"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!"
Coach Kataoka's mention of tactics gave Seidou players a boost of confidence, indicating their previous efforts hadn't been in vain.
This reassurance was vital.
Facing Hongou, the players' frustration was beyond description.
It was soul-destroying.
Not only could they not hit the ball, many of them couldn't even touch it.
In such situations, the batter feels like they are clowns.
With Coach Kataoka's encouragement, they finally found a bit of psychological comfort.
So what if they missed three swings? So what if they got directly struck out without swinging?
At least they had tangled with him for three pitches. Continuing that way, surely this arshole would start to feel the pressure.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Komadai Fujimaki High School was on the attack.
Furuya threw a fantastic pitch; despite giving up a hit, the defense managed to maintain the score without conceding any Runs.
At the end of seven innings, the score stood at 2-1.
And so, the game moved to the eighth inning.
'He's thrown a lot of pitches; we're bound to find an opportunity,' Toujou thought, carefully sizing up Masamune Hongou on the mound.
As a batter, Toujou had never faced such overwhelming frustration.
He had faced Hongou twice and was struck out both times, unable to keep up with his pitching velocity and sharpness.
This was a massive blow for a skilled batter.
They were all the same age, yet it felt as if they were playing a different game.
'What a terrifying opponent.'
'Sawamura, Hongou, Furuya!'
Even someone as capable as Toujou felt like he was in a different league when facing these monsters.
'But now that I am here, retreating was not an option.'
'I could only give it my all and charge forward.'
He was the first batter, and given Seidou High School's strength, if he could get on base, their chances of scoring would increase significantly.
From the very beginning, Toujou focused on the fastball.
He understood his limitations—he couldn't hit Hongou's 150 km/h breaking ball.
All he could aim for was the fastball.
With his swing speed, catching up to a 150 km/h ball was challenging, so he had to anticipate the timing of his swing.
'One, two...'
'Now!'
As Hongou prepared to pitch, Toujou mentally counted the seconds.
When Hongou released the ball, he swung his bat without hesitation.
Ping!
The bat struck the small white ball, feeling as if he had hit reinforced concrete.
The tremendous recoil nearly caused him to lose his grip.
'Damn, that's heavy!'
It felt as if he had been forcefully crushed by his opponent.
Toujou pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, summoning all his strength to send the ball flying.
Pak!
The white ball veered and flew out of bounds.
"Whew!!!"
Toujou took a deep breath, looking at Hongou in disbelief.
'This guy's power was even stronger than Furuya's.'
'But finally...'
'I had made contact!'
Before, he couldn't even touch Hongou's pitch, but now he finally connected.
And once he made contact, there was hope to drive it far.
From his position, Renji looked at Toujou again.
'Even Seidou's lower-order batters are at this level?'
'Incredible.'
'If given some time to develop, he could really become something special.'
'But unfortunately, time waits for no one.'
'You're still far from that.'
'Next pitch: the forkball!'
Roaar!
"STRIKE!"
'Damn! A Forkball!'
Toujou couldn't make contact with the ball, his swing was in vain.
'No, it is okay! He can keep throwing breaking balls forever, it is already this late in the game and his arm and fingers should be tired.'
'Just focus on the next ball.'
Hongou didn't waste any time and threw his final pitch, Toujou felt the adrenaline in his body surge rapidly.
His timing was right.
Next came power.
At that moment, all of Toujou's strength focused on the two arms swinging the bat.
'Hit it!'
'Hit it!!'
That was the only thought left in his mind.
The bat swung, about to connect with the flying baseball.
But then, the baseball suddenly dropped.
'Again!'
Toujou swung and missed.
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"
With regret, Toujou pulled the bat back.
Even against a lower batter, Hongou was now using his winning shot.
"Now that's respect," Toujou thought, his face revealing no sign of anger.
Next up was Furuya.
It was a tall order to expect this fiery young player to get entangled in a tough matchup.
"As long as the opportunity is there, swing decisively," Superintendent Kataoka instructed, knowing he couldn't expect him to persist like others.
Just making contact and creating some intimidation was enough.
Ping!
Furuya gritted his teeth, making contact, but the ball rolled right back to the pitcher.
Hongou fielded it and sent it to first base.
"OUT!"
That was a clean exit, leaving Seidou with little to say.
Neither Toujou nor Furuya managed a hit. One was struck Out, the other was shut Out.
But the shock they brought to Renji was certainly not ordinary.
