Ping!
The white ball soared into the sky, flying high but not particularly far.
The ball finally landed in left field, using up all its energy, and almost falling straight down.
Prepared in advance, Sawamura was already waiting for where the ball would drop. Without much effort, he caught the ball in his glove.
Snap!
"Out!!"
After Chris, the sixth batter, Masuko, hit a slow high fly to the outfield.
With this final Out, the New team of Seidou High had completed their defense for the first inning.
Even though Masuko only hit a slow fly ball to the outfield and couldn't continue the team's offensive momentum, no one would underestimate him. This seemingly blind hitter had contributed three home runs during the Koshien tournament.
His contribution to the team was definitely significant, despite his frequent blunders, which were simply due to his personal style.
The consequence of swinging with full force could be a Strikeout or a fly ball, but if he happened to connect probably, it could solve the problem with one swing.
This is the allure of a power hitter.
After the defense ended, everyone returned to the dugout.
Each player who had been on the field was exhausted.
In terms of physical exertion, they had only played one inning, so the physical demand wasn't particularly high. But the immense pressure constantly hung over them.
So strong! Truly formidable!
It was unimaginably strong.
These third-year seniors, already terrifyingly skilled, had reached even greater heights after the Koshien Tournament, attaining a level of prowess beyond ordinary imagination.
And not just their skill, their momentum was also frighteningly high.
Facing such opponents, the first and second-year players on the field bore tremendous psychological pressure.
Not to mention them, even Miyuki was scratching his head.
"Hey, hey, aren't the Senpais too strong?"
Even in the Koshien games, they didn't seem this terrifying.
"During the period in Koshien, the Senpais' abilities had made some breakthroughs. But that was just the initial phase of improvement; there was still a growth period after that."
Sawamura wasn't surprised.
Many people know that players often make significant progress during the Koshien period.
This is why Koshien was a legendary place.
Whether people believe in it or not, Sawamura, who had seen it many times, had no doubts about it.
Moreover, he knew even more.
During the Koshien period, players who broke through had a phase of rapid growth afterward.
The third-year seniors experienced a period of rapid growth in their abilities during this time.
Now their skills were even stronger than during the Koshien!
"If that's the case, this game is really going to be tough!" Miyuki smiled wryly.
"The number of runs we gave up in the first inning was not as small as it looks. Therefore, no matter how difficult it is, we must score at least one run. Otherwise, this game will really be in jeopardy."
Sawamura's assessment was also agreed upon by Miyuki.
"Yeah, we need to score as quickly as possible!"
While the two discussed counterattack strategies, the coaching staff evaluated Furuya's strengths and weaknesses.
"When there are runners on base, his performance is still too immature!"
Ochiai's tone carried a hint of disappointment.
He had expected Furuya to have a certain level of skill by now.
But to see him perform so poorly against third-year students was unexpected.
"He was completely inexperienced before, and it's not easy for him to grow to this level."
President Ota remained as kind as ever.
"Next, we need to focus on special training for his defense. Otherwise, with his current state, it's hard to trust him with the mound in critical situations."
In the bottom of the first inning, it was the New team's turn to bat.
"First Batter, shortstop, Kuramochi."
Kuramochi remained the offensive engine of the new team.
When the new team was first formed, the coaching staff considered many possibilities for Kuramochi's position, but after much deliberation, they decided that the leadoff spot suited him best.
His characteristics were too obvious. As long as he got on base, it would trigger a wave of offensive frenzy.
In other words, if he got on base, the chances of scoring in the first inning would greatly increase.
This is a role no one else could replace.
So after the new team was formed, he remained the steadfast leadoff hitter.
As the team's vice-captain and one of the mainstays, Kuramochi was also highly motivated as he stepped up to the plate.
'Tanpa-san, I won't go easy on you!'
Not only the third-year seniors had grown through Koshien, but Kuramochi Yoichi had as well.
'Let's see you experience my unparalleled speed.'
Ping!
Kuramochi laid down a bunt, hitting the ball lightly.
'Good!'
Although the ball rolled out slowly, Kuramochi was very satisfied.
With his speed, by the time the fielder picked up the ball, he could easily reach first base.
As soon as the ball was hit, Kuramochi let go of the bat and dashed forward like a leopard chasing prey.
Moving just as quickly, Chris, who had been in the catcher's position, darted out, covering the distance in two steps, and caught the rolling ball in his Mitt.
He then stood up and made a precise throw to first base.
Snap!
"Out!!!"
This clean and swift action stunned everyone.
Kuramochi was Out before he even reached halfway to first base.
"What's this?"
"That was too fast."
"Slow the camera down."
"Don't be silly; this is live."
Everyone was amazed by Chris's performance, and Kuramochi himself was dumbfounded.
'How could the catcher get to the ball so quickly?'
The catcher has to stand up first, then judge the distance, and run forward…
In short, it's very hard to make such a clean and quick play.
But just Chris did it, and it was extraordinarily clean and swift.
He didn't even take the time to stand up; his crouch was like a charging spear.
There wasn't a hint of hesitation throughout the process.
If he had hesitated even slightly, the ball would have been long gone.
Before leaving the field, Kuramochi gave Chris a deep look.
'What a frightening guy!'
With one out and no one on base.
"Second up, second baseman, Kominato Haruichi."
Haruichi not only replaced his brother's position as second baseman but also took over his brother's batting spot.
"Go for it, Kominato!"
"Let's see what you can do, Devil Brother!"
After the first Out, Kominato Haruichi stepped up to the plate.
He was still very excited inside. Although he had been part of the Seidou High team when they dominated the nation, his performance had been quite impressive. Nevertheless, he was always a supporting character rather than a core member of that team.
The true national champions were Sawamura, Tetsuya-san, Chris-senpai, Jun-san, Kuramochi-senpai, and his older brother…
Not him!
Even though he was thrilled when the team won the national championship, that excitement could not compare to the feeling of being a main player and achieving that victory himself.
Haruichi really liked something that Zono-san once said:
"This is our era!"
'Yes, it's our era now! We absolutely won't lose to the Senpai.'
Whoosh!
As Haruichi made up his mind, Tanpa's pitch came in.
The white ball seemed like it was going to hit Haruichi's body.
'Here it comes! The high-drop curveball!'
This is Tanpa Koichiro's specialty, dropping rapidly and sharply as it nears the batter!
'Now.'
Facing the ball that seemed to be aimed at him, Haruichi didn't flinch.
Against this extremely dangerous pitch, he didn't take a step back, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the ball's movement.
As expected.
When the ball reached him, just as it was about to hit his body, it suddenly slowed down, almost as if someone had pressed the pause button.
The white ball seemed to hover in place for a fraction of a moment.
In the face of this strange phenomenon, most people would be distracted.
But Haruichi was completely focused. He was very familiar with Tanpa-senpai's pitch changes. He had seen this type of pitch countless times from the dugout and was familiar with every variation.
At that time, he often imagined how he would handle such a pitch if he were in the batter's box.
This is a necessary quality for a good hitter.
…