Two Strikeouts and one Shutout.
For Hongou Masamune, his start was nothing short of perfect.
He thoroughly suppressed Seidou High School's top three batters, shutting them down in order.
For Seidou High School, however, the situation was less than optimistic.
Their start wasn't smooth.
Especially as the second half of the game began, this rough start seemed to only worsen.
In the second half, Komadai Fujimaki High School launched their attack.
As the game started, the audience buzzed with discussion.
The opponent was Komadai Fujimaki High School, yet Seidou High School appeared quite confident.
Their starting pitcher was not the Ace Sawamura, but Furuya Satoru.
While it was thrilling to watch two super-speed pitchers, Sawamura's absence as the Ace meant Seidou High School wasn't going all out.
Facing a powerhouse, they remained so calm.
"Truly the King Seidou!"
"Didn't you hear their slogan? They're aiming for the national championship throne."
"Such a different perspective!"
Many viewers felt Seidou High School's strategy was understandable.
The main possibility was that they were considering the finals, not wanting Sawamura to throw too many pitches.
Starting Furuya while saving Sawamura for the end made sense.
"Coach Kataoka is really confident!" Owada Akiko murmured to herself.
Next to her, Fujio frowned, tapping his pen on the notebook repeatedly, making a popping sound.
'Something's off!'
He keenly sensed a dissonant factor.
'No matter how bold Kataoka-san was, he should have started with Sawamura-kun.'
After establishing a lead, they could then move Sawamura to the outfield.
In fact, in most previous intense competitions, Seidou High School had done just that.
There was no reason to do the opposite now.
After all, the Koshien competition is a knockout round. If they lose in the semifinals, Seidou High School would have nowhere to go even if they wanted to cry.
Meanwhile, in the resting area of Komadai Fujimaki High School,
Coach Nitta coldly watched Furuya on the pitcher's mound, muttering,
"Is Sawamura injured?"
***
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE!!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"
At the start of the bottom of the inning, Furuya's performance was dazzling. With his unmatched ball speed, he successfully struck out the first batter from Komadai. He then shut down the second batter as well.
The second batter made a feeble attempt to hit, and the ball ricocheted directly back to the pitcher.
Snap!
Furuya caught it and swiftly threw the ball to Maezono at first base.
Just like that—two Outs, executed cleanly.
The players from Komadai Fujimaki High School were unsure if Sawamura would pitch, so they avoided tactics that would drain their stamina. In this situation, their choices were limited; they generally aimed to overpower Furuya.
Watanabe suggested that Seidou adopt a bluff strategy. This wasn't without reason.
Such bravado could, to some extent, restrict Komadai Fujimaki High School's tactical options.
For example, if Komadai players knew Sawamura wouldn't be on the mound today, how would they approach their offense? The answer was clear: they would likely focus on wearing down the pitcher, just like Seidou.
Seidou's pitching lineup included three pitchers. In terms of threat level, Ace Sawamura Eijun posed the greatest risk, far exceeding that of Furuya and Kawakami.
Furuya's threat level was next. His main weakness was inconsistency; when good, he could throw like he was the best of them, relying solely on velocity. When not at his best, he made Walks and threw hittable fastballs.
As for Kawakami, his only issue was he wasn't fully matured. He still needed some time and experience for his growth to be completed.
Because they didn't know Sawamura wouldn't pitch today, the players from Komadai Fujimaki wouldn't adopt stamina-draining tactics. This, to some extent, masked Furuya's poor stability.
"Very good!"
Miyuki was quite satisfied with Furuya's previous pitches. His speed and control were commendable. Even though the ball didn't land perfectly where Miyuki wanted, it wasn't too hittable either. Most importantly, Furuya's pitches carried an unstoppable momentum.
It was this momentum that forced the batters from Komadai Fujimaki High School to keep swinging. If they continued to swing like this, victory would surely tilt toward Seidou.
'Very good! Keep it up!'
Now, the cleanup batters of Komadai stepped up to the plate.
Taniguchi, the third batter, with two Outs stood ready to hit, his bat held high, radiating confidence. He had secured the first hit in the previous game against Hoshiryu High School, making him a formidable opponent to watch closely.
Miyuki signaled Furuya, aiming to boost his competitive spirit.
Unfortunately, he overdid it.
Faced with the core batter, Furuya unconsciously tightened his arm.
Overexerting during a pitch can lead to problems.
Although Furuya maintained speed and power, his control drifted off the strike zone.
"BALL!"
"BALL!!"
Even with no runners on base, he continued to issue balls. Soon, Taniguchi was Walked to first base.
This scene left the Seidou players in the dugout stunned.
'He was so unstable!'
If Sawamura could pitch, they wouldn't be this worried. No matter how chaotic things got, Sawamura would clean it up. But now, with Sawamura absent, Furuya had to carry the weight alone.
Everyone was anxious as the fourth batter, Yanagi, stepped up to bat.
In any strong team, the fourth batter is not someone to underestimate.
With an unstable pitcher on the mound, Miyuki felt a pang of worry.
His concerns were soon validated as Furuya threw four balls in a row, walking Yanagi to first base. The situation shifted to two Outs with runners on first and second.
Seidou's supporters in the stands grew impatient, chanting Sawamura's name, hoping to urge Coach Kataoka to make a change.
"Fifth batter, catcher, Enjou-kun."
Now it was time for the fifth batter Enjou Renji.
The situation became dire.
Ping!
The ball was struck and flew into the air. Taniguchi on second base sprinted home, scoring the first run for the team.
The score became 1-0, with Seidou trailing.
On the field, there were now two Outs with runners on first and third. Furuya's pitching state was problematic; he struggled to control his pitching.
'He either overexerted himself or didn't exert enough.'
The result? Either missing the strike zone or throwing hittable fastballs.
'In such circumstances, how would we face the sixth batter, Hongou?'
Miyuki wanted to call a timeout to adjust, but he couldn't. If he did, it would signal to Komadai that Sawamura wouldn't pitch today.
It was clear: if someone could replace him, there would be no need to adjust Furuya's state.
'In this case, we could only gamble on a comeback.'
'Forkball!'
Miyuki signaled for a forkball.
Roaar!
The ball soared and struck the home plate hard.
'It dropped too early!'
'Clearly, Furuya had overexerted himself.'
Pab!
Miyuki reached out, but the ball bounced off his Mitt and flew high.
' 'Chance!' '
As Miyuki missed the ball, Yanagi Midori on third base charged for home plate without hesitation.
Seeing the error, Miyuki's eyes lit up.
'The fish is Hooked!'
He snagged the rebounding ball, securing it in his Mitt.
Snap!
Just before Yanagi reached home plate, Miyuki tagged him.
"OUT!"
…