Coach Kataoka's plan to kill three birds with one stone wasn't entirely impossible for the players of Seidou High School to guess.
But even if they figured it out, what would it matter? They still had to obediently follow through.
The upperclassmen didn't want the newly emerging freshmen to take their positions, and the freshmen, seeing someone else step up, weren't willing to back down either.
That said, this year's freshmen recruited by Seidou High School were truly exceptional.
Their strengths weren't just in their skills but also in their pride.
These players were kings and rulers in their respective junior baseball teams during middle school, enjoying the kind of treatment where they were treated like stars.
Would such players willingly give up their starting positions to others?
Of course not.
So, they were practicing hard, hoping to catch the coaching staff's attention as soon as possible.
Time flew, and before long, it was the second round of Seidou High School's matches.
This was the Tokyo Spring Tournament, with the format being 32 teams reduced to 16.
On the day of the game, the Seidou High School baseball team arrived at the venue by bus.
The scene was already packed with spectators.
For the fans of Seidou High School, every match was a must-see.
Although some couldn't attend due to school or work, the base of Seidou High School's fanbase was so large that it didn't matter.
Even with many unable to show up, the remaining fans filled the stadium to capacity.
In this vibrant atmosphere, the game began.
Coach Kataoka had previously stated that if the opportunity arose, he would let Nishiyama and Yuuki play.
True to his word, as soon as the game started, Yuuki Masashi was sent onto the field.
He was assigned as the left fielder.
Sawamura Eijun, who had been filling in as left fielder, didn't get a chance to play this time and sat directly in the rest area.
Seidou High School's starting pitcher for this match was The Monster, Furuya Satoru.
In the previous round, Kawakami had pitched, but today it was Furuya.
It seemed that in these matches where victory was likely, Coach Kataoka planned to rotate several of his pitchers.
This approach was entirely reasonable.
"Aren't they worried that this might affect Sawamura-kun's performance?"
Owada Akiko, a reporter from Baseball Kingdom Magazine, asked Fujio beside her in surprise.
Fujio shook his head.
"With Sawamura-kun's level, he no longer needs such games to maintain his form. Coach Kataoka is confident and bold because of Sawamura's presence. He believes that as long as Sawamura is ready to play at any moment, he can showcase the strength of an Ace pitcher right away…"
It seemed that Sawamura had fewer opportunities to play, but in fact, the team trusted him even more to save them in critical situations.
Fujio ultimately couldn't say this out loud.
After all, even if he did, Owada Akiko might not understand, so it was better left unsaid.
The game began, and the first team to bat was Akamaji Osagara.
When Akamaji launched their offense, a few spectators in the stands cheered for them.
Although their cheering couldn't compare to the thousands of fans supporting Seidou High School, it still gave their players a boost.
At the very least, hearing the cheers made the players excited, and eager to showcase their skills.
'How naïve!'
Looking at the eager opponent ready to swing their bats, the catcher, Miyuki, remained calm.
For Furuya, he feared nothing from these overly eager teams.
'Bring it on! Show your pitching and announce your presence to the world. '
'This would also, to some extent, stimulate Sawamura…'
Seeing Miyuki's open mitt, Furuya seemed to receive some kind of signal, and his stance became intimidatingly wide.
With all his strength, he threw the ball hard.
Roaar!
It felt as if the sky was collapsing; the first batter of Akamaji froze in place.
'So fast!!!'
The speed seemed to penetrate the very soul, instilling awe in the batter.
Although they had collected data prior and knew Furuya's ball speed was impressive—having seen him pitch at 157 km/h (97 mph) on TV—nothing compared to witnessing it live.
The sheer terror of the pitch was on another dimension, leaving them helpless and bewildered.
The speed alone felt unmanageable, not to mention that Furuya's pitching had more than just velocity.
It carried an essence that seemed alive, eroding the will of the batter.
Under such terrifying pressure, Akamaji's first batter could no longer restrain himself.
Aside from the first pitch, where he was too shocked to swing, he swung at the second and third pitches in quick succession!
Unfortunately, none of those swings connected with the white ball.
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE!!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"
The second and third batters received the same treatment.
All were cleanly struck out.
Three strikeouts in a row sent the opposing batters back to the bench without a single hit.
Furuya's terrifying power shocked everyone present.
"I didn't expect to see such speed live!"
"Was that pitch clocked at 160 km/h?" (160 mph)
"There's really no way to tell, but he previously threw a fastball at 157 km/h in the spring Koshien. A super fastball hitting 160 km/h isn't impossible!"
The audience's comments caught the attention of some professional baseball scouts.
They had originally come to observe Sawamura Eijun and Miyuki Kazuya.
Seeing Furuya's performance felt like discovering treasure.
Not to mention anything else, based on that pitch alone, Furuya's current pitching ability was already among the best in the country.
"Impressive!"
"It's a waste that such a pitcher can only serve as a substitute."
"What can we do? Our Ace pitcher is the Demon King."
"Don't argue; after all, we are the kingdom of pitchers. It's strange that we don't have such a level."
The audience was buzzing with excitement.
In the second half of the inning, it was Seidou High School's turn to bat.
The opponent's defense was tight, seemingly intent on not giving Seidou any chances.
But with such minor difficulties, trying to stop the Seidou High School players was wishful thinking.
Ping!
Kuramochi hit the ball cleanly into the outfield!
No one expected him to suddenly change his hitting rhythm, catching the opponents off guard.
"Hyaa-ha-haa!"
After seeing the freshmen showcase their prowess before, the flamboyant Kuramochi was quite frustrated.
Now that he finally had his chance, he was determined to seize it.
He achieved a long hit to the outfield and sprinted to second base in one go.
The scene turned to no Outs with a runner on second.
The players of Akamaji had to be cautious.
Not to mention that the next batter was Kominato Haruichi, known for his superb hitting skills.
When Kominato stepped into the Batter's Box, he immediately assumed a bunt stance.
It looked like he was trying to advance Kuramochi to third base.
This was also a common tactic used by Seidou High School. Akamaji didn't think much of it and adopted a front-guard defense.
Given Kuramochi Youichi's speed, if someone advanced him to the third base, it would be challenging for them to stop him.
In this situation, they could only ensure that they got the Out first.
This team had the pragmatism of a professional baseball team.
They never engaged in foolish plays, minimizing damage from opponents while maximizing their scoring chances.
That's how professional baseball operates.
However, High School baseball players are not professional athletes, and managing them like professionals would be a grave mistake.
Haruichi, seeing the ball coming, retracted his bat and swung accurately.
Paak!
The white ball was struck and fell directly behind the shortstop.
If he hadn't been playing front-guard defense, he wouldn't have been caught so unprepared against Kominato's trickery.
And so it went.
With Kominato's hit, Kuramochi ran past third base and headed home, helping the team score the first point.
The score became 1:0.
But Seidou High School's offense was far from over.
Next up was Shiratsu.
In today's match, Sawamura did not play and remained in the rest area.
In this case, Shiratsu moved up in the batting order.
He went from the fifth spot to the third.
He didn't let the third spot down, hitting cleanly.
The situation on the field became no Outs with runners on first and third.
At this point, Miyuki Kazuya stepped into the Batter's Box.
Facing a no-out situation with runners on first and third, Miyuki expected the opponents to walk him, but to his surprise, they chose to confront him directly.
This was an unexpected delight.
Miyuki raised his bat with interest, waiting for the white ball to come flying in.
He didn't have to wait long; the white ball arrived!
'Perfect!'
…