Chapter 145: Third Round! Kawae High School

"Although Kawae High School doesn't have any star players, their fundamentals are solid and they play a steady game. They won't adopt high-risk tactics, but! Once someone gets on base and a scoring opportunity arises, they will hold on tight and refuse to let go, and their batting and base running will become aggressive. Don't panic when encountering this situation; the Pitcher should focus on the Batter, and if there's an opportunity, try to turn a Double Play," Director Kataoka said.

"Yes!!"

"Then, for the day after tomorrow's game, Nanjo will start as usual, and Tanba will be the relief."

"Huangqian!" Director Kataoka suddenly turned his head to look at Huangqian Yangyi.

"Here! Boss!"

"I'll leave the last two innings to you. Any problems?"

"None! My condition is excellent!"

"Good, watch the game footage a bit more and then go back to rest."

Half an hour later, everyone returned to their respective rooms. Huangqian Yangyi and Miyuki were staying together. As soon as they entered, Miyuki sprawled out on the bed.

"Yangyi, tell me, can we win the championship?" Miyuki asked suddenly.

Huangqian Yangyi sat at the desk, opened his phone, and said, "Even a team with great strength wouldn't dare say they are guaranteed to win the championship; games are always full of surprises."

"Oh? Didn't you keep shouting that we'd definitely win the championship this year?" Miyuki said.

"That's right, the goal is to win the championship, but we have to take it step by step, down to earth. Of course, I have always believed that our Seido can win the championship!"

Hearing this, Miyuki sat up and said, "The day of the final, it's your birthday, right?"

"How did you know?"

"Heh, didn't you say you wanted to give the championship to your sister as a birthday gift? Did you forget yourself? You two are twins, after all," Miyuki said.

Huangqian Yangyi realized it only after hearing this. That's right, he had actually forgotten.

"Hehe, taking the championship is also a gift for yourself. How about it? Do you feel more motivated now?" Miyuki laughed.

Huangqian Yangyi shook his head with a smile: "I don't care about birthdays and such. Of course, if you want to give me a gift, I'm still looking forward to it."

"Hehe, I don't have any money," Miyuki said.

The two chatted until very late before sleeping. The next day, the Seido group did not go to the venue to watch the game, but instead adjusted their conditions individually.

Two days later, the 5th day of the Summer Koshien.

"The third round of the Koshien tournament, the game between Seido High School and Kawae High School, officially begins!"

As the TV commentator's voice faded, the teams from both sides came onto the field to shake hands.

In this game, Seido is on offense first.

As Seido's leadoff hitter, Zhitian Jiangtai had accumulated some popularity after being interviewed; not only were Seido's own fans aware of him, but many neutral spectators who came to watch the game recognized him too.

"Zhitian!!"

Hehe, listening to the cheers from the stands that were much louder than usual, Zhitian Jiangtai felt secretly proud, but he then seriously prepared to bat, not letting the momentary limelight affect his condition.

In the upcoming games, winning one more match would bring even more glory; he knew clearly which was more important.

Kawae High School's ace Pitcher, Qinghai Lin, stood on the Pitcher's Mound with an expressionless face. This was an extremely composed player, from personality to pitching style.

Waiting for the shouting in the stands to die down a bit, Qinghai Lin nodded to the Catcher to signal that he was ready.

The Catcher gave the sign, and Qinghai Lin quickly threw the ball.

His pitching completion was very high, and his ball speed and control were also considered excellent.

Pop!

"Strike!"

Zhitian Jiangtai did not rush to swing at the first pitch. The ball speed was 140, and the landing spot was good; it was an outside pitch.

Then, the second ball flew over not long after; it was an outside Slider.

Zhitian Jiangtai still did not swing, watching calmly as the baseball flew into the glove.

"Strike!"

Having watched two pitches in a row, Zhitian Jiangtai had observed enough. This Qinghai Lin's pitching really had some skill; although the speed wasn't very fast, the control was truly excellent.

On the Pitcher's Mound, Qinghai Lin was now looking at Zhitian Jiangtai cautiously. Two consecutive non-swings did not make him underestimate the opponent; instead, he became even more prudent.

His own ball speed was not fast, and he was not the type of Strikeout-focused Pitcher. His pitching mostly relied on control to keep the ball path low at the corners, making it difficult for the Batter to hit well, and coordinating with his teammates behind him to complete the defense.

Not to mention Breaking Balls, but as for the Fastball, he didn't believe Zhitian Jiangtai would be unable to keep up at all. This person must be planning something; was he bad at hitting outside pitches? Or was he waiting for his forkball?

Qinghai Lin's thoughts were identical to the Catcher's. The sign given for the third pitch was an inside-edge, low forkball. With two Strikes forcing the count, unless the Batter could be sure the ball was a ball, they would inevitably swing.

And for this pitch, Qinghai Lin was confident that even if the opponent hit it, they wouldn't hit it well.

"Pop!"

"Ball!"

What!?

Qinghai Lin didn't expect the opponent to be so composed. He didn't even swing at that?

Zhitian Jiangtai, meanwhile, breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. He had bet correctly; this guy really threw a ball. With this, the count was two Strikes and one Ball. The opponent definitely couldn't be sure of his intentions. In this situation, for the next pitch, Qinghai Lin would, for the sake of safety, nine times out of ten use a forkball to decide the outcome.

Come on! As long as you dare to throw it, I'll hit it out!

Qinghai Lin threw the fourth pitch, and just as Zhitian Jiangtai expected, it was a forkball!

Bang!

The bat swung violently, and the little white ball flew out like a bullet.

In the direction of Left Fielder, the baseball landed! Zhitian Jiangtai reached First Base steadily.

This guy!

Qinghai Lin clenched his fists. He realized it now; the opponent was playing mind games with him! But this was too bold; wasn't he afraid of being struck out?

After sighing at the opponent's boldness, Qinghai Lin then looked at Kominato Ryosuke in the Batter's Box.

According to the intel, this was a Batter very good at selecting pitches. Qinghai Lin didn't like him, or rather, he hated such Batters.

His ball speed wasn't fast, and he had reached this point by using different types of pitches to confuse Batters and make them hit low-quality balls. However, Kominato Ryosuke was the type who excelled at pitch selection and could tangle with a Pitcher; he was a natural counter to him!

Sure enough, the entanglement between Kominato Ryosuke and Qinghai Lin lasted for 7 pitches!

It wasn't until the 8th pitch that Qinghai Lin managed to strike out Kominato Ryosuke with a forkball.

Exhausted!

Even though he had only been pitching for a short while, Qinghai Lin felt the sun in the sky was even more scorching than before.

Having worn down the Pitcher for 7 pitches, a satisfied smile appeared on Kominato Ryosuke's face; he loved this kind of pitcher the most, as he could continuously hit the opponent's pitches into Jianjie, tormenting the opponent's spirit.

Even if he couldn't successfully hit a base hit, he could still drain the opposing Pitcher's stamina.