Day 7 - Game 3 - Heian Koukou (Kyoto) vs. Kagoshima Kougyou (Kagoshima)

Seibou Gakuen would probably be interested in this matchup as the winner here would be their next opponent. It's hard to handicap this matchup as neither team has looked overly impressive so far. You could also say that neither team has a rest advantage either - Kagoshima Kougyou played 5 days ago and Heian played yesterday.

Heian Koukou
3B Marumoto
2B Uwaki
CF Yamaguchi
LF Kobayashi
1B Fukuda
C Kodama
RF Aratake
SS Kouno
P Kawaguchi

Kagoshima Kougyou
CF Ootou
RF Fukusako
SS Kajimaru
1B Nakamichi
P Uchimura
2B Tashiro
3B Ishigami
C Hashimoto
LF Ooshige

The first couple of innings are uneventful - almost as expected from these teams. It's less of powerful pitching and more than a lack of hitting that's being displayed. It's not really until the 6th inning that there's a good opportunity for either side...

Top 6, Kawaguchi up to bat for Heian. The count is worked full and he hits it up the middle. Uchimura gets a glove on it, but it deflects off him and to the right side. Tashiro rushes in and gets it, but his throw to 1st goes into the camera well instead and Kawaguchi ends up at 2nd with no out!

Seeing that this may come down to just one run, Heian's manager puts the sac bunt on to get the runner 90 feet closer. Then with Uwaki up he puts the squeeze on, but fails! 0-1 count, he does it again, and fails! Forced to swing away, he strikes out. Yamaguchi then goes after the first pitch and grounds to Tashiro to end the inning.

This must have started something, because Kagoshima Kougyou gets their chance in the bottom half of the frame. Ootou starts with a bloop single to LF. Fukusako then earns a walk after working the count full. After falling behind 0-2, Kagsohima's manager has Kajimaru bunt while having the runners take off! But he can't get the bunt down and Kodama has to problem throwing to Marumoto at 3rd to get Ootou out. It's too bad though because Kagoshima Kougyou would have had a favorable bounce. Immediately thereafter, Nakamichi would ground to 2nd. But the ball takes a high bounce before reaching Kouno and he has to get out of the way of being hit. So instead of a run in, there are runners at the corners with 2 down. Uchimura looks for a pitch to drive in Fukusako and can't, but he does draw a walk instead to load the bases leaving it up to Tashiro. However, he grounds out to 2nd and that's that.

Moving to the 7th for Heian, Kodama gets a 2-out walk. Seems innocent enough until Aratake flies the 2-1 pitch to LCF. Ooshige and Ootou both converge on it, but the wind knocks it down in front of them! Kodama is flying around the bases in the meantime and scores from first! Heian has taken the 1-0 lead! Next thing you know Kouno shoots one up the middle and Aratake scores giving them a 2-run advantage!

Kagoshima would answer in the bottom of the frame... with a little bit of help. Hashimoto gets a 1-out single to center. Ooshige bunts him along. Then, behind 0-2, Ootou grounds one to 2nd. Uwaki goes to cover, but the ball goes under his glove!! Hashimoto scores and it's a one run game! Fukusako's up next for Kagoshima, and after falling behind too, hits a short bounder to the right side. Fukuda charges in and gets it, turns to first only to find no one covering!! Everyone's safe!!

The next thing you know Heian's manager is sending out #14 Aoki to replace Uwaki at 2nd for his mental errors. But it's too late. Kajimaru hits a lines down the 1st base line scoring Ootou and tying the game at 2 apiece!

After the flurry of runs, the game goes back into the doldrums of the prior innings. Then, in the bottom of the 9th, Hashimoto hits one up the middle. Aoki, who earlier replaced Uwaki makes a great stop, but that's about all he can do! Heian's manager, not leaving anything to chance with his ace P, sends out #10 Matsuda to relieve him. Kagoshima's strategy doesn't change though. Hashimoto goes to 2nd on a sac bunt, and it's up to Ootou to get the sayonara hit. And he laces one up the middle, only to find that Matsuda catches the lines and doubles off Hashimoto who probably couldn't believe he caught it! And were off into extras!

