Seido High School Baseball Team's next opponent was Shinko High School, a prestigious school from Kyoto whose strength was beyond doubt.
"We played a practice game before, around this time last year. The score was seven to ten, and we lost by three runs," Manager Ota informed everyone as he provided the past data.
From the newspaper reports, Seido High School Baseball Team appeared to have no advantage and was even in considerable danger. However, Manager Ota's expression showed no real concern.
"The opponent is troublesome," the teammates discussed among themselves.
"Back then, Hidezawa's pitching wasn't mature yet, and Zhang Han and Miyuki hadn't joined the team," Manager Ota said, a hint of pride on his face.
Although they had lost badly in that game a year ago, it was now uncertain who would win or lose.
After defeating Inashiro, Ichidai San, and then overwhelmingly defeating Hosen High School in the first round, not only the players but even Manager Ota felt far more confident than before.
In this Koshien, there might be teams stronger than Seido High School Baseball Team, but Shinko High School was definitely not among them.
At the very least, it would take teams like Osaka Kiryu and Seihou High School to consistently suppress Seido. As for other teams, at most they were on par with Seido, and most were likely weaker.
This realization made Manager Ota unconsciously grow a little arrogant.
"Don't be careless. After all, we haven't played each other for a year. How much they've improved, we don't know," Coach Kataoka warned.
No matter who the opponent was, he believed they had to be fully prepared.
"Yes!" the teammates replied in unison, their expressions solemn.
On the day of the game, the sun blazed fiercely. The August heat was intense, and even before the game began, Zhang Han was already covered in a fine layer of sweat.
He was still doing fine. Several upperclassmen around him looked even worse, their uniforms damp and faces flushed. Playing in such weather was a severe test of physical endurance.
"Koshien Tournament Round Three, Seido High School versus Shinko High School, officially begins!"
With the commentator's announcement, the game started.
This time, Seido High School Baseball Team was once again on offense first.
The lineup followed the usual order, but there was a surprising change. The first batter stepping into the box was not Tanaka Kakuei, Seido's captain and offensive engine.
Instead, a second-year player took his place.
The player was not tall, only about 1.6 meters, with narrow eyes and little expression on his face.
"What is Seido doing?"
"This is the final game of the group stage. Winning means advancing to the top eight. Is Seido High School crazy?"
The fans in the stands were completely confused.
They could not understand what Seido High School Baseball Team was thinking.
Had they already given up on this game?
That was impossible.
Judging from previous matches, Seido appeared stronger than Shinko. If anyone should give up, it should be Shinko, not Seido.
Or was Seido looking down on Shinko and intentionally not sending out their full main lineup?
That explanation barely made sense.
The gap between the two teams was not that large. At best, it was around sixty to forty. If Seido intentionally weakened itself, it might lose all advantage.
Replacing Tanaka, a core player, with such a seemingly weak second-year student was hard to accept.
"Is he really a high school student?" Shinko High School's pitcher, Kuse Hikaru, muttered from the mound.
The boy was not abnormally short. In a classroom, such a height would be ordinary.
But this was baseball, and among high school players, such a height was rare.
Can he really play, or is Seido trying to mock me?
A trace of disdain appeared in Kuse Hikaru's eyes, and it was clearly noticed by the batter.
"I'm being looked down on."
Although this was his first time standing on the Koshien stage, there was no tension in Kominato Ryosuke's heart.
He calmly observed the pitcher, his eyes narrowing further as a sharp glint flashed through them.
Being underestimated might anger others, but Ryosuke felt nothing of the sort.
He believed in acting rather than arguing whenever possible.
No matter who the opponent was, that principle never changed.
Kuse Hikaru was no ordinary pitcher. Among national-level pitchers, his strength was top-tier. This match was even called the clash of spear and shield.
The shield referred to Kuse Hikaru, a pitcher who mastered five breaking balls.
And Seido replaced Tanaka precisely to deal with this shield.
Here it comes.
"Whoosh!"
Kuse Hikaru delivered the first pitch with smooth, elegant mechanics.
His execution was excellent. He had sharp breaking balls, good velocity, and precise control.
"Thwack!"
Seido did not swing.
The speed shown on the display was 138 kilometers per hour. It was not terrifyingly fast, but it was more than sufficient.
The pitch skimmed the outer edge of the strike zone, clearly exploiting Ryosuke's height.
"That's it!"
"Kid, still want to challenge our ace? Go home and drink your milk!"
The Shinko supporters burst into laughter.
From their perspective, the batter had not even dared to swing.
Wasn't he already scared stiff?
In this situation, wasn't the first out already guaranteed?
Victory today was clearly theirs.
As for the media praising Seido before the game, they believed it was all nonsense.
The so-called strongest batting lineup was only impressive because it had not yet faced Kuse Hikaru.
Against him, it would crumble.
The people from Shinko High School were full of confidence.
In Seido's dugout, however, no one looked worried.
They all held high expectations for that short second-year player.
On the contrary, they wondered how badly Shinko's underestimation would come back to bite them.
"Whoosh!"
"Thwack!"
"Strike!"
Two consecutive pitches landed cleanly in the strike zone.
Kominato Ryosuke still did not swing, watching the ball pass by as if frozen.
Without hesitation, Kuse Hikaru threw his third pitch.
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