| Seidou High vs. Inashiro Industrial | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Result | |
| Score | 4-5 |
| Winner | Inashiro Industrial |
| Match | |
| Manga | 149-192 |
| Anime | Episode 51-63 |
| Tournament | |
| Tournament | West Tokyo Tournament |
The Seidou High vs. Inashiro Industrial is a high school baseball finals match, held during the 89th National High School Baseball Championship qualifiers. This match was held on July 31st at 1:00 P.M.
Starting Members
- 1st - Kuramochi Youichi
- 2nd - Kominato Ryousuke
- 3rd - Isashiki Jun
- 4th - Yūki Tetsuya
- 5th - Masuko Tōru
- 6th - Miyuki Kazuya
- 7th - Furuya Satoru
- 8th - Kadota Masaaki
- 9th - Shirasu Kenjirou
- 1st - Kamiya Carlos Toshiki
- 2nd - Shirakawa Katsuyuki
- 3rd - Yoshizawa Hideaki
- 4th - Harada Masatoshi
- 5th - Narumiya Mei
- 6th - Yamaoka Riku
- 7th - Hirai Tsubasa
- 8th - Soyogi
- 9th - Fujikawa
Score
| Inning | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seidou High | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Inashiro Industrial | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
Summary of the Game
Top of the first, Seidou on the offensive. Batting first is lead-off Kuramochi who is batting left, surprising Narumiya. Narumiya expects Kuramochi to bunt, only to end up walking the latter on balls. Up to bat is Ryosuke.
Kuramochi times Narumiya's slide step to successfully steal second. No outs, runner on second, Ryosuke bunts to advance Kuramochi to third. One out, runner at third, Isashiki hits the first pitch with the ball landing right in between the second baseman and center-fielder. Kuramochi steps on home after seeing the hit. Next at-bat is Yūki's and Narumiya's expression changed. He throws a fastball right down the middle, surprising everyone but Yūki miss the hit.[1] Miyuki wonders if Narumiya lost his cool, if so it's an opportunity for Seidou.
After a couple of throws the count is 2-2. Harada calls for a change-up to stop Seidou's momentum. Narumiya pitches, and though Yūki expects the change-up coming, he strikes out. Masuko hits a fastball but doesn't get on base. At Inashiro's dugout, Harada tells Narumiya to calm down. Narumiya denies he's angry but Harada knows better.
Bottom of the first. The starting pitcher is Furuya. Leading Inashiro's batting line-up is Carlos. Carlos fouls the first fastball then says that he accidentally swung. Miyuki doesn't think so. Carlos continue hitting fouls, but eventually strikes out with the splitter. Batting second is Shirakawa Katsuyuki, who also strikes out. Carlos thinks of Furuya's fastballs as if 'roaring and alive'. Furuya strikes out Inashiro's third batter, Yoshizawa. [2]
Top of the second, Miyuki struck out. Furuya is next at-bat. Narumiya tries to scare him with a crossfire pitch but Furuya fouls, to the displeasure of Narumiya. He pitches again, effectively jamming Furuya. Bottom of the second. Harada finds it difficult to time Furuya's fastballs. Furuya pitches a splitter but is a ball. He strikes Harada out with a fastball to the inside. Narumiya is next at-bat. At the bullpen Tanba warms up and wants to pitch more. Miyauchi however, tells him that they'll need his strength later plus, Furuya is looking reliable. Furuya battles it out with Narumiya, determined not to lose to him. Narumiya pops a flier to third. Furuya also strikes out sixth batter, Yamaoka.
Top of third inning, Ryosuke hits a grounder but fails to get on base thanks to Shirakawa's play to stop the ball. With that, Seido's offense for the inning is finished just after three batters. Bottom of the third, Inashiro is making Furuya pitch as many as they can. The inning ends with Furuya striking out the batters but his pitch count is now 56 after three innings. At the dugout, Sawamura offers Furuya a drink and tells him "Nice Pitch", to Furuya and Miyuki's surprise. Furuya drinks but Sawamura comically reacts reminding him to drink only half; and fans him with a towel later.
