Komadai Tomakomai won its second straight title with a 5-3 victory over Kyoto Gaidai Nishi in the final of the national high school baseball championship on Saturday.
Komadai Tomakomai players celebrate after beating Kyoto Gaidai Nishi 5-3 in the national high school championship final Saturday at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Pref. It was the Hokkaido school's second straight summer title.
The Hokkaido school became the first school in 57 years and sixth overall to win consecutive titles in the summer tournament at Koshien Stadium. Kokura of Fukuoka Prefecture last won two in a row in 1947-1948.
Komadai Tomakomai took a 3-1 lead after the sixth inning, but the Kyoto school rallied to tie the game 3-3 in the top of the seventh, setting the stage for heroics from Hiroto Tsuji and Sho Okayama in the bottom half.
After putting runners at second base and third base on a walk, a bunt single and a sacrifice bunt, Tsuji hit an RBI grounder to second followed by Okayama's infield single off Kyoto Gaidai Nishi first-year student Takuto Honda to cap the scoring.