108th National High School Baseball Championship: Adjustments between Tenri and Kendai Takasaki ahead of the semifinals

The 108th National High School Baseball Championship was held on the 19th, a rest day before the semi-finals. The players from Tenri and Kendai Takasaki, who will compete in the semifinals, prepared through their respective practices.

Tenri: “Check each one one by one”

Tenri, who is aiming for his third national championship since the 72nd tournament in 1990, spent about two hours practicing his knocking and batting at his school's field. Captain Sanyu Kanemoto said, ``I reviewed each and every defense and attack that we have been doing up until now.''

“When I go to bat, I think about the atmosphere and how the game will play out.”

As the No. 4 batter in this tournament, he hit one shot in the second round and the quarterfinals, making him the only player among the participating players to hit multiple home runs. However, he says, ``I try to attack according to the situation.'' Both home runs were first-inning solo hits with no outs and no runners. He emphasizes that this is the result of him swinging the bat while being conscious of ``getting on base.''

Heading into the semifinals against Kendai Takasaki, he was named a key player by coach Tadashi Fujiwara because he could ``change the atmosphere with one swing.'' ``I want to stand at bat thinking about the atmosphere of the team and the development of the game,'' Kanemoto said. He will focus on his role while trying to grasp the situation as captain.

Kendai Takasaki devises defensive practice assuming "cannot hear"

Kendai Takasaki spent about two and a half hours going through the training menu, covering infield and outfield defense, base running, and batting. This assumes that players at Koshien Stadium cannot hear each other during defense due to cheers and the sound of a brass band. It was evident that the players practiced ingeniously, such as getting into the landing spot of a fly ball without calling out to each other.

First Summer Top 4 “I want to embody Kendai Baseball”

The quarterfinals were a close game with no points scored until overtime. No. 3 Ishida Shota, who had no hits in the third round and quarterfinals, said, ``In the semifinals, the best thing is to be able to hit, but even if I can't hit, I will support the team with defense and various other things.''

Although he won the selection tournament for the first time two years ago, this is his first time making it to the top four in the summer. They have conceded only two goals in their last four games. Captain Yusei Ishida said, ``I want to embody the Kendai baseball style of being tenacious and creating a flow from defense that leads to offense.''