With two Outs and no one on base, it was Shiratsu's turn at bat for Seidou High School.
If Narumiya were on the mound for Inajitsu High School at this moment, Tadano wouldn't take the opponent too seriously.
Shiratsu had a unique style and well-rounded skills, making him a difficult opponent.
His only flaw was that he wasn't strong enough!
Against the top pitchers in the country, performing well is a challenge. If he were teamed with Narumiya Mei, Tadano would certainly leverage Mei's strengths to overpower his opponents.
But now with Hirano as his partner, things were different. For Hirano, this opponent was just as tricky as Miyuki Kazuya.
Shiratsu was very effective against this type of pitcher.
While Shiratsu's strength made it somewhat challenging to face Narumiya and the others, he wouldn't struggle as much against Hirano.
'If given the chance, he wouldn't hesitate to deliver a crushing blow.'
'Caution was essential.'
Every brain cell in Tadano's head was alert, his eyes locked on Shiratsu.
He understood that if he couldn't support Hirano effectively, Inajitsu High School would soon collapse.
'Stay careful, stay cautious!'
Watching every move Shiratsu made, Tadano decisively signaled to Hirano on the mound.
Despite being a Kohai, Tadano had impressive skills.
In youth leagues, he was even a key player among top teams.
His overall abilities were quite excellent.
'Here! Hirano Senpai!'
Receiving the signal, Hirano wasted no time and threw the white ball cleanly.
Ping!
The ball was hit and soared out of bounds.
Though it didn't land in play, the trajectory was promising, flying above the right-field line.
Had it landed fair, it would have been at least a double.
Shiratsu stood firm, retracting his bat after the hit.
At that moment, Tadano, in the catcher's position, wore a chilling expression.
'So close!'
While the outcome matched his prediction, it was frustratingly off by just a bit, with the ball landing outside the lines.
'Be cautious!'
'The batter had good pulling ability.'
Snap!
"BALL!"
Following that, Tadano called a ball for the second pitch.
Facing this obvious ball, Shiratsu did not swing.
'So calm!'
The more serious the duel became, the more Tadano felt Shiratsu's threat. He knew securing the last out wouldn't be easy.
'However, the traps had been fully set.'
'Now was the time to reap the rewards.'
'Low course fastball!!'
After two balls, the third pitch was a low-course fastball.
Ping!
Shiratsu swung without hesitation.
The ball bounced back in front of the pitcher.
Snap!
"OUT!!!"
After being called Out, Shiratsu glanced in surprise at Tadano, the catcher.
The first two pitches from Tadano were one at the corner and another that coaxed Shiratsu to swing at a ball.
In that rhythm, Shiratsu thought he was headed for a strikeout.
He didn't expect the last pitch to be a fishing ball.
'Under the immense shadow of Tokyo Prince Narumiya, Tadano's presence was often overlooked.'
People seemed to forget he was also a talented player.
Three Outs, offense and defense exchange!!
After conceding two runs, Inajitsu High School suddenly surged.
They quickly dispatched the fourth batter, Miyuki, and the fifth, Shiratsu.
The significance of these two batters in Seidou High School cannot be overstated.
Moreover, both had styles that countered their opponents effectively.
Even under these circumstances, they couldn't deliver a strong performance.
The combination of Hirano and Tadano was impressive.
Next, the game moved to the second inning.
Inajitsu High School was at bat, and their lead-off hitter was the fifth batter, Tadano.
Before stepping up, Tadano felt motivated.
'To support Hirano-senpai's pitching, I needed to perform well at the plate.'
He aimed to close the score gap or even take the lead.
This would ease the pressure on Hirano, allowing him to pitch more freely.
'Bring it on!'
With his bat held high, Tadano's eyes glinted like those of a hungry beast.
He was eager to make contact.
Previously living in Narumiya's shadow, Tadano focused on enhancing his strength to match him.
To him, Narumiya had always seemed like the highest peak.
Today marked the first time he felt such a sense of mission at Inajitsu High School.
The mission is to carry the team's fate on his shoulders.
The bat lifted high as if it could grasp all hope.
'I will hit it!!!'
The obsession in his eyes was simple and direct.
In the catcher's position, Miyuki Kazuya coldly assessed his opponent.
'The drive is intense!'
'If the pitch was even slightly sweet, the batter would likely swing!'
'Slightly up the center of the strike zone.'
Miyuki positioned his Mitt there, knowing it was Furuya's favorite spot.
'Since mastering low-course pitching, he had rarely thrown there. He must have been eager to try.'
'Don't hold back, throw it boldly!'
Furuya poured every ounce of strength he had.
Roaar!!!
The ball shot forward like an accelerating rocket.
Breaking through air resistance, it reached the batter in an instant.
'A fastball right in the middle!'
Tadano instantly recognized the ball's trajectory.
His entire body tingled with anticipation.
While Inajitsu High School had focused much on studying Sawamura, that didn't mean they neglected Furuya.
In fact, they understood the characteristics of each Seidou player very well.
Just like now.
Tadano knew exactly what this pitch was.