Right off the bat, Heian looks to end this quickly. Kouno starts with a single through the left side. He's moved along by Matsuda. Marumoto does the same by grounding to the right side. Two outs for Aoki, and he hits a high chopper to Kajimaru! He makes a fine grab, but the bounder is just high enough to allow Aoki to reach safely! And that means that Kouno's run counts and Heian's up 3-2! It's not quite over yet though, as Uchimura is called for a balk advancing Aoki to 2nd. Yamaguchi hits one to Tashiro, but he can't field it and he's safe! Now with runners at 1st and 2nd things look grim for Uchimura and the Kagoshima squad, but they get Kobayashi to ground out to end the inning. Still, they're down 3-2 and have 3 outs left in their season.

Fukusako leads off for Kagoshima. He works the count full, fouls off a pitch then gets plunked by Matsuda! Well, that's fortunate. Kajimaru bunts him along, and they have 2 tries to tie the game up. Then, Nakamichi hits one to the left side. Kouno dives, but can't get it! It goes to LF and Fukusako scores from 2nd to tie it up again! Heian's manager must have a short leash on his players as Matsuda leaves the game. Kobayashi moves from left to pitch and Tsumadori (#17) comes in Matsuda's spot in the lineup and takes over in left. Kobayashi gets Uchimura to fly to right, but then plunks Tashiro to put the winning run in scoring position! However he gets Ishigami to strike out to end the inning. But the game continues on...

My experience with extra inning games in Koushien is that the longer the game goes on, the more likely the teams aren't going to be able to score, and thus end in a tie.

Top 12 though, Heian threatens. With 2 out, Aoki gets an infield single to short. Yamaguchi then singles trhough the left side to put runners at the corners! Next thing I see is Yamaguchi stealing 2nd! The throw from Hashimoto is off line, but Kajimaru backs up the play. The thing is, Aoki never broke for home! I can't tell if it was supposed to be a double steal or not, but I can't see a reason other than the possibility of scoring 2 runs on a single to have Yamaguchi try and take 2nd. Now with 1st base open and really only the runner at 3rd mattering, they walk Kobayashi to create a force at any base. Doesn't matter though as Fukuda strikes out to end the inning.

The teams scuffle along until the 14th. Ootou leads off the bottom of the inning with a single to LF. Then, a wild pitch by Kobayashi moves him to 2nd! Seeing an opportunity, Fukusako bunts him along to 3rd. Now a base hit or a sac fly can end the game. And Kajimaru does it! He hit a fly ball to RF, Aratake make the grab and...

Ootou isn't tagging up!!

Even if it's the 3rd out, you've got to take that chance. The ball wasn't hit that shallow, so it's not like it was a suicide mission. But either way, Ootou doesn't go! Now there's two down and Nakamichi, who's 1-5 has to get him home... and he doesn't. A fly ball to left ends the inning and a great opportunity to end the game was wasted.

15th inning now. If neither team can score, they'll have to come back in a couple of days to replay the match - and neither team wants to play an extra game on the road to Koushien.

Heian goes neatly in order, so all they can play for is a tie. It's not going to be easy. Uchimura singles to the left side. Tashiro bunts him along. Again, 2 chances for Kagoshima to plate Uchimura and end this now. Ishigami falls behind 1-2 then starts fouling pitches, one after another after another. It's a great battle between Kobayashi and Uchimura! 4 foul balls, 5, then 6! The more Uchimura fouls off pitches, the better chance he has of getting into one later. Then, on the 13th pitch of the AB, he singles up the middle! Uchimura goes for 3rd! Yamaguchi loses the grip! Uchimura is being waved home! Yamaguchi gets it, makes the throw and...

HE'S OUT!!! He's out!!! Kodama makes the great play at home and nails Uchimura!! What a play!! The bobble by Yamaguchi almost cost them the game, but may have saved it as Uchimura may not have gone home otherwise! Either way, the tie is preserved for now!

And after that, Kagoshima may have elected to play another day. Hashimoto grounds to Aoki at 2nd to end the game, and the players convene at home plate as the crowd applauds their efforts. But the game begins as it started - in a tie, and these two teams will have to battle it out once again on the Koushien grounds for the right to advance.


Player Lines
Aoki (Heian) - 2-4, RBI
Aratake (Heian) - 2-6, 2B, R, RBI, K
Kouno (Heian) - 2-6, R, RBI, K
Kobayashi (Heian) - 5.2+ IP, 0R, 4H, 2K, 2BB
Ootou (Kagoshima) - 3-7, R
Kajimaru (Kagoshima) - 2-6, RBI, K
Ishigami (Kagoshima) - 2-7, 2B, 2K
Hashimoto (Kagoshima) - 3-7
Uchimura (Kagoshima) - CG, ND, 3ER, 8H, 7K, 5BB