Amid the roaring cheers of the crowd, the starting lineups for both teams flashed onto the big screen.
And instantly—
The entire stadium erupted in shock.
Seido's starting lineup… had three first-years.
This was Summer Koshien.
Even powerhouse teams rarely let first-years start, unless the game was already decided. But Seido?
They sent three rookies out right from the beginning.
And their opponent wasn't weak either.
Naruto High School had Koshien experience. They weren't some easy target.
"Are they overconfident?"
"Training at Koshien? Seriously?"
"If they lose, that'd be hilarious."
"Lose? With Yuki Tetsuya and Kanzaki Ryou in the lineup?"
"Exactly. Naruto can't match their offense."
The crowd buzzed with speculation.
On the first base side, Naruto High's dugout—
Coach Tanaka's face first darkened in anger.
Three first-years? Are they looking down on us?
But soon, a smile crept onto his face.
A first-year pitcher…
That was an opportunity.
"Listen up!" he barked. "If Seido wants to treat this like practice, then we won't hold back. Swing at everything! Hit him hard!"
"Yes, Coach!!"
The players' eyes lit up.
They knew they couldn't break through Kanzaki Ryou easily—
But a rookie pitcher?
That was a different story.
"The 89th Summer National High School Baseball Championship—First Round! Seido High School versus Naruto High School! The game begins now!"
"Top of the first inning—Naruto High School on offense!"
Seido's players took the field one by one.
Kanzaki Ryou jogged to left field, close enough to hear the crowd clearly.
Fans were already shouting his name.
He waved casually, earning another wave of cheers, before turning his attention to the mound.
There stood—
Sawamura Eijun.
First time at Koshien.
First official game.
First time standing on that legendary mound at Hanshin Koshien Stadium.
Kanzaki narrowed his eyes slightly. "He looks nervous."
"Will he be okay?" Isashiki muttered.
"Eijun! Deep breaths!" Haruichi called out.
"Don't choke!" Arima shouted.
"Relax," Yuki added calmly.
On the mound—
Sawamura stood frozen, head lowered.
The Naruto leadoff batter smirked.
"Heh, a first-year really is a first-year. Watch me crush you."
Then suddenly—
Sawamura raised his head.
He spread his arms wide, lips trembling, and shouted toward the sky:
"This is my first time pitching at Koshien! I don't even know what Koshien really is! But I'm super nervous!!"
The stadium went silent for a split second—
Then—
"HAHAHAHA!!"
Seido fans burst out laughing.
"That's Sawamura!"
"I missed this!"
"Idiot! Stop embarrassing us!"
Sawamura didn't care.
He clenched his fist and shouted again:
"My teammates behind me—if they hit it, I'm counting on you guys!!"
That shout—
Somehow, it steadied him.
The trembling in his hand… stopped.
Behind the plate, Takigawa Chris Yuu smiled gently.
"Come on," his eyes seemed to say.
Sawamura nodded hard.
First pitch.
Whoosh!
Under the watch of fifty thousand spectators—
The ball flew.
Thwack!
"Strike!!"
The crisp sound echoed.
In that instant—
Sawamura heard nothing else.
No crowd. No noise.
Only the mitt.
It felt like everything he'd done until now—
All his effort—
Had led to this single throw.
"Nice pitch!!"
"Sawamura!!"
"Eijun!!"
The cheers gradually returned.
Sawamura blinked.
"Eh… strike?"
He looked confused.
Chris tossed the ball back.
Thwack!
Sawamura caught it instinctively—and grinned.
Second pitch—
A high inside fastball.
Swing and miss.
Third pitch—
Low and outside.
The batter connected—but weakly.
The ball rolled into the infield.
Kominato Haruichi fielded it cleanly.
"Out!!"
A perfect first out.
"Nice job!"
"Good start!"
But Naruto High wasn't done.
Their third batter—
Captain Moriyama Ryo—stepped up and hit a clean single.
Then, working with cleanup hitter Shimazu Yu, they executed a textbook hit-and-run.
Runner advanced.
Two outs.
Runners on first and second.
The pressure mounted—
But Sawamura didn't panic.
Under Chris's guidance, he stayed composed.
Pitch by pitch—
He forced the fifth batter into a strikeout.
Inning over.
Bottom of the first inning—Seido offense.
Leadoff batter Kuramochi Yoichi stepped up.
On the very first chance—
Bunt.
Perfect placement.
Then—
Speed like lightning.
He dashed to first base.
"Yahaha!!"
Standing safely, Kuramochi laughed wildly.
At the plate—
Kominato Haruichi adjusted his stance.
First time batting at Koshien.
He glanced briefly at his brother.
Kominato Ryosuke gave him a calm, confident look.
Haruichi nodded slightly.
First pitch—watch.
Second pitch—watch.
Third pitch—
Swing.
Clean contact.
The ball shot forward—
Kuramochi advanced to second.
Haruichi stood safely on first.
Seido's offense—
Had begun to move.