No matter where he stands, Sawamura seems to be the center of the world, surrounded by a group of devoted fans.
Looking at Sawamura, who appears to be the center of attention, Miyuki smiled and said to Chris beside him, "Aren't you going to say something to your dear Deshi?"
Chris shook his head firmly. "We've already said everything that needed to be said. From now on, I'll be waiting for him in the Major League!"
"And you too Miyuki, So do your best!"
Miyuki who heard these words was very delighted.
"Definitely Senpai!"
***
Time passes in the blink of an eye. Two days later, today was the day Seidou High School would compete against Kipuyama High School from Chiba, the sixth place in Kanto, for a spot in the Spring Koshien.
The match was once again held at Jingu Stadium. The organizers had made considerable efforts for this event.
On this day, Jingu Stadium was alive with the sounds of cheers, brass bands, and a sea of people…
The match was fiercely contested. By the fifth inning, the score was still very close.
The score was 3-2.
Seidou High School was leading.
Trailing behind was Kipuyama High School from Chiba, which had placed sixth in Kanto.
Kipuyama High School was a typical dark horse team. Initially lost the finals in the Chiba Fall Tournament, they went on to win successive matches in the 6th to 8th place ranking battles, where they lost brutally to Yakushi.
If Kipuyama had faced any team other than Seidou High School, they might have caused more of an uproar.
Unfortunately, their opponent was the reigning champion, Seidou High. Seidou High School's style of play is particularly effective against dark horse teams.
Seidou High School was aggressively attacking and playing steadily! They were accustomed to dragging opponents into their own rhythm and then using their tempo to defeat them.
Such a style of play makes it very difficult to pull off an upset.
It's incredibly stable!
Faced with Seidou High School's impenetrable defense, Kipuyama's players were at a loss. They could only go head-to-head with their opponents.
Unknowingly, the game had entirely fallen into Seidou High School's rhythm. Even though the score gap was narrow, the tempo was completely controlled by Seidou High School.
Since this was not a match between Tokyo's top giants, the attention given to this game was noticeably less than Seidou High School's previous game against Sankou High School.
As a result, the stadium was not full, despite its capacity. Spectators continued to trickle in.
Among them were teams that had previously lost to Seidou High School in the Tokyo competitions.
Mushroom-headed Wakabayashi and his inseparable companion Kasuga were two such spectators.
By the time they arrived, the game was already in the fifth inning.
Kasuga glanced at the score and remarked with surprise, "I didn't expect Kipuyama to be so capable!"
Facing Seidou High School, Kipuyama managed to keep the score tight at 3-2 in the fifth inning. Kasuga was impressed, acknowledging that it was quite an achievement to hold Seidou High School at such a level.
It was only by truly facing this team that one could understand how formidable Seidou High School was.
The terror of Seidou High School was beyond the imagination of bystanders and ordinary people.
Kasuga deeply understood this.
Mushroom-headed Wakabayashi snorted. "What's so impressive? Seidou High School isn't even going all out!"
Kasuga gave Wakabayashi a puzzled look and then turned his attention to Seidou High School's bench.
At this moment, Seidou High School was on defense, and those currently on the bench were the starters of Seidou.
A glance revealed only familiar faces.
The Demon King, Sawamura Eijun.
The team's core catcher, Miyuki Kazuya!
The starting shortstop, Kuramochi Youichi.
The second baseman, Kominato Haruichi!
The four core players of the team were sitting calmly on the bench.
Apart from pitcher Kawakami, none of the players on the field were familiar faces.
Catcher Ono Hiroshi.
Second baseman Kijima Rei.
These players were unfamiliar to Wakabayashi and the others.
Even with most of their main lineup resting, Seidou High School was still dominating the game!
It was extraordinary and almost frighteningly so.
Not only were Wakabayashi and the others impressed, but Seidou High School's supporters were also thrilled.
Previously, the presence of Sawamura Eijun and Miyuki had overshadowed the performance of other players. Now it was evident that Seidou High School remained strong.
Kanto region!
This is the most prominent baseball region in the country, and none of the top eight teams are weak.
Kipuyama High School is sixth in Kanto!
Even if not the best in the country, they are still a high-level team.
Facing an opponent of this caliber, Seidou High School, even with half of its main force, could still dominate.
Just thinking about it was exhilarating.
Seidou High School's supporters were naturally thrilled.
The players on the field, however, had a different experience.
First, the four core players on the bench were almost always the team's absolute mainstay. Except when rotation was needed, they typically appeared on the field together.
To ensure the team's victory, even if Sawamura wasn't pitching, he would be in the outfield, ready to return to the mound if necessary.
The other three were also the team's core.
After the team was reorganized, these four were frequently the starters.
Now, with all four key players on the bench, Coach Kataoka's intentions were clear.
He was using this opportunity to evaluate players for the Spring Koshien.
Coach Kataoka's approach was straightforward: those who contribute stay; those who don't are left behind.
The capable rise, while the incapable fall.
With the four core players absent, who would step up to demonstrate their abilities?
The players who excel now could secure their place and possibly a starting spot in the future.
The players on the field were well aware of this.
Through previous substitutions, it was almost determined who would be eliminated: Kawashima and Kaneda.
Both played one inning each, with one allowing a run.
Compared to Seidou High's current pitching trio, their performance clearly fell short.
After Kawakami took the mound, Seidou's defense improved significantly.
