BenZen, Tomokun clinch ePremier12 berths
Two more elite players in WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS punched their tickets to the HUGAN WBSC ePremier12 2024 this past weekend, as Mexico’s Ben Zen and Japan’s Tomokun won their respective qualifying tournaments.
In the ePremier12 Mexico Finals held on Friday, Sept. 13 at MEGA’s TV station in Mexico City, Ben Zen defeated fellow countryman El Snake in a thrilling best-of-three finals, taking home the title in a two-game sweep.
Meanwhile, in the ePremier12 2nd Global Qualifier Play-Off held Sunday, Sept. 15, eighth-seeded Tomokun defeated second-seeded antimon 2-1 in the finals of a tournament that pitted the top 16 players from four weeks of online global qualifier tournaments held in June and July.
Both players join SHORA, who qualified by winning March’s WBSC eBaseball™ Series 2023 World Finals, and NEGRAY, who won the 1st Global Qualifier Play-Off, in the 12-player field for the ePremier12.
“It feels great. It’s something I cannot describe. I’m really excited and really happy that I got the pass to the ePremier12, and I’m happy to be representing my country,” Ben Zen said following the Mexico Finals. “It’s great to be a champion.”
“I felt like I had lost to NEGRAY last time, but I have never played against SHORA, who made it to the main tournament,” Tomokun said following the second Global Qualifier Play-Off. “However, I would like to beat both of them, go to the Tokyo Dome, win, and become the strongest player in the world.”
ePremier12 Mexico Finals
Ben Zen was dominant the whole way in his two-game sweep in the ePremier12 Mexico Finals, which pitted the top two players from July’s online event, Mexico eBaseball™ Cup presented by MEGA. In the bottom of the first inning in Game 1, Ben Zen’s Kazushige Kiyomoto smacked a 1-1 fastball from El Snake starting pitcher Kazuya Unkai into center field, scoring Kota Takeno from second base to take a 1-0 lead. Ben Zen’s Kazuya Unkai would then shut down El Snake the rest of the way, striking out one and giving up just two hits in the three-inning contest to take a 1-0 series lead.
In Game 2, Ben Zen scored quickly in the first inning again, as Kiyomoto took El Snake’s Unkai deep to center field for a two-run home run to put him up 2-0. He would add another run in the top of the second when Black, Ben Zen’s center fielder, hit a sacrifice fly to score Hoshimitsu Hoshizora to make it a 3-0 ballgame.
In the bottom of the third inning, El Snake got the tying run to the plate, thanks to a one-out walk to right fielder Maito Oda and a hit-and-run single by second baseman Kazuki Ichijo that put runners on first and third. Ben Zen would hold strong, though, inducing a line drive out to first base off the bat of the shortstop, Javelin, and a groundout to third base by Eisaku Shimada to give Ben Zen the title and the ticket to the ePremier12.
ePremier12 2nd Global Qualifier Play-Off
Tomokun made it to the finals of the 2nd Global Qualifier Play-Off in some very close matchups, having defeated ninth-seeded OKUDE in the first round 2-1 and upsetting top-seeded Pome 7-6 in a wild sixth-inning walk-off in the quarterfinals before cruising to a 6-1 win over 12th-seeded PAWAHI in the semifinals. Meanwhile, antimon, his opponent, made it to the finals by beating 15th-seeded KOBAYAKAWA 5-1 in the first round, defeating seventh-seeded Kurobane 6-1 in the quarterfinals, and besting 11th-seeded Si in the semifinals 1-0.
Tomokun had plenty of chances to take the lead in the first couple innings, but antimon deftly maneuvered around the jams. In the bottom of the first inning, Tomokun had runners on first and second with two outs, but catcher Susumu Ikari grounded out to antimon pitcher Terry Mileman to end that threat. The bottom of the second inning would produce a similar opportunity, with runners on first and second with two outs, but Mileman induced a groundout to short off the bat of Reiri Kirisaki to snuff out that opportunity.
Antimon would be the first player to get a run across. In the top of the third inning, designated hitter Yutaro Hino started a two-out rally with a double to left field. After an intentional walk to first baseman Taro Takimoto, center fielder Iwao Saga would line an RBI single over the head of Tomokun’s Taro Takimoto at first to give antimon the 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the third inning, antimon’s Mileman committed the cardinal sin of pitchers and issued a leadoff walk to Takimoto to start the inning. After a groundout that sent pinch runner Yuu Nekogami to second base, Tomokun left fielder Chihiro Bitou lined an RBI double past antimon’s Chihiro Bitou at third base to tie the ballgame at 1-1.
After an intentional walk and a base hit by second baseman Shun Komasaka loaded the bases, Tomokun’s Akio Yabe lifted a fly ball to right field that was deep enough to score pinch runner Kamiaya from third and give Tomokun the walk-off upset over antimon to punch his ticket to the HUGAN ePremier12.
Looking ahead
With the third and fourth qualifiers now confirmed for the HUGAN ePremier12, the fifth and sixth slots will be filled at the ePremier12 Chinese Taipei Finals presented by TLLB, which will take place on 21-22 September at New Taipei City Esports Base. The top two players from that tournament will qualify for the ePremier12.
After that, the ePremier12 Japan Finals on 29 September at the Tokyo Game Show 2024, which is made up with the top eight players from the Japan eBaseball™ Cup. The champion of the ePremier12 Japan Finals will claim a berth to the HUGAN ePremier12.
Following that, the ePremier12 European Finals will take place on 5th October at Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, Italy. That in-person tournament will feature the two best European players who qualified from the online Europe eBaseball™ Cup presented by FIBS battling it out for a spot in the HUGAN ePremier12.
Do you have what it takes to qualify for the ePremier12? Get your copy of WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 today, or apply for a coupon code HERE to forge your path to the world stage!
