shonan: Hayashida (林田真央) 1-for-3, 2 HBP, 3B, 2 R; Ono (小野友輔) 1-for-3, HBP, BB, 2B, 2 R, RBI; Goto (後藤静磨) 2-for-4, BB, 2 2B, RBI; Sakida (崎田聖羅) 1-for-4, 2 RBI

Tono-dai Ni:Machida (町田卓也) 3-for-4; Numazawa (沼沢茂) 2-for-3, RBI; Tsuruta (鶴田龍斗) 2-for-4

Rissho-dai Shonan

Tono-dai Ni

===

After Kobayashi's (小林知弘) solo homer put Kyushu up 3-1 in the top of the 7th, it appeared as though all the momentum had shifted away from Teikyo. But in the bottom of the 8th, with runners on first and third and 1 out, Nodomi (納富秀平) threw a wild pitch that allowed a run to score. After walking Hirahara (平原庸多) to put runners on first and second, Nodomi (納富秀平) threw a wild pick-off throw to second that allowed the runners to move up a base. A failed squeeze attempt followed by a bad snap throw to third by the catcher allowed the runner at third to score and tie the game at 3.

In the bottom of the 9th, with the score still tied at 3, Teikyo managed to load the bases on a walk, a sac bunt, a single, and another walk. That set the stage for Kaneko's (金子竜也) walk-off single to right that gave Teikyo a 4-3 victory over Kyushu.

Key Offensive Players
Kyushu Kokusai-dai Fu: Kobayashi (小林知弘) 2-for-3, HR, R, RBI; Kunieda (国枝頌平) 3-for-4, 2B, R; Miyoshi (三好匠) 2-for-4, RBI

Teikyo: Kaneko (金子竜也) 3-for-4, 2 R, RBI; Taguchi (田口公貴) 2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI

Kyushu Kokusai-dai Fu

Teikyo

* Ito maxed out at 148km/h
** Nodomi threw 293 pitches over 3 games

===

Some other news and notes:

...And then there were 12...

...Sanspo has pictures from the stands from Day 10.

...According to a TV report, Yusei Kikuchi was experiencing some tightness in his left shoulder and limited his throwing session to just 20 pitches on Wednesday.

===

What's on tap tomorrow:

8:30 - Meiho vs Tokoha Gakuen Tachibana

11:00 - Nagano Nichidai vs Chukyodai Chukyo

13:30 - Hanamaki Higashi vs Tohoku

16:00 - Miyokonojosho vs Chiben Wakayama

With the score tied at 2, Nichidaisan had a chance to put some runs on the board in the bottom of the 8th. Momiyama was up to bat with the bases loaded and 2 out. He was 0-for-3 in the game so far, but did go 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI against Tokushima Kita on the 13th. But Momiyama would not be so lucky tonight as he struck out swinging to end the inning.

In the top of the 9th, Ohba nailed a 1-out triple and scored on Shinozuka sac fly to center to give Tohoku a 3-2 lead.

Nichidaisan went down fairly quietly in the bottom of the 9th, save for a long fly ball -- sandwiched between two strike outs -- to deep center that Sumi (角鴻太郎) hit, but the center fielder, Sano (佐野太地), managed to track down with his back to home plate.

A teary-eyed Momiyama said that he was sorry for failing and that he apologized to all his teammates for failing to come through in the bottom of the 8th.

Key Offensive Players
Tohoku: Sano (佐野太地) 2-for-5, R; Ito (伊藤航) 3-for-3, 2B, RBI; Ohba (大庭裕士) 2-for-3, HBP, 2 3B, R; Shinozuka (篠塚翔平) 0-for-3, RBI

Nichidaisan: Yoshizawa (吉沢翔吾) 2-for-3, IBB, 2B, R, RBI; Uchiyama (内山翔平) 2-for-4

Tohoku

Nichidaisan

===

The game was pretty close up until the top of the 5th when Mie surrendered 3 runs. A wild pitch with a runner on third and 2-out in the top of the 6th further pushed the momentum in favor of Miyokonojosho and gave them a 6-2 lead.

Mie would get back a run in the bottom of the 6th on a triple and a sac fly, but that would be it.

Miyokonojosho tacked 2 more runs on in the top of the 9th to put the game away and beat Mie, 8-3.

