By the ninth inning, the game was nearing its end.
The score stood at 17–1.
Seido High School had strong pitching and an ironclad defense, while Shinko High School was not a team known for overwhelming offensive power. As a result, throughout the game, Shinko managed very little production. Although they recorded five or six hits, they were only able to score a single run.
Seido High School Baseball Team, on the other hand, was a completely different story.
They opened the game by striking hard, blasting two home runs for a total of four runs. That first inning essentially set the tone and the outcome of the entire match.
Given Shinko High School's offensive capabilities, chasing down a four-run deficit was already an almost impossible task. To put it bluntly, the result of the game was practically decided from that moment.
In the innings that followed, Shinko High School maintained the dignity of a powerhouse and stubbornly refused to give up, but it was nothing more than a prolonged, desperate struggle.
The second, third, and fourth innings were still manageable. During that stretch, Kuse Hikaru still had ample stamina. Although he encountered several dangerous situations, he resolved them with skill and composure, giving up only two additional runs.
By the fifth inning, however, the score had already widened to 6–0.
Playing a game that was clearly slipping away even one filled with constant challenges from powerful batters was exhausting. While Kuse Hikaru initially found the confrontation stimulating, fatigue was inevitable.
Especially against Seido High School Baseball Team's offense, only those who truly faced them could understand how terrifying it was.
Suppressing these monsters consumed an amount of stamina far beyond what ordinary pitchers could endure. If there had been hope of a comeback, Kuse Hikaru might have pushed himself further, perhaps even lasting the entire game through sheer willpower.
But in a match that was already destined to be lost, his stamina drained several times faster than usual.
By the middle innings, his breathing rhythm was completely disrupted, and sweat poured down his forehead like streams.
The Seido batters, watching him like predators, naturally did not miss the opportunity to strike while he was weakened.
Azuma Kiyokuni was the first to capitalize, smashing his second home run of the game and sending shockwaves through the stadium.
The tournament had only just entered its third round, and Seido High School had even played one fewer game than most teams.
Yet Azuma Kiyokuni had already hit four home runs.
Although he hadn't tied a record like Zhang Han, he now stood as the player with the most home runs in the entire Koshien tournament.
He had earned the nickname: Tokyo Monster.
Moreover, judging from the current situation, no one could say for certain that he wouldn't go on to challenge the all-time record as well. He already had four home runs; just three more would bring him to seven.
Three home runs.
For most players, that would be an almost impossible task. But for Azuma Kiyokuni, it didn't seem out of reach at all.
As long as Seido High School Baseball Team continued advancing, opportunities would inevitably come. Not to mention, even in this very game, there was still time left. No one could say for sure whether Azuma Kiyokuni or Yuuki might add more home runs before the final out.
How terrifying was Seido High School Baseball Team's offensive power?
And it wasn't just those three home runs.
In the seventh inning, Yuuki launched a home run as well as Seido's fourth of the game.
Even so, the Seido players were still not satisfied.
That home run didn't help them break any records or tie new ones.
Zhang Han also had his own sense of vanity.
He had already achieved his goal of making a splash at Koshien. At first, he thought that would be enough. But reality proved otherwise after performing so well and drawing so much attention, his ambitions grew.
If nothing else, he wanted to hit at least one more home run.
The highest home run record for a rookie at Koshien was actually quite low only two. Zhang Han had already tied that record at the start of the second game.
One more.
That was all it would take to break it.
Faced with such temptation, who could resist?
Zhang Han was no exception.
If the game had been closely contested, he would have had no choice but to prioritize the team's victory above everything else.
But now, victory was already firmly in their grasp.
Under these circumstances, it was only natural for him to pursue a higher goal.
Even if Coach Kataoka or Manager Ota knew what he was thinking, they wouldn't object. If Zhang Han could set a new rookie home run record at Koshien, it would be a tremendous benefit not just for him personally, but for Seido High School Baseball Team as a whole.
Why did the school invest so heavily in the baseball team's journey to Koshien?
There were only two reasons: fame and profit.
And those two went hand in hand.
The more famous Zhang Han became during the tournament, the happier the school would be. It would justify the tremendous cost they had paid to bring him into the team in the first place.
Perhaps Zhang Han focused too much on the result, which caused him to lose some of his usual composure.
In his next few at-bats, although he continued to get hits, he was unable to send another ball over the fence.
Azuma Kiyokuni found himself in the same situation.
Perhaps they were both trying too hard, and because of that, neither could seize the perfect opportunity.
It wasn't until the ninth inning, with Seido High School back on offense, that the batting order finally rotated back to Zhang Han.
Whether in the stands or in the dugout, he could clearly feel the concentrated gazes of his teammates.
They were all hoping eagerly that he would hit another home run and bring even greater glory to the school.
Zhang Han, of course, felt the same.
He wanted to seize this chance and break the record he had only just tied.
By this point, Shinko High School had already replaced their pitcher.
Kuse Hikaru, one of the nation's top pitchers, had thrown 143 pitches and lasted six innings. But it had been in vain. He personally gave up nine runs.
This man, once hailed as one of the strongest pitching prospects in the country, was completely knocked out of contention in this game. After being battered so thoroughly by Seido High School Baseball Team, he could no longer claim that title with any confidence.
After him came the tall relief pitcher now standing on the mound. But his ability was clearly limited. In just two innings, Seido High School Baseball Team scored seven or eight runs off him.
Against such a pitcher, getting a hit was not difficult.
The real question was whether Zhang Han could hit a home run. He waited patiently, planning carefully, and finally caught a pitch he liked.
He swung hard.
The white ball soared high into the sky. But it only landed deep in the outfield, at the very edge of the field.
Zhang Han felt a twinge of frustration.
Even he couldn't guarantee a home run. After all, this kind of thing didn't depend on skill alone.
Sometimes, it also depended on luck.
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