The Senbatsu High School baseball game on the 23rd was canceled due to rain, and the players from Japan Airlines High School Ishikawa, who were scheduled to play the game as the last card of the first round, returned indoors at Koshien Stadium in preparation for the first game, which was postponed to the 24th. We made adjustments at the practice range. Japan Airlines High School Ishikawa's school and ground in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, were damaged by the Noto Peninsula earthquake in January, so they moved to Yamanashi Prefecture, where they have an affiliated school, to practice.
Japan Airlines High School Ishikawa was scheduled to play against Ibaraki's Joso Gakuin in the first game on the 23rd, the sixth day of the tournament, but it was canceled due to rain and the match was postponed to the 24th.
Starting at 7:30 a.m. on the 23rd, the team practiced for about an hour and a half at the indoor practice field at Koshien Stadium.
In addition to repeating sprints and shouting energetically, the players also engaged in batting practice, hitting the pitches thrown by the pitcher and hitting the balls sharply.
On the other hand, ace pitcher Takeo Hachiya did not practice pitching and only made light adjustments such as stretching.
The players looked relaxed, sweating, and seemed to be in a good mood for the 24th.
Captain Kazue Houda said, ``I think both the fielders and pitchers are well-adjusted and in good condition.We want to keep everyone motivated and prepare for tomorrow.''
Coach Takashi Nakamura said, ``I think we'll be able to play tomorrow, but I think we'll be playing in the rain.We'll go into the game with a certain amount of anticipation, including how to deal with wet balls.''
Opponent Joso Gakuin (Ibaraki) also made adjustments.
Joso Gakuin, who will be participating for the 11th time in three years, was scheduled to play against Japan Airlines High School Ishikawa in the first game on the 23rd, but it was canceled due to rain and postponed to the 24th.
The players made adjustments for about an hour and a half starting at 7:30 a.m. at Koshien Stadium's indoor practice field.
During batting practice, No. 4 player Yuya Takeda, who hit a home run in last fall's Kanto Tournament, and captain Yuma Wakabayashi were hitting the ball sharply.
In the bullpen, pitcher Shinta Kobayashi, the fastest pitcher with a speed of 149km/h, and pitcher Kazuma Saito, who has a variety of pitches, each threw powerful balls.
Wakabayashi said, ``We all talked about staying focused and determined, so we were able to practice in a good atmosphere.The weather is forecast to be bad tomorrow, but we prepared for the game in the rain. I'm in good hands,'' he said.
Coach Naoya Shimada said, ``We were able to make good adjustments and the players moved well, so we wanted to play today, but this is also what we expected, so we want to be ready for tomorrow.''