Day 5 - Game 3 - Okinawa Shogaku (Okinawa) vs. Seikou Gakuin (Fukushima)

Day 5 ends with two teams fairly far apart. Okinawa Shougaku, who last appeared in 3 years ago, and Seikou Gakuin making its 2nd consecutive appearance.

Okinawa Shougaku
CF Iko
RF Ishimine
SS Nishimei
2B Nakasone
LF Shingaki
1B Kinjyou
C Minei
P Higashihama
3B Takaho

Seikou Gakuin
CF Kanno
LF Fukaya
RF Kuruba
1B Sekine
3B Yasuda
C Takezawa
SS Tamura
P Nakada
2B Satou

And the game gets going for Okisho with a double by Iko to the RCF gap. He's moved by Ishimine and it looks like they're going to score quickly here. With the count 0-1, Nakada makes a move to 3rd, and he balks! Why you need to hold the runner at 3rd is beyond me, unless you were worried about the squeeze, but it doesn't matter anymore! Iko waks home and they're up 1-0 (albeit not in the manner they were expecting)! With two down, Nakasone singles through the left side, only to be picked off 2 pitches later by Nakada.

This would be the first of many weird happenings in the game...

Seikou gets a small opportunity in the bottom half. With 2 down, Kuruba walks, and steals second. But cleanup batter Sekine strikes out snuffing that small flame.

The teams settled down a bit after that. In the bottom of the 3rd, the 9 batter Satou would reach on a single past Takaho at 3rd. But he's caught snoozing by Higashihama at 1st and is tagged 1-3-6.

Top 4 now, and Nishimei gets a one-out walk. He steals on the first pitch and is safe, but then the umpire makes an out motion at home? Turns out the umpire is calling the batter Nakasone out at home for batter interference! Nishimei returns to 1st, and doesn't advance from there.

The pendulum swings back to Seikou in the 5th. Again, with 2 out Tamura singles through the right side. Nakada follows with a single to RF. Then Satou walks on 4 straight loading the bases!! Higashihama is in his first real pinch of the game and leadoff batter Kanno walks to the plate. He works the count to 2-2 and then a pitch driver to deep right! Ishimine is running back, running back and...

...he makes the running catch, preserving the lead!! What an amazing catch by Ishimine!!! That had bases clearing double written all over it! But instead, Okisho maintains its tenuous 1 run advantage.

Not to be denied, Seikou would try again the very next inning. Fukaya reaches with a leadoff walk. But once again Higashihama gets the upper hand and Fukaya is picked off! That's 2 in one game, and very rare! I can't tell if he's balking, but so far he appears to have a great pickoff move! Kuruba doesn't care though, he singles through the right side. Sekine takes his first pitch and pulls a safety bunt to the left side and is safe at first! Kuruba then moves over to 3rd on a fly ball to center by Yasuda, but now Seikou has a runner 90 feet away with Takezawa up to bat. And Sekine takes off on the pitch! Throw to 2nd, but it's cut off? It's a double steal! The throw home... he's out! The Seikou manager rolls the dice with a double steal, and he loses! Perhaps he's just pressing the kids, but the bounces are going Okisho's way!

Okisho looks to turn the momentum into insurance runs in the 7th. With one down, Nakasone singles up the middle, and Shingami is hit by Nakada. They're moved by Kinjyou into scoring position, but they're stranded as Minei flies to left.

Takezawa, who was at the plate when the double steal occured, starts off the bottom of the 7th with a single to CF. Perhaps is he had been allowed to swing away...

But anyways, Seikou needs to create another opportunity. Tamura puts down the bunt, but it's to Higashihama. He throws to 2nd and Nishimei makes the play. Takezawa makes a hard slide on Nishimei and he can't complete the play. But wait, what's this? Tamura is being called out at first?! Takezawa is called for runner interference!!

Seikou just can't get a break in the game, and as a result fall to Okinawa Shogaku 1-0 in a strange game.

Player Lines
Higashihama (Okinawa) - CG, SHO, 7 H, 4 K, 4 BB
Nakada (Seikou Gakuin) - CG, ER, 4 H, 6 K, 2 BB
Iko (Okinawa) - 1-4, 2B, R
Nakasone (Okinawa) - 2-4
Kuruba (Seikou) - 1-3, BB, SB
Satou (Seikou) - 2-2, BB