Kawanoe of Ehime Prefecture overcame a four-run deficit to eliminate pre-tournament favorite Urawa Gakuin of Saitama with a 6-5 victory in the second round of the National High School Championship Thursday.

In the day's other games, Chiben Wakayama, champion in 1997 and 2000, scored three runs in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Yuji Nishimura and an error by Toho left fielder Ryo Iwama and went on to beat Aichi's Toho 4-1, setting up a third-round meeting with sister school Chiben Gakuen of Nara Prefecture.

Newcomer Toko Gakuen of Kanagawa Prefecture blanked Tokyo's Obirin 5-0 and Meitoku Gijuku of Kochi beat Aomori Yamada 9-3.