[168] First Battle Opponent

Chapter 168: First Battle Opponent

In Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, at the hotel where Seidou High School is staying:

On August 3rd, as Hiroshi Ochiai departed from Seidou High School to head toward Koshien Stadium, Seidou drew their first opponent in the tournament lottery—Nanagamari Tech, the representative team from Miyagi Prefecture in the Tohoku region.

Upon learning this, Coach Kataoka immediately organized a strategy meeting after dinner.

As Seidou's return to the national stage, this opening game was crucial.

They had to establish their presence as champions representing West Tokyo—losing in the first round would be a humiliation.

"Nanagamari Tech?" Eijun murmured in the meeting room, pausing for a moment.

The name sounded familiar to him, and then, like a flash, he recalled.

In the original story, Nanagamari Tech had appeared before, though in a minor role.

Their first mention was in the second series, where they faced Hakuryuu High from Gunma Prefecture in the Spring Koshien Tournament.

Eijun remembered the outcome well: Nanagamari lost that match, and quite soundly.

If memory served, Hakuryuu's ace, poker-faced Shintarou Ouno, shut down Nanagamari's offense with only a few runs conceded—two or three, if he recalled correctly.

Still, this past match was only a reference.

The Nanagamari team they were now facing consisted of third-year players and was likely stronger than the one seen in spring.

In the original story, Nanagamari's batting lineup wasn't particularly weak, either.

Thinking about it, Eijun considered Seidou's draw rather fortunate.

At least they hadn't drawn a team like Komadai Fujimaki for the opening round, a dark horse that would have put Seidou's strength to a serious test.

Luckily, Nanagamari was a middle-tier team among the Koshien powerhouses—not too strong or too weak.

If he played, he'd need to be cautious and take it one batter at a time. But he didn't need to be overly wary; he just had to pitch his own style.

By now, Eijun had fully developed his presence as an ace, especially after winning a complete nine-inning duel against Inashiro Industrial in the regional finals.

That victory had elevated his confidence and mindset.

While Eijun considered his strategy for the opening game, Chris-senpai was at the whiteboard, writing down key information about Nanagamari's team.

"Nanagamari Technical High School is a Koshien regular, qualifying nearly every spring and summer. They're an experienced team on the national stage," Chris explained.

"Their lineup is solid and dependable. Generally, they avoid high-risk tactics and focus on steady offense."

"Their ace is Ichirou Miki, a third-year right-hander, standing 175 cm tall with a fastball reaching 140 km/h. His control is adequate enough to hit the corners."

"His key pitch is a slider. They also have a second pitcher, a second-year player with jersey number 10, Yamashita Itou."

"He specializes in the knuckleball and serves as their closer in regional tournaments. Late in games, he's nearly untouchable—opposing teams rarely manage a single hit off him."

With that, Chris had laid out a comprehensive analysis of Nanagamari's strengths.

The Seidou players listened intently.

As previously emphasized, an early exit in the first round was out of the question.

They had fought through the fierce West Tokyo qualifiers, overcoming strong teams. To come to Koshien only to lose right away would feel like a bitter failure.

Some of the upperclassmen would probably feel like banging their heads against a wall if they got eliminated so quickly.

"Among their lineup, the batter to watch out for is their leadoff hitter and captain, first baseman Hiroyuki Sawano," Chris continued. "He has a remarkable on-base percentage of 70% in the regional tournaments. Whenever he reaches base, Nanagamari's chances of scoring that inning significantly increase. If we want to shut down their offense, controlling this batter from the start is essential."

"A slider, huh?" commented Yuuki, nodding with a calm yet eager expression that Eijun recognized as readiness.

"A knuckleball? Ha, now that's interesting for a backup pitcher," Jun Isashiki smirked.

"A 70% on-base rate? That's a bit intimidating," Kuramochi remarked with a low whistle.

"The key will be putting pressure on them from the first inning," Miyuki said softly, quickly pinpointing the game's critical factor: gaining the upper hand early.

The scouting report indicated that if Nanagamari was shut down in the opening inning and their opponent gained a solid lead, they struggled to catch up.

They were prone to falling into their opponent's rhythm, leading to a slow defeat.

In short, Nanagamari was a capable team, but not particularly strong. Seidou's chances of winning were high—around 80-20 in their favor.

"None of you need me to tell you the importance of this first game, right?" Coach Kataoka stepped forward, his stern expression resolute. "Since you've made it here, at the very least, give it everything you have. If you're serious about conquering the nation, take this first game decisively."

"Yes, sir!"

"Now, for the starting lineup."

"Batting first, shortstop—Kuramochi."

"Yes, sir."

"..."

"Batting seventh, left fielder—Sawamura."

"Yes, sir!" Eijun responded loudly after a brief pause, slightly disappointed to not be pitching in the first inning.

"Batting eighth, pitcher—Furuya."

"Yes!" Furuya replied with a rare, visible smile on his usually expressionless face. It was clear he was thrilled to start as the pitcher in this crucial opening game.

"This first game is crucial, Furuya. You understand that, right?"

"Yes, sir," Furuya nodded in response.

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