TOKYO - Waseda Jitsugyo held off a ninth-inning rally by Hachioji to win a first-round showdown between two schools with Koshien experience in the West Tokyo high school baseball tournament on July 10.
Seventeen games were played in the West Tokyo tournament and 12 in the East Tokyo tournament as teams continued their campaigns for a place in the summer national championship at Koshien Stadium.
Hachioji entered the tournament seeking its first West Tokyo title in 10 years, while Waseda Jitsugyo was aiming to secure its 31st appearance at Koshien.
Waseda Jitsugyo's offense struck early. With two outs in the bottom of the first inning, consecutive hits beginning with captain Satoshi Nishimura put runners on first and second. No. 5 hitter Tanaka then delivered a run-scoring single to open the scoring.
The team added another run in the second inning when No. 9 hitter Fukaya singled to left with one out and a runner on second. After another out and a hit batter put runners on first and second, Nishimura drove a three-run home run into the left-field stands to give Waseda Jitsugyo control of the game.
Waseda Jitsugyo added another run in the bottom of the fourth before sending ace Omata to the mound at the start of the fifth.
Hachioji responded by putting runners on first and third and sending third-year player Ryo Abe to the plate as a pinch hitter. Abe answered with a run-scoring single to center, and Hachioji added another run in the sixth to gradually cut into the deficit.
Waseda Jitsugyo threatened to extend its lead in the bottom of the sixth after advancing a runner to third, but Hachioji center fielder Furuya made a diving catch to prevent another run.
Trailing by four runs in the top of the ninth, Hachioji loaded the bases with no outs to create its biggest opportunity of the game. A home run would have tied the score, but Waseda Jitsugyo's third pitcher, Ishige, recorded a swinging strikeout with a determined display on the mound.
Ishige then issued a bases-loaded walk, bringing Hachioji to the plate with a chance to take the lead on a home run. No. 6 hitter Mizushima struck out swinging, however, and Ishige fanned the next batter to end the game and secure Waseda Jitsugyo's victory.
"The biggest feeling right now is relief that we were able to win," Nishimura, a third-year student and Waseda Jitsugyo's captain, said. "We want to approach every game as a must-win contest, play our style of baseball regardless of the opponent and reach Koshien."
Source: TOKYO MX NEWS