He and Ono cooperated for three full innings without allowing a run.
It's hard to believe that Kataoka, the coach of the reigning Seidou, would be so daring.
He used a critical game, one that determined whether the team could participate in the Spring Koshien, to make his final evaluations of the players.
Although the game went smoothly and nothing uncontrollable happened, just thinking about it privately, anyone would break out in a cold sweat at Kataoka's approach.
It was an incredibly bold and risky move!
How could such a risky lineup be used in such a crucial game?
Only Seidou's own members understand the coach's painstaking efforts.
Without facing such a challenge, how else could Coach Kataoka test these players?
With Sawamura Eijun and Miyuki on the field, the game would have been straightforward and the opponent easily defeated.
But under these conditions, how could he assess which players could perform under adversity?
Players who can only perform well under favorable conditions are not uncommon in Seidou's first-string lineup.
That was the purpose of this approach.
And it worked well, except for Kawashima and Kaneda's poor performance.
Several promising players emerged from the previous games.
The standout duo was Toujou and Shiratsu.
Their strengths were evident in the absence of Sawamura and Miyuki.
So far, they have contributed two of the three runs scored.
Shiratsu drove in one run.
Toujou drove in another.
The final run came from Maezono's home run.
As Seidou's vice-captain, Maezono had struggled as a rotational player but refined his swing through hard work.
Finally, he showed exceptional batting power in this game.
Others were relatively less impressive.
By the end of the fifth inning, the score was still 3-2.
After a nod from Coach Kataoka, he substituted in Furuya.
Aside from the main players, there is also competition among rotation substitutes.
For example, Furuya and Kawakami.
Both have distinct characteristics.
Each has its advantages and disadvantages.
In this case, who will serve as the first substitute for Sawamura Eijun?
'This is a crucial point.'
Coach Ochiai naturally favored Furuya due to his superior pitching talent.
'Though Kawakami's talent is not bad, it is not on the same level as Furuya's.'
Thus, he supported Furuya.
On the other hand, President Ota believed Kawakami was more stable.
Given the current strength comparison, key games naturally require Sawamura to play.
For other less critical games, the pitcher just needs to maintain a steady performance. Kawakami has shown much better stability compared to Furuya's inconsistency.
Coach Kataoka himself was undecided and hoped the two could have real competition and show their real worth.
Just like in this game, let Kawakami and Furuya both play to see who delivers a better performance.
The player with the better result would naturally become the first substitute.
Kawakami's performance in this game was outstanding. Despite allowing one hit in three innings, he did not concede any runs.
He effectively neutralized Kipuyama's lineup.
Then it was the turn of the monster Furuya.
Roaar!
Boom!!
The thunderous sound from Furuya's pitch shocked the entire stadium.
Kipuyama's batters looked in disbelief at Furuya on the mound, feeling their entire worldview was upended.
'How is this possible?'
'How could the ball be so fast?'
'Is this really something a high school student can throw?'
Just as the batter doubted life itself, Furuya struck him Out with a powerful fastball.
With this strikeout, Furuya unleashed his monstrous power.
He easily dispatched Kipuyama High's entire lineup.
In the dugout, Kuramochi frowned in dissatisfaction.
"Didn't these guys prepare beforehand?"
"How could they not use a pitching machine to prepare for a 155 km/h fastball?"
Whether it's Furuya or Sawamura Eijun, if batters can't adjust to this speed in advance, they're not qualified to face either of them.
"There's no way around it; the opponent is just a dark horse!" Miyuki laughed.
One clear characteristic of dark horse teams is their tendency to be underprepared for the unexpected.
Why are they dark horses? Likely due to poor past performance.
Why was their past performance poor? Likely due to inadequate preparations.
Such teams may make rapid progress with the sudden addition of talented players or an additional factor, but their foundational strength remains insufficient.
Not all coaches can devise strategies to counter Sawamura and Furuya.
That's simply the reality.
Furuya's pitching was impressive, certainly on par with Kawakami.
But what was most striking about him wasn't just his pitching.
While the audience marveled at his pitching, Furuya proved himself again with his bat.
Two at-bats.
One two-run homer and one outfield hit.
He earned the team's highest three-RBI score to date.
A perfect hit rate.
Next was Maezono with a home run and a timely one-run hit.
Toujou and Shiratsu both had two hits and one RBI each.
Aside from them, Seidou High's batting was in full bloom.
Kanemaru, Higasa, Asou, and Yamaguchi all performed excellently.
In the end, after nine innings, Seidou High defeated the opponent 9-2.
They secured their place in the Spring Koshien.
Throughout the game, core players Sawamura Eijun and Miyuki Kazuya remained on the bench.
This was highlighted in the next day's report, with the reporter's imagination running wild.
In conclusion:
[Seidou High School is indeed a powerhouse.]
[Their strength is truly intimidating.]
[With this victory, Seidou High has confirmed its qualification.]
[They will represent the Tokyo region in the Spring Koshien Competition next March.]
…
T/N: Senbatsu invitation Get!
With this we will be seeing Seidou, Inajitsu, AND Yakushi in Koshien!
But before the Spring Koshien, the players on Seidou will have to go through one insignificant and minor event.
The Hell Winter Training Camp!!
So, as always, Thank you all for reading!!
And I hope you all have a nice day!
You also can check my Patre0n for extra Chapters.
https://www.patre0n.com/ColdColt
There are +125 Chapters there.