Chapter 316: Sawamura's Koshien Debut

Amidst the rising and falling cheers, the starting lineups for both sides appeared on the giant screen.

And so, the entire stadium was shocked!

Among the 9 starters for Seido, there were actually three First Years!

Come on, this is the Summer Koshien!

Even though many teams will send First Year players onto the field when facing weaker opponents, that is basically only when the score is leading and the outcome is already decided; how could there be a team like Seido, starting with three First Years right from the beginning?

Moreover, although the opposing Naruto High School is not a traditional powerhouse, it is a team that has entered Koshien many times; it definitely cannot be called a weak team.

On this stage of the Summer Koshien, the vast majority of teams' starters are Third Year players with two and a half years of practice.

Even Second Years are not common.

"Hey, hey, aren't they being too arrogant?"

"Is Seido here at Koshien to train their troops?"

"It would be spectacular if they capsized in the gutter."

"Capsize what? Didn't you see that Jiecheng and Huangqian are both on the field?"

"Exactly, when it comes to scoring ability, what does Naruto High School have to compare with Seido?"

On the First Base side, in the Naruto High School dugout, upon seeing that there were actually three First Years in Seido's starting lineup, Manager Tanaka was first filled with anger, feeling that they were being looked down upon by Seido.

But then, a smile slowly appeared at the corners of his mouth; a First Year Pitcher? This might truly be their chance!

"Listen up, everyone! Since Seido intends to train their troops during the match, then let's not be polite; hit them with everything you've got! Swing at the ball when it comes! We've all seen the data on this First Year Pitcher, so I don't need to tell you what to do—go! Blast him!" Manager Tanaka shouted, cheering on his own players.

"Yes!!"

The players also understood at this moment that Seido's formation was an opportunity they could not let slip by. They admitted they were no match for Huangqian Yangyi, and the difficulty of scoring from him was no less than manned spaceflight, but now, against a mere First Year Pitcher, they, Naruto High School, were not so easy to bully.

"The 89th Summer National High School Baseball Championship, Koshien Tournament, First Round, August 7th, Third Match, West Tokyo representative Seido High School versus Tokushima Prefecture representative Naruto High School; now, the match officially begins!!"

"Top of the first inning, Naruto High School attacking, the first Batter..."

After getting ready, the 9 Seido starters walked out of the dugout and headed toward their respective positions amidst the cheers of the spectators.

Huangqian Yangyi arrived at the Left Fielder position; it was very close to the spectators here. Looking back, many spectators were shouting his name at him.

Smiling at the spectators, Huangqian Yangyi looked toward the Pitcher's Mound. Standing there was the First Year Pitcher who had entered Koshien for the first time, started in his first match, and stood on the Koshien Pitcher's Mound for the first time: Sawamura Eijun!

Huangqian Yangyi: "He looks a bit nervous."

Isashiki Jun: "Is this kid going to be okay?"

Kominato Haruichi: "Eijun! Take a deep breath!"

Arima Kazusa: "Don't be nervous!"

Yuki Tetsuya: "Relax!"

Seeing Sawamura standing on the Pitcher's Mound with his head lowered, motionless, everyone thought the kid was nervous and spoke up one after another to encourage him.

"Haha, a First Year is a First Year; unreliable, huh? Come on! Watch me blast it out for you!" The first Batter for Naruto High School felt a surge of secret joy after seeing Sawamura's appearance.

Just then, Sawamura on the Pitcher's Mound suddenly raised his head, spread his arms, his lips trembling slightly, and shouted toward the sky.

"This is my first time pitching at Koshien, and although I don't know what Koshien is! I am very nervous!!"

"Then let's do it again!"

"Teammates behind me! I will not let them hit it out; I leave the defense to you all!!"

As the voice fell, some Seido fans familiar with Sawamura immediately became excited.

"That's it!"

"Hahaha, heard it again."

"This kid is truly interesting."

"Sawamura!! Don't be funny!"

On the field, after finishing his shout, Sawamura felt his left hand, which had been trembling slightly due to nervousness, slowly steadying, and his teammates behind him were also shouting to cheer him on.

After making all preparations, Sawamura then looked toward the home plate position, where Chris was currently smiling gently at him.

"Hehe, Master! Come on!" Sawamura nodded heavily.

After Chris smiled, he immediately gave the signal.

Whoosh!

Under the gaze of 50,000 people in the stadium, Sawamura threw his first pitch at Koshien!

Pop!

"Strike!!"

The sound of the baseball entering the glove reached his ears. At this moment, Sawamura could not hear the sound of the spectators on the sidelines at all; his world seemed to only consist of the glove in front of him.

Sawamura had a feeling, as if all the effort he had made until now was just to throw this ball into Chris's glove on the Koshien field.

"Sawamura!"

"Great pitch!"

"Eijun-kun!!"

The voices gradually entered his ears, and Sawamura slowly came back to his senses.

"Wow!!!!!!"

The shouting of the fans on-site startled Sawamura instantly.

Looking at home plate again, eh? A Strike? Was it a Strike?

Sawamura was actually unable to react for a moment.

"Nice ball!"

Chris's voice rang out, and Sawamura then saw a white shadow flying toward him.

Pop!

Subconsciously raising his hand to catch the return throw from Chris, Sawamura felt the power in his glove and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly into a brilliant smile.

Next, with the coordination between Sawamura and Chris, the second pitch, an inside high ball jammed into the batter's chest, caused the batter to swing and miss again.

For the third pitch, an outside low Fastball, the batter swung and made contact; the baseball landed in the infield and was easily handled by Second Baseman Kominato Haruichi.

"Strikeout!"

"Nice work!"

Successfully retiring the first batter was undoubtedly a great start for Sawamura.

But Naruto High School was no pushover; after the second batter was put out, their third batter, Captain Moriyama Ryo, stepped into the Batter's Box and successfully hit a single.

Subsequently, Moriyama Ryo coordinated with the Fourth Batter, Shimazu Yu, to execute a Hit and Run tactic, successfully reaching Second Base.

With two outs and runners on First Base and Second Base, Sawamura did not show any signs of anxiety in this situation; under the guidance of Chris, he successfully struck out the Naruto High School 5th Batter, ending the first inning.

Bottom of the first inning, Seido on offense.

Kuramochi, the first to step into the Batter's Box, utilized his advantage as a left-handed batter and an unexpected Bunt to dash to First Base like a cheetah.

"Hahaha!!"

Watching Kuramochi laughing at First Base, Kominato Haruichi, who was also standing in the Koshien Batter's Box for the first time, smiled slightly; recalling the look of encouragement his older brother gave him before taking the field, Kominato Haruichi observed two pitches, and on the third pitch, successfully connected with an Inside Fastball to send Kuramochi to Second Base while he himself stood firmly on First Base.