[Aoba: Guys, I'm telling you, it's a real pity you didn't come to watch this match live—it's another masterpiece by Lin Huang!]

[Emperor Wine: How so? Isn't the game nearing its later stages now? What's the situation on the field?]

[Slack Off: Dog Aoba, stop keeping us in suspense—bring out the game report!]

[Aoba: Little Slack, it's nice you thought of your brother Aoba at this time; however, with that tone, your brother Aoba is not pleased!]

[Aoba: Treating group friends seriously, I didn't expect Little Slack to speak to me disrespectfully—then I can only say everyone should wait, once I finish watching the game and get back to school, I'll quickly edit the video for everyone to feast on!]

Looking at the group chat with friends bubbling with excitement and covered with question marks, Wang Siyang smiled, then shifted his focus from the phone screen back to the field.

In this match, Narashino attacks first, Waseda Jitsugyo defends—eight innings have gone by, and the top of the ninth inning is about to arrive.

Despite the tight schedule and many players not yet returning to peak condition, both teams have fielded their main players for this final:

On Waseda's side, after a period of rest, Lin Guanglai is back on the mound as the starting pitcher—Izumi Minoru expects him to pitch the entire game.

Narashino's Little Lin Che is also cautious, still relying on the team's trusted third-year ace, Izumisawa Ryouta—this right-hander can pitch up to speeds of 144 km/h, and his batting is quite remarkable.

At the start of the match, both sides were playing conservatively: forget scoring, even hits were scarce—by the end of the fourth inning, the score was 0–0 with only three hits between the two teams, Lin Guanglai conceded 1 hit, Izumisawa Ryouta conceded 2 hits.

The turning point came in the sixth inning when Waseda's lineup returned to the top, and Waseda managed to break the deadlock with an offensive surge:

Chongxin Shen Zhong made the first hit and reached first base, Matsunaga Kenta sacrificed a bunt to advance the base, then Kenshu Yasuda hit a high fly ball to the outfield, giving Shigetsugu ample time to advance on base.

By the time Lin Guanglai stepped into the batter's box, Chongxin Shen Zhong was already on third base, just a step away from scoring—faced with this situation, Lin Guanglai unexpectedly opted for an economical hit with a run batted in, catching Narashino off guard.

It's not that Lin Guanglai can't produce a big hit, but when simultaneously serving as the starting pitcher and cleanup hitter, his energy is limited, so he must balance his offense and defense;

In addition, Lin Guanglai also has full confidence in his pitching and his teammates' defense—he believes if the team can secure this crucial run, they will not lose!

Men keep their word—in the following innings, Lin Guanglai fulfilled his promise in action: until the eighth inning ended, the score remained locked at 1–0; furthermore, after the first hit at the beginning of the game, Narashino's batters didn't even see first base afterward.

No wonder Wang Siyang exclaimed after watching eight innings that this was yet another representative game in Lin Guanglai's high school career—when seated next to the first-base dugout, watching batter after batter being effortlessly struck out by Lin Guanglai, you'd also be amazed.

This intense pitcher's duel has reached its most thrilling moment—Narashino's players still hold onto a chance to tie or even overturn the score, as a 1-run lead in baseball is virtually insignificant;

Waseda naturally hopes to settle the game decisively at the top of the ninth inning—though their ace player has performed excellently, their batters are quite reluctant to face the opposing pitcher for another inning.

Before the ninth inning began, players from both sides gathered at either end of the field, shoulder to shoulder and hand in hand, cheering and encouraging themselves and their teammates—after five consecutive days of competition and today's over two-hour battle, players have reached their limits physically, and now it's a contest of whose willpower is stronger.

Ninth inning top half brought good news for Waseda, with Lin Guanglai's brilliant performance benefiting them, Narashino's lineup rotation will start from the eighth batter, relatively easier to deal with.

Sure enough, Narashino's back-end batters posed no threat when facing Lin Guanglai, being cleanly and quickly struck out in succession.

Suddenly, the game arrived at two outs.

One out away from ending the match.

On the field, Narashino's first batter, the team's main shortstop Miyata Kazuya, stood in the batter's box—Lin Guanglai's only concession of a hit this game came from his hand, it was his strike in the top of the first inning that prevented Lin Guanglai from achieving another no-hit game.

Now, the hopes of Narashino's players and even all supporters rest upon him—only by hitting off Lin Guanglai can he preserve the team's flicker of hope.

On the mound, Lin Guanglai moved.

First pitch, outer corner low slider.

The baseball swooshed in, and Miyata Kazuya hesitated, opting not to swing.

"Pop."

"Strike."

Second pitch, same spot but changed to a fastball—this time, Miyata Kazuya resolutely chose to swing.

"Clang!" The aluminum bat couldn't keep up with the swiftly moving baseball, only the edge slightly scraped off causing the white ball to fly out of bounds.

Two strikes, no balls—under Lin Guanglai's intense pressure, Miyata Kazuya has no way out; any subsequent pitch could determine the Kantou Conference champion, his pressure is enormous.

Third pitch, Lin Guanglai exchanged a glance with Uesugi Yasuyuki crouching behind the plate, years of partnership made them instantly understand each other.

Fastball for victory!

On the mound, Lin Guanglai executed a complete and fluid pitching motion once again, stretching his body fully as he swung his arm and threw the ball towards home plate.

In Miyata Kazuya's eyes, this ball's speed exceeds anything he's encountered in batting practice or at batting cages—even judging its trajectory was impossible, so he had to hurriedly swing his bat.

But he didn't hit anything.

"Strike." "Batter struck out!"

The umpire's call followed, but the Waseda players were already deaf to his voice—the players packed at the exit of the dugout rushed onto the field like a wave as soon as they saw the baseball land firmly in Uesugi Yasuyuki's glove.

Their efforts of the past few days transformed into joy—early cheers from Waseda fans in the stands, and the host team's fans applauding the victors with solemn expressions, all reminded these players of one thing:

We are the kings of Kantou!!!

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