Successfully dealing with Koushin Academy's third batter, Kawakami Ryohi, Lin Guanglai secured the third out of the inning, and the two sides switched between offense and defense, with Waseda Jitsugyo up next.

Given the importance of the final, Izumi Minoru employed the same conservative strategy in the opening stage of the offense - as long as the first batter, Chongxin Shen Zhong, could get on base, the subsequent two batters' task was to advance him to third base, leaving the decisive play to the strongest, Lin Guanglai.

Of course, after Lin Guanglai was intentionally walked four times in the semifinals, Izumi Minoru learned his lesson. To ensure the team's continuous firepower, he placed the batter with a higher average, Yagaki Kentaro, in the fifth spot right after Lin Guanglai. Meanwhile, Hagiyama Mitsuo, with a low average but strong long-hit ability, was put in the ninth spot to bridge the lineup.

Pre-game tactics are one thing, but when it comes to the actual game, whether the coach's arrangement can be effective often becomes another matter altogether as various unexpected events arise.

Obviously, at least in today's game, the effect Izumi Minoru desired was not achieved.

The first batter, Chongxin Shen Zhong, grounded out to third base;

The second batter, Manabe Kenta, hit a high fly to right field and was caught out;

The third batter, Kenshu Yasuda, fouled off 8 pitches but ultimately struck out.

Koushin Academy's ace, Akita Kyoyoshi, maintained his consistently outstanding form in this tournament. Although the process was somewhat turbulent, he still managed a three-up-three-down inning against Waseda Jitsugyo.

In the semifinal against Okayama's Kansai High School, Koushin Academy rotated their pitchers, with Akita Kyoyoshi only coming in during the eighth inning to close the game. Therefore, compared to Lin Guanglai, who started two consecutive days, Akita Kyoyoshi had a slight endurance advantage.

The fastest pitch speeds at 144 km/hr, highly perfected fastballs and sliders, along with incredibly tough fouling ability - these are the qualities of Akita Kyoyoshi, a pitcher that Waseda Jitsugyo players knew from the start would not be easy to handle. This final was destined not to be straightforward either.

Because of this, even though they got a three-up-three-down in the first inning, the third-year batters were not particularly disappointed; the more critical the match, the more important it is to maintain confidence and patience.

Seeing his teammates strike out one after another, Lin Guanglai returned from the on-deck circle, removing the protective gear needed for batting one by one. He picked up his glove and walked to the mound with a tranquil heart.

Before taking the field, Mr. Izumi instructed him to conserve some stamina to ensure he could complete the game;

Additionally, facing Koushin Academy's central lineup, he wanted Lin Guanglai to test their batting condition today - this arrangement was made with the entire game in mind.

Whether based on existing data or game content, Koushin Academy's unexpected success in this Summer League largely relied on their strong lineup continuity:

Apart from the specialist pitcher, Akita Kyoyoshi, the other eight starters had a minimum batting average of .250, with 6 players over .300 and 2 over .400 - meaning, all it took was one man to get on base for Koushin Academy's lineup to potentially take the lead with a combination of short and mid-range hits.

Having Lin Guanglai engage more and test their batting condition was also about finding a potentially weak link in their lineup - If he could identify such a batter, Izumi Minoru believed his pitcher could fundamentally sever Koushin's lineup, rendering them a toothless tiger, disconnected, and no longer threatening.

Following the instructions of the coach, Lin Guanglai appropriately extended the standoff rounds within this inning and also tried challenging the sweet spots of the opposing batters' hitting zones more, as if unconcerned about potentially allowing runs - to the spectators, the gameplay on the field seemed reversed, though Koushin Academy was on offense, Lin Guanglai seemed the more proactive party.

Lo and behold, this probing indeed uncovered some things -

Koushin Academy's fourth and fifth batters, Tanaka Ryusho and Kitajou Shuya, whether shocked by Lin Guanglai's duel with Kawakami Ryohi in the first inning or due to being physically and mentally exhausted from nearly a month of continuous play, exhibited rather mediocre hitting conditions today for both second-year players:

As the fourth and fifth batters, they were supposed to break the game open with long hits, yet missed the chance repeatedly in their respective at-bats, which further disrupted their hitting mentality, leading to Lin Guanglai striking them out relatively easily.

The progress was quick in the top half of the second inning. After the strong fourth and fifth batters were out one after another, Koushin Academy's sixth batter, Kanayama Koage, didn't last long either. Though he hit the ball out of the infield, the lack of initial bat speed meant it was caught effortlessly by the Right Fielder, Yagaki Kentaro.

Giving a thumbs-up in the direction of Right Field, Lin Guanglai quickly descended from the mound and, with the help of his teammates, donned his protective gear for batting - he had heavy responsibilities this inning, not only having to pitch but also needing to lead the offense as the leadoff batter.

When Lin Guanglai stepped into the batter's box, the Koshien once again buzzed with excitement, and many spectators timely took out their recording devices to see what performance he might deliver in his first at-bat of the game.

His at-bat wasn't great; though he connected with the pitch thrown by Akita Kyoyoshi, his power motion was incomplete, and the hit was higher than far, with poor control over its landing spot. Kawakami Ryohi from Central Field arrived in time to catch it before it landed.

Counting the previous game of consecutive intentional walks from opponents, Lin Guanglai had now gone five at-bats without a hit - this was his longest hitting slump in this tournament, perhaps even in his high school career.

Shaking his head as he walked into the player's zone, he reflected on his previous swing, ultimately concluding that his mindset needed to change:

Being intentionally walked repeatedly is highly detrimental to the hitting feel. Even though he's been in good contact this tournament, he needed to find his offensive rhythm again after such incidents - that pitch just now, he swung with the home run mindset, but his body couldn't keep up, resulting in an out.

"Next time, next time will definitely be better!" Lin Guanglai thought as he sat on the bench.

In today's game, both starting pitchers and defensive players on each side were in excellent form, committing virtually no defensive errors, resulting in consecutive three-up-three-down on offense.

After three innings, both lineups had just completed a full circle, setting a tone of nine up-nines out for a third of the finals. In the top of the fourth inning, Lin Guanglai delivered yet another three-up-three-down, the pitch that struck out Kawakami Ryohi for the second time with an outside slider drawing another round of thunderous applause at Koshien.

And then the offensive opportunities he eagerly awaited came in succession: in the bottom of the fourth inning, Waseda Jitsugyo's upper lineup finally delivered their desired offense - with assistance from teammates, Chongxin Shen Zhong reached third base, handing the decisive stroke to Lin Guanglai.

Opportunity!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.