The rest of the game between Shoto and Matsubara ended quickly. After a few more runs in the top of the first inning, Sora took the mound in the bottom half, and with a large lead in his favor, the young pitcher threw with confidence, retiring Matsubara's batters in order.
With an excellent performance from Sora on the mound and an even better showing from Shoto's batters, Shoto Junior High School won their first game of the doubleheader with a score of 23-0 in just five innings. With this victory, they officially advanced to the quarterfinals of the Kanto Tournament.
---
Meanwhile, in the stands...
"Tch! Let's warm up, our game is right after the next one." - Sugawara said, standing up irritably as soon as Shoto Junior High's game ended.
"Hm, let's go." - Kohei replied as he and the rest of Hokuto's players also stood. At that moment, Kohei didn't even think about teasing his white-haired friend again. After witnessing Shoto's dominant performance, Kohei and the other Hokuto players had serious expressions on their faces. They realized they weren't the only ones who had come to Kanto to win it all, and unless they gave their best, they might run into trouble.
---
Back on the field, the players from Matsubara and Shoto left their dugouts one final time as the teams formed two lines facing each other.
"Thank you for the game!" - The players from both teams bowed to their opponents and shouted these words. Shun bowed deeply as well, sincerely thanking his opponents for the game. When he stood up and looked at Matsubara's lineup, he saw several players crying over their defeat, while others tried to hold back their emotions, their red, swollen eyes betraying that they had also shed tears.
Shun didn't speak to any of Matsubara's players, but he couldn't help feeling his determination grow stronger. He didn't want the next ones crying after an elimination to be him and his Shoto teammates.
"Who's that guy on the mound?" - Ren asked, turning to Shimizu.
"Ehhh, looks like his name is Kaito Ogawa. He's a third-year." - Shimizu replied with a smile after glancing at the roster sheet in her hand. She had printed out the player lists for all the teams to provide this information to Shoto's players if needed. She felt particularly pleased that the first person to ask her was her beloved boyfriend, Kenta.
Shun listened to Shimizu's words and mentally noted the name Kaito Ogawa, Seiryu's ace. Shun watched as Kaito threw a few warm-up pitches on the mound before signaling to the umpire that he was ready to start the game.
With that, Tsubasa Middle School's leadoff hitter stepped into the batter's box, while Seiryu's ace began his windup, quickly delivering the ball toward home plate.
WOOSH
PAH
"Strike!" - The umpire called the first strike of the game after Tsubasa's batter swung and missed a fastball high in the zone.
"YEEEEAAHHH!!" - Seiryu's cheering section erupted in excitement for their ace's first strike, while the rest of the stadium stared in shock at the radar gun display.
"140 km/h..." - Ren murmured, his gaze fixed on the radar reading.
"Another monster..." - Kenta muttered in disbelief. It wasn't common to see a middle school pitcher throwing at that velocity, but for some reason, it seemed like Shoto always ended up facing these guys in tournaments. First Kohei, then Imai, and now possibly Kaito. Kenta couldn't help but wonder what kind of luck he and his teammates had to keep encountering these players.