Chapter 518 - 518: Advancing to the Quarterfinals!

"He still managed to drive it out!"

"As expected of the all-around Zhou Hao. Even among the nation's elite high school players, he's in a league of his own."

"His technique... his mentality... he's dominating in every aspect."

"Wait! Did anyone else notice? Zhou Hao actually pulled an inside pitch!"

It wasn't just the spectators who were stunned.

The players and coaches of Akikawa High shared the exact same reaction.

No one knew Yang Shunchen better than they did.

That was precisely why they found the scene before them so unbelievable.

How had Yang's razor-sharp inside pitch been sent flying so effortlessly?

Yet the evidence was right in front of their eyes.

"It only proves one thing..."

Manager Ogata smiled bitterly.

"Zhou Hao simply can't be measured by ordinary standards."

As far as today's game was concerned, Akikawa had played exceptionally well.

Especially their ace, Yang Shunchen.

Had it been any other pitcher facing Seido's relentless offense, they would have collapsed long ago.

Yang hadn't.

Not only had he held firm, but he had also displayed outstanding command and remarkable pitching throughout the game.

His performance had earned the respect of everyone watching.

And yet...

They were still losing.

When the score had been 2–0, Akikawa still possessed the faintest glimmer of hope.

Slim as it was, everything depended on whether they could seize the opportunity.

Now...

That final thread of hope had been cut.

Even if Zhou Hao never took the mound, Akikawa no longer had a realistic chance to come back.

Their offense had never been particularly explosive to begin with.

Now their ace had surrendered three runs...

Including a home run.

No matter how determined the Akikawa players were, they all understood the same harsh reality.

They no longer had the ability to change the outcome.

And once they accepted that...

Their momentum disappeared.

The fighting spirit that had carried them through the early innings vanished, replaced by uncertainty and frustration.

Simply put...

Seido had completely overwhelmed them.

Yang Shunchen was the unquestioned pillar of Akikawa.

If even he couldn't keep the game within reach...

How could anyone else still believe victory was possible?

The game had only reached the third inning.

Yet defeat already seemed inevitable.

Standing on the mound, Yang Shunchen slowly looked up at the sky.

He refused to let the tears gathering in his eyes fall.

He had truly given everything he had.

Before the game, he had known exactly what kind of challenge awaited him.

Seido was the reigning national champion.

He had spent countless hours studying every piece of information available on them.

Their lineup was terrifying.

But he had believed he could compete.

At least...

He had believed he was capable of standing against them.

Now, however...

Reality had shattered that confidence.

Compared to this team of monsters...

He simply wasn't enough.

"The game's not over yet."

"This is my final summer."

"Even if it's only for Coach... and for my teammates..."

"I'll keep pitching until the very end."

Whoosh!

Facing Seido's cleanup hitter, Yuki, Yang Shunchen attacked without hesitation.

Boom!

Yuki didn't show the slightest courtesy.

The moment he recognized the pitch, he unleashed a full swing.

Crack!

The baseball rocketed toward the outfield.

The Seido players were already halfway out of the dugout, ready to celebrate another hit.

Then—

Everything changed.

As the ball descended...

Akikawa's seemingly unreliable outfielder, Meikawa, sprinted desperately toward it.

He dove headfirst.

Snap!

Although he landed face-first on the grass in an utterly undignified fashion...

The baseball remained securely inside his glove.

"I... I caught it!"

"Oh my God..."

"I actually caught it!"

His nose stung from the impact.

Tears streamed down his face.

Whether they came from pain or overwhelming excitement...

Even he couldn't tell.

Meanwhile, the Seido players and their supporters could only sigh helplessly.

The top of the third inning came to an end.

The score remained 3–0.

Seido still held a commanding advantage.

Even so...

Compared to their previous games, their offense had clearly been contained.

Every spectator could see it.

"I didn't expect Akikawa to put up this much of a fight."

"The others aside... Yang Shunchen is the real deal."

By this point, even Seido's most devoted supporters had to acknowledge the opposing ace's ability.

His pinpoint control...

His sharp, deceptive pitches...

He had caused Seido's powerful lineup more trouble than anyone expected.

Bottom of the Third

Akikawa came to bat.

Seido made a pitching change.

Instead of sending Tanba to the mound as expected...

Coach Kataoka called upon first-year Sawamura Eijun.

The decision surprised many.

However, Coach Kataoka had clearly taken note of how thoroughly Akikawa had prepared for Furuya Satoru earlier in the game.

Their advance scouting had nearly earned them two runs.

If they had studied Furuya that carefully...

There was every reason to believe they had prepared for Tanba as well.

With that in mind...

Which pitcher on Seido's roster was least affected by advance scouting?

Naturally, Zhou Hao ranked first.

But after him...

The answer was Sawamura Eijun.

His pitching continued to evolve with every outing.

His breaking pitches, in particular, had become increasingly unpredictable.

Sometimes...

Even Sawamura himself didn't know exactly where the ball would end up.

If the pitcher couldn't predict it...

How could the opposing batters?

Against Akikawa...

Sawamura had become Seido's secret weapon.

"I'll give everything I've got on the mound!"

"So I'm counting on everyone behind me!"

The moment he stepped onto the mound, Sawamura spread his arms wide and shouted at the top of his lungs.

The Seido regulars immediately wished they could disappear into the ground.

How embarrassing.

If circumstances had allowed it...

Some of them would have gladly retreated to the dugout on the spot.

The Akikawa batters, meanwhile, stared curiously at the newly arrived first-year.

A question naturally surfaced in every one of their minds.

What was Seido thinking?

