Chapter 175: Chapter 64: Unexpected
The top of the first inning ended, Waseda Jitsugyo surprisingly took an early lead in this match with a strong score of 3:0.
Compared to the fall tournament more than half a year ago, every Waseda Jitsugyo player on the field now has made significant progress—just as Izumi Minoru had said, their strength now is much more than just a little bit stronger than half a year ago.
However, it wasn’t only Waseda Jitsugyo players who made progress; on the other side of the field, as a champion team, the Nihon University players have also been rigorously demanding themselves with champion standards over the past half year—in terms of effort, they’ve never been afraid of anyone.
In the dugout on the first base side, even though they were 3 points behind their opponents, the Nihon University players still had relatively relaxed expressions—except for Yoshinaga Kentarou, who was slightly bewildered by Waseda Jitsugyo’s offensive.
Takayama Shun, while putting on his batting gear, comforted his pitcher:
"Don’t worry, Kentarou, it’s just three runs in one inning—we’ve faced situations like this many times before."
Beside him, Sho Hango nodded in agreement and patted Yoshinaga on the shoulder:
"Shun is right, Kentarou, no need to look so gloomy—it’s just 3 points, watch us take them back in just half an inning!"
After saying this, Sho Hango glanced at Hirao Toshitaka, sitting on the bench in the dugout, and signaled to him: "Right, Toshitaka?"
Even the usually quiet Hirao Toshitaka nodded seriously and said steadily: "That’s right, Kentarou, just pitch as you should, any runs you give up, we’ll make sure to get them back for you."
The other teammates also chimed in chatteringly: "Exactly, no matter how strong Lin Guanglai is, he’s still just one strong player—we’re a championship team, Kentarou, have a little faith in yourself and us, your teammates!"
Under the encouragement of his teammates, Yoshinaga Kentarou finally managed to muster some spirit, responding faintly with an "Hmm," indicating he understood.
Not far away, Ogura Quanyou sighed softly, inevitably showing a trace of concern in his eyes:
As for their ace pitcher, his talent is undoubtedly top-notch, among the best nationwide; however, it’s his mindset that has always been a major issue for Ogura Quanyou—especially in the pitcher position, as the hub and center of the team’s defense mechanics, a pitcher’s imbalanced mindset can have a negative impact on the team.
As Lin Guanglai finished his warm-up pitches, Nihon University’s offensive turn officially began—the supporters in the Alps Stand on the first base side generated a huge wave of cheers, expressing their support for their team in this way.
However, this wave of cheers was quickly suppressed.
If one were to choose the strongest hitter in this tournament, Nihon University’s Takayama Shun would undoubtedly be many people’s choice—yet such a versatile batter, with a batting average over 40% and excellent long and short hitting abilities, found himself at a disadvantage against Lin Guanglai:
As soon as the at-bat started, Lin Guanglai seized the advantage with his sharp fastballs—a high-quality straight fastball, topping 150 km/h, with strong follow-through power, is not something even elite college-level batters necessarily can handle;
The following breaking ball further showcased his refined control skills: over the past half year, Lin Guanglai primarily focused on practicing his slider—this pitch type is undoubtedly one of the most effective weapons against batters in high school games.
His slider has now reached a remarkably advanced level, its speed very close to that of his fastball—a slider that closely mimics both the trajectory and speed of a straight ball left Takayama Shun powerless.
Especially the critical pitch after two balls and two strikes, where Lin Guanglai’s slider precisely landed on the outer low corner of Takayama Shun’s left-handed strike zone, causing the famed batter to not even swing, resulting in a strikeout.
Less than ten minutes later, the second batter, Takaguchi Hideaki, and the third batter, Sho Hango, followed suit, being eliminated by Lin Guanglai one after another.
After the first inning ended, the broadcast’s live commentator couldn’t help but express:
"As expected of the tournament’s top pitcher, even against Nihon University’s strong triplet hitters, Lin Guanglai’s defense was unshaken by even a millimeter!"
It was Waseda Jitsugyo’s turn to attack again—their previous offensive was halted at their seventh batter, Uesugi Yasuyuki; therefore, leading off this inning was their eighth batter, the third baseman, Egami Kenji.
In this half inning, Waseda Jitsugyo did not manage to extend their lead: Yoshinaga Kentarou found his rhythm again after the first inning’s ups and downs, and Waseda Jitsugyo’s three batters couldn’t secure a base against him.
In the bottom of the second inning, Lin Guanglai also stabilized the situation: although he gave up a hit to the fourth batter, Hirao Toshitaka, he steadily got the following three batters out, also preventing any runs.
At the top of the third inning, Yoshinaga Kentarou remained in good form, quickly securing the first two outs, and by the time Lin Guanglai came up to bat, there were no players on base, with 2 outs.
However—
It was still four consecutive balls, with Lin Guanglai once again intentionally walked for the second time in the match.
If the first walk could be justified as walking the opponent’s strongest batter to set up a double play for Nihon University’s infielders, the second walk seemed somewhat deliberate:
Two outs, no runners on base, there’s really no reason to intentionally walk—and although nowadays Koshien events are not as averse to intentional walks as they were in the Showa era, such an evasive strategy by Nihon University makes some spectators feel uncomfortable.
Unlike the first pitch, this intentional walk by Nihon University was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly making the initially silent Koshien Stadium noisy, with people in the stands chattering their opinions.
"What is this? Avoiding a direct showdown? I didn’t come all the way here to watch this kind of game!"
"No way, with two outs and no one on base, why walk the batter? Does Nihon University lack the courage to face off in this situation?"
"It’s understandable, right? After all, Nihon University is trailing in score, and what if Lin Guanglai hits a homer? After all, his batting skills are indeed strong!"
There were people who supported it, and people who opposed it, both sides had their viewpoints, and neither could convince the other in a short time.
Objectively speaking, this decision by Nihon University was relatively rational, as they indeed quickly secured Hagiyama Mitsuo’s out afterward, leaving Waseda Jitsugyo with stranded bases;
But for the on-field audience and Waseda Jitsugyo’s players, it didn’t feel pleasant.
Facing such a strategy from their opponents, even the generally good-natured Lin Guanglai couldn’t help but frown slightly—his heart was also a bit ignited.
While being walked against weaker opponents can be understood, for Nihon University, a team similar in strength, or even much stronger than Waseda Jitsugyo, to use such a tactic against Lin Guanglai seemed a bit utilitarian.
In response, Lin Guanglai quickly retaliated with his actions:
"Takayama Shun—swinging strike out!"
"Lin Guanglai! In the bottom of the third inning, with a perfect nine-pitch half-inning, he made his statement to Nihon University!"