Sawamura Eijun used his magical hitting skills to secure a double.
This was a boost for a lineup that had struggled to show any performance.
Next up was his partner Miyuki. He accurately predicted Hongou's pitch, delivering a clean and timely hit.
Sawamura smoothly returned to home plate, and after six innings of silence, Seidou High School finally scored.
The total score changed from 2:0 to 2:1!
The gap between the two teams was narrowed to just one point.
In Seidou's dugout, Coach Kataoka let out a big sigh of relief. He felt gratified not only by the reduced score gap but also by the offensive progress.
With the consecutive hits from Sawamura and Miyuki, Seidou High School now had three effective hits.
In other games, Coach Kataoka would not have been so meticulous. One or two hits wouldn't matter much.
But today's game was different; every effective hit had double or even triple the impact.
'Three effective hits also meant that Sawamura would bat again in the ninth inning.'
This was incredibly important for Seidou!
Like Kataoka, Renji, the catcher, furrowed his brow.
"This is bad!"
Originally, Komadai Fujimaki High School had a secure two-point lead in this match.
Unexpectedly, such a turn of events happened at the last moment.
Seidou!
He looked deeply at the runner who just returned home in front of him, a chilling sensation always existed on his back.
'Dangerous, very dangerous.'
This team made him feel uncomfortable; even without Sawamura on the mound, that feeling didn't fade.
This also meant Seidou was indeed not a one-man team led by Sawamura; even without him pitching, their presence could not be underestimated.
Terrifying!
'We must be cautious,'
Renji exchanged a knowing glance with his partner.
Hongou nodded in understanding.
Because Sawamura had always loomed over him, Hongou's personality had changed significantly this time. He no longer had that haughty attitude of invincibility.
However, losing to Sawamura didn't mean he would lose to anyone else.
In fact, even Sawamura, Hongou had never thought he would always be beneath him.
'I must win!'
A determined look shone in Hongou's eyes.
Both teams were secretly competing.
The audience in the stands was far less composed.
They cheered wildly for Seidou's performance.
Previously, Komadai Fujimaki had dominated Seidou, and the great Sawamura Eijun hadn't even taken the mound.
That feeling was very unsettling.
Most of the audience believed Seidou was simply unlucky today. An important semifinal match and their Ace was injured…
Unexpectedly, Seidou not only didn't collapse in defeat; they did not surrender to circumstances but also provided quite a surprise.
It was quite an inspiring thing to watch!
"SEIDOU!"
"SEIDOU!!!"
"MIYUKI!!"
"KING SEIDOU!!"
"SAWAMURA!!"
The crowd roared with excitement as if this was the only way to express their emotions.
The collective roar of tens of thousands shook the stadium in Koshien.
Outside the stadium, a bus slowly approached.
The side of the bus had a line of characters:
Inajitsu High School Baseball Club.
That's right; it was the team from West Tokyo, Inajitsu.
"Wow, Seidou High School is quite capable," Carlos said with a smile.
Though they hadn't seen the score on the field, it was easy to tell from the crowd's energy that Seidou was performing well.
"Right now, we don't have time to pay attention to them. Let's warm up!" Coach Kunitomo said flatly.
After the match between Seidou and Komadai, it would be their turn to face Seihou.
At that moment, the bus from Seihou High School also arrived.
The two buses were not far apart. When the players from both teams got off, they could clearly see each other's faces.
After exchanging glances, neither side had any intention of greeting the other.
They simply regarded each other silently and then turned away.
"Ugh!"
Shirakawa snorted in dissatisfaction.
He disliked Seihou's haughty demeanor as if they ignored everyone but Seidou.
You know, during the Jingu Tournament, although the two teams never faced each other,
Inajitsu advanced all the way, winning the entire thing.
To some extent, Seihou could be considered one of Inajitsu's fallen rivals.
"The opponent didn't give their all during the Jingu Tournament,"
Coach Kunitomo said calmly as if understanding his players' thoughts.
Seihou was also a significant rival, a very serious one.
"OOOOOOHHHH!!!!"
"SEIDOUUUUUU!!!"