Key Offensive Players
Miyokonojosho: Ohsako (大迫勇輔) 2-for-5, 2 2B, R; Uchida (内田祥文) 2-for-4, BB, R, RBI; Matsubara (松原大輔) 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI; Tominaga (冨永圭太) 2-for-3, BB, RBI; Mera (米良孝秋) 2-for-2, HBP, R, 2 RBI

Mie: Noro (野呂啓太) 1-for-3, HR, R, 2 RBI; Matsuda (松田渉吾) 1-for-3, 3B, RBI

Miyokonojosho

Mie

* Ohsako (大迫勇輔) complained of feeling unwell in the top of the 5th and was later pinch-hit for in the top of the 9th. After the game, it was revealed that Ohsako was suffering from heat stroke.

===

Okada had some problems with his control and gave up his first run, after tossing 42.2 innings of shut-out ball, on a wild pitch.

Sapporo almost took the lead in the top of the 3rd, but a close play at home plate left the game tied at 2. Sapporo regained the lead in the bottom of the third on Tomita's (富田嘉樹) RBI single to left. It should be noted that there may have been a play at home plate, but the left fielder, Ohhata (大畑勇), overthrew everyone. Interestingly enough, the third out of the inning came at home on a perfect throw from Nishikawa (西川遥輝) to get Tomita (富田嘉樹) trying to score.

Sapporo scored 2 more runs off Okada in the bottom of the 4th on Hata's 2-out, 2-run double for a 5-2 lead.

And after that inning, Okada settled in and gave up only 1 hit over the final 5 frames of the game.

In the top of the 7th, Chiben almost tied the game at 5 (after scoring a run on an error and an RBI single), but the tying run was thrown out at home plate on a bullet of a throw, on the fly, from center fielder Yada (矢田直紀).

Down 5-4 in the top of the 9th, Chiben finally got the tying run home when Kitabatake (北畠良真) hit a fly ball to deep center field for a double with a runner on second. Nishikawa's (西川遥輝) 2-run double and Sotohama's (外浜雄司) sac fly gave Chiben a 3-run lead.

Okada retired the side in order in the bottom of the 9th.

Key Offensive Players
Chiben Wakayama: Nishikawa (西川遥輝) 2-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI; Hirano (平野晃土) 2-for-4, 2B, R; Kitabatake (北畠良真) 2-for-4, 2 R

Sapporo Ichi: Hata (畑洋匡) 3-for-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI

Chiben Wakayama

Sapporo Ichi

===

Some other news and notes:

...And then there were 16...

...Sanspo has pictures from the stands from Day 9.

...Three Rissho players have caught the flu and will not be available on Wednesday. Ijichi (伊地智晴久) tested positive for Flu-A on the 17th and tests done on the team and Rissho personnel on the 18th revealed that Iijima (飯島瞬) and Nakao (中尾一洋), along with 2 practice assistants, also have the flu virus.

Neither Ijichi nor Nakao were on the roster for the second game of the Koshien, but were on the roster for the third game. At this point, Rissho will be competing with only 15 players on Wednesday.

The samples taken from the 5 Rissho players will undergo further testing to see if it's the swine flu.

...Chiben Gakuen Wakayama High School manager Hitoshi Takashima won his 58th Koshien game and is now tied for first with former PL Gakuen manager Junji Nakamura.

...Sanspo is reporting that the Yomiuri Giants are now showing in Yusei Kikuchi. Other teams showing interest: Chunichi Dragons, Hiroshima Carp, Nippon Ham Fighters, Rakuten Eagles, Orix Buffaloes, and Chiba Lotte Marines.

This doesn't necessarily mean that the Giants are no longer interested in Hisayoshi Chono. With him turning down the Nippon Ham Fighters in 2006 and the Chiba Lote Marines in 2008, the general consensus appears to be that teams will no longer take the risk of wasting a draft pick on him (certainly not an early pick).

Hiroshima owner Hajime Matsuda said that he would like to see Kikuchi drafted by a team in the Central League and that the Hanshin Tigers might be the best place for him to land.

...Merchants are wondering which teams will take over the sales race at the Stadium now that both Kwansei and Yokohama have been eliminated. Incidentally, this article also mentions that older people were into the Kwansei merchandise while high schoolers tended to buy the Yokohama items.

