Day 6 - Game 2 - Kaisei Koukou vs. Tokushima Shougyou

As mentioned before, this was a battle of small prefectures. And usually it’s mostly teams of lower quality (although Oita has won a championship and Saitama has yet to win one!). But then again, that's why they play the game - because anything can (and does!) happen.

Kaisei Koukou started the scoring in the 2nd without the benefit of a hit. #5 Suyama-kun starts off with a fly ball to left. Gundo moves back to get it, but the wind blowing from right to left field throws him off and he can't get it! Suyama goes to second on the error. After a grounder to short by 3B Hashimoto-kun, Kaisei's manager puts the squeeze on! RF Satoh-kun puts down an excellent push bunt down the right side easily scoring Suyama!

Tokusho gets a chance in the bottom of the 3rd. Lead-off batter, LF Gundo, singles to the left side and is moved along by 3B Shio-kun. 2B Kakuta would walk, putting runners on 1st and 2nd with one out and cleanup batter Shimizu coming up to bat. On a full count, he hits one hard to the left side. SS Uchida denies him the base hit by making a fine stop and throwing out Kakuta from his knees!

Kaisei looks to extend the lead in the 5th. P Yoshida-kun starts with a chopper up the middle. After #9 batter Takeshita-kun moves him along, they elect to go with the hit and run! But Uchida hits a soft pop-up to second base and Yoshida is easily doubled off.

Another opportunity arises in the 6th. CF Kaneoka-kun singles to center. LF Tateiwa is denied a base hit by Kumegawa who throws out Kaneoka at second. Cleanup hitter Hayato walks for the second time putting runners on 1st and 2nd with one down. Suyama tries to send one through the right side on a 1-2 pitch, but 1B Ohshima makes a fine stop! But he can't throw out Hayato at second and all are safe! Finally, Tokusho's ace, Inaoka, induces 3B Hashimoto to ground into the 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Bottom 6, Tokusho gets another chance. RF Kawanabe walks to start off, but Ohshima bunts into the 1-6-3 double play. They'd reset as SS Kumegawa walks on 4 straight pitches. They call the hit-and-run and C Doi-kun hits one to center. Kumegawa goes for third, CF Kaneoka tries to throw him out, but it hits Kumegawa! P Yoshida scrambles to get it, sees Doi running to second and tries to throw him out. But the ball goes off SS Uchida's glove and Kumegawa scores from 3rd! Seeing a rare opportunity, Tokusho's manager elects to pinch hit for ace Inaoka. It doesn't work as Yonetsu-kun strikes out to end the inning.

(Before the bottom of the 7th inning, Kaisei's P Yoshida-kun goes into the dugout with a problem with his leg/foot. After a slight delay, he returns to the mound and continues against Tokusho.)

In the 8th, Kaisei would get to relief pitcher Nakano. A leadoff walk by Tateiwa goes by the wayside when a missed sacrifice bunt by Hayato leaves him in no man's land. Undaunted, Hayato grounds one up the middle. Suyama follows with a chopper over the third baseman's head! And Hashimoto completes the trifecta of singles with a chopper that finds it way through the middle, plating Hayato and retaking the lead!

Tokushima would have no answer as Kaisei would add on one more in the 9th to win 3-1.