Furuya's pitching had been outstanding.

So why replace him with another first-year?

Were they...

Looking down on them?

Just as that thought crossed their minds...

Sawamura made his move.

Without the slightest hesitation...

He fired the baseball toward the plate.

Whoosh!

Only after seeing the pitch did Akikawa finally understand Coach Kataoka's decision.

The reason was incredibly simple.

Seido believed...

This rookie alone was enough to control the game.

His style differed completely from Furuya's.

But the conviction behind every pitch was exactly the same.

Absolute confidence.

Whoosh!

The white baseball tore through the air, reaching home plate in the blink of an eye.

The batter couldn't even identify Sawamura's release point.

By the time he reacted...

His swing lacked any real confidence.

Crack!

The ball trickled weakly along the infield grass.

A Seido infielder charged forward.

Pop!

"Out!"

One out. Bases empty.

The Akikawa players exchanged bitter smiles.

This seemingly ordinary first-year...

Might actually be even more troublesome than Furuya Satoru.

When the next batter stepped into the box, everyone's mindset had changed.

Forget stringing together a rally.

At this point...

Simply recording a hit against this rookie would already be an accomplishment.

The more desperate the situation became...

The calmer they needed to remain.

Whoosh!

Sawamura delivered another pitch.

The batter, who had just resolved not to swing recklessly...

Froze.

How...?

Before he could process what he had just seen...

The baseball had already crossed the plate.

Pop!

"Strike!"

"Strike two!"

After falling behind with two quick strikes, Akikawa's leadoff batter was immediately backed into a corner.

He stared at the rookie standing on the mound in disbelief.

Sawamura Eijun's pitching wasn't as overwhelming as Furuya Satoru's.

Furuya's fastballs were pure power, crushing everything in their path and giving batters almost no chance to react.

Sawamura was different.

Watching him pitch, many of Akikawa's players had initially believed that this first-year rookie might be someone they could score against.

But now...

They realized how mistaken they had been.

Just because Sawamura didn't look as overpowering as Furuya didn't mean he was any easier to hit.

He had earned a place on Seido's first string as a freshman for a reason.

How could his pitching possibly be ordinary?

Coach Kataoka and Seido's coaching staff were renowned for their discerning eyes.

If Sawamura hadn't possessed both exceptional talent and the ability to back it up, there was no chance he would have been promoted so quickly.

Unfortunately for Akikawa...

By the time they truly understood that...

It was already too late.

Three up.

Three down.

Against Sawamura's moving fastball and lively four-seam fastball, Akikawa's top of the order couldn't find an answer.

One batter after another...

They were retired with ease.

The game moved into the fourth inning.

Leading off for Seido once again was Isashiki Jun.

Crack!

The instant the bat connected, Yang Shunchen's heart sank.

He had already faced Zhou Hao twice.

The results?

A base hit.

And a home run.

To be honest, Yang still believed he had ways to deal with the rest of Seido's lineup.

But against Zhou Hao...

He hadn't found even the slightest chance of victory.

Now he was facing Isashiki Jun.

On paper, Isashiki's overall ability couldn't compare with Zhou Hao's.

Yet somehow...

Yang found him even more difficult to pitch to.

From the very beginning of the game, Isashiki's batting had completely defied conventional logic.

Time after time, Yang believed he had forced him into an unfavorable count or induced weak contact.

And yet...

Isashiki kept sending the ball into play.

Pop!

The ball skipped off the turf and into the outfield.

"Safe!"

Without slowing down, Isashiki raced into second base.

No outs. Runner on second.

The Akikawa players and their supporters felt a growing sense of despair.

Seido's strength had exceeded every expectation.

By now...

They didn't even know how they were supposed to compete against a team like this.

As they struggled to process the situation...

Seido's sixth batter stepped into the box.

Miyuki Kazuya.

After patiently working through several pitches, Miyuki finally recognized the pattern.

Without hesitation...

He swung.

Crack!

The baseball shot off the bat on a line, splitting the gap in the defense.

This time...

Akikawa wasn't fortunate enough to make another miraculous play.

The fielders could only watch as the ball landed safely on the grass before skipping away.

"Nice!"

"So you've finally found your rhythm!"

"With runners on base, you're unbeatable!"

It was almost identical to Miyuki's previous at-bat.

The only difference...

This time he delivered.

His RBI hit brought home Seido's fourth run of the afternoon.

But it was far from over.

It was only the beginning.

Yang Shunchen continued pitching with unwavering composure.

Even as the deficit grew, his expression never changed.

Pitch after pitch...

He maintained remarkable precision and composure.

He resembled a machine incapable of making mistakes.

Even Seido's powerhouse lineup found him frustrating to face.

In the end...

They simply overwhelmed him with sheer offensive firepower.

One hit after another.

By the end of the inning...

Seido had scored four runs.

The scoreboard now read:

7–0.

Sawamura returned to the mound and continued to dominate.

Even Akikawa's three biggest offensive threats—including Shiratori and Yang Shunchen—were completely shut down.

All three were retired without producing a single run.

By the fifth inning...

Seido's offense struck once again.

Their regulars added another three runs.

The lead grew to 10–0.

In the bottom of the fifth, the game entered its final moments.

The Akikawa players never stopped fighting.

Although they no longer believed they could stage a comeback...

They still hoped to extend the game a little longer.

Unfortunately...

Seido had no intention of giving them that opportunity.

"The game between Seido High School and Akikawa High School has concluded after five innings."

"With a final score of 10–0, Seido High School wins by the mercy rule!"

"Congratulations to Seido High School for becoming the first team to advance to the quarterfinals!"