A fastball!
'Due to the high speed, the ball would float a bit.'
To make contact, he needed to aim just above the fastball.
'Now!'
Calculating his timing, Tadano swung with all his might.
Buzz!
Tadano, who appeared lean and not physically strong, transformed into an unstoppable force as he swung his bat.
Incredible!!
This was no joke; he was fully capable of hitting Furuya's pitch out of the park.
Ping!
As the bat made contact with the white ball, Tadano's expression instantly shifted from joy to shock.
So heavy!
'The bat hit the ball much harder than it felt.'
'Was it Furuya's power? No, it wasn't just about that.'
It was because he hadn't hit the sweet spot.
The white ball that connected with the bat flew high into the air.
It soared more than ten meters above home plate before finally losing its momentum and falling.
At the catcher's position, Miyuki took two steps forward, positioning himself directly beneath the ball.
Snap!
"OUT!!!"
The high-fly ball was caught.
Tadano's face still bore an expression of disbelief.
Miyuki, however, smiled.
This result was just as he had envisioned. Since Furuya hadn't thrown that type of pitch in a while, he must have accumulated too much drive.
Thus, when he pitched, the ball spun faster and floated more.
In such cases, they could at least count on a good strike.
With Tadano's cooperation, the effectiveness was exceptional.
Finally, the batter was dispatched with just one pitch.
'Perfect!'
"Nice pitch!" Miyuki praised, extending his hand for Sawamura to continue.
This time, he aimed for a low course.
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE!!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!"
One high fly ball and two Strikeouts.
Furuya dominated the inning, throwing just seven pitches without wasting a single one.
At that moment, he displayed the caliber of a top-tier pitcher in the country.
In the Inajitsu High School dugout, Superintendent Kunitomo cracked his neck, making it creak.
"This pitcher poses a threat too great; we must find a way to take him down!"
A pitcher like Furuya, once in form, was definitely on par with the top pitchers in the country.
Wasn't that how Komadai Fujimaki High School was defeated?
Otherwise, if Sawamura Eijun didn't pitch, how could Seidou High School compete with Komadai Fujimaki?
At this moment, Superintendent Kunitomo had made up his mind to solve the Furuya issue.
What happened next only strengthened his resolve.
No matter what, they had to take Furuya out of the game.
In the bottom of the second inning, Seidou High School was on the offensive.
The first to step into the batter's box was the sixth hitter, Maezono.
This time, Coach Kataoka had hesitated for a long time about this lineup adjustment. He had even considered moving Furuya to the sixth spot.
While Furuya had his share of blind swings, it couldn't be denied that he was incredibly strong.
He was the only player on Seidou High School's roster—aside from Sawamura and Miyuki—capable of hitting for power.
However, considering his inconsistent performance, especially after the last game against the formidable Fujimaki High School, no one could say how much energy he had left.
To put it bluntly, he could be substituted at any moment. If it came to that, he would be replaced by Kawakami.
Kawakami would then have to connect the gap between Shiratsu and Toujou.
That didn't seem entirely appropriate.
When it came to hitting, among the eighteen members of Seidou's starting lineup, he was definitely in the bottom three.
In this context, having him connect the fifth and seventh batters didn't seem right.
At the very least, Coach Kataoka himself wasn't comfortable with it.
So ultimately, he decided to stick with the original batting order that Seidou had developed over time.
Everyone worked together seamlessly.
He believed they could still deliver strong results.
Kataoka's idea was solid, but the outcome fell short.
Maezono, leading off, was struck out.
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"
Maezono specialized in inside pitches and fastballs.
This information had long been thoroughly researched by Inajitsu High School.
How could they possibly use a pitch like that against Maezono? That would be detrimental!
So they opted for low-course breaking balls without hesitation.
A low-course Slider posed a significant challenge for Maezono, who was used to hitting from a fixed stance.
Except for the first pitch he let go, he swung at the next two.
Unfortunately, he didn't make contact once.
His out was expected, but Toujou's exit was a bit surprising.
Seidou High School's lineup was actually well-matched against Hirano.
This was due to the comprehensive skills of Kominato, Shiratsu, and Toujou.
All three were highly skilled batters, specifically suited to counter a pitcher like Hirano.
Facing Hirano's pitches, Toujou was full of energy.
He swung his bat hard at the incoming white ball.
Ping!
After contact, the ball arced beautifully and fell into the outfield.
Toujou's effort was commendable, but the white ball ultimately didn't land.
Like a whirlwind, Carlos dashed in.
He successfully fielded the ball.
Snap!
"OUT!!"
"Man, again?"
"And such a good hit too!"
"This fielder's range was almost superhuman!"
Two Outs, and no one on base.
Just as Inajitsu High School seemed poised to secure the inning, the situation changed once more.
Furuya, batting eighth, swung his arm and connected hard with the ball.
PAANG!!
The ball soared out of the field as if a cannonball fired from a cannon.
Standing in the Batter's Box, Furuya calmly tossed his bat aside and leisurely walked around the field, making his way back to home plate.
…