"Seido! Seido!!"
"Watch it clearly—hit it! Now it's your turn!"
At Hachioji Stadium, the supporters of the Seido High School Baseball Team were singing and dancing. It already looked like they were about to win the game. In fact, that was exactly what was happening.
As Tanaka and Hidezawa combined to score a run, the entire Seido lineup came alive. From the buck-toothed Yamada all the way to Miyuki, every batter stepping up had already shown strong performance earlier in the game. Now, Aoyama High School had been completely cornered. They had no choice but to face Seido head-on.
And after this round of confrontation, the score on the field was very likely to shock everyone.
A reporter was the first to notice something unsettling.
"If the game keeps going like this, does that mean Seido might still end the game early in the fifth inning?"
If that happened, Seido High School Baseball Team would be setting a small record in the West Tokyo Tournament. Three consecutive games, all ending early in the fifth inning. Even Inashiro Industrial and Ichidai Third High School, no matter how strong they were, didn't seem to have done something like that before.
Of course, this was partly a matter of strength, but luck also played a role. In West Tokyo, where strong teams were everywhere, the probability of avoiding a powerhouse for three straight rounds was extremely low.
The game continued.
Buck-toothed Yamada stepped into the batter's box. Seeing the ball fly toward him, Yamada swung without hesitation. He was known on the team for his aggressive hitting.
"Ping!"
The ball was struck and rolled directly into the infield.
To be honest, Yamada's condition today really wasn't good. As Seido's number three batter, even though he wasn't as famous as Tanaka or Hidezawa, his strength was genuine. His failure to get hits in consecutive at-bats today was a matter of condition and luck.
But Seido was on a roll.
Even with bad luck, even with poor form, hits eventually came.
At a crucial moment, Aoyama High School's infielder made an error. His glove missed the ball, and it bounced away. Yamada reached first base safely, and Hidezawa advanced to third.
"How embarrassing!"
"He's the number three batter—if he can't do it, he should give his spot to a younger player."
Many of Seido's supporters were alumni who had already graduated. They were merciless when criticizing their juniors.
"All of you, shut up!"
Yamada was so angry he felt like his insides were going to explode. But he couldn't refute them. His performance today simply wasn't good enough.
This was Seido. Or rather, this was what it meant to be at a prestigious school. Every performance, good or bad, was magnified and laid bare in front of everyone. That was also why players still chose such schools. The exposure alone was incomparable to that of ordinary teams.
Of course, everything came with a price.
Next up was Azuma Kiyokuni.
In their previous encounters, Aoyama's pitcher and catcher had been intimidated and avoided facing him directly. Now it didn't matter anymore. They were already at rock bottom. Things couldn't get worse.
To be honest, whether Aoyama lost by three runs, five runs, or eight runs made no difference now.
Kujo threw caution aside. Nishi Kaze Retsu didn't stop him. They chose to confront Azuma head-on.
The result—
"Boom!"
It was as if the entire world rushed toward Kujo. Standing on the mound, he was nearly paralyzed by fear. That terror from a direct confrontation would be etched into his heart forever.
"Ping!"
The ball was blasted like a laser, flying completely out of Hachioji Stadium.
"You've got guts!"
Azuma laughed loudly in the batter's box. All the frustration he had bottled up throughout the game was finally released. As for whether his opponent could accept it, he didn't care.
"Three-run home run! Total score, 9:1!!"
What had once been speculation was now becoming reality. Seido High School Baseball Team was closing in on history.
In the stands, the players of Ichidai Third High School stood up and prepared to leave. They didn't want to keep watching Seido dominate like this. However, Director Tahara stayed behind.
Seido had shown him far too many surprises in this game. If he didn't watch until the end and study it carefully, he wouldn't be able to rest easy.
Yuuki got a hit, extending Seido's hitting streak. No outs, runner on second base.
Next came the highly anticipated newcomer, Zhang Han. His early performance had been impressive. But this time, he was retired quietly.
In Seido's dugout, Kataoka frowned slightly. From the previous game to today, he had noticed a pattern. Whenever Seido built a commanding lead, Zhang Han's fighting spirit seemed to deflate. The same thing had happened last game. He started strong with a hit and two RBIs, but once the advantage grew overwhelming, he went hitless.
It seemed Kataoka would need to have a serious talk with him.
The game continued.
Although Zhang Han was retired, Aoyama High School's fate didn't change. Kominato Ryosuke came in as a pinch hitter for Tanba and got a hit. No outs, runners on first and third.
Then Miyuki stepped up again.
"Ping!"
The ball was driven deep to the very back of the stadium. Yuuki and Kominato both ran home safely. The score became 11:1.
According to West Tokyo Tournament rules, a 10-run lead in five innings qualified for an early effective game. Miyuki Kazuya's two-run hit became the walk-off.
Seido High School Baseball Team advanced powerfully through the fourth round.
First round: bye as a seeded team.
Second round: Musashi, five-inning finish.
Third round: Metropolitan Third High, five-inning finish.
Fourth round: dark horse Aoyama, 11:1.
Another five-inning effective game.
Although Seido scored fewer runs than Ichidai Third High School had in their game, their stability and overall strength still sent shockwaves through West Tokyo.
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