...Sanspo reports that there are still plenty more bricks to go around for those that are interested in having a brick etched with a personalized message and installed for the rest of the world to see around Koshien Stadium.

...The next interesting match-up on hand could be Hanamaki Higashi's Yusei Kikuchi vs Tohoku's Sakuya Sato.

===

What's on tap tomorrow:

8:30 - Ken Gifu Sho vs PL Gakuen

11:00 - Nihon Koku Ishikawa vs Nihon Bunri

13:30 - Rissho-dai Shonan vs Tono-dai Ni

16:00 - Teikyo vs Kyushu Kokusai-dai Fu

Shoji (庄司隼人) did a nice job holding Kochi to just one run over the first 6 innings. And he was also backed by an offense that scored him 3 runs in the 2nd and 4 runs in the 6th to give him a comfortable 7-1 lead heading in to the top of the 7th.

And that's when Shoji's luck began running out. He gave up 3 runs in the 7th and 2 runs in the 8th and was on the verge of giving the game up in the 9th when his teammates bailed him out, this time with their defense.

After striking out the first batter of the top of the 9th, Shoji gave up a long drive to Ikechi (池知佑也) that split the left and center fielders. Ikechi was on his horse and showed no signs of stopping at second. And suddenly it appeared as though only a perfect throw would get him out. And that's exactly what Tokoha got -- the relay from Inazumi (稲角航平) was dead-on and Ikechi was nailed out at third for the second out of the inning.

A walk to the next batter brought up Nishioka (西岡陸) and he nailed a chopper to third that almost ate Konota (小岱太志) up. But he stayed with the ball and threw Nishioka out to end the game.

Key Offensive Players
Kochi: Ikechi (池知佑也) 3-for-5, 2 2B, R, 2 RBI; Kinoshita (木下拓哉) 2-for-3, HBP, 2B, R, RBI; Yoshii (吉井純平) 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI

Tokoha Gakuen: Koizumi (小泉泰樹) 3-for-4, RBI; Ushiba (牛場友哉) 2-for-4, 2B, 2R; Kawaguchi (川口雄佑) 2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI; Hayakawa (早川顕一) 2-for-3, 2 R, 2 RBI

Kochi

Tokoha Gakuen

===

Talk about wildness... Between the two teams there were 9 HBPs in the game; Tenri hitters were hit 7 (!) times. Tenri's first run actually came courtesy of 2 walks and 2 HBPs in the bottom of the 1st. And if not for a GIDP after that, Tenri may have managed to put up a crooked number in that 1st inning.

Down 7-5 in the bottom of the 9th, Tenri went to work. With 1 out, Nishikawa (西川大地) and pinch-hitter Yamazaki (山崎耕平) got on base with singles. The next batter, Hatano (波多野優), hit a grounder to second that looked like it might go for a GIDP, but Hatano was running hard out of the box and slid head first into first. He was safe. With runners now on first and third and 2 out, Harada (原田拓実) bounced a single back up the middle; a run scored and there were runners on first and third once again.

Tenri sent in pinch-hitter Iwasaki (岩崎亮太) and he lifted a fly ball to left that ended up in Yano's (矢野翔馬) glove for the final out of the inning.

The middle of Nagano's line-up was something else: the 3-4-5 batters went a combined 7-for-12 and drove in all 7 of the team's runs.

Key Offensive Players
Nagano Nichidai: Kitazawa (北沢哲) 2-for-3, BB, 3B, R, 4 RBI; Kobayashi (小林聡) 2-for-4, HBP, 2B, RBI; Hondo (本藤昇吾) 3-for-5, 2 RBI

Tenri: Harada (原田拓実) 3-for-5, BB, R, 2 RBI; Nakamura (中村奨吾) 1-for-2, 2 HBP, BB, R; Nishiura (西浦直亨) 1-for-3, 2 HBP, 2 RBI; Nishikawa (西川大地) 3-for-3, 2 HBP, 2B, 2 R

Nagano Nichidai

Tenri

* Nagano has now collected 24 hits in 2 Koshien games.

===

Chukyo had a 4-3 lead heading into the top of the top of the 9th when Kwansei scored a run on a sac fly by Kuroki (黒木秀太). Chukyo managed to load the bases after that on two straight infield singles, but Ohara (小原真人) ended the inning with a deep fly to center.

