Baseball: A Two-Way Player Chapter 37: On Fire

For the mbers of Waseda Industries, the confrontation between Nihon University and Nihon University Tsurugaoka brought them quite a shock:

Nihon University Tsurugaoka, clearly the weaker team, faced a 0:4 score disadvantage early on, yet managed to maintain a stable mindset throughout the match and ultimately achieved a massive coback. It’s hard not to be amazed;

At the sa ti, the Waseda Jitsugyo mbers were also surprised by the early exit of Nihon University: After all, this was the powerful team that fought fiercely for 12 innings against the Okinawa powerhouse Konan High School during this year’s spring Koshien, only to be defeated in the sumr ga.

This undoubtedly served as a reminder to Waseda Jitsugyo: So of them felt overly confident when they knew their semi-final opponent was Waseda University, believing victory was within easy reach; however, the painful loss of Nihon University woke them up, proving once again that sumr gas leave no room for carelessness; otherwise, you might be shattered beyond repair.

Speaking of Waseda University, much like the "Nihon University showdown" between Nihon University and Nihon University Tsurugaoka, this match between Waseda Industries and Waseda University was another "Waseda Derby": Waseda Jitsugyo and Waseda University are respectively affiliated and subsidiary high schools of Waseda University, except that Waseda University focuses more on academics and research, and is relatively weaker in sports compared to Waseda Jitsugyo.

Because the previous ga had a long five-inning overti, the second ga was delayed significantly. Inside the Shengong Stadium, the ward-up players from both teams lined up at either side of ho plate, led by the chief umpire, performing the usual pre-ga courtesy ritual.

Due to the tight schedule, Izumi Minoru sent Uchida Saint, a second-year student, to pitch first today, playing the role of a false starter to relieve so pressure off the fatigued main players by taking a few innings.

As Waseda Jitsugyo’s leadoff, Chongxin Shen Zhong stepped into the batter’s box, the ga officially began—the 2010 National High School Baseball Championship West Tokyo Conference semi-final match, featuring Waseda Industries vs. Waseda University; Waseda Jitsugyo started on offense.

In the top of the first inning, perhaps stimulated by Nihon University’s elimination, Waseda Jitsugyo entered the ga swiftly. Chongxin Shen Zhong led off by hitting the first single of the match and successfully reached first base;

But Waseda University’s state wasn’t bad either: their starting pitcher Chiba didn’t pitch fast, but had excellent control and mastered many types of breaking balls. Coupled with their relatively solid defense, Waseda Jitsugyo’s offensive in the top of the first inning ultimately ca to nothing.

At the end of the top of the first inning, Shengong Stadium’s scoreboard had a big zero recorded on Waseda Jitsugyo’s side.

After switching sides, Uchida Saint, who started today, adjusted his state quite well—as a rare left-handed breaking ball pitcher who hadn’t had many chances to play before, he was determined to make a good impression today:

Through a combination of pitch selection and tacit cooperation with the catcher, Uchida Saint slightly increased his effort, getting one strikeout and two infield groundouts, effortlessly retiring Waseda University in order and ending the first half-inning.

Having gained so understanding of the opposing pitcher’s habits from the first inning, Waseda Jitsugyo’s offense beca fiercer from the second inning onward: first, the fifth batter Tsuchiya Ryouta hit the ball deep into the field, successfully reaching second base; then with a sacrifice bunt strategy, Waseda Jitsugyo’s lineup successfully brought him ho. The eighth batter Kakiwara Yosuke followed, seizing the opponent’s brief panic after letting in a run, and scored another insurance run.

In the top of the third inning, Uchida Saint, who finally got a chance to play today, also shone in batting—with a direct confrontation against Waseda University’s pitcher, he got a hit on his first pitch, and was then sent ho by teammates for a score.

At the end of the third inning, Waseda Jitsugyo led Waseda University 3:0—just like the start of the first ga, this "Waseda Derby" seed to be heading towards a Waseda Jitsugyo victory?

To this, Waseda University’s answer was—"But, I refuse."

In the top of the fourth inning, they started with defense, finally managing to shut down Waseda Jitsugyo’s lineup again, preventing further scoring; in the subsequent bottom of the fourth inning, Waseda University’s dormant lineup finally awoke: hitting consecutive singles in four at-bats and driving in two runs, they brought the score to 2:3, seemingly reinviting suspense into the ga—

"Will this ongoing Waseda Derby repeat the storyline of the Nihon University showdown?"

Waseda Jitsugyo’s answer was the sa—"But, I refuse."

As the fifth inning began, Waseda Jitsugyo’s lineup quickly responded: "How to ensure we’re not overturned? It’s simple, just keep scoring, isn’t it?"

Avoiding the previous inning’s pitfalls, in the top of the fifth inning, Waseda Jitsugyo scored another 2 runs, once more widening the point gap to 3 runs.

In the subsequent bottom of the fifth inning, having perfectly completed his false starting role, Uchida Saint was substituted by Izumi Minoru—a performance worth noting as he pitched 4 innings, got 2 strikeouts, 1 walk, and hit 2 singles with one RBI; as Uchida Saint returned to the player’s area, Waseda Jitsugyo’s teammates showered him with praise and congratulations.

Replaced in was the team’s ace, Suzuki Kensuke—prior to this semi-final ga, Izumi Minoru had already inford Lin Guanglai that it’s unlikely he’d play; instead, he was asked to rest up for the finals on July 26, where Lin Guanglai would start as the pitcher.

With Suzuki Kensuke on field, the regular main lineup of Waseda Jitsugyo perford even more solidly in defense: starting from the fifth inning, they shut out Waseda University for three consecutive innings; the opponent barely managed to score one run in the bottom of the eighth inning by using a sacrifice bunt strategy—but by this ti, they were already beyond salvage.

Finally, at the end of nine innings, the scorching Waseda Industries, with a comprehensive blossoming offense and solid defense, defeated Waseda University with a large score of 7:3, preventing any further upsets.

Awaiting Waseda Jitsugyo in the final would be Japan University Heqiu High School—this would be their first eting since the 2008 West Tokyo Conference final:

Two years ago, in the final, Suzuki Kensuke and Tsuchiya Ryouta, who were then freshn, sat in the stands witnessing their senior classmates being swept 5:13 by Nihon University Tsurugaoka.

For them, the upcoming final is also a chance for revenge, two years in the making.

As both sides conducted the post-ga ceremony, for Lin Guanglai, who did not play this match, his mind had already flown to two days later:

West Tokyo Conference, decisive battle—a dream once out of reach, now slowly becoming reality.

Standing still, clenching his fists, Lin Guanglai made up his mind:

"The day after tomorrow’s ga, we must win, absolutely!"