The game between Seidou High School and Yamamori Academy was in full swing.
As the bottom of the seventh inning arrived, the score remained 3-2, with Seidou High School holding a slender lead.
At this moment, Seidou's Ace pitcher, Sawamura Eijun, had been moved to the outfield.
Everyone expected that if Seidou High School faced a crisis, Sawamura would be immediately brought back to pitch.
However, Seidou High School did not follow this expectation. Instead, they calmly executed their strategy and continued to let Kawakami finish the inning.
In this atmosphere, the game reached the bottom of the seventh inning.
Sawamura's absence from the pitcher's mound made what seemed like a settled game become uncertain and unpredictable.
The spectators in the stands watched intently, eager for the next development.
No one anticipated that Seidou High School would launch a rapid offensive at this moment.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, the first batter up was the sixth hitter, Maezono.
He stood like a bronze statue of an Asura, exuding an aura of danger.
"He looks quite intimidating!"
On the pitcher's mound, Kotari Yuuto, the older brother, and the Ace pitcher, commented with his usual cheery attitude, which made him look sarcastic.
He had a clear understanding of his opponents' stats. In terms of power, Maezono was certainly among the top in Seidou.
However, in terms of hitting skills, he was not a particularly feared player.
Maezono's strong suit was the inside corner, and he preferred fastballs.
To deal with such an opponent, the Kotari brothers planned to use an outside breaking ball.
Instead of forcing Maezono to miss, they would tempt him into making contact and rely on defense to handle the opponent.
The advantages of this approach were numerous.
Firstly, it would conserve Kotari Yuuto's pitch count.
Although they had effectively contained Seidou High School's lineup, the batters were difficult to handle.
In the previous six innings, Kotari Yuuto's pitch count had already exceeded 70 and was approaching 100.
This was a dangerous tipping point.
It meant that Kotari Yuuto's ball speed and effectiveness were declining.
Though not yet apparent, this deterioration had likely already begun.
If they couldn't maintain a good pitching rhythm, they could face a frenzied attack in the final innings.
Considering this, Kazuto's pitch calling made sense.
After receiving his younger brother's sign, Yuuto casually made a few shouts and cheers.
Then, he observed the entire Yamamori Academy defense make adjustments.
The shortstop moved forward, and the third baseman shifted closer to the pitcher's mound.
Their movements were not far—only about three to four meters.
But the triangle between the pitcher, shortstop, and third baseman had shrunk by nearly 1/3.
At the batter's box, Maezono frowned slightly.
Perhaps due to his usual hard face, few people noticed his reaction.
'Inside corner!'
The opponents didn't realize that, due to their slight defensive adjustments, Maezono had already guessed their intended target.
Recalling Sawamura's earlier advice, he had predicted the direction of the breaking ball.
In the newly reduced triangle, there was a carefully laid trap by the enemy.
'No matter what, the ball must not be hit in that direction.'
'It was an inside corner pitch, but it had to avoid the third base side.'
This was also a test for Maezono.
Even if he forced a pull hit, the ball would eventually fall foul.
It would be pointless.
'What to do?'
Maezono's mind raced like a high-speed train.
He worked hard to come up with a solution.
Finally, he gritted his teeth and decided to swing with all his strength.
The inside corner pitch was almost Maezono's best-hitting position.
Even against a breaking ball, he had some confidence.
The only caveat was that the swing had to be clean and decisive.
He needed to make a clean sweep of the ball.
Only by overcoming this deadly triangle could his hit survive.
With the bat raised high, Maezono gripped it firmly with both hands.
Whoosh!
The white ball sliced through the air like a sharp sword and was soon right in front of him.
Like an angry Asura, Maezono faced the sharp pitch without flinching.
He struck the ball firmly.
Ping!
The white ball, after being hit, was pulled ten centimeters in the direction of the swing before soaring high.
"YOSHIAAAAA!!!!"
The excited Maezono roared, threw down his bat, and sprinted towards first base.
The ball's angle and power were perfect.
Maezono Kenta had great confidence in his hit.
He believed the ball would fly well.
In fact, the ball did not disappoint him.
It pierced over the shortstop's head and landed between center field and left field.
After landing, it didn't stop but rebounded off the outfield fence.
A powerful long hit!
Maezono proved himself with sheer strength.
Previously, he had been demoted due to his poor batting performance and had endured a tough few months.
Now that everything had passed, Maezono was welcoming a new future.
No Outs, runner on second base!
The Kotari brothers, who had been suppressing Seidou High School's lineup effectively, suddenly had a flaw.
Kotari Kazuto, the younger twin was frowning, he looked at the spot where Maezono had just stood.
'The ball was aimed at, and Maezono's initial stance had been set back.'
'Was he waiting for an inside fastball from the start?' Kotari Kazuto wondered.
Maezono's performance had been so strange that it was hard not to be suspicious.
"Seventh batter, center, Toujou-kun."
Now, it was Toujou's turn to bat.
Kotari Kazuto had to put aside thoughts of Maezono.
The player before him was also a very tough opponent.
Famous Seidou!
Although they had perfectly suppressed Seidou High School's lineup before, this team's overall strength was indeed impressive.
Not only the star players and top hitters, but even the lower-order batters were hard to guard against.
Fortunately, based on their prior research, they were clear about the strategy Seidou High School would employ next.
'Even if we couldn't avoid losing a point, this inning should be easily defended.' Kotari Kazuto thought so.
Seidou High School had an aggressive style, and most of the audience could guess their next move without much effort.
They never seemed to excel at tricks or devious ploys; they were good at direct confrontations.
Just like now, Kotari Kazuto knew exactly what Seidou High School would likely do next.
With no Outs and a runner on second base, they would likely stick to their style and use advancing tactics to get another run.
The two runs Yamamori Academy had caught up with had a significant impact on Seidou High School. They would definitely be eager to regain at least one run.
' 'This run is unavoidable; give it to them. The most important thing is to secure the Outs.' '
The two brothers with their thoughts finally syncing.
Bring it on!
With that, Kotari Yuuto delivered the pitch.
Whoosh!
When the twins sync, they never second-guess.
Whenever they have a chance, they always stick to their own style.
There was no hesitation in his pitching.
In the batter's box, Toujou's eyes were fixed on the opponent's defense.
When he saw first baseman Yamazaki, start to move towards the pitcher's mound, he realized the opponent intended to use an outside pitch.
'Here we go!'
Without hesitation, Toujou swung his bat.
He swung very early as if he couldn't wait for the pitch to arrive.
But just as the bat was about to connect with the ball, his hands slowed down.
The slowed hands made the bat continue forward due to inertia.
This lessened the power of the hit greatly but also made it easier to aim and make contact.
Ping!
The bat hit the baseball perfectly, but because of the less power, it didn't fly but became a grounder.
It landed in a spot towards the third baseman's position.
Toujou Hideaki ran to first base.
Maezono, already prepared, ran straight to third base.
The scene became no Outs, runners on first and third bases.
Unexpectedly, Seidou High School's lower-order batters triggered a crazy offensive wave.
The Yamamori players were still blank-minded.
They had no idea what Seidou High School was planning.
In the catcher's position.
Kotari brothers looked as if they had just scored zero on an exam.
'Had our strategy been seen through?'
They cast a wary glance at Sawamura who was lounging on the bench.
The twins know where their defense came from.
' 'But this defensive setup had been scrutinized multiple times.' '
It should not have had any issues.
…