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Japan wins exciting game at Volunteer against Panama by a run

By HENRY HUBER 4 min read

A capsule look at Japan's 5-4 win over Panama on Tuesday at Volunteer Stadium.

PLAY OF THE GAME -- Japan's Game-tying run: It seemed like Japan had thrown the game away in the fourth, with an inning riddled with errors resulting in the teams flipping positions. Japan went from leading by two runs, which it obtained all the way back in the first, to trailing by two and though it closed the gap up little bit in the fifth, it still had to score at least one run in the sixth to extend its tournament life.

Despite getting a runner in scoring position, it faced a two out scenario when Yohei Yamaguchi approached the plate. On the first pitch, he bunted it towards pitcher Allan Rodriguez, who was in position to make a routine groundout play at first. But the ball got stuck in his glove, resulting in an error that not only gave Japan new life, but also allowed Hinata Uchigaki to run in for the game tying run.

JAPAN PLAYER OF THE GAME -- Hinata Uchigaki: Uchigaki came in as pitcher following Japan's defensive implosion in the fourth, and quickly got to work. He pitched 2 1/3 innings and only faced seven batters, with a line of two strikeouts, three groundouts and two pop outs.

He also contributed the team's most runs with two and played well at shortstop throughout his time there.

PANAMA PLAYER OF THE GAME -- Right fielder Nessin Santos: on what turned out to be his only at-bat, Santos had the biggest offensive play of the game for Panama. Facing his second pitch, he drilled a fly ball deep to centerfield for a single, which not only resulted in two RBIs on the hit itself, but also a third on the ensuing fielding error.

BIG INNING -- Japan's sixth: Following Japan's game-tying run, its catcher Nobuaki Sakaue immediately connected with a pitch from Rodriguez after one strike, dropping it in front of the centerfielder and giving Yohei Yamaguchi more than enough time to score the eventual, game-winning run.

From there, Japan would quickly retire Panama's side in the sixth, with two strikeouts and a popup to second baseman Daimu Nakano.

BEST EFFORT -- In what turned out to be a game-saving sequence, Japan starting pitcher Yuzuki Matsumura made an incredible diving catch on a popup from Ian Vargas before quickly getting on his knees and completing a throw to first to secure a double play.

On the next play, shortstop Hinata Uchigaki caught a ground ball and shot a laser to first, securing the out with milliseconds to spare.

FLASHING LEATHER -- Japan in fifth inning: After committing multiple big mistakes in the previous inning, Japan quickly regained its footing in satisfying fashion. Three straight ground ball within the infield were effectively fielded and converted into groundouts to first baseman Sota Kayanuma, one that came from shortstop Akito Masuda and the other two which came sequentially from third baseman Hyuga Kosaka.

WHAT THE ADULTS SAY -- "I want to thank Williamsport and everybody here. I'm thankful for all the experiences the kids have had. My team needs me so I'm going to go back over there to be with them. Thank you all," Panama manager Oliver Arcia said through a translator.

"Today, I wanted the players to deal well with the pressure so they could have a good performance," said Japan manager Toyo Hirooka through a translator. "I'm glad we could advance to the next game."

WHAT THE KIDS SAY -- "I made a lot of mistakes last game, I wanted to contribute to the team," said Japan catcher Nobuaki Sakaue on going up to bat for the eventual game-winning run.

WHAT IT MEANS -- Japan earns at least one more day alive in the tournament and will face Mexico on Wednesday. Panama has been eliminated, finishing the tournament 2-2 with wins over Czech Republic and Cuba, and losses to Venezuela and Japan.

Starting at /week.