Top of the fourth, Isashiki hits straight to center to which Carlos catch the ball. Yūki's next at-bat and Narumiya shuts the cheering crowd by striking Yūki out with three strikes. Isashiki is irritated that Narumiya's only going all out against Yūki. Masuko hits the fastball to third but doesn't make it on base. Bottom of the fourth and Carlos at-bat, Furuya walks him on four balls. Shirakawa sacrifice bunts, advancing Carlos to second. Shirakawa signs his coach and Yoshizawa that Furuya's speed has dropped. Yoshizawa'a hits the first pitch but Masuko makes a great save. Harada's next to bat. The first pitch is a splitter— Harada swings and miss. Miyuki asks for an inside pitches next. Harada hits the fourth pitch, gets on base while Carlos scores. Narumiya too, hits and the ball goes high into the right field to the fence. Inashiro scores another run but managed to out Narumiya on third. Furuya's pitch count reached 68 and Kataoka intends to switch Furuya with Tanba the next inning.
Top of the fifth. Miyuki battles Narumiya with fouls, but eventually strikes out with a fastball to the inside. Furuya on the other hand, hits between left and center for the double. One out and a runner on second. Seidou's eighth-hole, Kadota is at-bat. He bunts to advance Furuya to third. Batting ninth is Shirasu, who waits for a fast ball. The first pitch is a crossfire, followed by a ball. The third is a fastball and Shirasu hits. Shirakawa chases after the ball, quickly throwing to first for the third out. Seidou once again is unable to score.
Bottom of the fifth, Tanba replaces Furuya while Furuya is sent to left field. With the switch, Narumiya declares a win over Furuya. Sakai and Kadota wishes Furuya good luck. Batting sixth is Yamaoka. The first and second pitches are curve balls to which Yamaoka fails to make contact. Miyuki calls for a fastball to the outside, but Tanba throws a little to the inside, resulting to a home run— Tanba is shaken.
Next at-bat is Hirai who Tanba walks on balls. Miyuki talks to Tanba on the mound to try calm him, but still ends up walking the next batter due to a dead ball. Inashiro now have runners on first and second with no outs. At-bat is Inashiro's ninth-hole Fujikawa. Miyuki looks for the coaches sign but Kataoka still leaves the game on their hands. Miyuki let's Fujikawa bunt, runs after the ball and throws to third to out Hirai. Carlos, next to bat, compliments Miyuki for that play. The first pitch is a ball. Carlos bunts the second pitch but is a foul. Carlos hits to third next and Masuko catches the ball. Tanba walks Shirakawa, but outs Yoshizawa. Seidou rejoices.[3]
Top of the sixth, at-bat is Kuramochi who is batting right this time. He barely hits the first pitch, a changeup, and he is out on first. Sawamura cheers him up. Ryosuke is next. Narumiya throws another change-up, Ryosuke miss. Chris observes Inashiro's battery noticing that they've changed their pattern. Ryosuke fouls the next pitch, hits the third but fails to get on base. Next at-bat is Isashiki. Narumiya pitches his fifth change-up and Isashiki miss. Chris remain baffled as they're throwing too many change-ups, even if the battery changed their pattern. Isashiki battles it out and eventually hits the changeup straight to the outfield. Narumiya is upset kicking the dirt on the mound.
Bottom of the sixth with Harada on base and Narumiya at-bat. He sacrifice bunts to advance Harada to second. Tanba walks sixth batter, Yamaoka on four balls. Hirai hits a liner to second, straight to Ryosuke's glove. batting eighth, Soyogi, hits the first pitch between third and short through left, but Furuya quickly throws directly to Miyuki preventing another run.
