Chương 247: [247] Preparations on All Fronts

Chapter 247: Preparations on All Fronts

At the hotels where each team was staying, a calm before the storm quietly brewed after the day's games had concluded.

This moment marked the final preparations for all four teams as they geared up for the decisive matches ahead.

Even a team as strong as Komadai Fujimaki, when facing Yamamori, wouldn't dare show the slightest complacency.

Their philosophy was to present the best, strongest, and most complete version of themselves at all times.

Hailing from the northern regions, their grueling training in the harsh winter had forged an unyielding will.

For each of their players, there was only one goal in stepping onto this stage: the championship trophy.

They were a team that spoke less and acted more.

Even after defeating numerous powerhouse teams, they remained composed, showing neither arrogance nor overconfidence.

In their eyes, such victories were merely steps on the path to the summit, and until they truly reached the pinnacle, there would be no room for relaxation.

Thus, in the semifinals, even when facing Yamamori High School—a team that seemed slightly weaker compared to other powerhouses like Hakuryuu or Teito—Komadai Fujimaki was determined to go all out and crush them.

...

On the other side, Yamamori faced immense pressure as they prepared to go up against the tournament's biggest dark horse and arguably the strongest team: Yamamori.

Realistically, their internal assessment put their chances of victory at less than 30%.

While the gap in overall strength on paper wasn't insurmountable, the key challenge lay in Yamamori's near-perfect defensive system.

Their pitching lineup, in particular, was a fortress. With four pitchers spanning three grades—seniors, juniors, and freshmen—they had incredible depth.

Individually, none of these pitchers might match the aces of other elite teams even at this stage, Hongou wasn't entirely overwhelming, but together, their defensive capability was astonishing.

Even in a full 15-inning extra-inning game, no single pitcher would need to throw more than four innings, all while maintaining high performance.

This level of rotation was a nightmare for opposing teams.

For Yamamori, the only way to win was to find a way to exploit these pitchers within the limited opportunities they had. Otherwise, victory would remain a distant dream.

...

In the original story, Komadai Fujimaki famously wore down Narumiya Mei. While the exact details of the game weren't depicted, it was later mentioned that Komadai Fujimaki rotated through four pitchers in the finals, conceding only two runs in total. In the 14th inning, they finally gave up a decisive run, losing narrowly to 3-2.

This highlighted not only Coach Nitta Kozo's brilliant tactical use of his pitchers but also the remarkable strength of Inashiro's four-pitcher lineup.

Their constant rotation made it nearly impossible for opposing batters to get a read on their pitches.

Of course, such a strategy required exceptional skill from the pitchers themselves.

For comparison, Seido High's pitching staff, while strong, had a slightly lower average performance level compared to Komadai's.

Fortunately, Komadai Fujimaki's batting lineup wasn't as overwhelming as its pitching.

If Seido High could reach the finals, this might present a small opening to exploit.

But that would be the only one.

At the hotel where Seidou High was staying, preparations for the semifinals were in full swing.

Their opponent in the semifinals was none other than Osaka Kiryuu High School, a powerhouse from Osaka and last year's runner-up team.

To be honest, Osaka Kiryuu High's overall strength made them one of the top contenders in this year's Koshien tournament.

While they were defeated in the original story by Seihou High School, it was only thanks to Shuuzou Sano's individual brilliance, hitting a clutch game-winning shot in the ninth inning, that Seihou emerged victorious.

Seihou and Kiryu are, at the very least, on equal footing in terms of strength.

Considering how challenging Seidou's victory over Seihou was—where even a slight misstep could have resulted in defeat—it's clear that facing Osaka Kiryuu High would be no less daunting.

Additionally, just before the summer tournament began, Seidou High had a practice game against Osaka Kiryuu.

Both teams gained some understanding of each other's strengths during that match, and Seidou remained highly wary of Osaka Kiryuu's capabilities.

Two months had passed since that practice game.

How much had Osaka Kiryuu High improved?

What changes had they made to their lineup?

Over the past few days, the scouting team led by Chris worked tirelessly to gather and refine as much information as possible on Osaka Kiryuu's players, leaving no stone unturned.

Now, it was just a matter of execution.

...

On the day before the game, in the usual conference room at their hotel, Seidou High's players and staff gathered for their pre-game strategy meeting.

The atmosphere was tense and serious as everyone focused on the upcoming semifinal against Osaka Kiryuu High.

This routine meeting was critical for strategic analysis and tactical planning.

Chris stood at the front, meticulously breaking down Osaka Kiryuu High's current lineup and noting any changes compared to their previous encounters.

"Osaka Kiryuu's backup catcher, Shibata Kyohei, was promoted to starting catcher before the summer tournament. This catcher's abilities were already familiar to many of you from our previous practice game. His chemistry with their ace, Tachi Hiromi, is exceptional. In fact, he seems to be even better than their previous catcher at maximizing Tachi's potential."

"As for the other positions, their cleanup hitters remain unchanged, but there has been a significant change at the leadoff spot. A second-year player, Hijikata, has been promoted to bat first. He's a second baseman and ranks among the top three in terms of power in Kiryuu's batting lineup, which is known for its strength. However, he struggles against breaking balls and is particularly good at capitalizing on fastballs. With his impressive speed, Coach Matsumoto has placed him in the leadoff position."

"Other than that, their lineup occasionally sees minor rotations, but the core members remain largely the same as last year and during the practice game. Their style is still built around a power-centric batting lineup."

Chris continued to explain the finer details of Kiryuu High's lineup, ensuring everyone understood the changes and tendencies of their opponents.

Seated below, Eijun and the others listened intently, especially when it came to Kiryuu's cleanup hitters and their ace, Tachi Hiromi, who also served as their cleanup batter. During the practice game, Eijun had already experienced firsthand the strength of this dual-role ace.

As both their ace and cleanup hitter, Tachi Hiromi was undoubtedly the pillar of Kiryuu High.

In their last practice game, Eijun had been unable to completely suppress Tachi. But this time, he was confident. He was ready to face Kiryuu's ace head-on.

Koshien was, after all, the best stage for such a duel.

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