Chapter 185: Chapter 72: Barrage of Furious Hits (Double-Length)
Watching the baseball soar out of the field from home plate, the commentary booth was fully invigorated, and the commentator couldn’t help but shout out:
"Lin Guanglai! Bottom of the second inning! Solo home run!"
"For Waseda Jitsugyo, this home run is truly a timely hit! After Tokai University Sagami High School took the lead, Lin Guanglai quickly helped his team to tie the score with his individual prowess!"
"The significance of this home run is enormous! It not only halted the team’s downward trend but also delivered a heavy blow to the opponents—now it’s Tokai University Sagami High School’s turn to have a headache!"
Confirming the baseball flew out of the field, Lin Guanglai jogged along the infield baseline, and after circling the field, he returned to the player area, high-fiving each of his teammates, whose faces were lit with joy.
Just less than ten minutes ago, these players’ faces were filled with self-reproach and anxiety, clearly caught up in the previous error; Lin Guanglai’s home run instantly dispelled the cloud hanging over the Waseda Jitsugyo players, completely rejuvenating the team’s atmosphere.
"The score is now tied—everyone, let’s seize this momentum and show our opponents what we’re made of!" Taking advantage of the high morale, Lin Guanglai didn’t forget to encourage his teammates.
"Yes...!" "We’ll definitely do it!!" "Let’s take the lead!!"
Responding to him were the enthusiastic shouts of his teammates.
In the stands, seeing their son’s team tie the score, Lin’s parents finally breathed a sigh of relief after being on edge.
"See, what did I say? Have a little faith in Guang—over the years, you’ve seen my little brother’s talent in baseball before—he was born to be a star player."
At this moment, the Alps Stand above the first base had turned into a sea of joy, where the previously discouraged supporters of Waseda Jitsugyo, due to trailing behind, were now coming back in full force, creating a deafening roar.
Among these people, Lin Xinglai may have been one of the very few who remained calm: from the start of the game, she firmly believed Waseda Jitsugyo could take the victory—not for any particular reason but purely out of a sister’s knowledge and confidence in her brother, nothing more.
In contrast to the high spirits of Waseda Jitsugyo, the scene on the Tokai University Sagami High School side was entirely different.
When Lin Guanglai made contact with the ball, Morima Keiji knew there was trouble ahead—the baseball soared out of the field, instantly nullifying their hard-won 1-point lead.
From the third-base dugout, it was clear to see the players’ expressions on the field—Morima Keiji could sharply sense that the players’ mindset was somewhat affected by that last swing, especially the pitcher and outfielders, whose heads were hung low, hands on knees, pondering something.
The situation in the Tokai University Sagami High School support stands wasn’t much better; fans donned in white and green attire, holding various support items, exchanged looks of disbelief:
"Oh no, is the guy on the other team not human?"
"Ahhh—it’s Lin Guanglai again, having such a player on Waseda Jitsugyo is just unfair!"
"Ah, if only XYZ were still here—he’d surely hold Lin Guanglai in check."
Compared to the players on the field, these Tokai University Sagami High School supporters found it even harder to accept the current situation:
In the previous inning, their team went all out to snatch a point from Lin Guanglai—who’s ever seen a team’s fifth batter using a bunt to help a teammate advance on base?
The result, however, was that the hard-earned 1 point from Tokai University Sagami High School got instantly erased the moment Lin Guanglai stepped up, leaving these supporters somewhat mentally unbalanced.
Once their emotions stabilized a bit, even these Tokai University Sagami High School loyal fans could only sigh to themselves:
"Ah, this is baseball for you!"
For the Tokai University Sagami High School players on the field defending, the game was still ongoing—they didn’t have much time to dwell on that lost point.
After Lin Guanglai’s home run tied the score, the Tokai University Sagami High School coach Morima Keiji decisively called for a timeout, sending a message player to the pitcher’s mound to relay his instructions.
The current situation on the field was with nobody out, in some ways indicating a brand-new game—
Therefore, Morima Keiji instructed his players to play the rest of the game as if nothing had happened before.
With the score now tied, if the Tokai University Sagami High School players could face the upcoming Waseda Jitsugyo batters with the same mindset as at the start of the game, they should have no major issues holding off against Waseda Jitsugyo’s lower batting order.
But again, talking is easy, and the outcome ultimately depends on the teams’ performances on the field.
No matter how much Morima Keiji emphasized not to worry about Lin Guanglai’s recent home run, the players on Tokai University Sagami High School’s side could not avoid being affected somewhat; fluctuations in the players’ states were evident on the field;
On the contrary, after Lin Guanglai swiftly tied the score, the spirits of Waseda Jitsugyo’s players surged to their peak—all eager to unleash the emotions built up in the previous half-inning.