All 16 Teams Set for Koshien Baseball Last-16 Round
Listen to the story
The final 16 teams have now been decided at the Koshien national high school baseball tournament in Japan. This is one of the most popular sports events in the country.
Among the 16 teams, five come from the Kanto region, three from Tohoku, and three from the Kinki region. Kyushu has only one team left, Ariake, in the knockout stage.
For only the second time in the tournament's history, every team left in the last 16 is a private school. This shows how strong private schools have become in high school baseball.
In one match, Yokohama got a convincing win after scoring several runs together near the end of the game.
Nichinan Gakuen had a tougher match. At one point, the score was level, and it looked like they might win. However, they hit into four double plays during the game, which badly hurt their chances of scoring.
In the end, Nichinan Gakuen lost the match. Their player Taniguchi spoke to reporters afterward. Even though his team was eliminated, he stayed positive about the experience and the effort his team made.
Vocabulary7 words
- tournament
- a sports competition with many teams
- knockout stage
- the part of a competition where losing teams leave
- private
- a school run without government money; students often pay
- convincing win
- a clear, easy victory
- level
- equal in score
- double plays
- when two players are out at the same time in baseball
- eliminated
- removed from a competition after losing
Quiz
Answer key
1. Four 2. Kyushu 3. They hit into four double plays
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
The final 16 teams have now been decided at the Koshien national high school baseball _____ in Japan.
Among the 16 teams, five come from the Kanto region, three from Tohoku, and three from the Kinki region. Kyushu has only one team left, Ariake, in the _____ stage.
For only the second time in the tournament's history, every team left in the last 16 is a _____ school.
In one match, Yokohama got a _____ win after scoring several runs together near the end of the game.
Nichinan Gakuen had a tougher match. At one point, the score was _____, and it looked like they might win.
However, they hit into four _____ during the game, which badly hurt their chances of scoring.
Even though his team was _____, he stayed positive about the experience and the effort his team made.