Our brunch-time game pits two teams familiar to Koushien against one another.
Yuugakukan got a pretty clear road to the final, avoiding the dangerous teams up until the final where they somehow made 1 run stick against Kanazawa. Despite the weak competition, the team batted a ghastly 0.255, and 0.236 in their final 3 games. That's terrible even by rural prefectual standards and if you adjust for competition, it is to put it nicely... awful.
That means ace Komago Ryuuji has to should almost all of the load. He's reported as hitting 146, but chances are it's more like around 140. So he's an above average pitcher velocity-wise. He does strike out >1 K/IP, and is supposedly very stingy with the walks. But you would be hard pressed to win 5 games without an offense to speak of.
Kyushu Gakuin also avoided most of the strong teams in prefecture until facing Buntoku in the finals. The team scored 6 or more runs in 5 of their 6 games and batted 0.340 for the tournament, and 0.340 in the final 3 games. They're consistent if nothing else, but the form suggests nothing special on either side of the ball.
Kyushu Gakuin (Kumamoto)
LF Wakahara Shouya
CF Hasegawa Hiromasa
2B Tomoda Akira
1B Murakami Munetaka
SS Yanai Kazuki
3B Motomura Yuugo
RF Matsushita Kazuki
P Ise Hiromu
C Nakahara Rikiya
Yuugakukan (Ishikawa)
CF Iida Koujirou
SS Nakamura Kouta (#4)
2B Tsuchikura Makoto (#5)
C Takamoto Kouhei
1B Hirobashi Keita
RF Uchigata Ryouta
LF Matsuda Kazuki
P Komago Ryuuji
3B Kuriyama Koutarou (#13)
____________________________________________________________
10:20 - First Pitch!
1st Inning
Well, pretty much what you expected. Komago shuts down Kyushu Gakuin's offense - getting a K, while Ise gives up a 2-out hit, but nothing else.
Top 2nd
For being stingy with walks, Yanai is able to draw one with one out and is bunted over.
Matsushita wih a ball to the gap in right center! Yanai will score easily and Kyushu Gakuin opens the scoring! 1-0!
Ise is jammed but bloops it over Tsuchikura! Matsushita rounds 3rd and he'll score! 2-0!
Bottom 2nd
Hirabashi fly to shallow center, Hasegawa dives, but can't get it! Hirabashi goes for 2, Hasegawa fires to 2nd... OUT! Hirabashi tries for the extra base, but was denied!
And that's a shame because Uchigata singles to right.
However Matsuda grounds into the 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Bottom 3rd
One out walk to last batter Kuriyama, and Iida not bunting.
Instead, he singles to left!
Now Nakamura singles back up the middle! Kurayama comes in and it's 2-1!
Tsuchikura grounder to short and AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The ball takes a high hop over Tsuchikura and into left! Iida will score and we're tied! That's a bad break.
Takamoto grounder to 1st.. Murakami boots it! Toss to first, it's high and wide! Nakamura can trot home and Yuugakukan has the 3-2 lead! Hirabashi grounds to 1st, but thanks to some breaks falling their way have the lead!
Bottom 4th
Yuugakukan showing offensive prowess they didn't during the prefecturals!
Matsuda with a single to right to start the inning. After a bunt, Kuriyama gets a single through the left side!
Now Iida with a base hit to right!! Matsuda comes around and he scores! 4-2!
Nakamura past the drawn in defense and that scores Kuriyama! Yuugakukan up 5-2 as Ise finally gets the last 2 outs.
5th Inning
Things quiet down before the break, but not before Yuugakukan threatened again after Uchigata tripled to right with one down. Ise got 2 groundouts and kept the deficit at 3.
It's surprising that Yuugakukan has this many hits given their prefectural batting average. Regardless it's probably a welcome sight.
Top 6th
Small chance as Yanai gets a 2-out blooper to center, but Motomura strikes out looking to end the inning.
Bottom 6th
Yuugakukan with 3 hits after 2 outs to load the bases and threatens to blow it open. Ise shimmies out of that jam getting Hirabashi to fly to right.
Rest of game
The game pretty much goes quiet until the 9th where Kyushu Gakuin gets a run back, but at the cost of 2 outs.
With no runners on and 2 outs, PF Fujishima grounds to 2nd to end the game. Yuugakukan shocking everyone with their hits wins 5-3!
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