Tokai Daigaku Kofu vs Tsuruoka Higashi

Tokai Daigaku Kofu struck immediately against Tsuruoka Higashi starter Koyama Sora. Leadoff man Osawa Futa singled, Mizuno Seisei sacrificed him over, and Tanaka Sanshiro ripped an RBI double to left field. Izawa Takuma followed with an RBI single, and another run came home on a sacrifice fly by Takada Hiroto — three runs on three hits before Tsuruoka Higashi had recorded a third out.

Tsuruoka Higashi chipped away. In the fourth inning, Takahashi Taiyo drove in a run with a two-out RBI single to right. In the fifth, Oshii Yuto added another RBI single, cutting the deficit to 3-2.

But Tokai Daigaku Kofu answered each time. In the bottom of the fifth, Izawa delivered his second RBI single of the day to restore the two-run lead. And in the seventh, Tanaka Fuma added an insurance run with an RBI single, making it 5-2.

Reliever Murao, who entered in the fifth inning, held Tsuruoka Higashi scoreless over the final four-plus frames to lock down the win.

Tsuruoka Higashi had momentum after Takahashi's RBI single in the fourth and Oshii's hit in the fifth pulled them within 3-2. The game was on the line. Tokai Daigaku Kofu's response in the bottom of the fifth — a hit-by-pitch, a sacrifice bunt, and Izawa's clutch single — swung momentum back decisively. From that point, Tsuruoka Higashi managed just three hits and never seriously threatened again.

The switch to Murao on the mound also proved pivotal. Starter Kumagai Akira went 4 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits. Murao worked 5 innings of scoreless relief, scattering 3 hits while striking out 4.

• Izawa Takuma (Tokai Daigaku Kofu, cleanup, DH): 2-for-4, 2 RBIs, scored once. His two timely hits — one in the first, one in the fifth — drove in the runs that ultimately decided the game.
• Tanaka Sanshiro (Tokai Daigaku Kofu, No. 3 hitter, RF): 3-for-4 with an RBI double in the first inning. He reached base in all four plate appearances.
• Tanaka Fuma (Tokai Daigaku Kofu, No. 5 hitter, 3B): 3-for-4 with an RBI single in the seventh, providing the insurance run.
• Murao (Tokai Daigaku Kofu, relief pitcher): 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 K. Held Tsuruoka Higashi scoreless over the final 5 innings.

Tokai Daigaku Kofu's cleanup trio — the No. 3, 4, and 5 hitters (Tanaka Sanshiro, Izawa, Tanaka Fuma) — combined to go 8-for-12 with 4 RBIs, accounting for most of the team's offensive production.

Player of the Match: Izawa Takuma (Tokai Daigaku Kofu)

Tokai Daigaku Kofu outhit Tsuruoka Higashi 12-8 and scored 5 of their runs with two outs. The three-run first inning set the tone, but the team's ability to answer each Tsuruoka threat — scoring in the first, fifth, and seventh — demonstrated the kind of clutch hitting that had characterised their Yamanashi prefectural tournament run.

Both teams committed one error apiece. Tsuruoka Higashi's starter Koyama (2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER) was replaced early, but reliever Kanno threw 5 solid innings (6 H, 2 ER), keeping his team within reach.

For Tokai Daigaku Kofu, this is their first Koshien win since 2015, snapping a streak of first-round exits. They advance to the second round of the 108th Summer Koshien, a single-elimination tournament where 49 champion schools from across Japan compete for the national title.

Tsuruoka Higashi, making their ninth Summer Koshien appearance, bow out in the first round for the second consecutive time. Their Yamagata prefectural tournament form (51 runs scored, 4 allowed in 5 games) had raised expectations, but the early deficit proved too steep.

Tokai Daigaku Kofu's first-inning barrage and timely two-out hitting proved the difference against a talented but slow-starting Tsuruoka Higashi side. The cleanup trio's 8-for-12 day was the decisive edge, and Murao's long relief shut the door. For Tsuruoka Higashi, the late fightback came too late — the three-run hole Koyama conceded in the first was ultimately insurmountable.