Yamazaki (山崎裕貴) re-took the mound in the bottom of the 9th for Chukyo and struck out the first batter he faced. But he hung a first pitch slider to Kawai and that was it... Kawai nailed it to left center for a walk-off slam.

Key Offensive Players
Kwansei Gakuin: Koma (高馬啓城) 3-for-3, 2 BB, 2 R, RBI; Kuroki (黒木秀太) 1-for-3, HBP, 2B, RBI; Yamazaki (山崎純意) 3-for-4, BB, R; Toriuchi (鳥内将希) 1-for-1, 2 BB, RBI

Chukyodai Chukyo: Kawai (河合完治) 4-for-5, HR, 3 R, RBI; Dobayashi (堂林翔太) 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI; Isomura (磯村嘉孝) 1-for-2, 2 BB, R, RBI

Kwansei Gakuin

Chukyodai Chukyo

===

I think somewhere in the back of my mind, I was hoping to see Yokohama knock off Hanamaki, but it didn't happen. Kikuchi tossed a very strong game. Other than the solo shot he gave up in the 4th, Yokohama batters didn't really give him much trouble. At one point, he even struck out 4 in row (between the 5th and 6th innings).

Kikuchi definitely looked a lot more comfortable on the mound.

By the way, I'm becoming a big fan of Sato (佐藤涼平). I just love how he's trying to make something in the batter's box. And that first run Hanamaki scored was really all Sato (he walked, stole second, tagged up on a fly ball to fairly deep center, then scored on a single back up the box).

As for Yokohama... I was a little disappointed when Imaoka (今岡一平) didn't take the mound at the start of the game, but his replacement wasn't all that bad. And if not for a throwing error in the bottom of the 7th, Who know, maybe the game ends up going into extra innings. But unfortunately, the throwing error extended the inning long enough for Mori (森勇二) to nail a 2-run homer that pretty much ended Yokohama's hopes.

Key Offensive Players
Yokohama Hayato: Mori (森勇二) 1-for-4, HR, R, RBI; Funaki (船木吉裕) 2-for-4

Hanamaki Higashi: Kashiwaba (柏葉康貴) 1-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI; Sarukawa (猿川拓朗) 2-for-3, RBI; Kikuchi (菊池雄星) 2-for-3

Yokohama Hayato

Hanamaki Higashi

* Hagiwara (萩原大輝) was originally wearing the number of 1 (the "Ace" number) prior to the tournament, but the number was given to Imaoka (今岡一平).

===

Some other news and notes:

...And then there were 19...

...Sanspo has pictures from the stands from Day 8.

...Rissho's outfielder Ijichi (伊地智晴久) has the flu and likely won't be able to play on the 19th (he didn't play on the 15th). Ijichi has returned to his home in Hyogo Prefecture.

Players on the roster and team personnel will be tested for the flu virus on the 18th

...Kwansei's Koma (高馬啓城) was diagnosed with a heatstroke after the game. Koma was removed from the game in the top of the 9th after he hit a single to right and complained of his leg cramping up.

...Tenri had a rough ride through the Koshien. Prior to the start of the tournament, a number of players on the team were stricken with swine flu; and a recent accident during fielding practice sent catcher Ohnishi (大西康太) to the hospital with a cheekbone fracture.

...Eri Yoshida was sitting in a seat behind home plate during Day 8 of the Koshien.

===

What's on tap tomorrow:

9:30 - Tohoku vs Nippon University Daisan

12:00 - Miyakonojo vs Mie

14:30 - Chiben vs Sapporo Ichi

...The Tigers re-confirmed their stance that they have their sights set on Yusei Kikuchi for this year's Amateur Draft. Also high on their list: Nobuyoshi Yamada from Tsuruga Kehi High School and Takumi Akiyama from Saijo. The Tigers apparently have 47 high school players on their list of possible draft candidates.

...Yusei Kikuchi tossed 63 pitches in a bullpen session Sunday and 30 pitches earlier today in preparation for his game against Yokohama later today.

...Merchandise for Kwasei Gakuin (1st appearance in 70 years) and Yokohama Hayato (1st appearance) have been selling extremely well.

