In the bottom of the fourth inning, Sawamura's home run narrowed the score gap to just two runs.
Miyuki was very excited about this result.
"The Ace has already shown some performance. We can't afford to lag behind."
"..."
"..."
As the captain, he originally wanted to speak passionately, but his words didn't quite have the intended effect, as the players still felt off hearing the words coming from his mouth.
"That is true! We can't let Sawamura steal the show! The game has not ended yet and we can still do more! Let those Senpais see what we have got!" Maezono used his always-on-fire spirit to flame the damping atmosphere a little using the wind from Sawamura's Home run.
"Yeah!!"
"Let's do it!!"
"We will let them see what we got!"
This has worked, as the players recovered a little from the beating of the Senpais.
"It makes you think who the real Captain is." Kuramochi teased with a smile.
"It doesn't matter, as long as the message is reached, it doesn't matter who said it," Miyuki replied assuredly.
"Isn't this your fault? When you speak seriously, it always feels like you're mocking someone."
Among friends, Miyuki reverted to his usual self. "I won't bother with those who can't even manage a base hit."
"Sure, sure, let's see how you perform, Strongest-Substitute-sama!" Kuramochi was annoyed at the jab but still countered with his own.
"Tsk! You won't forget this any time soon won't you?"
"Hyaa-ha-haa! Never!"
"Fourth batter, catcher, Miyuki."
"What are you doing? It's game time. Shouldn't you be waiting where you're supposed to bat?" Coach Kataoka, serving as the umpire, frowned.
"Sorry, sorry. Changing the catcher's gear is always a bit of a hassle."
Miyuki smiled awkwardly but quickly stepped up to the batter's box.
That brat Sawamura is so fired up; as his partner, Miyuki can't afford to lag behind!
Ping!
After the white ball was hit, it flew to Tanpa directly.
Tanpa picked it up effortlessly and sent it to first base, Yuuki catching it in his mitt.
SNAP!
"OUT!"
Everything happened so quickly that Miyuki at-bat didn't even get a chance to react.
That's an Out!
In the batter's box, Miyuki looked embarrassed; he had clearly fallen into Chris-senpai's trap!
Batters like him, once they guess the pitch, can easily shine—not just hits, but even home runs aren't too difficult.
However, for these types of batters, once their pattern is figured out, their confident swings become their Achilles' heel.
His out was somewhat tragic, akin to dying just before achieving success.
After stepping off the field, Kuramochi, who had just teased him, couldn't resist poking fun again.
"Great performance, Cleanup-san!" he didn't use the same nickname again to not diminish the effect.
After Miyuki, it was Maezono's turn, batting fifth.
He's the most popular player among the second and third strings.
When Maezono stepped into the batter's box, many second and third-string players cheered for him.
Behind the plate, Chris looked at Maezono, furrowing his brow slightly.
The fifth batter, Maezono, for some reason, Chris felt the current situation was quite challenging.
Excellent hitting power, best at hitting straight balls on the inside corner!
Recalling Maezono's data and their first encounter, Chris quickly formulated a strategy to pitch against Maezono.
'Straight balls on the inside corner were out of the question. Let's settle the score with Maezono using outside corner pitches. All three balls will be thrown to the outside corner.'
On the pitcher's mound, Tanpa nodded and then delivered the pitch.
Outside corner!
"STRIKE!"
Outside corner!
"STRIKE!"
Two consecutive outside pitches shook Maezono. He was expecting an inside pitch, but Tanpa-senpai continued with outside corner pitches. Had he made the wrong bet?
The final pitch is still on the outside corner.
Whoosh!
The white ball came flying, and Maezono swung reluctantly.
Ping!
Though the bat barely made contact, the hit wasn't solid, and the ball headed towards first base.
The ball ended up in the first baseman's mitt.
"OUT!"
Two Outs, no one on base.
"Sixth batter, right fielder, Shiratsu!"
Shiratsu's performance was decent, battling through a few pitches, but ultimately couldn't escape getting Out.
Ping!
He hit the ball to the outfield, but unfortunately, it fell in a bad spot and was caught by the outfielder.
"OUT!"
Three Outs, offense and defense exchange.
The fourth inning ended with the score at 4-2.
Interestingly, the third-year team from Seidou High School had just completed their second round by the fourth inning.
Next up is Sawamura Eijun facing off against the third-year seniors!
This might be their final time standing on the same field.
"Just thinking about the upcoming scene is thrilling," Miyuki said.
Watching Sawamura Eijun prepare to take the mound, everyone at the scene seemed excited—not just the third-years and the freshmen of Seidou High School's baseball team, but also the spectators.
The previous Summer Koshien had thoroughly proven Sawamura's prowess.
A first-year freshman as the team's Ace, and he performed that way in Summer Koshien, not losing a single run through the whole summer. If he isn't the Demon King, they couldn't think of anyone else deserving of such a title.
So even though he's just a first-year player, Sawamura Eijun has already become the undisputed star of today's high school baseball world.
Now, the top high school pitcher is about to step onto the mound!
And his opponent is the third-year seniors from Seidou, known for having the country's strongest batting lineup.
The scene ahead seemed like the clash between the nation's sharpest spear and its sturdiest shield.
Whether the sharp spear pierces through the shield or the sturdy shield maintains its undefeated position—such a scene was thrilling to imagine, let alone witness.
"Today is definitely worth it!"
One of the graduates excitedly rubbed the back of his head, while several others eagerly dialed their phones.
Some rolled their eyes at those making phone calls.
How foolish—they're calling about a practice game, assuming their friends are already on their way.
