Koshien: Summer 2006 Round 3

Fukui squandered a couple of bases loaded chances in the first few innings, finally scoring the first run of the game in the fifth.

Waseda, with a timely hit and back to back home runs, took a 4-1 lead in the 6th and never looked back. Adding three more runs in the 8th, Waseda wins by a score of 7-1, moving on to the quarter finals.

The Nichidai Yamagata vs. Imabari Nishi game just ended and it was another thriller. It was tied 8-8 after regulation and went scoreless until the 13th, when Imabari scored 2. Nichidai was not done though, and answered with 3 of their own, the win coming on a bases loaded sac fly. I believe Nichidai Yamagata's pitcher Abe went all 13 innings.

In a see-saw game that went 13 innings, it was a blown double play in the top of the 13th that cost Nichidai 2 runs. With one out and runners at first and third, a ground ball to short looked like the end of Ibari's bid to take back the lead. But the shortstop threw high and wide to second, pulling the second baseman off the bag, and the go-ahead run came across. The runner on second, not being checked by Nihon's pitcher, then swiped third without a throw, and came home on a sacrifice fly. Imabara took a 10-8 lead.

But Nichidai wouldn't give up. They started off the bottom half of the 13th with three consecutive hits, scoring one with nobody out and the tying run at second base. As the catcher bobbled a ball, the two runners advanced to second and third, putting the sayonara runner at second.

A pass ball then tied the game up at 10-10. With nobody out and the sayonara run 27 meters away.

After walking the next batter, they intentionally walked the bases loaded.

Having the infield in was no insurance against a ball hit to the outfield, which is just what Nichidai got. A sayonara sacrifice fly sends Yamagata to the quarter finals.

I thought early on that Nihon Daigaku was going to run away with the game, but Imabari continued to fight back. Both teams had chances in extra innings, but it was the five runs put together by the two teams in the 13th that decided it. It was a well fought game by both teams, but only one team may go on.

Three home runs, a couple of triples, and a ground rule double drove in run after run for Chiben Wakayama who made the most of their 10 hits, scoring 8 times to defeat Okinawa's Yaeyama Shoko by a score of 8-3.

Just one more qualifier left to go this afternoon.