Chuo Gakuin Nine heading to the stands to greet after losing to Hotoku Gakuen at Koshien Stadium
On the 30th, the 10th day of the 96th Invitational High School Baseball Tournament, Chuo Gakuin (Abiko City, Chiba Prefecture), which made it to the top four for the first time throughout the spring and summer, lost to Hotoku Gakuen (Hyogo) 2-4 in the semifinals. . Their good progress since their first victory at Koshien in the spring came to an end just before the finals, but the Nine vowed revenge at the summer tournament. (Azusa Hirano)
Chuo Gakuin held on to the powerful Hotoku Gakuen until the end.
In the early stages, he kept pitching slowly and did not allow a lot of points, but by the fifth inning, he had lost four points and had a tough time.
In the fourth inning, Kota Sassa (3rd year), who plays both as a shortstop and a relief pitcher, hit a well-timed triple over the left field, scoring one run and temporarily tying the score. In the 8th inning, Shogo Aoki (3rd year), who is in top form this tournament, hit a double over the left field, allowing the team to score a point and get back on track.
At the Alps stand, the brass band played “Shidax Fire,” which became a hot topic during this tournament as a “magic song” that changed the flow of the match.
The chance theme was used by the adult baseball team “Shidax” (currently defunct), where manager Koki Soma (44) used to play. Director Soma brought it back because he wanted to play songs that were unique to us. I want people to remember that there was a strong and interesting team called SIDAX.
From the first attack, a brave melody was played every time a runner entered scoring position, supporting the Nine. When he attacked in the 9th inning with two outs and runners on second and third base, the magic song sounded even louder and excited the attacking mood, but the last batter was hit by a left-fielder, and his good progress came to an end. Yu Mizushima (3rd year), who hit a timely hit for his second run in the 8th inning, vowed, “I played without giving up until the end. I want to come back again this summer.”