"MIYUKIIIII!!!!!"
"SAWAMURAAAAA!!!"
Just as Coach Kunitomo pondered, a sudden frenzy erupted from the field.
Inajitsu's players couldn't help but turn their heads to look at the stadium.
Coach Kunitomo glanced down at his watch; it was eleven o'clock now.
Their match against Seihou was scheduled for twelve-thirty.
"If you want to watch, go ahead. But be back before twelve,"
He allowed his players to indulge their curiosity.
Seidou, Inajitsu!
In Coach Kunitomo's view, these should be the two most outstanding teams in high school baseball right now.
Ordinarily, their duel should be the biggest event in Koshien.
But these two teams happened to come from the same division.
Originally, they should have had no chance to meet in Koshien, but now fate had favored them and given them this opportunity.
Coach Kataoka, let's have a great match.
Inajitsu's players obediently surged toward the field.
When they entered the stadium, there were naturally no seats available. So they could only stand in the outermost corridor and watch the game.
"Seidou is actually behind?" Tadano's voice trembled.
Clearly, the young man found it hard to accept the current outcome.
But whether he liked it or not, the score was what it was.
The score between the two sides was 2:1, with Seidou High School trailing.
"The pitcher isn't Sawamura!"
Yamaoka's brows also furrowed.
From the score and lineup, Seidou's pitcher should be Furuya today.
However, this didn't make sense!
Seidou only scored in the seventh inning, and their number of hits was dismally low.
This also meant that for the previous six innings, Seidou High School had been lagging behind and facing a tough challenge.
In such a situation, how could Sawamura, the Ace, not be on the field?
'Injured!'
That was everyone's first thought.
Then, they saw Sawamura as an outfielder.
'What on earth was going on here?'
Inajitsu's players, even if they racked their brains, could never imagine why Seidou High School would do this.
***
"What the hell was that?!"
Coach Nitta angrily threw aside the mineral water bottle in his hand.
"Idiots!! Fools!!"
He shouted furiously, glaring at his players.
"If you don't want to play, I'll substitute you immediately!"
The players who had just left the field felt the brunt of their coach's fury.
"Today, Sawamura Eijun didn't step on the mound at all. Look at how pathetic you are! I brought you useless guys all the way from Hokkaido for this, not to watch you…"
Before Coach Nitta could finish, the camera swept over.
His face, twisted with anger, suddenly returned to a calm expression.
Coach Nitta looked affectionately at his players, then clenched his right fist and raised it to his chest.
"Go and score more runs!"
When he uttered those two words, his players could almost hear him grinding his teeth in frustration.
"It's really tough to hold back!"
Renji gave his coach a sympathetic glance.
This kind, gentle demeanor was so unlike him.
His coaching style was usually harsh and demonic; remaining so calm was quite the challenge.
But with the camera on them, he had no choice. For the image of Hokkaido, and for the reputation of the school, Coach Nitta had to endure, no matter how upset he felt.
After all, the Komadai Fujimaki High School baseball team couldn't succeed without support from the local government and schools.
If they couldn't secure sponsorship and investment, they wouldn't get the school's full backing.
Then they couldn't take buses to practice games across the country.
This old man would do anything for the team, even if it meant masking his fiery temper.
It was truly difficult for him.
Hongou looked at his coach with sympathy.
"Hey, what's with that look?" Coach Nitta snapped back.
The camera didn't linger on them for long before it shifted to Seidou High School.
"Very good, excellent!"
It was clear that Coach Kataoka was excited. He praised the players' performance with two enthusiastic comments.
The only downside was that after Miyuki's hit, no one else got on base. If they could just get another hit, it would be perfect.
That would mean Seidou High School's lineup wouldn't just rely on Sawamura; there was hope for Miyuki as well.
After calming his excitement, Coach Kataoka realized he was being a bit greedy.
But considering that Sawamura wouldn't pitch today, he still hoped to recover from their disadvantage quickly.
"Let's stick to our previous strategy. The opponent's pitch count has exceeded 70. As soon as it approaches 100, we'll find our opening! Understood?"
"Understood!"
…