Despite the excellent performances from both Amahisa and Zhang Han, the outcome of the game remained unchanged.
15:0!
Ichidai Third High School's first-year players crushed the middle school hopefuls. The gap between them was unimaginably wide.
The eliminated players left Ichidai Third dejectedly, their figures appearing particularly forlorn.
"How pitiful!"
The straightforward Amahisa murmured.
"If you feel sorry for them, you can go with them; you'll have company."
Zhang Han couldn't help but retort.
"I don't want to! I wasn't eliminated."
Amahisa said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
While some were eliminated, others remained. Although the middle schoolers never managed to score a single run, the performances of a few players caught Ichidai Third's attention.
This included Amahisa, who only conceded three runs in four innings, and Zhang Han, who secured the only hit. Besides them, there were four other players, including Sasaki and Adachi.
Following its usual practice, Ichidai Third extended special recruitment invitations to these six individuals. They could enroll without taking an exam and join the baseball team directly.
Furthermore, Ichidai San offered rewards to the two most outstanding performers, Amahisa and Zhang Han, such as fee waivers.
The six chosen individuals underwent separate assessments arranged by the school: fielding, base running, and hitting. The main purpose was to test fundamental skills.
If your fundamentals are solid, your performance is generally reliable. If not, a brief flash of brilliance on the field is likely just luck. In the latter case, while the school wouldn't revoke the slot, the player's future arrangement would differ.
All six came from youth baseball and received orthodox training, so their fundamentals were solid. The test results were excellent, meeting Ichidai Third's requirements.
The Assistant Coach was very pleased, taking down their contact information.
"Go back and tell your Coach that you passed. Report directly to Ichidai San when the new semester begins."
After confirming their selection, the six players left.
As Zhang Han was leaving, Amahisa chased after him, pestering him for his contact information. Zhang Han was reluctant, but considering they might be teammates, he didn't want to sour the relationship. Moreover, the guy's performance was eye-catching. Coach Tahara seemed to value him highly.
After weighing his options, Zhang Han agreed. They exchanged numbers and went their separate ways.
Unbeknownst to them, Coach Tahara was ecstatic as he looked at their profiles in his office.
"A genius! A true genius!"
This was Coach Tahara's assessment of Amahisa.
Middle school training generally focuses on fastballs. Pitchers might develop breaking balls, but rarely high-level ones, as their bodies haven't fully developed. Unique postures can ruin them. High schoolers are different; their bodies are closer to adults, allowing for more strain.
Amahisa was special. He received regular training, and his mechanics were standard. However, the result was strange.
The same throwing method, a standard Slider. In others' hands, the ball slides a few lengths. But Amahisa's Slider was like a supercar drifting. The magnitude of the break was enough to make people gasp.
And this was natural! Others couldn't imitate it even if they wanted to.
Even now, this pitch was S-class. After entering high school and receiving training from Ichidai Third... Coach Tahara couldn't imagine what level this guy would reach in two or three years.
Manaka seemed to have a successor.
If there were no accidents, Amahisa Kousei would enter Ichidai Third, and they wouldn't have to worry about the pitcher position for a long time.
Amahisa was exciting because of his potential. Zhang Han, however, was different. He was already combat-ready.
During the previous confrontation, Zhang Han showed no fear. Even down by a large margin, he fought actively. He was the only middle schooler to get a hit off Manaka. During his second at-bat, if not for Omae's excellent defense at first base, Zhang Han would have had two hits.
Such a performance demanded attention.
After Coach Tahara finished admiring Amahisa's report, he picked up Zhang Han's data.
Home to first base: 4.2 seconds. Excellent even for a high schooler.
First to second base steal speed: 3.43 seconds. Equally excellent.
Fielding errors: Zero. It was as if he knew where the ball would land in advance.
The thing that excited Coach Tahara the most was Zhang Han's hitting data from middle school. Matsukata played high-level opponents, reaching the national finals, so the data was reliable.
Batting Average: .435.
On-base Percentage: .516.
He got on base once every two attempts. Looking purely at the numbers, there might be better middle schoolers. But considering the caliber of teams he played against, the significance of this data was extraordinary.