The bases are now loaded and batting next is Fujikawa. He hits a grounder and both Ryosuke and Kuramochi chase after the ball. Ryosuke doesn't make it but Kuramochi covers up for him, outing the runner. In the top of the seventh, Yūki is up to bat, trying to get his first hit of the game. He eventually is cornered and, on the fastball, Yūki hits a deep fly ball to center field but Carlos made a heads up play on the warning track for the out. Both Masuko and Miyuki also strike out. Seidou now has two innings left to score, but they look dire, prompting Sawamura to yell out some words of encouragement.[4]
Bottom of the seventh, after giving up a hit to Carlos and a bunt to Shirakawa, Tanba falls to his knees, because he is experiencing cramps. Tanba’s trying to leave on a high note, with at least one out, but his throws are off. They’re still strong, but they lack accuracy. He’s quickly behind 2-1 in the count but climbs fast back to get a swinging strikeout. On the first pitch to Harada, Carlos runs and it’s a deep fly ball that just goes foul. Tanba’s leg, seemingly running on adrenaline, affects him after the close foul. With two outs and the count 3-1, Miyuki calls the walk. Kataoka calls for a pitcher substitution.
Tanba’s out and Sawamura’s in[5]. He gives the ball to Sawamura and says that he’s the ace now. Whoever is on the mound for Seidou is the ace pitcher, but it doesn’t stand just there for Yūki, who says to Tanba that they'll put him on the mound again. With two outs, two on, and the game sitting at 1-3, Sawamura face Narumiya. To face off against Narumiya, Miyuki gets aggressive, calling three straight fastballs to the inside that Sawamura deliver to strike Narumiya out.
Chris tells the team that Inashiro has been trying to shift Seidou's attention to the change-up. He also adds that Narumiya only pitches ten change-ups per game and that there maybe a reason why he won't pitch more. Kataoka instructs the team to forget about the change-up since they've already played into the enemy's hands. On the mound, Narumiya is still furious about the last inning and his teammates tells him to calm down. He practice his pitches and Harada knows that Narumiya's pitch count is almost 100.
Top of the eighth with Furuya at-bat. The first pitch is a sharp crossfire to the inside surprising Furuya and Eijun. Narumiya pitches more and the count is 1B-2S. Narumiya throws the fourth pitch, a fastball to the outside, Furuya hits to the right field and gets on base. Sawamura is next at-bat. Eijun sacrifice bunts to advance Furuya to the next base. Shirasu is next and hits the first pitch. Harada wonders why Seidou's swings have gotten sharper.
Inashiro calls for a time-out to the displeasure of Narumiya. Kunitomo sends a messenger to the mound. Harada tells the team that they may concede a run and the messenger agrees saying that its what Kunitomo also said. Narumiya is not happy and tells his teammates that they're not even in a pinch since he's pitching. Kuramochi is at-bat. The first pitch is a ball followed by a strike. Furuya runs to third and Kuramochi bunts almost missing the hit. Kuramochi again bunts the next pitch while remembering Ryosuke's words of wanting to be replaced at bat since he couldn't move the way he wants and that they have reliable underclassmen. Furuya scores, the score is now 2-3. Ryousuke is replaced by Haruichi at bat and tells his younger brother to swing at the first pitch. Narumiya is annoyed about Haruichi using a wooden bat and vows to break it. Narumiya throws a pitch and Haruichi recalls how he's always chased after his brother Ryosuke. He hits to the left while breaking his bat, and manages to get on base as Shirasu advances to second base.
The clean-ups are next and Isashiki's first to bat. Narumiya throws but it's a ball. The count is 2-2 and the next pitch is still a ball, walking off Isashiki. With the bases loaded, Isashiki leaves the rest to Yūki. The first pitch is a fork and Yūki misses. The next pitch went past Harada but was quick to save it.
Narumiya shakes off Harada's pitch calls and challenges Yūki with a fastball. Yūki taps and fouls. They continue to face off and the count is 1B-2S. Narumiya and Harada decides to strike out Yūki with the change-up. Narumiya throws a change-up next, shocking Seidou. Yūki however, hits the pitch and both Shirasu and Haruicchi make it back home (4-3), shifting the momentum to Seidou. Narumiya give his props to Yūki for hitting the pitch but Harada knows he hides his frustration. Masuko hits Narumiya's fastball to the outfield but Carlos catches the ball. Inashiro's defense end.
