Meitoku Gijuku of Kochi Prefecture won its first national high school baseball championship Wednesday with a 7-2 triumph over Chiben Wakayama in the tournament final at Koshien Stadium.
Hideto Yamaguchi of Kochi's Meitoku Gijuku watches his solo home run in the fourth inning during the final of National High School Championship at Koshien Stadium.Yusuke Tanabe and Hideto Yamaguchi hit solo homers for Meitoku Gijuku in the fourth inning and Ryosuke Morioka connected for a two-run triple to highlight the school's four-run eruption in the seventh that put the game out of reach.
Tanabe, meanwhile, pitching for the fourth straight day, held Chiben Wakayama to a pair of runs on seven hits, keeping the Wakayama line-up off-balance with a big-breaking curve and the occasional fastball.
Chiben Wakayama was seeking its third summer title in six years after taking the summer classic in 1997 and 2000.
Meitoku Gijuku was making its 19th trip to Koshien Stadium in Hyogo Prefecture, which hosts the spring invitational and the summer national championship tournaments.
Meitoku Gijuku reached the quarterfinals of the spring tourney and capped a summer showcase for Shikoku high school baseball by winning the championship after all four teams from Japan's smallest main island advanced to the final eight.
"There were times when I didn't think we could win here at Koshien. But they all became men out there and I'm very thankful," manager Shiro Mabuchi said of his team.
"I decided to leave this tournament up to the players. So when they were on the field, I found a place on the bench," the manager said.