Meitoku Gijuku Makes History: Thrilling Victory Over Yokohama in Autumn Shikoku High School Baseball Championship Opener

The 77th Autumn Shikoku District High School Baseball Tournament (sponsored by the Shikoku District High School Baseball Federation) was held on the 4th at the Prefectural Spring Baseball Stadium in Kochi City, where Meitoku Gijuku (1st place in Kochi) defeated Takamatsu Commercial (1st place in Kagawa) 5-5. He defeated them in 3 and won his 12th championship for the first time in four years.

Meitoku Gijuku will participate in the Meiji-Jingu Baseball Tournament, which begins in Tokyo on the 20th, as a representative from the Shikoku region. On the 21st, they will play against Kanto region representative Yokohama (Kanagawa).

　　　　◇

(4th, 77th Autumn Shikoku Area High School Baseball Tournament Final Meitoku Gijuku 5-3 Takamatsu Commercial)

Meitoku Gijuku third baseman Kotaro Tsuzuki (1st year) felt a sense of responsibility.

In the first inning, Takamatsu’s first batter hit a grounder. In the second inning, he was too cautious and waited for a grounder before catching the ball, resulting in an infield hit. And the first point was taken away.

On the other hand, Meitoku Gijuku’s batting line had no hits until the third inning. “The bad flow is because of my defense. I want to make up for it.”

The chance came in his fourth at-bat.

A walk and consecutive hits by the No. 5 and No. 6 batters left the bases loaded with two outs. “Shake as hard as you can and connect.” He hit a high fastball. The ball flew in front of the center and turned into a timely two-point hit. He also hit No. 8 and No. 9 at the right time, scoring four points with five consecutive hits.

Meitoku Gijuku’s current team has four main players who participated in Koshien this summer. Tsuzuki, who joined the starting lineup this fall, had 5 hits in 9 at bats at the Shikoku Tournament. He is growing as a new force.

Tsuzuki says, “I was relieved that I was able to hit today.I’m actually better at defense.”

All 11 of the team’s hits that day were singles that carried them all the way to the outfield. It was a persistent battle. On the other hand, the defense had three lapses. Previous teams have prided themselves on their solid defense, but “this is what the new team is like. We will continue to improve,” said coach Shiro Mabuchi.

He will participate in the Meiji-Jingu Tournament, which opens on the 20th. Captain Yuji Ikeda (2nd year) expressed his enthusiasm, saying, “Our opponent is top-level players from all over the country.We want to play baseball that eliminates mistakes and defends to win.” (Daisuke Ninagawa)