Day 4 - Game 2 - Ogaki Nichidai vs. Kanaashi Nogyo

This was a really great game from start to finish if not for the injury to starting pitcher Takahashi-kun for Kanaashi Nogyo.

Ogaki Nichidai, the Spring Koshien runners-up, took the early lead with clean-up hitter Ohbayashi-kun taking a fastball over the plate around the left field foul pole for a 1-0 advantage. That seemed to be pitcher Takahashi-kun's only real "mistake" as his contact pitching was finding all his fielders.

Takahashi's counterpart, Ogaki's Morita, on the other hand was getting batters out at the plate. Through the first 3 innings, he had 6 K's.

As mentioned in an earlier post, Ohbayashi's second AB was a scary one as he appeared to line the ball right off of Takahashi's neck. While he was able to make the play, he had to leave the game, leaving it to #1 Konno-kun. After a short delay, Konno would walk the next two batters before inducing a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Kanaashi looked to rally for Takahashi in the bottom of the 4th. LF Sakuraba led off the inning by taking the 1-1 pitch over a leaping Yoshioka-kun for a triple. SS Asano would line a ball up the middle, but it would bounce off Morita's foot and straight into the air, preventing Sakuraba from scoring. However, he would score soon after.

On the first pitch, Asano goes for second. Simultaneously Sakuraba dashed for home but stopped when C Minoura-kun got the ball. As he threw to second, Sakruaba dashed for home and completed a double steal to tie the game.

The game would remain scoreless through the next couple of inning. Ogaki's Morita continued to mow down the Kanaashi batters, even striking out the side in the 6th. Kanaashi's Konno continually had to work out of jams due to walks.

Ogaki would get their chance in the 8th. Lead-off batter Kobayashi would draw a walk and was replaced with pinch runner Ayakawa-kun solely for speed. However, he is caught stealing, although it may have appeared SS Asano missed the tag (hard to tell via internet connection). Ohbayashi would deliver once again, driving the ball over the center fielder's head for a double. Pitcher Morita followed by grounding to third - unable to advance the runner. But with two outs, catcher Minoura would hit the ball through the gap in left and score Ohbayashi from second.

Time was short for Kanaashi, but they did have their chances late. In the bottom of the 8th with one out, Sakuraba gets a base hit to right. Asano battles agains Morita, and on the 8th pitch strikes out looking. On the play Sakuraba goes for second, but is thrown out easily by Minoura ending the inning.

In the 9th Komatsu-kun, who pinch-hit earlier for RF Watanabe, sent a ball through the left side. Again, Kanaashi cannot execute as a bunt attempt by third baseman Sudoh-kun is hit too hard and Morita is able to throw out Komatsu at second. The next two batters would strike out, ending Kanaashi's Koshien tournament.