Among them was someone with a good relationship with Fujio, who made a special call.
"What?"
Fujio's voice crackled with excitement on the other end.
Normally, an intra-team practice game wouldn't get him this excited, but the Red vs. White showdown at Seidou High School was different.
Not to mention Sawamura Eijun facing off against the third-years.
Just thinking about it, who wouldn't be interested in such a report?
'It's a must-not-miss!'
With this plan in mind, Fujio's eyes were red with anticipation as he hurried over.
Behind him, Owada Akiko yelled in panic.
"Fujio-senpai!"
On Seidou High School's dedicated baseball club field, an exciting battle was unfolding.
Sawamura Eijun had already stepped onto the pitcher's mound.
Top of the fifth inning, the third-year seniors launched their offensive.
Leading off was still shortstop Kusunoki.
In today's game, Kusunoki had previously faced Kawakami and Furuya. Without mincing words, in this game, he was playing the role of a negligible supporting character.
Apart from making some defensive plays, he had come up empty in his previous two at-bats against the pitchers.
At this moment, all the frustrations and regrets he had accumulated before had disappeared.
The reason he couldn't become a mainstay of the team was nobody's fault but his own.
His own skills were indeed lacking!
Kominato Ryosuke, Isashiki Jun, Yuuki Tetsuya, Takigawa Chris Yu, Masuko Toru, Tanpa Koichiro.
The six giants of the third year, whether in fielding or hitting, all showed an extraordinary presence.
In four innings alone, they had managed to snatch four runs from monsters like Furuya and the excellent pitcher Kawakami.
The total score had reached an astonishing 4:2.
Besides them, the rest of the third-year teammates who came up to bat could only be role players. They could contribute a bit in defense, but causing trouble for the opponents in hitting was challenging for them.
Despite conceding two runs, the third-year seniors knew that in a real game, the freshman team might not even have scored one run by now.
The reason why Seidou High School's freshman baseball team could easily score was entirely due to the battery never thinking of avoiding a showdown with the Demon King.
In a real game, realizing that the pitchers had no chance against Sawamura, they could just walk him if needed.
Except for Sawamura Eijun, the other players were at best passable, not outstanding or even good.
Unlike Seidou High School's freshmen, who relied solely on Sawamura and Miyuki to hold their ground, the offense of the third-year team was much more comprehensive.
Although there were a few role players, most had hitting abilities, making it easy for them to perform.
It was this direct comparison on the same field that made Kusunoki realize the gap between him and the other main players in the third year.
'It was no wonder they were starters while I could only be a substitute. The difference in skill was just too great!'
These reflections lingered with him as he stepped into the batter's box to face Sawamura.
'But that's good!'
'Let me see the difference between the Demon King, Kawakami, and Furuya.'
With determination, Kusunoki blinked his eyes and stared at Sawamura on the pitcher's mound. Then he saw Sawamura Eijun lift his right foot high and bring it down like an axe, his Mitt continuously pushing forward with the shift of his body weight.
'As expected it is still really uncomfortable!'
Seeing Sawamura pitch from the strike zone, no matter how many times he saw it, still made him quite uncomfortable.
'Here it comes!'
Kusunoki's heart skipped a beat, then he watched in amazement as the white ball flew towards him, seeing the white ball slip into Miyuki's Mitt.
Snap!
"STRIKE!!"
When all this was over, Kusunoki finally released a breath he didn't know he was holding and looked back at Sawamura Eijun on the pitcher's mound.
'Terrifying!'
The ball was more terrifying and sharp than he had remembered.
'Is it because of his increase in speed?'
'It was like a sudden leaping beast catching you off guard!'
And the scariest part was the speed of the ball. Did his eyes deceive him just now? How did Sawamura's pitch seem faster than Furuya's?
Before Kusunoki could think more, after receiving Miyuki's return, Eijun threw his second ball.
Whoosh!
Faster than the previous pitch, the earlier one had landed on the outside corner, making it seem less vivid, and this one was just plunged into the inner corner.
Watching the baseball flying towards his chest, Kusunoki instinctively wanted to avoid it, but where did he have the time? He couldn't even move his body backward, just staring wide-eyed as the white ball flew toward him.
SNAP!
"STRIKE!"
Hearing Coach Kataoka speak, Kusunoki turned his head incredulously to look at him.
'That pitch, was it a good ball too?'
'Are you kidding me?'
'That ball...'
As he recalled it again, Kusunoki was amazed to find that the ball had indeed not deviated from the strike zone.
He turned incredulously to Sawamura.
'Just how fast did the pitch have to be to create such an illusion for him?'
Having faced monsters like Furuya and the tricky Kawakami, Kusunoki originally thought he had seen the pinnacle of national strength. Even if Sawamura was above them, he thought it was just a matter of being more polished, not vastly superior.
Only when standing in the batter's box did he realize how shallow his understanding was.
Sawamura's strength far exceeded his expectations!
'It could even be said that compared to Furuya and Kawakami, he was not even in the same league.'
'Much higher!'
'And this was just with his Straight balls; he hadn't even thrown any breaking balls.'
Kusunoki couldn't even imagine what it would be like if Sawamura threw a breaking ball just now.
He quickly found out!
On the third pitch, Sawamura threw a normal Change-up.
Kusunoki swung too early and completely missed.
Snap!
"STRIKE BATTER OUT!!!"
The strong performance of the third-year seniors welcomed Sawamura's counterattack.
The Might of the Demon King was going in full throttle!
…
T/N: Feel free to leave a Comment guys!
And Powerstones are much much welcomed!