Whether it was Zhang Han or Azuma Kiyokuni, both of them desperately wanted to hit more home runs.
But perhaps they were being too opportunistic, or perhaps luck simply wasn't on their side. No matter how hard they tried, neither of them managed to send another ball over the fence.
How should that feeling be described?
It was like punching cotton there was no resistance at all, yet it felt unbearably empty and powerless, as if every effort disappeared into nothingness. Zhang Han's at-bat ended with nothing more than a long hit to Second Base.
No outs, runner on Second Base.
At this point, the seventh batter stepped up.
Isashiki Jun had already been substituted, and not just him. After the sixth inning, Seido High School Baseball Team's lead had expanded to nine runs.
In other words, there was no longer any suspense in the game. In regional tournaments, a situation like this might have led to an early mercy rule ending.
Under these circumstances, even the usually cautious Coach Kataoka began giving opportunities to substitute players.
One player after another was sent onto the field. Everyone had come all the way to Koshien; they deserved at least a chance to play.
To some extent, Director Kataoka was a very gentle person.
Of course, having learned from the previous game, he did not dare to replace Ace Pitcher Hidezawa.
Even though Shinko High School was being completely suppressed by Seido High School Baseball Team, they were still a prestigious school with a deep foundation.
Although their players had largely given up mentally, a dying ember could still reignite.
If the situation changed drastically, the Shinko players already demoralized might come up with something unpredictable. And Seido High School Baseball Team absolutely could not afford to face such a situation again.
They truly did not want to relive that experience, and neither Director Kataoka nor Manager Ota had the nerves for it.
They were also well aware of the consequences of letting the Ace Pitcher shoulder the entire burden alone.
But there was no other choice.
There simply were no reliable substitute pitchers in Seido High School Baseball Team's dugout. To put it bluntly, the gap in ability between the substitutes and the Ace was far too great.
Under these circumstances, how could Kataoka dare to send a substitute pitcher onto the mound?
This predicament also made Kataoka realize a truth: it was time to cultivate new pitchers.
Koichiro Tanba had always been groomed as Seido High School Baseball Team's next Ace.
In the past, although Director Kataoka worried that Tanba's strength and personality might make it difficult for him to carry the team, there had been no other choice.
For several years, Seido High School Baseball Team had suffered from a lack of promising pitcher prospects.
If not for that, they would never have had two new pitching talents emerge the following year and quickly take on important roles in the first-string lineup. If Seido truly had a reliable Ace, those two newcomers would have needed at least another half year to develop.
That, however, was a story for later.
At this moment, Kataoka had no idea how fortunate he would be in the future. Right now, he was only worried that Tanba's strength was simply not enough.
At best, Tanba could be considered a rotation pitcher and even that was still questionable.
Kataoka's gaze unconsciously fell on Zhang Han.
Zhang Han's learning speed and rate of improvement were astonishing.
They had originally estimated that it would take at least a year and a half before his left arm could be used effectively.
Now, it seemed it wouldn't take nearly that long.
Perhaps they could even test it during the Autumn Tournament.
They believed that by the start of Zhang Han's second year, his left-handed pitching would be almost ready.
At that point, it would be hard to say who between him and Tanba would become the team's Ace.
Director Kataoka was lost in these optimistic fantasies.
As for this Koshien tournament, although they were giving it their all, Kataoka knew very clearly that with Seido's shallow pitching depth, the team could not go all the way.
They could only take it one step at a time and see how far they could go.
"Ping!"
The substitute third-year senior barely made contact with the ball. It floated weakly into the field, was quickly intercepted, and thrown to First Base.
"Pop!"
"Out!!"
One out, runner on Second Base.
Most of the audience believed that Seido High School Baseball Team's offense was about to end.
Azuma Kiyokuni and Zhang Han, due to their records, had both been aiming for home runs and didn't concern themselves too much with their swings.
But logically speaking, the other players on Seido High School Baseball Team shouldn't have been swinging so freely.
After all, they had already pushed their opponent to this extent. Ending the game as quickly as possible was the wisest choice.
Otherwise, if they provoked their opponent too much and Shinko High School's players acted irrationally, it would be too late to regret it.
That was why, when the score difference became especially large, the leading team often chose to ease off a little and preserve everyone's dignity.
However, there were always exceptions.
Seido's next batter was Miyuki.
Because Hidezawa, the Ace Pitcher, had not been replaced, the catcher naturally remained the same.
Hidezawa's pitching had become increasingly unpredictable.
Even his teammates who trained with him every day could clearly feel how much he had improved.
Originally, very few people could handle his pitches. Now, only Miyuki remained.
Only this first-year had managed to keep up with Hidezawa's growth.
And now, he was standing in the batter's box.
At first, Shinko High School's players didn't pay much attention.
They believed there was already an unspoken understanding between the two teams.
To be honest, with the score already at 17–1, Shinko High School was on the verge of becoming the biggest embarrassment among all prestigious schools.
But they hadn't expected just how low some people's bottom line could be on Seido High School Baseball Team.
Do you want to score at Koshien?
No matter how large the lead is, this is still personal glory.
For a young man who has dreamed of standing on the Koshien stage since childhood, how many could truly resist such temptation?
In Miyuki's eyes, the pitches thrown by the replacement pitcher were like meat delivered straight to his doorstep.
It was impossible not to take a bite.
In the end, Miyuki gave in to temptation.
Seeing the meat right in front of him, he stepped forward and took a clean bite.
"Ping!"
The ordinary fastball was struck hard and sent soaring into the sky.
The white ball traveled over a hundred meters and landed in the left-field stands.
With that, Seido High School Baseball Team hit their fifth home run, and the score changed once again.
The total score became 19–1.
That was also the final score of the game.
As Hidezawa cleanly recorded the final three outs, the game officially came to an end.
Seido High School Baseball Team became the first team to advance to the national top eight.
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The final chapter of Volume 1 is now live on P@treon! If you're curious about how the tournament all unfolds, check it out at: P@treon/Vividreader123