Chukyodai Chukyo survived a ninth-inning scare in the final against Nihon Bunri on Monday to win its first national high school championship in 43 years and a record seventh overall.
The Aichi Prefecture powerhouse pulled out a 10-9 victory over the Niigata school after giving up five runs and facing the potential tying run on third base in the top of the ninth.
With Nihon Bunri trailing by one and runners on the corners with two outs in the ninth, a Naoki Wakabayashi line drive settled into the glove of third baseman Kanji Kawai at Koshien Stadium.
"We faced a stunning rally by Nihon Bunri in the ninth. My players stayed patient and managed to protect the lead," said Chukyo manager Toshiyuki Ofuji. "Our team scored a lot of runs throughout the tournament. It was a complete team effort."