Day 8 - Game 3 - Teikyo Koukou vs. Kamimura Gakuen

Here are two quick lessons about Teikyo Koukou:

1. They are an aggressive baseball team, and
2. They like to hit and score in bunches which just breaks a team's morale.

And now to the game...

Kamimura Gakuen had advanced by defeated Konko Osaka 6-3. Teikyo had dispatched Komadai Iwamizawa 7-1.

Not surprisingly, Teikyo had benched Ohda-kun (who, if why people continue to ask why I continue mentioning him, he was the ace pitcher in the Spring Koshien Tournament striking out 19 in the first game versus Ogi Koukou before burning out like the Hindenberg and really hasn't recovered since) in favor of another RP Takashima-kun.

But the move looked to be a bad decision. In the bottom of the 1st, Takashima would walk lead-off batter Watanabe. After SS Azuma-kun moves him over, he manages a grounder from Matsubara-kun. But before they could think they were going to escape unharmed, cleanup batter Tatsuda would hit a "no doubt about it" home run to left field, and just like that it was Kamimura that had the early lead!

Sadly, it was not to last for long. Kamimura's ace, Mori-kun, is a sidearm pitcher who has low velocity. And in the third, Teikyo had a field day. Perhaps a list would be best:

• #7 batter RF Sugiya Shouki - Triple to the RCF wall.
• #8 batter LF Takatsu - Grounder ground to the 2B, but for some unexplained reason, the first baseman can't field the throw! (1st and 3rd, no outs)
• #9 batter P Takashima
  • 0-0 count Takatsu steals 2nd.
  • 0-1 count Chopper into center scoring 1. (1st and 3rd, no outs)
• #1 batter CF Honma
  • 0-1 count Takashima steals 2nd (see a pattern?)
  • 1-1 count Single to center scoring 2 (runner at 1st, no outs)
• #2 batter 2B Uehara
  • 0-0 count, Honma steals second.
  • 1-0 count, grounder to pitcher who catches Honma going to third. (runner at 1st, 1 out)
• #3 batter SS Sugiya Kenshiro - 8 pitch walk (1st and 2nd, 1 out)
• #4 batter 1B Nakamura - Double down right field line scoring 1. (2nd and 3rd, 1 out)
• #5 batter C Kamata - Grounder to pitcher
• #6 batter 3B Nagata - Double down left field line scoring 2.

Total damage? 10 batters, 6 runs, 5 hits, 1 walk, 1 error.

And Kamimura wasn't the same after that. They would have a bid in the 7th, having runners on 1st and 2nd with no out. But it would be squashed by a spectacular double play when a bid for a base hit by Watanabe goes begging. 2B Uehara makes a diving stop, tosses to SS Sugiya who completes the double play.

Teikyo would add another run in the 6th and two more in the 7th to cruise to a 9-1 victory.

An interesting line the box score?

#7 Batter - #9 RF Sugiya Shouki:
2 for 4, 2 triples, 0 RBI (Both triples to the right-center field wall!)