Everyone thinks Maezono is doing well, but Chris, the catcher, sees it differently.
In his view, the home run just hit was entirely due to Tanpa's missed pitch.
Tanpa's pitch count has now reached a hundred, an unfamiliar situation for him. Despite being the seniors Ace pitcher, he rarely reaches a hundred pitches in a game. With his stamina dwindling, even good fastballs are prone to being hit.
The ball just thrown was a very hittable fastball.
'His stamina is at its limit!'
'He must hold on!'
Chris called a timeout and went to the mound to encourage Tanpa and buy him some time to recover.
"We're third-year Senpais. Don't embarrass us!"
"I know!!"
Tanpa had allowed seven runs, which he hadn't anticipated. They originally thought that after their retirement, the freshman Seidou High School baseball team's defense might not drop significantly due to Miyuki and Sawamura, but their offense was expected to be weak.
Unexpectedly, the freshman team's offense was sharp. Aside from Sawamura Eijun, Miyuki Kazuya, Kominato Haruichi, and Kuramochi Yoichi were also strong hitters. Even Toujou, Kanemaru, and Maezono had improved.
Shiratsu, previously targeted by Chris, had not performed much due to this heavy focus, but his strength remained.
Despite the high number of runs given up, Tanpa was genuinely happy to see his Kohais growing.
"Sixth Batter, right fielder, Shiratsu!"
Just as Tanpa began to relax, Shiratsu, who had been waiting for his chance, struck back!
Ping!
Shiratsu finally got a hit. Unlike Maezono's previous easy pitch, Tanpa's pitch was still decent, but Shiratsu made good contact.
"Damn, that pitch was not easy to hit!"
Seeing a confident pitch forced out like that was emotionally hard for Tanpa. His declining stamina had turned him into a sitting target. Even with two Outs, the freshman team's offense showed no signs of stopping.
"Seventh Batter, center fielder, Toujou."
After Shiratsu's hit, Toujou, who had also hit well in the previous inning, was up. With Tanpa's stamina at its limit and having given up two home runs, he was struggling.
The freshman team could certainly score more hits. Toujou made good contact with a challenging pitch. The ball was hit so fast that the third baseman couldn't react in time.
"Great hit!"
"Run!"
The New Seidou team was energized. Their confidence had been steadily building throughout the game. They realized their strength was not weak compared to the previous national champions' core players: Yuuki, Chris, and Ryosuke, and well-known players like Tanpa, Isashiki, and Masuko.
They were matching their opponents and even took the lead in the final stages. This realization and self-confidence were crucial for the team, especially for the new team.
With this confidence, they could face challenges from strong teams nationwide.
After all, Seidou High School was no longer the declining giant it once was. They were champions and national top!
SNAP!
The third-year seniors also showed their fighting spirit. Kusunoki threw himself in front of the ball, making a crucial play to secure the final out.
"OUT!"
Three outs and the game moved to the final inning. The score was locked at 7-6.
Despite Tanpa's collapse, the third-year Senpais showed strong performance.
Sawamura was feeling emotional, reflecting on the intense training required to reach this level.
'Luckily I'm back again!'
'Fortunately, I entered the Koshien with them and dominated the whole country.'
Otherwise, he really felt sorry for his Senpais.
The top of the ninth inning began. Sawamura Eijun took the mound again, facing the third-year seniors. Their fighting spirit was high, likely boosted by the two runs he allowed earlier.
'Sorry, but no.' Sawamura thought.
He would not give the third-year senpai any chance.
'Even if I respect them, a game is a game, and as long as it is a game, we must win.'
While Sawamura enjoys the process of baseball, the outcome is equally important.
Whether it's high school baseball or professional baseball.
A game is a game.
Once you lose, it is all over.
As long as he was on the field, he had to win.
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE!!"
"STRIKE!!!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"
Against Sawamura Eijun's relentless pitching, the third-year lineup was helpless. Nine pitches, three strikeouts.
Sawamura Eijun ended the game with a commanding performance. The final score was 7-6, with the freshman Seidou High School emerging victorious.
The game was filled with countless classic moments.
Fujio, who arrived late, was captivated by the action and thought of many interesting newsworthy events. He asked a nearby acquaintance, "I didn't miss too much of the excitement, did I?"
The acquaintance looked at Fujio sympathetically and replied, "Oh, you missed a lot!"
"Good grief!" Fujio said.
***
After the game, the main players gathered happily to discuss their highlights and mistakes.
