The game continued. On Omori High's side, Nanjo Taishi on the pitcher's mound felt incredibly bitter. His pitching was also highly ranked in West Tokyo. Before the appearance of the anomaly Kanzaki Ryou, he was Seido's Ace.
Looking at the current situation, facing Nanjo Taishi, it would be equally difficult for Omori to score.
The result did not surprise anyone. Nanjo Taishi cleanly struck out Omori's first batter. Then, on the second pitch, Omori's batter desperately managed to hit Nanjo Taishi's slider toward the left. Just as it seemed about to pass the infield defense, a figure on tiptoe rushed out from the side, caught the ball, and completed the catch.
Kuramochi Yoichi, this first-year rookie making his debut, lived up to Coach Kataoka's trust and completed a beautiful defensive play.
"Yah-ha!" Kuramochi proudly accepted the audience's applause.
After that, facing the third batter, Miyuki first called for two inside pitches, then finished with an outside high-speed slider. Nanjo Taishi and Miyuki's first official game collaboration had a perfect start.
Ultimately, Seido ended the game early in the 5th inning, setting the score at 12:0.
In this game, almost all of Seido's players who appeared performed well. Coach Kataoka was extremely satisfied with this. He had intended to say a few words to prevent them from becoming arrogant, but seeing the smiles on everyone's faces, he decided to be an adult who didn't spoil the fun.
In the stands, the Inashiro Industrial group, who also joined the competition today, silently watched the entire game.
The outcome did not surprise them. However, the strength displayed by Seido's batting lineup today put considerable pressure on Inashiro's people.
"Mei, what do you think?" Harada Masatoshi asked Narumiya Mei beside him.
"I won't let them hit it," Narumiya Mei said indifferently.
"It's good to have confidence. If nothing unexpected happens, we'll meet in the semifinals. You'll definitely have a chance to pitch then," Harada Masatoshi said.
Narumiya Mei is not Inashiro's Ace yet, but his pitching is recognized by the entire team. Coach Kunitomo wouldn't keep him on the bench.
On the field, after the players from both sides shook hands, the Seido team went to the sidelines to wave and interact with their fans.
"Seido! Seido!"
"Kanzaki! Almost 40 home runs! Keep it up!"
"First-years! Good performance!"
"You must make it to Koshien!"
"This year, you can do it!"
"Coach Kataoka, we believe in you!"
...
"Kanzaki! Your ball!"
Huh?
Kanzaki Ryou was greeting the audience when he heard this and immediately turned his head. A baseball was thrown down from the stands by Kawakami.
After catching the ball, Kanzaki Ryou immediately understood—
It was the golden home run ball.
"Thanks!" Kanzaki Ryou shouted.
Kawakami touched his nose. This ball flew into the stands and landed in the hands of a Seido student; otherwise, it would have been really hard to retrieve.
After a brief celebration with the audience, everyone left the stadium, as the next game was about to begin.
Inside the locker room, everyone was changing clothes and chatting. Kanzaki Ryou and Nanjo Taishi were shirtless, with ice packs on their shoulders for recovery.
"Senior, you didn't give up a single run—impressive."
"You too. I won't lose to you," Nanjo Taishi responded with a smile.
Kanzaki Ryou shrugged. "In the next game, Senior will be able to show off again. Strive to continue the no-runs streak. I'll be cheering for Senior from the bench."
For the fourth round, even though Seido's opponent had not yet been determined, it wouldn't be difficult regardless of who advanced. Therefore, if nothing unexpected happened, Nanjo Taishi would be the starting pitcher again, and Tanba should also have a chance to play.
Before the semifinals, Coach Kataoka would not let Kanzaki Ryou pitch too much.
—
At another stadium.
Ichidai Third High, who had just finished their game, received news from the person responsible for gathering Seido's data.
Although not in the same bracket, as long-time rivals, Ichidai Third High always paid attention to intelligence on Inashiro and Seido.
"12:0?" Coach Tahara immediately frowned upon hearing the score.
"Kanzaki Ryou struck out 9 batters? And there was a golden home run?"
Hiss—
Coach Tahara sucked in a breath. Kanzaki's performance was far too outstanding. His batting had improved tremendously as well.
"From now on, every game Seido plays must be closely monitored. Any information, any intelligence—collect everything!" Coach Tahara ordered.
He had a premonition that this year's summer preliminaries…
Seido was the biggest threat standing in their way to Koshien.
On Seido's side, after organizing their belongings, the team went to the VIP seats to watch Inashiro's next game. As rivals in the same bracket, observing them directly would give them a clearer understanding of Inashiro's current state.
After the game began, Inashiro's current Ace, third-year Matsumoto Takumi, pitched excellently. After four innings, he still had not given up a run. Although he allowed a few hits, he managed to suppress everything and send batters back empty-handed.
Their batting lineup showcased overwhelming offense as well, scoring seven runs comfortably.
In the bottom of the fifth, with a large lead, Inashiro changed pitchers. Coach Kunitomo sent Narumiya Mei to the mound.
Perhaps he had been held back too long, or perhaps he had seen Kanzaki Ryou's earlier performance, but Narumiya Mei's pitching was even sharper than usual today. He quickly struck out the side.
However, Inashiro failed to score in the bottom half of the inning and didn't end the game early. Two innings later, they finally secured a 9:0 win, ending the game in seven innings.
After watching the match, the Seido team returned to school by bus.
"Seido, Inashiro, Ichidai Third High—West Tokyo's three powerhouses—all passed the third round with overwhelming scores. In terms of results, there's no surprise."
Fujio, a reporter from Baseball Kingdom, silently closed his notebook, then pulled out his phone to contact his editor.
Although the match results were expected, the golden home run from Seido's game was definitely worth reporting.
Moreover, all three powerhouse schools had first-year standouts. For Seido, the Ace went without saying, but Kuramochi Yoichi's speed was another highlight.
For Inashiro, Narumiya Mei showed overwhelming presence.
For Ichidai Third, the first-year pitcher Amahisa Kousei was just as eye-catching.
Compiling the data of the three first-year pitchers would surely spark heated debate online about who was the strongest.
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