According to the requirement of Takano Ren, before the start of the Summer League games, the supervisors of both teams must submit a starting lineup of offense and defense to the association's staff—on one hand, this is for the main referee to conduct his work smoothly; on the other hand, it's convenient for the broadcasters and media journalists.

In the media box at Koshien Stadium, the frontline journalists from major media outlets had just received the freshly minted starting lists and began a heated discussion.

"Wow—Waseda Jitsugyo is really bold; before, they didn't do rotations, making Lin Guanglai pitch six to seven innings no matter what, and now they're sending Uchida as the starter for the semi-final. Is this pitching strategy really okay? Aren't they afraid of slipping up at such a critical point?"

"I actually think Mr. Izumi's strategy is quite reasonable. After all, compared to their semi-final opponents, Waseda Jitsugyo has one less day to rest. If they reach the finals, they'll have three consecutive days of matches. Now's the time to rotate against a slightly weaker opponent like Chiben Gakuen Junior & Senior High School, letting Lin Guanglai rest a bit more, which can only be beneficial for future games."

"But don't they worry that changing the starting pitcher at this time will actually fuel the opponent's fighting spirit, making the game they could've won easily more difficult?"

"Come on, let's be brutally honest. If Yokohama High School's Yanagida Yuuya hadn't been hit in the ankle by a ground ball, would Chiben Gakuen be playing here now? To be honest, Uchida Saint is actually not bad; it's just that he's overshadowed by an exceptional talent like Lin Guanglai. In my view, if even a soft pitcher like Yanagida Yuuya can suppress Chiben Gakuen's batting lineup for a whole game, Uchida Saint could probably do the same—the result of this game still depends on when Waseda Jitsugyo's batting lineup opens up."

"Hmm…when you put it that way, you do have a point…hey, how about we write the headline like this after today's game?"

The journalists' discussion continued heatedly, while inside the player lounge in Koshien Stadium, Chiben Gakuen's players were making their final preparations before taking the field.

When Chiben Gakuen's supervisor Kosaka Shosang pushed open the lounge door, the players who heard the sound immediately stopped their conversations and laughter, uniformly focusing their eyes on their supervisor's direction.

Clearing his throat, Kosaka Shosang coughed twice and slowly spoke to the players in front of him:

"For this game, the opponent's starting lineup is out..."

Pausing for a second or two, Kosaka Shosang continued:

"Waseda Jitsugyo's lineup is pretty much as we predicted in the pregame meeting, the starters are the usual ones, nothing unexpected…except, they've made a small adjustment in the starting pitcher position."

Upon hearing the supervisor's words, Chiben Gakuen's players puzzledly asked:

"Supervisor, what does the adjustment in starting pitcher mean? Does Waseda Jitsugyo have anyone other than Lin Guanglai?"

Kosaka Shosang hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to inform his players about Waseda Jitsugyo's decision to start third-year Uchida Saint—after all, at 34 years old, Kosaka Shosang was still relatively new to the supervisory role and inexperienced in handling such situations. He was concerned that informing the players might adversely affect their mindset before the game started.

While Kosaka Shosang was still hesitating, the 61-year-old Baseball Club Chief, Iimoto Yasumasa, spoke up for him:

"On Waseda Jitsugyo's side, Lin Guanglai isn't pitching today; he's placed in right field. The opponent's starting pitcher today is third-year Uchida Saint."

Iimoto Yasumasa's words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, causing massive waves—the previously quiet players of Chiben Gakuen began murmuring and whispering.

With a few heavy coughs from Iimoto Yasumasa, the bustling lounge quieted down again—being an old OB of the Chiben Gakuen Baseball Club, Iimoto Yasumasa, who had served the team for decades, held high esteem and affection from the players, making his words carry significant weight within the team.

Looking at his players with various expressions on their faces, Iimoto Yasumasa slightly parted his lips and said:

"What's the matter? Do you feel underestimated, and so you're feeling indignant?"

His words were met with silence from the players, but their expressions had already given away their thoughts: in the previous three rounds, Waseda Jitsugyo let Lin Guanglai start to stabilize the situation no matter the opponent; yet against them, Chiben Gakuen, they opted for their second pitcher—this differential treatment understandably sparked some anger in these young, spirited high school players.

But Chiben Gakuen's players also understood that in terms of sheer strength, they were indeed at a considerable gap compared to Waseda Jitsugyo. This strength disparity was like a chasm deeply dividing the two schools—precisely because of this, silence was their only way to express their anger.

"You might feel that Waseda Jitsugyo uses their second pitcher because they look down on us, because they believe they can beat us even without their monster pitcher."

"If you ask me, I say it's good they're underestimating us! I'd even hope Waseda Jitsugyo would underestimate us more, so much so that they don't even send the second pitcher, and rather send their first-year rookie as the starter!"

Iimoto Yasumasa's words, resembling self-humiliation, shocked many, including Supervisor Kosaka Shosang—the players of Chiben Gakuen one by one raised their heads in disbelief, looking at their supervisor with eyes mixed with complex emotions.

Iimoto Yasumasa seemed oblivious to their expressions, continuing to speak to himself:

"We clearly beat the strong Yokohama High School, so theoretically our opponents should value us, but instead, they fielded such a starting lineup. Why is that?"

"Because in the eyes of those outside media and our opponents today, Chiben Gakuen getting this far is merely due to pure luck!"

"So let them think that way! Let them keep underestimating us! If they want to face us with their second pitcher, let them do so!"

"What we need to do is focus on doing our job! What we can trust is the bats in our hands!"

"Make those who underestimate us pay the price they should pay!!!"

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