After two rounds of adjustment, Toujou had begun to grasp the rhythm of the batting. His eyes had adapted to Hongou's pitching.
As a lower-line batter, he was able to handle that.
What about Seidou's upper-line batters?
Renji couldn't guess, but he had an uneasy feeling.
And then there was Furuya.
Though he hadn't secured a hit, he connected every time. A pitch clocking 150 km/h felt like a toy to him—no adjustment needed.
"This ball feels great! A little too good!" he thought.
If the feel hadn't been so right, he couldn't have managed it.
With two outs and no runners on base, it was Kanemaru's turn.
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!"
Today, Coach Kataoka's reaction was odd. According to his usual habits, he would have replaced a lower batter by now.
But today, he didn't do that.
Three Outs, offense and defense exchange.
The game moved to the bottom of the eighth inning.
Komadai Fujimaki High School was now on the attack.
"Up to now, the opponent's pitch count is nearing a hundred; his speed and power have both dropped significantly. Take advantage of this chance to score hard. Do you hear me?" Superintendent Nitta commanded.
"Yes!"
Nitta had a notoriously bad temper; if his anger continued, he might lash out.
In front of fans nationwide, if Komadai Fujimaki High School had a violent incident, the consequences would be unimaginable.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, it was time for Komadai's upper-line batters.
Leading off was the first batter.
Ping!
After knocking the ball, the first batter of Komadai Fujimaki High School dashed toward first base.
'Bunt!'
No one expected Komadai to use such a tactic at this moment.
Seidou was no exception; based on their previous scouting reports, Komadai didn't have this tactical habit.
This meant the steal was specifically prepared for Seidou.
Caught off guard, Seidou was taken aback.
Komadai's first batter successfully stole a base and made it to first.
Then the second batter stepped into the Box.
Seidou High School faced an unavoidable crisis.
Though the second batter hadn't performed spectacularly before, he still had decent overall strength.
Furuya's pitch speed and power had indeed decreased.
In the dugout, Coach Ochiai turned to look at Kataoka.
'At this point, even if Sawamura couldn't pitch, shouldn't Kawakami take the mound?'
But Kataoka showed no signs of wanting to do that.
'Do you really trust Furuya that much?' Ochiai asked, surprised.
Originally, Ochiai thought Kataoka wouldn't trust Furuya this much, but he was completely wrong.
Kataoka's trust in Furuya was second only to Sawamura.
Even if he lacked stamina, he still kept him on the mound.
This was also largely due to Kawakami's personal style.
Once the game became tense, Kawakami's performance wasn't steady enough…
This was likely why Coach Kataoka had concerns.
While Ochiai was lost in thought, new developments unfolded on the field.
The second batter connected with a clean hit.
The baseball soared toward the outfield.
"YEAH!"
The moment they saw the ball, the Komadai players were ecstatic; there were no Seidou defenders in sight.
This hit was solid!
Exhausted, Furuya could hardly pitch.
Before their smiles could fully blossom, they witnessed something unbelievable.
From meters away, a figure sprinted toward the ball's landing spot, charging in like a train.
Snap!
In an unusual stance, the guy caught the ball and raised it high.
"OUT!"
The man who performed all of this was none other than Shiratsu Kenjiro.
One Out, runner on first base.
"SHIRATSU!"
"SHIRATSU!!"
Though he was a bit reserved, Shiratsu's performance was genuine, quickly winning a crowd of fans.
"That defense was impressive," Carlos noted from the stands, equally amazed.
Next up was the third batter, Taniguchi.
He seemed blessed by luck in this Koshien, often securing beautiful hits.
And this time was no different.
Ping!
The white ball was hit, soaring swiftly between third base and the pitcher.
The angle was perfect, soaring over the third baseman's head, destined for a long hit.
Whoop!
In a critical moment, something jumped like a swordfish and caught the ball.
Snap!
The baseball landed firmly in the mitt.
"Out!"
But it wasn't over yet.
While Taniguchi hit the ball, their runner from first base took off.
It was a risk, but he hoped to make it home with this beautiful hit.
Now that the baseball had been caught, the situation became tense.
Kanemaru threw the ball to first base the moment his feet touched the ground.
Maezono who was waiting received the ball and tagged the runner before he could get back.
"OUT!"
Three Outs offense and defense exchange.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, although Furuya faced hit after hit, he didn't allow a single run.
Not even one effective hit.
The frantic Komadai went down three up and three down.
The game unknowingly reached the ninth inning, with Seidou's lineup coming up to face their top batters.
…