Time-Out: Osaka Toin trounces Tokoha to claim title

I would like to take a time-out from the usuals, in this, my 500th post on the Bedlam (woo hoo! osu!) to raise a glass of sake to Osaka Toin High, for delivering in the 2008 Summer Koshien.

Whether or not they will outlast Wilson High from Long Beach is anyone's guess.

Osaka Toin trounces Tokoha to claim title

NISHINOMIYA, Hyogo Pref. (Kyodo) Shoma Okumura hit a grand slam in the first inning as Osaka Toin battered Tokoha Gakuen Kikugawa of Shizuoka Prefecture for a 17-0 victory to claim the National High School Championship on Monday.

Osaka Toin players celebrate victory Monday in the National High School Baseball Championship at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, after beating Tokoha Gakuen Kikugawa of Shizuoka Prefecture 17-0 in the final. The title was Toin's second in the tournament's history after winning it on their first attempt 17 years ago. KYODO PHOTO

Yuto Fukushima struck out nine over the distance, limiting Tokoha to five hits at a packed Koshien Stadium to give the Osaka school its second triumph in the summer classic after winning in 1991 as a newcomer.

The Toin offense, which had double-digit hits in all five games the team played before reaching the final, erupted again with 21 hits — a record in a final game — including a bases-clearing double by Fukushima and a two-run homer by cleanup hitter Keigo Hagihara.

Catcher Yuta Ariyama and outfielder Kohei Fukushima also drove in two runs apiece. Hagihara amassed a record 15 RBIs for a single player in a championship, including three Monday.

Tokoha, which beat Toin en route to winning the 2007 national invitational meet in the spring, failed in a bid for its first championship victory as starter Toshiki Togari and three other pitchers were left helpless before Toin's sluggers.

"I didn't think the kids had this much power left at the very end," said Osaka Toin manager Koichi Nishitani. "We had been described as a team that can't hit, but today we were able to play baseball the way we really wanted to by keeping the offense rolling."

Nishitani said his players had their feet on the ground all the way with a well-balanced spirit, technique and physical condition, adding he wants to "commend them to the highest degree today" even though he normally always scolds them.

It is the first time in 17 years that a school from Osaka has won the competition, giving the prefecture the championship flag for a record 10th time.

More Olympics thoughts on Day 10

Men's volleyball vs. Japan
This will be a sweep. We are flying high. We should get the job done.

Outcome: No surprises; as expected, it is a sweep. The USA lays a tsunami on Japan, 25-18, 25-12, and 25-21.

And I did call for us to face the Serbs in the quarterfinals. I got my wish.

Women's soccer vs. Japan
A tough proposition, but we beat them before, so this should be a chance to get it done again.

Outcome: And that's exactly what they did in a 4-2 win. And we get a crack at Brazil for the gold medal. Some payback for what they did to us in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup semifinal is in order. And this time, Hope Solo should start. I pity the ignorant fool who mention's Greg Ryan's name in a positive Kim Jong-Il-like light.

Baseball vs. China
Our manager should be fired if we don't roughhouse them, let alone go through by the mercy rule.

Outcome: No mercy rule, but we did take them down, 9-1.

Softball vs. China
See above. But this team is always worrisome. This should not be an issue.

Outcome: A win. And we did lay out the mercy rule on them, 9-0.

Basketball vs. Germany
Are you kidding me? This will be another thumping.

Outcome: 106-57. Remember that I called it, guys. Dwight David Howard leads the way with 22 points and 10 boards.

Water Polo vs Germany
Tough contest, but we should be able to get the job done.

Outcome: *sings* Same old Germans, always cheating...
Those bloody Deutsch almost got away with a cheap backhand. Not so fast, Deutschland.
8-7 win for the States.

Women's field hockey vs. Great Britain
Of all the team matches, this one worries me the most because we will coming into that match as underdogs. But hey, we took New Zealand to school, so we should have the mindset that anything is possible.

Outcome: Here comes the matches for classification: Scoreless draw. What USA Field Hockey decides to do next with Lee Bodimeade after this tournament is anyone's guess.

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Looks like Phil and Todd got the Jorge and Renato next. The Georgina-Brazilians take out Nummerdor and Schuil in identical 21-19 wins.

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The question right now for the USA in women's basketball isn't if they will beat Korea, but by how many.

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The judges in synchronized swimming are biased towards the Chinese. Their performance had some flaws, yet they overlook it, giving them scores that are WAAAAAY too generous.

Hello Salt Lake 2002 Pairs Revisited.

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Meanwhile, China's gold rush marches on. Chen Yibing and Yang Wei make it a 1-2 deal in the rings. On the uneven bars, He Kexin, the subject of a great deal of controversy regarding her real age, takes the gold in spite of being ties with Nastia Liukin, who now has the entire collection: 1 gold, 2 silvers and a bronze. The men's table tennis team outhustled Germany in a 3-0 sweep, while He Wenna delivered in the women's trampoline final.

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In the women's discuss, Stephanie Brown Trafton takes home the gold for the USA with a 64-74. Jennifer Stuczynski conceded the gold to the favorite, Russia's Elena Isinbaeva. Isinbaeva set a new world record with 5.05 in this event. Panama's Irving Saladino took home the gold in the long jump with an 8.34, cementing his place as the next Small Country Hero there. And the USA made it a 1-2-3 finish in the 400-meter hurdles, responding to Jamaica doing the same in the women's 100-meter dash. Angelo Taylor got the gold, Kerron Clement got the silver, and Bershawn Jackson got the bronze.

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While Misty and Kerri will be facing the Chinese in their last match, Phil and Todd will be facing the Brazilians to cap off their campaign. The only question is, which team?

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Some payback by the Canadians was the order of the day in the equestrian department. They were able to outjump us for the gold. Unfortunate for those guys. Even more unfortunate was Queen Quedith Harrison finishing sixth in her semifinal heat in the women's 400-meter hurdles.

EDIT: Actually, it turned out that we outjumped THEM in a jump-off. So we had only a couple letdowns in track and table tennis today.

Talk about alliteration.

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As of this post, we have 22 golds, 24 silvers, and 26 bronze. The Chinese are ahead of us in the gold department, with 39. So we're down by two touchdowns and field goal.