The 104th National High School Baseball Championship held at Koshien Stadium (Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture) held the semi-finals on the 20th, with Sendai Ikuei (Miyagi) and Seiko Gakuin (Fukushima) going 18-4. He won by a large margin, and decided to advance to the final for the third time in seven years following the runner-up in 1989 and 2015. Sendai Ikuei will face Shimonoseki International (Yamaguchi) in the final for the first time in the Tohoku region.
Sendai Ikuei decided the game early. In the second inning, when the score was 0-1, Iwasaki walked the first base, and Endo doubled to 2nd and 3rd base. From here, Akimoto, Takahashi, and Ogata’s 3 consecutive timely hits were involved in the opponent’s defensive disorder, and 14 batters, including Endo’s 3-run double, took a total of 11 points this inning.
Seiko Gakuin overcame the pinch of first and third base without losing a point with one defense. Immediately after, Miyoshi’s timely hit took the lead, but the pitchers collapsed. In the sixth inning, Kano and Namatame scored three points in a timely manner, but they fell short, and as a Fukushima group, they did not advance to the final since 1971 when Iwaki won the second place.
21st is a rest day. The final will be held at 2:00 pm on the 22nd.
“Fight Steadily” Sendai Ikuei Director Wataru Sue
I never imagined this kind of game development. The two attacks were suitable for his stature, and he demonstrated what he had practiced most here. Even though they have advanced to the final, they still cannot see the “Shirakawa no Seki”. Step by step, we want to fight without losing sight of ourselves.
Sendai Ikuei, in the second inning, Endo hits with a bases-loaded machine
The Sendai Ikuei batting line blew fire twice immediately after scoring one point in advance. He took control of the game by scoring 11 points with the attacks of 14 batters.
From 2nd and 3rd base without death, Akimoto’s timely hits to the right front tied the score, followed by Takahashi and Ogata’s timely hits to make it 6-1. Still with the bases loaded with one out, Endo in the third year hit a right middle double that wiped out the runners in his second turn at bat. “At first, I thought it was a second liner.
What came to Endo’s mind while seeing off the surviving batter was the Tenri game in the quarter-finals of the selection tournament last spring. He started in the starting line-up and fell down in the first game with the bases loaded with two outs in the first inning. After that, the team missed a good opportunity and suffered a crushing defeat 3-10. He recalled the bitter experience many times and worked hard to practice, saying, “I want to be a hitter who can hit on chances.”
On the same Koshien stage, on the same bases-loaded machine, he hit a full-fledged hit this time. “I think I was able to grow emotionally,” says Endo. The team continued to score steadily after that. In the third inning, he created an opportunity with three hits and four hits from two outs. In the 6th and 7th innings, Hashimoto’s two timely hits added a total of 4 points, and in the 9th inning, he added 1 point.
At the end of the day, it was a big victory with a 14-point difference, and it was the first victory for the Tohoku group. “I am here now because I overcame all the hardships. I want to fight until the very end without giving up,” said Endo. The selection tournament, the Miyagi tournament last summer, the Tohoku tournament this spring. Each one of the frustrating defeats they have experienced so far has definitely become the strength of the Nine.
(Saichi-ri Kitamura)
Seiko Gakuin makes history with exhausted counterattack
“You don’t have to win, so don’t lose.” As Captain Akahori of Seiko Gakuin often said at meetings, Nine didn’t lose to himself even if he lost the game. No matter how many points he was behind, he didn’t lose heart and stuck to their baseball.
In the second inning, right after Miyoshi scored one point with a left front hit, Tsuyoshi Kobayashi collapsed and was hit four in a row. 2nd runner-up Sayama couldn’t hold back, giving up 11 goals this time. The team was forced into an overwhelming disadvantage. “I was thinking about how to stop it, but there was no way to stop it, and the opponent was better,” said Captain Akahori. However, the defensive battle did not end there.
In the sixth inning, which was 14 points behind, the batting line was inspired by the tears of Ace who returned from the mound. “We are where we are now thanks to Sayama keeping us down to the fewest goals,” said captain Akahori. With no outs, high and middle walks, and Yasuda’s right front hit, the bases were loaded with one out, and Kano was the 6th at bat. He hit the right front and scored the long-awaited second goal. In addition, Ito’s pushing walk and Namatame’s middle front hit returned one point each. It was a willful counterattack.
We did not reach our unwavering goal of becoming the number one in Japan. He was said to be a weak generation, and he was conscious of it, and while he struggled, he aimed for a strong team. He left a result with the strength and muddyness that did not give in to the inferiority, and carved a new history in the sacred place of the first four finals.
Captain Akahori said, “We were able to overcome the difficult development together, and we were able to take a step towards the next generation.” He sadly entrusted his passion to his juniors.
(Island-shaped cherry tree)
