Match Report: Japan Samurai U-18 National Team Dominates Spain with a 10-0 Victory
September 1, 2023
In their quest for a historic triumph at the “31st WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup” held in Taiwan until September 10th, the Japan Samurai U-18 National Team started off with an impressive performance at the Tianmu Baseball Stadium. They achieved a resounding 10-0 victory over Spain in a six-inning game, setting a strong foundation for their campaign.
In the previous tournament in 2019, the team faced Spain in their opening match, where they battled it out in a close 4-2 contest. This time, their exceptional ball control abilities propelled them to earn the starting lineup for the first game. As anticipated, Higashionna from Okinawa Shogaku School took charge on the mound.
Right from the start, the Samurai U-18 National Team showcased their dominance. The top of the 1st inning witnessed Spain’s offense quickly shut down with two strikeouts. Capitalizing on the momentum, Hiroto Morita from Riseisha School executed a perfect sacrifice fly, along with consecutive walks and sacrifice hits, giving his team an early lead. The Samurai U-18 National Team managed to score three runs in the opening inning, capitalizing on an opponent’s mistake and a timely hit by Ren Ogata from Yokohama.
Despite allowing a walk in the second inning, Higashionna maintained a flawless record in terms of hits conceded. Supported by stellar performances from Takanari Teraji (Meitoku Gijuku), Minato Maruta (Keio), Morita, and Shinnosuke Chibana (Okinawa Shogaku), the team swiftly added five more runs to their score, firmly establishing control over the game.
Following the plan devised by Manager Shiro Mabuchi, the team adopted a succession policy from the third inning, aiming to provide valuable experience to their players amidst a significant point difference. Riku Takeda (Central Yamagata) secured a hit in the 2nd inning, Kotaro Yasuda (Nippon Univ.) had no hits in the first 2/3 of the inning, and Kaito Yano (Nippon Univ. Ogaki) claimed a hit in the final 1/3 of the inning. Their efforts contributed to an additional run being scored.
Finally, in the bottom of the 6th inning, Ogata delivered a timely two-point shot, marking his team’s third home run of the day and sealing a remarkable 10-0 victory with a ten-point margin.
Reflecting on the match, Manager Mabuchi stated, “We scored too easily. We need to maintain our focus and composure for future challenges.” The next opponent for the Samurai U-18 National Team is Panama, with the match scheduled to commence on the 2nd at 19:30 Japan time. Panama managed to secure a narrow 5-4 victory against Japan in last year’s tournament. Manager Mabuchi, who evaluated Panama during the official practice, acknowledged their strength, emphasizing Japan’s powerful batting capabilities.
Player Reactions
Player Ao Higashionna (Okinawa Shogaku) shared his thoughts on the match, saying, “I wasn’t really nervous, so I pitched with the intention of uplifting the team. The result was satisfying, but I made a few errors in control due to my strength. I will focus on preparation to further enhance my performance.”
Ren Ogata (Yokohama), expressing his satisfaction with his performance, stated, “I approached each at-bat with the goal of making a connection, so I’m pleased that I managed to achieve that (with three hits). We will continue with our current approach.”
Japan Samurai Under 18 Japan High School National Team vs Japan Collegiate National Team: 31st WBSC U-18 World Baseball Cup Send-off Game
Summary of the Tournament
Tournament Period: August 31 – September 10, 2023
Opening Round
- Friday, September 1, 19:30: Japan 10-0 Spain
- Saturday, September 2, 19:30: Japan vs. Panama
- Sunday, September 3, 19:30: USA vs. Japan
- Monday, September 4, 19:30: Venezuela vs. Japan
- Tuesday, September 5, 19:30: Japan vs. The Netherlands
Super Round
Between September 7th and September 9th, 2023
Final Round / 3rd Place Match
September 10th (Sunday)
Location
Taiwan
Participating Countries and Regions
Group A:
Mexico, Chinese Taipei, South Korea, Australia, Puerto Rico, Czech Republic
Group B:
Japan, USA, Venezuela, Netherlands, Panama, Spain
match report
September 1, 2023
On September 1st, the Japan Samurai U-18 National Team, aiming for their cherished first victory in the “31st WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup” (until September 10th / Taiwan), held their first game at the Baseball Stadium Tianmu. Big win over Spain with a 10-0 6th inning win. I got off to a good start.
In the 29th tournament in 2019, they faced Spain in the opening game and were forced to play a close game 4-2, but were appointed as the starting line-up for the first game due to their high ball control in the stages early. Higashionna (Okinawa Shogaku)a bit as expected and made the flow.
In the top of the 1st inning, Spain’s attack ended in the blink of an eye with two strikeouts, and behind that, No. 4 Hiroto Morita (Riseisha) made a perfect sacrifice fly with consecutive walks and sacrifice hits Succeeded in taking the lead by letting go. In addition, he scored three points from the first time due to a mistake by the opponent and Ren Ogata (Yokohama) in a timely manner.
Although Higashionna had one walk in the second inning, he kept it hitless, and behind him Takanari Teraji (Meitoku Gijuku), Minato Maruta (Keio), Morita, Shinnosuke Chibana (Okinawa Shogaku) made timely runs. He immediately scored 5 points and took complete control of the game.
As Manager Shiro Mabuchi recalled, “I wanted to let him gain experience if there was a point difference,” he changed to a succession policy from the third inning. Riku Takeda (Central Yamagata) had 1 hit in the 2nd inning, Kotaro Yasuda (Nippon Univ.) had no hits in 2/3 of the 1st inning, and Kaito Yano (Nippon Univ. Ogaki) had 1 hit in 1/ 3rd inning , no hits.We connected with a run.
And at the end, in the bottom of the 6th inning, Ogata hit a timely 2 point shot, which was the 3rd shot of the day, leading to a cool 10-0 victory with a difference of 10 points.
Manager Mabuchi said, “I was able to score too easily.
That should be it, Panama, who will play on the 2nd (scheduled to start at 19:30 Japan time), is the opponent who managed to win with a 5-4 victory in last year’s tournament. In addition, Director Mabuchi, who had inspected the official practice the other day, said, “This year we are strong again. Our hitting power is particularly high.”
Comments from Director/Player Ao Higashionna (Okinawa Shogaku)
“I wasn’t really nervous, so I threw because I wanted to give the team momentum. The result was good, but I had a little control error due to my strength. But I want to prepare so I can play well.”
Ren Ogata (Yokohama)
“I stood at bat with the intention of connecting, so I’m glad I was able to connect (three hits the other way). We’re not changing what we’re doing.”
Japan Samurai Under 18 Japan High School National Team vs Japan Collegiate National Team 31st WBSC U-18 World Baseball Cup send-off game
Summary of the tournament Participants
Tournament period
August 31 – September 10, 2023
opening round
Friday, September 1 19:30 Japan 10-0 Spain
Saturday, September 2, 19:30 Japan – Panama
Sunday, September 3, 19:30 USA – Japan
Monday, September 4, 19:30 Venezuela – Japan
Tuesday, September 5, 19:30 Japan – The Netherlands
* Start time is Japan time (Taiwan: time difference -1 hour)
super round
Between September 7th and September 9th, 2023
Final Round / 3rd Place Match
September 10th (Sunday)
location
Taiwan
Participating countries and regions
Group A
Mexico, Chinese Taipei, South Korea, Australia, Puerto Rico, Czech Republic
Group B
Japan, USA, Venezuela, Netherlands, Panama, Spain
#big #win #starts #Higashionnas #good #pitching #Ren #Ogatas #hits #RBI #U18 #Game #Report
