Seidou High School didn't score any runs in the entire fifth inning.
At this point, even the audience had to admire the resilience of Nanakyo High School's players.
No one knew what kind of "medicine" they had taken to perform so fiercely and unexpectedly.
At least Seidou's players didn't anticipate that the pitcher of Nanakyo wouldn't trouble them too much, but this unknown rookie pitcher, Fujita, caused them some headaches.
Just as Seidou's players were regrouping, trying to find a flaw, the rookie pitcher Fujita, who had been performing so aggressively, collapsed himself.
His stamina had already been drained, as pitching against Seidou High School was exhausting.
The more difficult the opponent, the more energy he would burn.
And with the extra ten or so pitches he had spent on Haruichi earlier...
By the time the sixth inning came around, Fujita was clearly running on empty.
By the seventh inning, he completely collapsed.
As a result, Nanakyo High School had to replace him with a new pitcher.
This new pitcher had no scouting report on him, and even though Seidou High School was leading 17-0, they were still a little caught off guard.
They had no idea what this pitcher would bring to the mound.
Would he create problems for Seidou High School's baseball team?
As Seidou's players were debating, the new pitcher took the mound.
And as soon as they saw him throw, they immediately relaxed.
This guy was no threat—he was just a lamb to the slaughter.
Fujita had been throwing pitches at 140 km/h earlier, but now this pitcher was throwing at only 130 km/h and only straight pitches.
The only thing notable about him was his decent control, being able to place his pitches in the strike zone.
Nanakyo High School was never a powerhouse to begin with, so it was clear that their bench strength wasn't impressive.
Earlier, Fujita had performed excellently, which made Seidou High School's players more cautious.
But now, the truth was clear—they had overthought it.
Although Nanakyo's team was holding on, it was obvious they had run out of tricks.
In the eighth inning, Seidou High School unleashed a furious offensive on the new pitcher.
With substitutions in place, more than half of Seidou High School's players on the field were substitutes.
Even though the opponent was in a terrible position, these substitutes had no intention of going easy—they were determined to showcase their skills when given the chance.
The starters who hadn't been substituted yet were in a dilemma.
Their teammates were already on base—how could they not bring them home?
How could they not turn a base hit into a run?
Although this game was already decided and further attacks were unnecessary, no one on Seidou High School's team dared to slack off.
If they didn't let their teammates shine, would they still be able to play on Seidou High School's baseball team in the future?
Considering this, no one was willing to ease off.
And as a result, Seidou High School's team continued to hammer the ball.
The opponent was pitching 130 km/h fastballs—perfect for Seidou High School's players to train their moves and look cool on TV.
If they couldn't hit these, they'd be embarrassing themselves.
In the eighth inning, Seidou High School's baseball team scored 10 more runs.
By the end of the eighth inning, the score had increased to 27-0.
This was a rare and terrifying score gap, even in Koshien history.
And the scariest part? Seidou High School's offense hadn't stopped yet—they still had the ninth inning to go.
"SEIDOU!"
"SEIDOU!!!"
Although the players of the Nanakyo High School baseball team were on the verge of tears at this point.
They never imagined that, after defeating two major powerhouses in Kyoto, they would end up being so thoroughly crushed by the Seidou High School baseball team at Koshien.
Is the mighty Seidou really this terrifying?
The only question left in the hearts of the Nanakyo High School baseball players was this one.
Objectively speaking, although the Nanakyo High School baseball team didn't stand a chance of defeating the Seidou High School baseball team if they had truly been able to perfectly develop all of their strengths, the situation would not have been this passive.
Although they would still have suffered a significant defeat, it wouldn't have been by such a large margin.
The score in front of them now doesn't just indicate a loss, but an utter rout.
Looking through the history of Koshien, games with such a large score difference, where the losing side doesn't even score a single run, are rare.
The reasons behind this situation are multifaceted.
Firstly, the Nanakyo High School baseball team players were clearly not used to the atmosphere of Koshien, and with so many spectators, they seemed overly excited.
This is a phenomenon that's entirely normal for a team playing in Koshien for the first time.
The Nanakyo High School baseball team was just another team that couldn't avoid this pattern, so it wasn't an unusual situation.
After all, they were rookies.
It's only natural that rookies get bullied by veterans, especially since rookies' skills are nowhere near the level of veterans.
Of course, the huge gap in the score wasn't just caused by such a small factor.
Another major reason was that the Nanakyo High School baseball team wasn't fully prepared for the game.