Typically, rivals aren't this friendly after a game, but since both teams were part of the same club, not competitors, their relationships were naturally closer.
Among them, Sawamura was asked the most questions.
"That pitch was a Level Five breaking ball, right?"
"The movement on that pitch was so strange!"
"How did you throw it?"
Sawamura, being honest with his seniors, explained everything in detail. The seniors were stunned, their eyes wide with disbelief.
"Was that pitch really only level three?" they asked in shock. "Are you kidding?"
Seeing their skepticism, Sawamura shrugged helplessly.
'Sometimes, no matter how truthful you are, others still don't believe you.'
He thought if he had said it was a level-five pitch and he'd been practicing with Miyuki for over a month, the seniors would have believed him.
"Alright, let's get the substitutes in. This game was for the seniors, so everyone should get a chance to play!"
After the official game, Coach Kataoka didn't forget the third-year substitutes.
"Is this really possible?" the substitutes asked, visibly moved.
"Of course, this game was meant for you," Coach Kataoka affirmed.
He was grateful to these players. Without them, it would have taken much longer for the new team to build confidence and identify issues. If it had been the autumn competition, these problems might have led to failure with no chance for recovery.
Coach Kataoka's gratitude was heartfelt. Seeing the camaraderie among the players, Coach Ochiai, who had coached for 20 years, was amazed at Seidou High School's unique team spirit.
"It's really impressive!" Coach Ochiai said.
Despite his age, Coach Ochiai still hoped his career at Seidou High School would see a second peak.
The game continued!
"Since Tanpa is out of stamina, I'll take over as pitcher!" Isashiki said eagerly.
When he first joined high school, his dream was to be a pitcher. After all, who doesn't dream of being a pitcher?
However, the reality is harsh. Only one player can be the ace of a team. Other talented players must choose different positions to stay on the field.
"The opponents really need to be careful!" Yuuki warned.
"Of course, my skills…" The Beard-senpai continued to brag.
Yuuki next to him said, "I'm afraid you'll end up hitting someone!"
"Not only should the Kohai be careful, but our own team should also stay alert," Ryosuke said with a smile.
"Even if I'm not great, I won't throw the ball at my own team," the Beard-senpai said.
"That's hard to say. I really doubt you can keep the ball in the strike zone," Masuko replied.
If the ball can't be thrown into the strike zone, it's easier to hit the catcher and umpire behind.
"Then Boss should also be careful!" Sawamura joked.
"I will be!" Coach Kataoka said, looking confident.
"Coach!" The Beard-senpai was surprised, his eyes wide.
"If you want to pitch, get on the mound quickly, or I'll make a substitution…"
The 'game' continued!
In the official match, the New team won by a narrow margin of one point against the third-year seniors. The fact that a matchup between familiar opponents is challenging for pitchers made this result not surprising. After all, the biggest weakness of the third-year seniors was Tanpa's stamina.
Tanpa Koichiro's skills had improved significantly since Koshien, with a major change in his mindset that allowed him to perform better. However, the gap between him and Sawamura remained substantial.
After the game, it was late September. The freshmen Seidou High School team was preparing for the Fall Tournament. Due to their strong performance in the summer Koshien, they would skip the preliminaries and go straight to the draw for the Fall Tournament.
During this time, the third-year seniors were preparing for the national sports conference, and professional scouts began formal discussions with them.
Among the seniors, Yuuki was the most popular, receiving seven professional offers, including Two from the Major League.
One of them was really a generous offer, with a signing bonus rumored to be in the nine-figure range.
In addition to Yuuki, three others received professional offers:
Catcher Takigawa Chris Yu.
Outfielder Isashiki Jun.
Third baseman Masuko Toru.
However, Kominato Ryosuke, one of the top five players, did not receive any invitations. Professional scouts had their own criteria, and Kominato didn't meet them.
Fortunately, Kominato had no immediate plans for professional baseball and had received an invitation from his preferred college team, making his path to university almost certain.
Chris would head to the Americas for Minor League training. Masuko and Isashiki, though not academically stellar, would enter the draft.
Given their academic performance, they were not interested in further studies.
As for the rest of the third year, all of them were invited to good universities. So they spent the next few months preparing for their next step in life.
…
(End of This Volume)
...
Yosh! This Volume is complete, and the next volume is up!
Btw, feel free to leave a Comment guys, I will appreciate it!
And Powerstones are much much welcomed!