Day 10 - Game 1 - Kyoto Gaidai Nishi vs. Nagasaki Nichidai

Day 10 of the tournament is the first competition of the teams that will advance to the Best 8.

Game features Kyoto Gaidai Nishi and ace reliever Honda-kun versus a relative unknown in Nagasaki Nichidai. KGN would send out their first baseman, Tsuji-kun, to the mound while Nagasaki countered with their ace Uraguchi-kun.

Nagasaki Nihon would waste no time in firing the first volley. Bottom 1, Nagata leads off with a walk. He's advances to second by 1B Deguchi-kun, and with two outs, said ace Uraguchi sends one through the middle for the early 1-0 lead!

Tsuji-kun would settle down after that. Uraguchi, for Nagasaki, was retiring batters in order. In fact KGN wouldn't get their first hit until the 4th inning!

KGN's manager played an interesting style when it came to his pitching. In the bottom of the 4th, with two out and a runner on second, Sunahara (L) steps up. The manager elects to send in #11 Adachi (L) to pitch against him. The matchup works as Sunahara strikes out.

Surprisingly, Tsuji is back to pitch again for the next Nagasaki batters. So it appears that KGN's manager is playing L-L, R-R matchups - the first time I've seen a team do so!

After Nagasaki gets a runner on second with 2 out, Deguchi (L) comes up to bat. Once again, KGN sends in #10 Shirai-kun (L) to face him.

With the count 3-1, Deguchi sends one to short left field. Saitoh-kun races in and tries to make the sliding grab, but no! It bounces in front of him, off his glove, and straight into the air! Captain Shibata-kun scores and Nagasaki takes a 2-0 lead! KGN's manager elects to keep Shirai in the game, but it turns out to be a mistake. C Kamito would line the 0-1 pitch down the left field line. P Uraguchi would take the very next pitch to left field as fence, loading the bases. And after a mound session, the next pitch hits Magaribuchi-kun scoring a run!

Finally, KGN's manager had seen enough and is forced to put in ace Honda-kun. With 2 outs, bases loaded, and a 3-2 count, he throws a fastball by Idatani-kun to stop the bleeding.

With Honda-kun now in the game, it seems like KGN has more life to them! Komaki-kun pulls an excellent safety bunt down the first base line. Tsudoh-kun hits a gapper to left-center scoring Komaki! After Uchiyama and Nakagawa both get out, Tsuji-kun hits a hard grounder to third. Shibata can't get a hold of the ball, and when he does, his throw misses first base! Meanwhile, Tsudoh scores on the play and KGN has cut the lead to 1!

Their rally would continue on into the 7th. RF Furuya would walk to start. After a sacrifice bunt and a strike out, Komaki is up to bat again. With the count 1-1, Uraguchi throws a wild pitch and Furuya goes to third! Komaki would eventually walk and KGN has a chance. Then, Tsudoh walks on 4 straight, and the bases are loaded! Uchiyama steps up and...

...it's a wild pitch! Furuya runs home and scores! Without the benefit of a hit, KGN has tied the game and now has 2 runners in scoring position! But Uchiyama grounds to second and, whoa! It's a high hop, but Setoguchi goes up and gets it, making the play and preserving the tie.

In the bottom of the 8th, Honda seems to have control issues again. He walks Nagata to start the inning, with Deguchi moving him along. He walks Kamito as well, putting runners on first and second. But he settles down and gets the next 2 batters to strike out to end the threat.

KGN knows that it needs to score runs for Honda to end the game in regulation. That said, 3B Nakagawa lines one right back at the pitcher's head! He just has enough time to put his glove up and deflect it. But it dies near the first base line and Nakagawa is safe. With the count 0-1, Nakagawa makes a break for second, but is caught easily by C Kamito. It's too bad because Tsuji gets a base hit to right, followed by a shot through the right side by Saitoh, and then a straight 4 balls to Furuya! Had Nakagawa not been caught stealing, he would have scored!

But the bases were still loaded with one out. With the count 1-2 Tanaka puts on the squeeze! But the pitch is low and he ends up getting under the ball and fouling it off! 2 outs now for Nagasaki and up comes Honda.

The count is 1-0 and then a hit to the left side! SS Nagata runs and gets it in the gap! He throws to first and Honda is safe! The infield hit pushes in a run and KGN has rallied from 3 down to take the lead!

Bottom 8 now. And Itadani sends one to the left-center field fence for a double! Sunahara looks to send him along, but what's this? Itadani is picked off of second by C Tanaka! Did Nagasaki just blow their chance?

Sunahara ends up walking on 4 straight, and Setoguchi puts him in scoring position with a bunt. Now, with 2 outs they're just looking for a base hit somewhere in the outfield. Captain Shibata steps up and hits one over the third baseman! And a drawn in outfield means that it screams past the left fielder and to the wall! Sunahara scores, Shibata ends up at third, and now it's Nagasaki looking to take the lead!

Leadoff batter Nagata comes up, and it's a liner to left! Shibata trots home Nagasaki has gotten to Honda-kun and taken the lead!

Does KGN has a response in the top of the 9th? Tsudoh tries to keep them alive with a single to left! Nagasaki Nichidai's manager makes a pitching change immediately, sending #10 Oyama-kun to the mound with Uraguchi going to left. Uchiyama sends him along to second. With the pressure building, Oyama walks Nagagawa! Now the go-ahead run is on base!

And as quickly as Oyama came in, he heads to left field has Uraguchi comes back to face cleanup hitter Tsuji.

First pitch, he grounds it to 3B Shibata, he throws to second! Setoguchi throws to first! Double play!

The first team to make it to the Best 8 is Nagasaki Nichidai of Nagasaki-ken!