Seidou's turn to defend. Yamaoka hits Sawamura's pitch and gets on base. Inashiro's 7th-hole, Hirai, bunts and also get's on base. On the first pitch to Inashiro's 8th hole, Miyuki quickly throws to first to get the pick off, but fails. Sawamura throws a cutter on his second pitch and Seidou pulls off the double play[6] on Inashiro. Going into the ninth, Seidou is up to bat. Narumiya still stands on the mound and Miyuki's first to bat. Miyuki misses the first pitch and decides to gamble on Narumiya's fastballs since he can't hit Narumiya's breaking balls. Miyuki hits and runs all the way to second.
Top of the ninth, Seidou's got a runner on second and Furuya once again at-bat. He doesn't get on base but advances Miyuki to third base.
Sawamura is next and Kataoka calls him to the dug-out before stepping up the plate. Kataoka instructs Sawamura to relax and pretend to hit but miss. Sawamura does this but taps Narumiya's fastball. Luckily, it's a foul. Narumiya throws again, recalling how hard he trained and practiced for this summer that was put to a standstill after last year. Sawamura successfully bunts, but Narumiya races against Miyuki who is running to home. Narumiya picks up the ball, quickly tossing it to Harada and outs Miyuki. Seidou's offense ends failing to score. The crowd cheers for Narumiya while Furuya and Sawamura looks on at him.
It's Seidou's turn to defend. Inashiro sends out Yabe, their pinch hitter. He bunts at Sawamura's first pitch but is a foul. Yabe glares at Sawamura making the first-year realize that the game has reached the point of win or lose; of life and death. He pitches whilst thinking that he cannot lose and cannot be overwhelmed. Yabe hits and Haruichi chases after the ball, quickly throwing to first to out Yabe.
Carlos is next to bat. He's hunching the plate to seal inside pitches. The move pressures Sawamura but Miyuki still calls for an inside pitch. The first pitch is a ball. Carlos hits the second but is a foul. Sawamura wonders what drives Inashiro so much as he remembers Narumiya's determined look; then wonders why they fight so hard. Sawamura feels more pressure but continues to attack. Carlos hits a fly ball that is caught by Sakai for the second out of the inning. Seidou is now one out away from their dream stage.
Shirakawa is batting next and follows Carlos' strategy in facing Sawamura. He battles it out with Sawamura who throws harder each pitch, and eventually hits Shirakawa on the head shocking everyone. Shirakawa stands and howls. Seidou gathers to the mound while Shirakawa receives treatment in the dugout. The team try to encourage Sawamura but Miyuki notices Sawamura's changed behavior after the dead ball, then sends a signal to his coach. Miyuki tells Sawamura that he's done well. Kataoka calls for a pitcher change sending in Kawakami. Inashiro sends Carlos as their pinch runner in Shirakawa's place.
Bottom of the ninth. Inashiro's got Carlos on first base as Kawakami battles Yoshizawa for the out. Carlos steals second and Miyuki lets him, thinking of ending the game with the fifth pitch but Yoshizawa taps and fouls. Kawakami and Yoshizawa continue to battle ending with Kawakami walking Yoshizawa. Harada is next at bat and wants to end the game with his bat. He hits Kawakami's pitch. Yoshizawa aims for second base as Haruichi catch and toss the ball to Kuramochi. Yoshizawa however, is safe. Kuramochi looks at an empty third base upon hearing his teammates' screams and sees Carlos sprinting to home. He throws the ball to Miyuki but Carlos managed to reach the plate tying the score at 4-4. The Seidou players are stunned but Kataoka shouts reminding them that the game isn't over. As Seidou regain their focus, Narumiya hits a long one to center field. Isashiki and Shirasu try to catch the ball but fails. Inashiro scores their fifth run and they celebrate while the shocked Seidou players look on. The West Tokyo Tournament ends with Inashiro's win at 5-4.
Trivia
- The final moments of this match was based from the 2006 West Tokyo High school baseball final match-up between Waseda Jitsugyo and Nichidai-San High.[7]