For them, just making it to Koshien was the first priority. Accomplishing this first goal already represented more than 99% of their dream. They only had the remaining energy to study at other major schools across the country.
The time they could allocate to studying the Seidou High School baseball team was limited.
After all, with so many teams across the nation, what were the odds they'd get unlucky enough to face Seidou in the first round?
Indeed, the Nanakyo High School baseball team was just unlucky. They faced Seidou in the first round.
In fact, they faced an unusually formidable version of Seidou.
Had it been before, the Seidou High School baseball team might not have come out with such a strong lineup.
But from the start, they went all-out, and even after switching players, they didn't let up.
Why?
Because of Seidou High School's ambition.
This time, Seidou's goal at Koshien wasn't just to win the championship; they also aimed to create a legend.
In such circumstances, would the Seidou High School baseball team show any mercy?
Not a chance.
The Seidou High School baseball team was never going to show mercy, no matter what.
They wouldn't back off; they would continue to add to Seidou's legendary status.
If it were a normal game, and Seidou High School had built such a huge lead, Coach Kataoka would have definitely said:
"Let's slow the pace down."
Such words might seem insignificant on the surface, but they actually conveyed a lot.
The intention was to let the Seidou players ease up a bit, and not press too hard on their opponents.
You must remember, don't chase a desperate enemy.
What if the Nanakyo players, in their desperation, started playing recklessly against Seidou? That wouldn't be good for them, would it?
But this time, with a huge lead, Coach Kataoka didn't hint at any mercy.
Instead, he let the players play freely and not miss any opportunity on the field.
What does this mean?
It means to go all out. If they could break the Koshien record for the biggest score difference in the first game, that would be the perfect outcome.
Unfortunately, although the Nanakyo players were weak, they weren't entirely helpless.
It wasn't easy for Seidou to score so many runs against them.
In the end, the score remained at:
27-0!
Just 7 runs short of the record set over 50 years ago.
It was the Seidou High School baseball team's only regret up to this point.
Next, Furuya returned to the mound.
He performed well, and Coach Kataoka had no intention of switching players at the final moment.
Aside from him, Ono also performed excellently.
The catcher position, unlike the pitcher, isn't easily interchangeable.
Pitchers can be substituted based on team needs, and many teams regularly make changes in the pitcher position.
But catchers are different. It's rare for a team to swap out catchers during a game.
At that time, when they substituted Miyuki, Seidou High School took a big risk.
If Seidou hadn't been leading by 8 runs, it would have been a difficult decision to make.
But with Coach Kataoka having high confidence in his players, it was a calculated move.
Most people wouldn't make such a choice.
Luckily, the players lived up to his trust, performing actively both in defense and offense.
Ping!
As the game neared its end, Furuya's pitch speed gradually slowed down.
Nanakyo's players were finally able to make contact with the ball.
Though they were able to make contact, the immense power behind the ball wasn't something they could easily withstand.
When they swung, it felt as though their hands were being shattered by the impact.
Under these circumstances, even when they managed to make contact, the ball's landing spot was predictable.
The recently substituted Higasa easily caught the baseball that flew over his head.
"OUT!"
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!"
When the ninth batter hit the ball, Furuya probably felt a bit embarrassed.
So, in the following batter, he seemed to regain his form.
He even threw pitches above 155 km/h, easily dealing with Nanakyo's most powerful batter, the first batter.
Next, Hanagata, after two rounds of adjusting, finally made full contact with Furuya's pitch.
Ping!
He stubbornly hit the ball, giving Nanakyo their first hit.
But that was all. After that, Furuya struck out Nanakyo's third batter.
He easily got the final Out and ended the game.
The first two innings were pitched by Furuya, with no errors, no hits, and 6 strikeouts, no doubt about it.
The following innings were pitched by Furuya.
Aside from the 7th inning, when he let two batters walk, he pitched well.
He didn't give Nanakyo any more chances.
He walked two batters and gave up one hit.
Furuya's performance wasn't without flaws, but it was still impressive.
Especially his 13 strikeouts, which were enough to shut everyone up.
He only pitched 7 innings but managed to strike out 13 batters.
This kind of performance was truly monstrous.
If you include the 6 strikeouts from Sawamura, then combined, they broke the Koshien strikeout record.
Unfortunately, they were achieved by two people.
So, this record will have to wait for the future.
"The opening match of Koshien ends, and Nanakyo High School of West Tokyo is defeated 27-0 by Seidou High School, advancing to the next round first!!"
…
T/N: with this the first game is completed!