Tied 1-1 in the top of the 10th, Akeda (緋田勝人) blooped a single over the shortstops head to drive in Aoki (青木一将) from second. Aoyama went down in order in the bottom of the 10th as Tonodaini beat Aomori 2-1 in 10 innings.

Key Offensive Players
Tonodaini: Aoki (青木一将) 2-for-5, R; Akeda (緋田勝人) 1-for-5, RBI; Tsuruta (鶴田龍斗) 2-for-4, R

Aomori: Miyamori (宮守淳貴) 2-for-4, 2B, RBI; Ujiie (氏家彩斗) 1-for-3, R

Tonodaini

Aomori

*This was just the second game during this year's Koshien where both teams did not commit any errors.

===

Key Offensive Players
Teikyo: Hirahara (平原庸多) 2-for-4, 2B, R; Sato (佐藤秀栄) 2-for-3, RBI; Haraguchi (原口文仁) 2-for-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI; Ariga (有賀ナビル) 2-for-3, BB, 2B, RBI

Tsuruga: Lee (李開) 2-for-3, 2B, R; Yoshida (吉田正尚) 1-for-4, RBI

Teikyo

Tsuruga

*First year pitcher Ito (伊藤拓郎) hit 147km/h on the radar gun, setting a new high for first year students.

===

Shonan scored a run with the help of an error in the bottom of the 3rd to take a 1-0 lead. Kyushu answered back quickly with a run of their own in the top of the 4th, also with the help of an error.

Tied 1-1, the game entered the 9th. After Sorachi (空地拓真) struck out the first batter he faced, he surrendered a 1-out, tie-breaking solo home run to the clean-up hitter, Enomoto (河野元貴). Sorachi was taken out of the game after that and Hara (原一世) took his on the mound. But instead of retiring the next two batters to get out of the inning, he gave up a single and a double that put runners on second and third. Pinch-hitter Matsuo (松尾真吾) then hit a grounder to second that the second baseman couldn't handle because he was too focused on trying to get the runner sliding into home.

In the bottom of the 9th Shonan collected to back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second with 1 out. The next batter, Uemura (上村将士) tried to lay down a sac bunt, but the ball died right in front of the catcher and the runner at third was thrown out. Hara, the pitcher that replaced Sorachi in the previous inning, struck out to end the game.

Key Offensive Players
Kyushu: Enomoto (河野元貴) 1-for-4, HR, R, RBI;

Shonan: Shigeki (茂木龍幸) 2-for-4

Kyushu

Shonan

===

Not much to say other than how Akiyama (秋山拓巳) appeared to get caught up in racking up the radar gun numbers. And it goes without saying that the home runs really hurt Akiyama.

Noguchi also did a nice job containing Saijo offense. Through the first 3 innings, Saijo collected 2 hits an inning and yet could not get a run home.

Saijo best chance to score probably came in the bottom of the first when they had runners on first and third and 1 out with Akiyama up to bat. But the runner on first was caught trying to steal second and Akiyama ended up striking out.

Sad to see Saijo go, but I think they were simply outplayed by Meiho.

Key Offensive Players
Meiho: Abe (阿部弘樹) 1-for-3, BB, HR, R, 2 RBI; Kawano (河野凌太) 2-for-4, HR, R, RBI; Inagaki (稲垣翔太) 1-for-3, 3B, RBI

Saijo: Mori (森雄祐) 3-for-4; Saiki (佐伯海) 2-for-4

Meiho

Saijo

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Some other news and notes:

...Sanspo has pictures from the stands from Day 7.

...Yusei Kikuchi tossed about 30 pitches in the bullpen on Saturday. After watching video of his last start, he worked on making some adjustments to his delivery.

Said Kikuchi, "I don't feel any pain from that slide so I'm not worried about that anymore. And I think I'm getting better control over my pitches."

A Bloomberg reporter also also approached Kikuchi and asked him if he was feeling nervous knowing that MLB scouts were watching him. He replied with a no.

...Tenri announced that catcher Ohnishi (大西康太) will not be available for the second round game Monday (17th)

...After Day 7, all 49 schools that made it to the tournament have played at least one game. 23 schools now remain.

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What's on tap tomorrow:

8:30 - Kochi vs Tokoha

11:00 - Nagano vs Tenri

13:30 - Kwansei vs Chukyo

16:00 - Yokohama vs Hanamaki