108th National High School Baseball Championship Final: Highlights of Chiben Wakayama vs. Kendai Takasaki

(Highlights of the 108th National High School Baseball Championship Final Day 15th (22nd))

The final will be held from 10am on the 22nd. Will Chiben Wakayama reach the top for the fourth time since the 103rd (2021)? Will Kendai Takasaki (Gunma), who have won championships in the spring, get their first deep red championship flag?

Kendai Takasaki for throwing, Chiben Wakayama for hitting. The characteristics are clearly different.

Kendai Takasaki has been able to win with the help of six pitchers who pitched in small increments. There are pitchers of different types, such as Satoshi Ishigaki and Shota Ishida, who are strong with fastballs, Maon Sato, who has great ball control, and Riku Kitada, who is an irregular left-handed pitcher.

They conceded just two runs in all five games leading up to the semifinals, and their team ERA was an astonishing 0.20. Ishigaki had a shutout in the quarterfinals, and zero shutouts with four pitchers in the semifinals. He hasn't scored a run in 26 consecutive innings since the middle of the third game.

Chiben Wakayama had 18 hits and 11 runs scored in the quarterfinals against Sendai Ikuei (Miyagi), and 14 hits and 7 runs in the semifinals against Yokohama. In particular, No. 3 Yota Imoto is in great shape with a batting average of 71.4. The power of the batting lineup, which includes No. 5 Ryusei Kusumoto who hit 3 runs off Yokohama's Shoki Oda, is a threat, as they can produce extra-base hits in critical situations.

The defense is also strong. The backups support the pitchers, including Shota Wake and Ryota Kuba, who are skilled at getting hit and winning. He has made 2 mistakes in all 4 games so far. His strength at the ball shines.

In terms of momentum, Chiben Wakayama, which has defeated schools that have won the Koshien tournament, will be on top. If Kendai Takasaki were to win, they would only need a low score.

Which one will win, the shield or the spear?