If we set aside other influencing factors and view the strike zone as an independent cross-section, when the left-handed Lin Guanglai faces the right-handed pitcher Itou Takuro's inside fastball, such a diagonal pitch can easily squeeze the angle of his swing.

In response, Lin Guanglai employed more technical handling for this pitch: you could see him lean his body to the left side to open up more space for his swing, allowing his arms to smoothly drive the bat.

This batting style may sound simple, but when truly practiced, it demands a lot from the batter's core strength and the intensity of the waist and abdomen. Without sufficient physical strength, it can easily lead to the batter's injury—this is precisely why Ikezaki Takakazu specifically instructed Lin Guanglai to enhance his muscle strength and physical condition when teaching him this batting style.

As the swing was completed, the entire batting process flowed as smoothly as playing golf—every muscle in Lin Guanglai's body exerted its strength through the bat, pouring all its power onto the baseball.

In the blink of an eye, the baseball rapidly soared upwards above Koshien Stadium, flying over the infield and outfield, climbing along the direction of right field.

After sending the baseball out, Lin Guanglai swung the bat over his shoulder to release the impact, then quickly tossed the bat onto the ground and charged towards first base with giant strides.

In fact, the moment the bat struck the baseball, he had a strong premonition: This one's going out!

Whether it was the timing of the start, the initial speed of the swing, the precision of the contact, or the launch angle of the hit, everything was just right—the fluidity of control felt incredibly exhilarating to Lin Guanglai.

Having just sprinted past first base and preparing to dash towards second base, Lin Guanglai turned his head just in time to watch the baseball fly over the right field into Koshien's outfield stands.

The first base umpire waved his arms, declaring the hit a home run.

"Look at this hit—right field! It's out!!!"

"Waseda Real! Lin Guanglai! Tournament's 3rd home run!!!"

"Two-run homer to tie it up!!!"

"2 to 2!!!"

"A swift counterattack from the Senbatsu champions!!!"

"This game is getting more and more exciting!!!"

Amid the cheers from the crowd, Lin Guanglai jogged around the bases, returning to home plate to touch it and complete the home run process.

After a series of errors in the top of the first inning allowed the opponent to take a two-run lead, Waseda quickly counterattacked to tie the score, which was a huge boost for the team's morale and confidence.

Returning to the player's area, the home run hitter Lin Guanglai seemed exceptionally excited, even more so than in his previous home runs.

Celebrating with high-fives and hugs with his teammates, Lin Guanglai shouted to them, "What did I say—we don't need to be nervous, and we definitely don't need to carry so much burden! We're stronger than them! As long as we play at our own pace, we'll definitely be the winners of this game!"

"For the rest of the game, if Teikyo wants to fight, we'll fight with them! Until they're afraid of us and don't dare to fight us anymore!"

After the fifth batter, Hagiyama Mitsuo, was caught out, both teams quickly changed equipment and the game moved into the second inning.

In the top of the second inning, Teikyo Junior & Senior High School's offense started with the seventh batter—this time, Waseda's players finally didn't make any mistakes in defense, and Teikyo's batters failed to reach base.

Seventh batter Kanagubo Ryo was struck out.

Eighth batter Ijuin Masato was thrown out at first base.

Ninth batter Ishikawa Ryo hit a high fly ball that was caught in the outfield.

The lower-order batters, who were already average in hitting, didn't gain any advantage, being eliminated one after another.

In the bottom of the second inning, Waseda's lower-order batters also couldn't start a consecutive offensive streak; however, Yagaki Kentaro and Uesugi Yasuyuki hit consecutive singles, putting great pressure on Teikyo's defense.

Although Teikyo ultimately held the half-inning without conceding a run, the consecutive hits in the offensive round boosted Waseda players' confidence more and more, gradually dispelling the panic caused by consecutive errors in the first half-inning.

In the top of the third inning, it was Lin Guanglai's good pitching—after striking out Mizukami Shikou first, although he allowed a hit, he then intentionally orchestrated a ground ball for a double play, securing the last two outs needed for this half-inning, and causing Matsuboto Gou, who previously had key hits, to waste an at-bat.

In the bottom of the third inning, it was Waseda's turn to bat again, with the lineup cycling back to the beginning, just like in the first inning.

Teikyo Junior & Senior High School's starting pitcher Itou Takuro, who could throw a fastball up to 147 km/h during his first year, should belong to the power pitcher category with strong strikeout ability. However, by the third inning of today's game, he hadn't managed even a single strikeout—this phenomenon was due to his serious control issues today.

As everyone knows, controlling the ball is quite a mysterious affair; even professional pitchers occasionally throw wild pitches, let alone amateur high school players.

In fact, pitchers developing strong control at the high school level are quite rare, and many of them rely on breaking balls as soft-tossers; if a top-class power pitcher with decent control emerges, he will definitely become the focus of professional scouts.

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