Chapter 64: Heroes of Nagano

Seidou High School decisively defeated Yamamori Academy with a score of 8:2, securing their place in the top four of the national tournament.

Their rival, Inajitsu Industrial High School, did not back down. After a hard-fought battle, they triumphed over the strong Hakuryu High School from Gunma Prefecture with a score of 5:3, also advancing to the top four.

Next, the rising star from West Tokyo, the biggest dark horse of this year's Koshien, Yakushi High School, faced Seihou High School but unfortunately lost 1:2 in a closely contested match.

The veteran powerhouse Seihou, led by their ace pitcher Akashi, was the first to secure their spot in the top four.

The three teams that advanced remained in the audience, eagerly awaiting the appearance of their final opponent.

In the last quarterfinal match of Koshien, the Komadai Fujimaki High School in Hokkaido faced Hoshiryu High School from Nagano Prefecture.

This match generated the least excitement. Although Hoshiryu High School had risen rapidly and often achieved large-margin victories, their performance in Koshien had not been particularly dazzling.

But that was about it.

The audience had their own standards for evaluating the top teams in the country.

For example, the reigning champions, Seidou High School, were considered among the best. Similarly, Inajitsu, also from West Tokyo, and their previous opponent, Hakuryu High School, ranked highly.

Despite the differences in style, the strength of these teams was genuine.

The same could be said for the Hakuryu, which had been eliminated by Inajitsu.

Komadai Fujimaki High School certainly belonged to this elite level. As for the biggest dark horse, Yakushi High School, they had the strength to challenge top teams, but they lacked the trust of the audience.

Beyond these teams, there were others like Yamamori, which lost to Seidou, and Hoshiryu High School, which was about to play.

Although they are a Famous School, there was still a significant gap between them and the nation's top teams.

Hoshiryu had a top-tier Ace pitcher, and every player had the potential to be a star.

But the team, like Yakushi, was still new. And they didn't get enough expectations from the audience.

Despite this match being expected to attract minimal attention, a significant number of people showed up to watch, with none of the other three semifinal teams absent.

Their focus, however, was not on Hoshiryu, who ranked lower in strength, but rather on their opponents.

Komadai Fujimaki High School from Hokkaido.

Since their breakout last year, the Komadai have remained in the spotlight. They had only lost to two teams from West Tokyo, Seidou and Inajitsu, in both official and practice matches.

These teams were the strongest in the summer Koshien and Jingu tournaments.

Their presence was formidable, and losing to them could not be blamed on a lack of ability, only bad luck.

If baseball professionals were to assess, there were actually three teams with the best chance of winning the national championship this year.

The strong and fortunate Seidou.

The super-strong but unlucky Inajitsu.

And finally, Komadai Fujimaki.

What kind of strength would they display? This naturally raised the alertness of the other three semifinal teams.

As everyone anticipated the performance of Komadai Fujimaki High School, the game began.

Komadai Fujimaki High School was the first to attack.

Nanami Haruka started strong, quickly securing two Outs, one of which was a strikeout.

It wasn't until the third batter, Taniguchi, that he was hit for the first time.

Ping!

The small white ball flew out, landing in the outfield gap.

Taniguchi sprinted to second base.

Starting the first inning with a double against them was certainly not a good sign for either Nanami or the entire Hoshiryu High School.

'A rocky start.'

Hosho Ryuki—the Coach—pondered for a moment but refrained from signaling any instructions to the players on the field.

Though the beginning was quite unfavorable, they had already secured two Outs.

With just one more out needed, they could resolve this inning smoothly. Hosho believed it was best not to interfere with the players' momentum and judgment at this point.

His decisiveness, however, brought the first crisis to Hoshiryu.

Such is the way of the world; sometimes you make the right choice, yet the outcome may not be favorable.

Whoosh!

Nanami Haruka threw a sharp inside pitch.

Suddenly, the fourth batter from Komadai Fujimaki changed to a bunt.

Ping!

The white ball was hit towards third base.

By the time Oda picked up the ball and passed it to first base, the fourth batter from Komadai Fujimaki had already reached first.

Meanwhile, Taniguchi, who was on third base, dashed home without stopping.

"Pass the ball!" Hosho shouted, but time waited for no one.

By the time Matsumoto passed the ball back to him and he attempted to tag the runner, it was too late.

Hoshiryu's entire defensive process was not slow.

Yet compared to the speed of Komadai Fujimaki's attack, it fell short just a little.

And that small gap led to an irreversible result.

From the very start, Hoshiryu was caught off guard.

1:0 down.

Next, facing Komadai Fujimaki High School's fifth batter, Renji.

Nanami Haruka showed his ferocious side, using a tricky breaking ball to make Renji miss.

He successfully secured the third Out.

With three outs, the teams switched sides.

In the first inning, Hoshiryu not only conceded a point but also demonstrated the overall gap in their strength.

It seemed that Hoshiryu High School would struggle to turn the game around today.

Just when the audience thought so, Hoshiryu unleashed a storm of their own.

"As Sawamura predicted, the opposing pitcher is indeed not Hongou," Hosho Ryuki noted, glancing at the starting roster with determination in his voice.

"Coach Nitta likely arranged this for the upcoming game against Seidou High School. Although I feel underestimated, this is truly our chance. Let's not waste such a great opportunity!"

"Understood!" the Hoshiryu players replied, their fighting spirit reignited.

Though the early point loss was unexpected, the game proceeded exactly as they had envisioned.

In the second half of the first inning, Hoshiryu went on the attack.

Today, they had made significant adjustments to their batting order, starting with Hattori, who was now playing shortstop.

The opposing Komadai players were unfamiliar with him.

After hesitating, the Komadai pitcher threw a tentative outside pitch.

Hattori, initially in a normal batting stance, opted for a bunt against the ball.

With no one on base, he boldly executed the bunt.

Ping!

The white ball connected and rolled toward first base.

Hattori let go of the bat and dashed to first without hesitation.

"Not bad for speed!" exclaimed Kuramochi surprise evident in his tone.

Even Cheetah-sama acknowledged Hattori's speed.

"Of course, Hattori is fast," Sawamura murmured to himself, recalling their middle school encounters.

Before the ball reached first base, Hattori had already secured his spot.

"Humph!" Nitta Kozo, the Superintendent for Komadai Fujimaki High School, frowned in dissatisfaction from the dugout.

Even though they scored a point in the first inning, it was merely one point, and that advantage was not enough for them to relax.

"Focus!" he reprimanded his players.

What happened next was unexpected. After Hattori reached base, Hoshiryu's entire offensive rhythm seemed to shift dramatically.

They had been a team focused on explosive hits, but now they adopted a coordinated offensive strategy.

Oda, batting second, executed a bunt that moved Hattori to second.

With one out and a runner at second, it was Matsumoto's turn at bat.

He was another player young genius, and his skills were honed well.

Standing in the Batter's Box, he exuded a different kind of presence.

Ping!

He connected powerfully with the incoming baseball.

The ball soared into a graceful arc, landing in the gap left by Komadai's defense.

Just minutes after Komadai took the lead, Hoshiryu tied the game.

The hit came from Matsumoto, who, as a third-year student, wielded incredible swinging power.

The score was back to square one, but Hoshiryu's offense was not finished yet.

With one Out and a runner at second, it was now time for Nanami Haruka to bat fourth.

"Nanami!" the crowd cheered.

"Nanami!!!"

Despite not having a striking appearance, Nanami exuded a unique charisma.

He seemed like a natural protagonist.

Now, standing in the Batter's Box, he radiated confidence, drawing the crowd's attention toward Hoshiryu.

T/N: That's it for now.

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