Osaka Toin suffered his first defeat in the first match at Senbatsu for the twelfth time. In the game against Chiben Gakuen (Nara), which was the rematch of the final of Kinki’s tournament last fall, starting pitcher Keito Matsuura (third year) stood up and struggled to control the ball. Suddenly, it became a development to pursue.

Until the first five innings, the opponent’s ace, Oga Nishimura (3 years), had a hit and did not score, but started a counter attack in the sixth inning. He returned 2 points due to repeated 2-kill hits and loss of enemies. However, behind the scenes, Kosuke Sekito (3 years), who rescued from the fifth inning, took a heavy blow and scored 3 goals. The batting line showed the strength of one of the most powerful schools in Japan, returning 6 points in the 3 innings of the second half, but the shot was lost due to a defensive error that did not appear on the record.

Koichi Nishitani (51), who lost in Koshien’s opener for the first time in the spring and summer after taking office, said: “I’ve been thinking about becoming a strong team in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, but I haven’t done anything yet. ” Captain Ryoma Ikeda (3rd year) bit his lip and said, “I think Koshien’s work is the real skill.” In 2018, he won the Koshien championship in the spring and summer, and in the fall of the same year, he entered Kinki’s eighth place but did not receive the Senbatsu ticket. Although he was selected as Senbatsu for 20 years by Kinki’s runner-up in the fall of 19, the tournament was canceled due to the spread of a new coronavirus infection. Except for last summer’s trade game, he has not participated in the Koshien tournament since the victory in the summer of 2018. The champion’s long blank could not be filled with victory.

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