Seeing their Ace like this, the players of Inajitsu were deeply shocked.
They understood Narumiya might be upset, but they never imagined he would be this devastated.
'Not like this!'
At that moment, they made a silent vow.
This outcome was absolutely unacceptable.
Narumiya had done everything he could; as his teammates, how could they give up now?
To win, they must do whatever it takes.
"That's a great mindset, but first, you need to calm yourselves down," Kunitomo instructed, maintaining a calm demeanor as he outlined the tactics.
"To win this game, there are two things we must do. First, we need to stop the opponent's offense. After Narumiya leaves the game, the opponent will certainly go on the attack. At this point, we might as well let them play their game. Second, we need to score. Although their strategy is clever, they've too thrown a lot of pitches. Seihou High School has relied almost entirely on their Ace for the defense so far; you understand what I mean?"
What's not to understand?
Kunitomo was absolutely correct.
Inajitsu had indeed faced misfortune. The four opponents they had encountered were all top-tier teams in the national rankings.
Seihou was slightly stronger, but even their opponents in the round of sixteen and quarterfinals were no slouches. Especially their previous rival, Yakushi High School!
In order to strategize against Yakushi, Seihou played a lot of mind games.
But despite all their cunning, victory ultimately relied on strength.
To defeat Yakushi, Seihou's ace, Akashi had pitched the entire game.
Although Narumiya had pitched more often!
But Akashi was not Narumiya; his stamina was in a different league.
And while he looked tough, he was still returning from an injury, he was likely nearing his limit too!
As Inajitsu faced a near-insurmountable challenge, Kunitomo's words brought a glimmer of hope.
It seemed victory was not impossible.
And so began the final showdown between the two teams.
Each had their own strategies and determination, and it was uncertain who would come out on top.
Coach Kunitomo is truly the best coach in the Tokyo area at this stage. His predictions are remarkably accurate. Firstly, the Ace of Seihou High School, Akashi, is running low on stamina.
His control is no longer as precise as before, and there are even wild pitches.
However, with only two innings left in the game, Akashi knows steps off the mound now, Seihou High School will have no hope.
Inajitsu's backup pitcher, Hirano, is not particularly strong either. His overall ability is about on par with Kawakami of Seidou High School. But Seihou doesn't even have a backup pitcher of that caliber.
Only Komadai and Seidou have such a strong pitching squad. Other teams would be lucky to have a top-tier pitcher; having a backup like Hirano or Kawakami would be a huge blessing.
Even some elite teams have to rely on pitchers of this level as their Aces. It's not that they want to; it's just that good pitchers are incredibly rare.
The backup pitcher from Seihou High School simply cannot stop Inajitsu's relentless offensive attack. For the sake of victory, no matter how difficult it becomes, Akashi must grit his teeth and persevere.
With his fighting spirit, he managed to get Carlos Out.
Shirakawa reached base!
But he manages to handle Hirano, who replaced Narumiya.
Three Outs, offense and defense exchange.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Seihou High School attacks. Their offensive rhythm has been perfectly gauged by Coach Kunitomo.
Realizing that Hirano might be a bit nervous, the batters from Seihou do not hold back.
Don't underestimate the lower-tier batters from elite high schools; they are not pushovers.
While they may lack top-notch talent, they are certainly not short on strong hitters. They swing their bats eagerly, hoping to connect with the incoming baseball.
Facing such an opponent, Hirano suddenly remembers Narumiya, who is resting in the dugout. Before he stepped onto the mound, Narumiya had softly urged him, "Do your best!"
Those unfamiliar with Narumiya might see him as an arrogant guy, but once you interact with him, you realize he's just childish. His childish personality often leads to grumbling and haughtiness.
As the team's Ace pitcher, he would never willingly give up his position. Yet, he earnestly asked Hirano to do his best.
A torrent of emotions floods Hirano's mind. Whether for himself, for the team, or for Narumiya, he knows he must fight hard.
When determination is in place, the rigorous training he has undergone provides him with confidence, while his teammates' support fuels his ambition.
Whoosh!
He finally regains the essence of a top-tier pitcher, throwing a powerful pitch.
Ping!
The white ball is hit and rolls to first base.
"OUT!!"
"OUT!"
"OUT!!!"
Three Outs, offense and defense exchange.
With both sides tied, the final inning begins. In the stands, the gathering of the Seidou High School baseball team is anxious.
They have learned through the broadcast that Narumiya collapsed from exhaustion.
Poor guy—everyone had predicted when he would break down since the third inning, yet he lasted this long. That in itself is a minor miracle.
According to media predictions, Narumiya should have fainted long ago. His moment in the spotlight quickly fades, shifting the focus to Hirano.
Since he has been Narumiya's backup, Hirano hasn't had many chances to shine, so not many know about him. They remember him as a capable pitcher but didn't expect him to be this powerful.
"The ball speed isn't very high, just around 135 km/h. But with that breaking ball and pure straight pitch, his deviation value must be significant!"
Hirano and Kawakami appear to be on a similar level, yet their styles are entirely different. In terms of speed, they are almost the same. However, Kawakami relies heavily on breaking and corner pitches, while Hirano focuses on straight balls, supplemented by breaking balls.
His winning shot is the slider, and it's a low-course one. At that angle, batters can't hit it with a normal swing. To connect, they must align their bats, but the slider at that altitude will evade their bat.
To hit the ball accurately, they must calculate their contact point. Overall, it's quite difficult to hit.
"Even if Narumiya can't play in the finals, their strength shouldn't be underestimated," someone observes.
"Our situation isn't looking great either; today, Furuya has thrown a full game!"
Ace pitcher Sawamura Eijun is also injured!
If Inajitsu loses to Seihou this time, that would be one thing. But if they win, this year's Koshien will create quite a stir.
Two teams from West Tokyo reached the finals, and interestingly, both Aces were injured. It promises to be a terrifying battle, full of unpredictability.
The Seidou High School team members don't believe they are stronger than Inajitsu when it comes to hitting.
What are they afraid of? Didn't they want to face their sworn rivals in the finals? Well, here they are.
As the game nears its end, Yamaoka gets on base with no Outs and a runner on second.
Following him, Tadano Itsuki hits a home run.
Ping!
The ball soars high and finally leaves the field. Tadano Itsuki, once overshadowed by Narumiya, begins to shine in his own right.
"TADANO!"
"ITSUKI-KUN!!!"
The crowd erupts in excitement as the score shifts to 4:2. In the final inning, Inajitsu High School takes the lead once again.
"Sure enough, it still needs a lot of work," Akashi mutters, feeling frustrated at his still not complete style of pitching.
'But I will still do everything I can!' he is still determined to not give up, even if they lose he can learn from defeat.
The score of 4:2 holds until the end of the game. Inajitsu High School wins, earning the final ticket to the Spring Koshien finals.
…
T/N: The opponent in the finals has been decided, although I am sure you guys saw this a mile away XD
But the situation with Narumiya is the surprise element here, the next game will purely be Seidou vs Inajitsu, not Sawamura vs Narumiya. I hope it will be more interesting like this.