Chapter 372: Chunri First High School

In the blink of an eye, the time arrived for the quarterfinals.

Seido High School versus Chunri First High School; this was a clash between a powerhouse of East Tokyo and the kings of West Tokyo.

At Jingu No. 2 Stadium, the players of Chunri First High School each wore a solemn expression. Unlike Seido's previous opponents, Yongyuan High School and Pengda First High School, Chunri First High School was also a powerhouse team from East Tokyo. Before Teito dominated East Tokyo, Chunri First High School was a team that had reached the Spring Koshien and Summer Koshien multiple times. Even if they had declined and were not what they once were, the foundation of a prestigious school still remained.

As members of a prestigious school, even though the players of Chunri First High School knew of Seido's strength, it was impossible for them to admit defeat.

When the starting lineups for both sides were submitted and announced, a smile appeared on the face of Manager Natsume of Chunri First High School.

As for defeating a full-strength Seido, he was not that conceited.

But if Seido's starting pitcher today was not Huangqian Yangyi, Manager Natsume believed their team had the strength to fight. Perhaps the hope of winning was still very slim, as the gap in scoring ability between the two lineups was quite large, but at the very least, they would not lose so miserably.

Having already entered the Round of 16 and secured a seeded spot for the Summer Tournament, the goal Manager Natsume had set before the start of the Spring Tournament had already been achieved. The upcoming game against Seido was the most suitable opportunity to let the players accumulate experience.

By absorbing the experience of facing a powerhouse in the Spring Tournament, Manager Natsume's ambition was already set on the Summer Tournament. The Summer Tournament was divided into East and West districts, and he was preparing to lead this new team of Chunri First High School to challenge Teito's hegemony in East Tokyo!

Not to mention how intense the game in front of them might be, let alone defeating this current Seido team—don't look at the fact that their ace didn't take the Pitcher's Mound in the last game and wasn't starting this game either; as long as the game fell into a crisis, he could come up at any time. Facing Huangqian Yangyi, a pitcher who exceeded the level of high school baseball, it was almost impossible for their Chunri First High School to score. Therefore, as long as they could display their team's style in this game and allow the players to gain something, Manager Natsume would feel satisfied.

On the first-base side, in front of the Seido High School dugout.

Suddenly hearing the roars of the Chunri First High School players opposite them, Huangqian Yangyi turned his head and smiled: "The opponents look very fired up. Sawamura, you have to show your skills and suppress their momentum fiercely."

"Oss!"

"I have no problem!"

Sawamura stood excitedly in front of the dugout and shouted.

At this moment, Miyuki, who was behind him, kicked his butt with his knee.

"Don't get too excited; it's enough if you can just bring out the level of your usual training."

"Yes!!" Sawamura straightened his back and shouted.

The warm-up session began, and Seido's nine starters for today also walked onto the field.

"First batter, Shortstop, Kuramochi Yoichi."

"Second batter, Second Baseman, Kominato Haruichi."

"Third batter, Catcher, Miyuki Kazuya."

"Fourth batter, Center Fielder, Huangqian Yangyi."

"Fifth batter, Third Baseman, Arima Kazusa."

"Sixth batter, Right Fielder, Shirasu Kenjiro."

"Seventh batter, First Baseman, Maezono Kenta."

"Eighth batter, Left Fielder, Yuki Masashi."

"Ninth batter, Pitcher, Sawamura Eijun."

Without waiting long, a shrill alarm sounded in the stadium; the warm-up was over.

"Line up!!"

"Salute!"

"Please treat us well!!"

Tokyo Spring Tournament, fifth round, quarterfinals, first game, Seido High School vs. Chunri First High School.

"Wow, the starter today is Sawamura."

"Sawamura's pitching is also very impressive, and today Chunri First High School's lineup has a majority of left-handed batters, so Sawamura, as a left-handed pitcher, will have some advantages."

"Go Sawamura!"

"Look over there, a First Year is starting."

"It's Yuki Masashi!"

"Two First Years appeared in the last game, I didn't expect one to get a start today immediately."

"But to be on the field now, I'm afraid Chunri First High School will aim at his position to hit; he'll be targeted."

Yuki Masashi's starting appearance made quite a few Seido fans feel surprised.

Just at this moment, Sawamura Eijun, who had already stood on the Pitcher's Mound, looked excitedly toward home plate. After locking eyes with Miyuki, he closed his eyes and began to take deep breaths.

Then, he spread his arms, tilted his head back, and shouted.

"I will keep letting them hit it out; I leave the defense behind me to you all!!!"

A familiar, hot-blooded statement; this was the exclusive opening line belonging to Sawamura Eijun.

"Oh! Sawamura!"

"Let's take them out one by one!"

"Don't rush!"

"Let them hit it over!"

"Deep breaths!!"

"Focus your attention!"

Sawamura's teammates behind him also gave their support in their own ways.

"Playball!"

"Top of the first inning, Chunri First High School's attack..."

The first batter stood in the Batter's Box, and the entire Seido defense also entered the zone.

Whoosh!

Sawamura took a deep breath and threw the ball toward the low outside corner.

Bang!

"Arima!"

The baseball landed on the ground and headed toward third base; the soft ground ball was easily intercepted by Arima Kazusa, and the runner was put out at first base.

Next, the second batter also failed to hit well, unable to find the sweet spot at all; this was not only because Sawamura's unique pitching form made it impossible to see the release point, but also because Sawamura's Fastball had subtle movement as it neared the plate, so it would take some time for the Chunri First High School batters to adapt to his pitching style upon their first encounter.

Soon, the third batter for Chunri First High School was also put out.

"Strike!! Batter out!"

"Three outs, change sides!!"

"Three up, three down!!"

"Sawamura, well done."

Having successfully defended this half-inning, Sawamura jogged back to the dugout, shouting "Oshi, oshi!"

In the bottom of the first inning, Seido easily scored 4 runs; today, Huangqian Yangyi was still the Fourth Batter, but as the Center Fielder, he failed to hit a Home Run in his first at-bat, causing the fans to sigh deeply; as he walked off the field, Huangqian Yangyi shook his head with a bitter smile—he had really spoiled these guys, as a long hit was no longer enough to satisfy them.

By the second inning, the first batter Sawamura faced was the Fourth Batter of Chunri First High School; after securing two strikes, Miyuki extended his index and middle fingers.

Sawamura on the Pitcher's Mound grinned upon seeing this, then looked at the baseball in his hand—a Two-seam Fastball, a pitch type he had practiced and mastered this winter after learning the Changeup; although Sawamura had appeared in the Spring Koshien, Miyuki had not called for this pitch.

Until this game, Sawamura had been impatient to use it in a match, and now he finally had the chance.

Whoosh~

Taking a deep breath as usual, Sawamura adjusted his state, looking at the glove opposite him, which felt as big as a soccer field.