In the top of the eighth inning, after Keio evened the score, Izumi Minoru, the manager of Waseda, unexpectedly didn't make any adjustments—adhering to the old-fashioned Showa belief that "the pitcher must clean up the mess he created," and considering the Kantou Conference wasn't that important, he decided to give Tanaka Justice more chances.

As expected, after Lin Guanglai and his peers graduate next summer, Tanaka Justice will become the new ace pitcher of Waseda—if he can't handle the pressure of this level of competition, how would the manager and teammates trust him with the mound in higher-level, larger-scale games?

Luckily, Tanaka Justice didn't disappoint Izumi Minoru's expectations—although he was caught off guard at the start of this inning, he quickly adjusted after that long pause:

With a ground ball and two strikeouts, he somewhat redeemed his earlier mistakes and prevented Keio from taking advantage to overturn the score.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, it was Waseda's turn to attack, and this round started with their fifth batter, Hagiyama Mitsuo, entering into the later part of the batting order.

Objectively speaking, Keio's ace starting pitcher Miyamori Shun's performance today was quite remarkable:

Except for the three runs lost in the bottom of the second inning, he successfully shut out Waseda's lineup in the other innings—up to this half-inning, Miyamori Shun had already pitched 8 strikeouts, demonstrating an outstanding state.

In this ongoing inning, Miyamori Shun seemed to be pitching ferociously, striking out Waseda's fifth, sixth, and seventh batters one after another with just 12 pitches, which truly shocked the audience in the stands.

"Wow, is Keio about to turn the game around? Their ace is clearly in form, everything he's throwing is working!"

"Sigh, I originally thought that Waseda would easily win this Kantou Conference title, given their strength—who knew the manager would make such a blundering decision, switching in a first-year pitcher to close in a critical moment? What were they thinking..."

But compared to the anxious supporters, the players on the field could still laugh, bantering with each other.

"Kenta, what happened with that last pitch? It was such an easy ball and you missed it. Is it because you've been focusing more on pitching lately under the manager's orders and not paying attention to hitting?"

"Haha, Mitsuo, you're not much better yourself, right? I held off that Keio pitcher to a full count before striking out—compared to me, it's the senior who struck out on three straight pitches who should reflect a bit more, don't you think?"

The expected gloomy atmosphere among the team didn't manifest; instead, Waseda's players showed a relaxed demeanor—this is the transformation a weighty championship brings:

Other lesser teams, or even the same team half a year ago, might have been mentally shaken and found it hard to accept losing a nearly whole-game lead in just half an inning;

But for Waseda's current players, having faced top opponents and challenging games nationwide and winning them, this is merely a minor episode that hardly counts as a setback—this is likely their truest mindset right now.

Under Lin Guanglai's organization, before the start of the ninth inning, all the players gathered together, reaching out with their right hands, each sun-browned hand stacking up, and raised high towards the sky.

"Waseda, victory!!!"

In the top of the ninth inning, Waseda Industries showcased what it means to have the qualities of a Senbatsu High School Baseball Tournament champion to their arch-rivals—Keio's powerful central lineup returned empty-handed, completing the round in less than ten minutes.

The bottom of the ninth inning arrived, and even with few people on the field, the rapidly rising temperature in the air made it quite sweltering.

In this half-inning, players from both sides displayed their own unique skills, responding to each other in a dazzling series of moves, thrilling fans in attendance.

After a fierce struggle, the game situation reached a state most favored by Waseda:

Even though Miyamori Shun gave his all, sending out his 12th strikeout of the game in this half-inning, the situation on the field was now two outs, bases loaded.

Moreover, the next batter to take the plate was Lin Guanglai, who had hit a home run earlier today.

Miyamori Shun felt a headache coming on—after giving up that home run in the bottom of the second inning, he had hardly faced off directly against Lin Guanglai in the subsequent at-bats;

But now, cornered as he is, there's no way to avoid it any longer: With bases loaded, he can't just intentionally walk the batter and end the game with a cinematic four-ball!

In the showdown between Waseda and Keio, in the bottom of the ninth, ace against ace in a do-or-die direct duel—if this were at the Koshien stage, even the organizers might laugh till their teeth fall out.

Fitting his gear and taking the bat, Lin Guanglai entered the batter's box, beginning to contemplate the strategy for this round:

Given the current situation, the best way to clinch the match is with a solid hit to bring in the runner from third base; however, with two outs, deliberately aiming for a bunt only to get trapped in the infield could easily be exploited by the opponents.

Indeed, the focus has to be on aggressively pursuing a long hit!

With a plan in mind, Lin Guanglai lifted his bat high, setting his eyes intently on Miyamori Shun on the pitcher's mound.

On the mound, Miyamori Shun quickly communicated with his catcher, then began to move, his arm swinging forward with his body.

A white blur flew towards home plate.

In the batter's box, Lin Guanglai's central nervous system reacted swiftly, signaling his brain:

This pitch can be hit!!!

Once the decision is made to swing, all hesitation is cast aside—gripping the bat firmly, he pulls back like drawing a bow to its fullest; upper body, lower body, joints and muscles connecting, all exert power, with the arm extending towards the incoming ball, driving the bat through the air with a whooshing sound.

From beginning to end, Lin Guanglai's focus remains fixed on the baseball, even as contact is made between the bat and ball, his eyes never leave the target.

"Ping—!!!"

A tingle goes up his extended arm, and glancing to where the ball has gone under the noonday sun, he can barely see its trace.

Completing his swing, waiting for his body to absorb the reaction, Lin Guanglai throws the bat to the ground and sprints towards first base.

To the right of the field, Keio's right fielder strained every effort to catch the ball, but ultimately couldn't escape the outcome, standing best placed to watch the ball soar out of the park before stopping in dejection.

Amidst the excited cheers from the Waseda players, Lin Guanglai rode the breeze, sprinting all the way back to home plate.

The baseball that flew out of the park disappeared once more.

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