The summer national high school baseball finals will be held on the 22nd, with Miyagi's Sendai Ikuei High School and Yamaguchi's Shimonoseki Kokusai High School, both aiming for their first championship, playing against each other.

The summer national high school baseball tournament that began at Koshien Stadium on August 6th was held as planned, with no schools having to withdraw due to changes in the schedule due to bad weather or the impact of the new coronavirus, and Sendai Ikuei, both aiming for their first victory. And Shimonoseki International won the final.



Of these, Sendai Ikuei made it to the final twice, in 1989 and 2015, but lost both times and finished second.



If they win this time, which is their third challenge, they will be the first Tohoku team to win in the history of the 104th tournament.



In addition to the rock-solid pitching staff with 5 straight throws of over 140kg, their strength is their flawless offense that incorporates tricks and mobility.



On the other hand, Shimonoseki International will challenge the final for the first time in their third appearance.



If they win, they will be the first Yamaguchi team to win in 64 years.



The team's fighting style, such as letting the opponent's good pitcher throw the number of pitches, shined, and in the quarterfinals, Osaka Toin High School, who won the Senbatsu, and Shiga's Omi High School, who won the Senbatsu, won the second place. rice field.



The final is scheduled to start at 2:00 pm on the 22nd, and will be broadcast on NHK TV and radio.

Sendai Ikuei Aiming for the first victory in the spring and summer as a Tohoku team

Sendai Ikuei, aiming for the first victory in the spring and summer as a Tohoku group, will be in the semifinals on the 20th in addition to the rock-solid pitchers who all pitched in this tournament centered on ace pitcher Tsubasa Furukawa. The batting lineup is also doing well, with 19 hits and 18 points.



Sendai Ikuei has advanced to the finals twice so far in summer national high school baseball, but has not reached the championship.



In 1989, when they played in the final for the first time, they lost to Teikyo High School in East Tokyo after extra time.



Furthermore, in 2015, with Taiga Hirasawa, who plays for the professional baseball team Lotte, the team has succumbed to the strong batting lineup of Tokai University Sagami High School in Kanagawa.



Also, as a Tohoku group, they have participated in the final nine times so far, but they have not won the championship.

Shimonoseki International Aiming for the first win in 64 years as a Yamaguchi group

Shimonoseki International, on the other hand, beat Osaka Toin High School, who were aiming for their third consecutive spring/summer title, in the quarterfinals, and Ohmi High School, Shiga's runner-up in the semifinals.



Ace pitcher Yasunori Koga, who has started in all four games so far, and pitcher Shin Nakai, who pitched in relief in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, have a sense of stability in the pitcher relay, and the entire team is thoroughly aiming to capture the opponent's batting lineup. It is characterized by tenacious fights such as doing.



In 2005, when Hidehisa Sakahara was appointed as the manager of Shimonoseki International, the club had only 11 members and was unknown even within Yamaguchi Prefecture. 2nd Best Eight, and this year has decided to advance to the final for the first time, and has steadily gained strength.



If Shimonoseki International wins, it will be the first time for a school, and the first time in 64 years for Yamaguchi Prefecture since Yanai High School in 1958.

Results of both teams in the final

[Sendai Ikuei / 4 games]


▼Team batting average .403 ▼No. The batting line hit 19 hits, and the team batting average exceeded 40%.



The defense is also solid with 3 errors in 4 games, supporting a thick pitching staff.



[Shimonoseki International / 4 games]


▼Team batting average .343▼Home runs 0▼Stolen bases 7▼Sacrifice hits 14▼Scores 27 (per game average) 6.75▼Team ERA 2.00▼Mistakes 7▼Conceded runs 9 (per game average) 2.25Squeeze in the semifinals He skillfully uses small tricks to score points, such as recording five sacrifice hits, including two.



The number of errors is slightly higher, but the pitching staff is pulling the pitching that tightens the key points.