Just as Ota had thought, the four runs Zhang Han scored were something Hosen High School could not withstand, no matter what.
Although Hosen had managed to get a few hits and even create opportunities earlier in the game, it was precisely because of this that they truly understood how powerful the team standing before them was.
Seido's ace pitcher was flawless.
Whether it was speed, power, control, or changeups, there was nothing to criticize.
Even when Hosen's batters relied on their solid skills to put the ball in play, they gained no real advantage.
Behind Hidezawa stood Seido High School Baseball Team's ironclad defense.
Hosen's players understood this very clearly.
They knew how difficult it was to score against this team.
If it were one or two runs, Hosen might still be able to grit their teeth and fight to the end.
Even three runs, a score heavy with pressure, would not completely crush them.
But four runs crossed a different line.
That gap no longer represented a lead. It represented despair.
Even a superior team facing a weaker opponent would not dare say they could easily score four runs. Let alone Hosen High School, which was clearly inferior to Seido in overall strength.
For them, scoring four runs was unimaginably difficult.
Even if they somehow shut down Seido's offense afterward, catching up to that deficit would still be nearly impossible.
And judging from the current situation, stopping Seido's offense was itself a fantasy.
This game was over.
The Hosen director, who had been standing at the very front of the dugout and issuing commands for every play, returned inside in a daze and slumped into a chair.
He knew their Koshien journey this year was coming to an end.
People often referred to Hosen as a "perennial Koshien participant." At first, he had felt proud of that title. Among countless teams nationwide, receiving such recognition was rare.
But no matter how intoxicating a title was, hearing it year after year eventually dulled its meaning.
Gradually, dissatisfaction took root.
He wanted to take the team further.
Yet no matter how hard he tried, they could never break through the wall blocking the top eight.
Before the quarterfinal draw at Koshien, their opponents were often so strong that despair set in early.
This year, he had trained the team painstakingly. Several excellent players had emerged. He truly believed this might finally be the year they reached the top eight.
Unexpectedly, Seido High School appeared out of nowhere and sent them packing.
"The waters of Koshien are truly deep."
Was the top eight destined to remain nothing more than a distant dream?
With their director in such a state, Hosen's players became even more disoriented, quickly losing their composure.
The following innings were brutal.
In the seventh inning, Hosen barely held on and did not concede any additional runs.
In the eighth inning, however, they gave up three more runs.
The score became ten to three.
The fans in the stands were stunned.
Seido High School Baseball Team's offensive power was terrifying.
Hosen High School was not comparable to the very top national powerhouses, but their past performances at Koshien had left a strong impression.
This was not a weak team.
They were formidable.
Yet compared to Seido, they were clearly lacking, and the final result reflected that gap mercilessly.
Hosen High School retreated step by step.
"So Hosen ended up like this?"
Even Seido's players found the scene hard to watch.
After battling fiercely for six or seven innings, Seido had only held a modest advantage. It would not have been an exaggeration to say the two teams were evenly matched.
Yet at the final moment, the opponent who had once matched them so closely collapsed completely.
It was difficult to believe.
Zhang Han's perspective differed from that of the seniors around him.
Most of the seniors had never truly experienced national-level competition. In their minds, games like Koshien were always intense battles where both sides fought tooth and nail until the very end.
They did not understand that in competitions of this level, a collapse often meant total annihilation. The players still worked hard. They still tried their best.
But effort alone did not guarantee performance.
On the national stage, once one side collapsed mentally, the result was often an overwhelming defeat.
The collapsing team lost its will to fight, while the opposing side seized the chance to fully display themselves on the biggest stage.
Such opportunities were rare.
Even if it meant pressing an advantage mercilessly, no one was willing to hold back.
Thus, when a collapse happened at the national level, the outcome was usually extremely one-sided.
Hosen High School's players were clearly pawns under their director's control.
Zhang Han had seen such teams before during his time at Matsukata. Once the director gave up, the players became like loose sand, quickly overwhelmed and scattered.
What surprised Zhang Han was that this was not entirely the case with Hosen. After their director mentally conceded defeat, the players indeed became leaderless.
Logically, they should have fallen apart completely.
But reality was more complicated.
Hosen's players still responded in an orderly manner. Seido's batting lineup was terrifying. If given an opening, they would absolutely explode.
Under these circumstances, Seido only scored three runs and collected five hits in the eighth inning.
This made Zhang Han sigh inwardly.
These Hosen players were genuinely impressive.
Their training volume had been immense. Although they could not compare to Seido's third-year seniors, they had trained to the point where their bodies reacted before their minds.
Even without guidance, even when scattered and leaderless, their subconscious movements still displayed considerable strength.
Whether they themselves realized it or not, sweat never lied. As long as they continued playing baseball, they would eventually reap the rewards.
"Ping!"
"Pop!"
"Out!"
"Out!!"
"Out!!!"
Three outs.
Game over.
"Koshien Round Two, Game Three. Seido High School versus Hosen High School. Final score, ten to three. Seido High School Baseball Team wins!"
Although a Hosen batter managed to hit a long double to second base in the final moments, the outcome of the game did not change.
After a four-year absence, Seido High School Baseball Team returned to Koshien and claimed victory in their first game.
They officially advanced to the national top sixteen.
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