Chapter 376: Semi-finals, Ichidai Sanko

Semi-finals match day, Jingu No. 2 Stadium.

It was just a little past eight in the morning, and while the stadium gates hadn't opened yet, the spectators outside were already gathered in dense crowds. Once the gates opened, in less than twenty minutes, every seat in the entire stadium was packed full.

Two semi-final matches: Seido High School vs. Ichidai Sanko, and Inashiro Industrial vs. Teito High School; the matches of the "Big Four" always attract the greatest number of spectators.

Which of the four powerhouses will reach the top in these two semi-finals and tomorrow's final? This is a hot topic that all baseball fans in the Tokyo region are focused on.

As the two teams for the first match, Seido and Ichidai Sanko, entered the field, the players from Inashiro Industrial and Teito High School also arrived at the stadium early. In the west stands, Inashiro Industrial, led by Narumiya Mei, took their seats, while on the east side, Inui Kengo also led the Teito players into the spectator area.

On the field, both teams began their warm-ups.

"To all our viewers in front of the television, coming up next is the Tokyo Spring Tournament, sixth round, the first semi-final match, a prestigious duel between Seido High School and Ichidai Sanko. The last time these two teams faced each other was in the first round of the Autumn Tournament; in that match, Seido High School emerged victorious, and Teito unfortunately stopped at the first round. So, will Teito High School wash away their shame in today's match, or will Seido continue their undefeated legacy? Let us wait and see! Alright! The match begins!"

First base side, Ichidai Sanko.

Third base side, Seido High School.

The moment the starting lineup appeared on the scoreboard, a wave of commotion immediately broke out in the spectator stands.

"This... Seido High School's starting pitcher is the third-year Kawakami Norifumi! Could it be that the ace, Huangqian Yangyi, who hasn't taken the mound for two games, isn't planning to step up even for the match against Ichidai Sanko?"

Seeing that Huangqian Yangyi's position was Left Fielder, both the spectators and the commentators were stunned. This is Ichidai Sanko, after all—the ace isn't pitching? Or is he a relief pitcher?

It wasn't just them; in the stands, Narumiya Mei, Tadano Itsuki, Inui Kengo, Mukai Taiyo... a flash of surprise also crossed the eyes of the players from these two teams.

Could it be that he's injured?

More and more people had this thought, but that didn't seem right. If he were truly injured, given Huangqian Yangyi's status and value to Seido, he should be resting directly; why would he be placed in the outfield? Furthermore, looking at his batting performance, there was no sign of any physical issues.

Is it just to train other players? The Spring Tournament has a tradition of tempering new teams. Even if they are already in the final four and the opponent is Ichidai Sanko, Seido has chosen to temper their other pitchers and let the ace focus on batting to improve the scoring ability of the lineup; thinking of it this way, it seems to make sense.

There was no time for everyone to overthink it; the match officially began.

Top of the first inning, Ichidai Sanko at bat.

"First batter, Left Fielder, Yoshida."

"Go for it, Yoshida!"

"Get that opening hit!"

"Kawakami, keep them suppressed!!"

"Seido! Seido! Seido!"

"Sanko! Sanko! Sanko!"

Amidst the cheers of the audience, the nine Seido players walked onto the field. After reaching the Left Fielder position, Huangqian Yangyi glanced at the Ichidai Sanko bench. Over there, Tianjiu Kosei happened to look over as well; there was no smile on his face, and he seemed somewhat displeased.

Soon, on the Pitcher's Mound, Kawakami threw the ball according to Miyuki's signal. Batter Yoshida swung at air—Strike!

Second pitch, a low inside Sinker; the batter hit a ground ball and was put out.

After three batters, Ichidai Sanko was retired in order.

Bottom of the first inning, Tianjiu Kosei's first pitch was immediately picked out by Kuramochi, which greatly surprised Tianjiu Kosei, who looked up at the baseball being knocked away.

The baseball flew over the heads of the infield defense. Kuramochi Yoichi charged forward with his head down, seized the opportunity, and slid stylishly directly to Second Base. Finally, using the momentum of the slide, he stood up on the base with great flair and cockily lifted his chin toward the Pitcher's Mound.

The beautiful start made the Seido players very excited, and one by one, they began to cheer for the second batter, Kominato Haruichi.

"Heh, an unstable start, runner on second, the batter is Haruichi; we've definitely got this run."

"If Tianjiu Kosei's weakness of an unstable start is exploited and he gives up a run, how is Ichidai Sanko supposed to play?"

"That's not necessarily true. Huangqian Yangyi might not pitch today; even if they fall behind by a run or two, Ichidai Sanko has the ability to catch up against other pitchers."

"Who says? Ichidai Sanko can score, but we Seido can score even more—the difference in the batting lineup."

After Kuramochi reached base, the Seido fans in the stands had a relatively unified guess about the direction of the upcoming match. After all, everyone believed before the game that for Ichidai Sanko to beat Seido, they would need to launch a fierce attack and score early while Huangqian Yangyi wasn't pitching. But look at it now? Huangqian Yangyi indeed wasn't pitching, the pitcher was Kawakami, but not only did Ichidai Sanko fail to score, they were instead successfully attacked by Seido. With a run about to be given up, in this situation, Ichidai Sanko's win probability was already terrifyingly low.

On the field, after Kominato Haruichi stepped into the Batter's Box, he glanced at the bench. Manager Kataoka had his arms crossed and gave no instructions. Kominato Haruichi understood—this meant he was to play freely.

Exchanging a look with Kuramochi Yoichi at Second Base, Kominato Haruichi smiled and then prepared to bat.

Just as Tianjiu Kosei threw the first pitch, Kuramochi, who had already left the base by two steps, suddenly dashed toward Third Base.

Stolen base!

No, it's a Hit and Run!

Kominato Haruichi's bat swung at the incoming baseball, a light push-hit that pulled the ball to the right, flying just over the First Baseman's head and landing behind him.

After hitting the ball, Kominato Haruichi ran at full speed. By the time the opponent intercepted the ball, Kuramochi had already reached Third Base, and Kominato Haruichi had also reached First Base.

No outs, runners on first and third, a major crisis for Ichidai Sanko.

On the first base side bench, Ichidai Sanko's Manager Tahara was frantically signaling to the field, telling Tianjiu Kosei to steady himself.

He knew Seido's offense was fierce, but he hadn't expected it to be this fierce. Kuramochi Yoichi and Kominato Haruichi had put them in such an unfavorable situation with just two pitches. Next up were the third batter, Miyuki, and the fourth batter, Huangqian Yangyi; he feared this inning wouldn't be as simple as just giving up one run.

On the Pitcher's Mound, Tianjiu Kosei frowned. He knew his unstable start required time and pitch count to improve his condition; he was well aware of this and was working hard to overcome it. But in this match, with runners on first and third, he had only thrown two pitches—where was he supposed to find his rhythm now?