Soyama, 3 runs, 2 hits, 5 RBIs - Asia Professional Baseball

The mood of a comfortable victory changed, and Sozan shook off the atmosphere that looked like it was going to be a defeat with a decisive blow.

In the bottom of the 8th inning, right after trailing by 4 runs, No. 1 Masaki got on base with two outs and second base. At this point, Soyama stepped into the batter's box, caught the third pitch with a clean swing from the second ball, and the ball flew into the right field seats. The Tokyo Dome was filled with loud cheers as he hit the final 3 runs following his 2 runs in his 4th at bat.

Samurai Japan's top shortstop candidate. "I have a personality that demands perfection. I want to hit in every at-bat, and I'm always thinking about what I can do to achieve that." In the game against Taiwan on the 12th, he had three hits, including one home run. On this day, he hit two home runs, had three hits, and had five RBIs.

He will be in the batting order after No. 1 Masaki, who hits hard, but says, ``Instead of aiming for it because I want to continue, I try to organize my feelings and go into the batter's box as usual.'' Preparation to demonstrate one's potential is beginning to lead to results.

At the national team's training camp, Coach Iguchi set his sights on the 23-year-old, saying, ``I want him to lead Samurai Japan.'' ``There are still challenges to overcome, but I want to do my best to reach that goal so that people will say, ``I'm the shortstop in Japan.''