In the match between Seidou High School and Bunkyo High School, an unexpected turn of events occurred in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Bunkyo High School, which had been evenly matched with Seidou High School, suddenly conceded a full four points.
The score reached 5-0 as the game moved into the seventh inning.
In the first half of the seventh inning, Bunkyo High School took their turn to bat.
Before Seidou High School took the field, Coach Kataoka issued special instructions.
"After Sawamura finishes this inning, Nishiyama will pitch the remaining two innings. Then you, Sawamura, will play left field!"
Saying this, he looked at Nishiyama with great confidence.
Nishiyama earned this opportunity through his own performance. They had scored so many points with Nishiyama starting the contribution.
Every beginning is difficult.
Had Nishiyama not capitalized on the opening in Bunkyo High School's defense, it would have been much harder for Seidou High School to score so many points at once.
In the last two innings, Coach Kataoka originally planned to hand the ball to Kawakami but changed his mind and entrusted it directly to Nishiyama.
"Yes!" Nishiyama accepted calmly.
After exchanging glances, his teammates looked at Nishiyama with a mix of emotions.
Seeing the current Nishiyama reminded them of Sawamura when he first joined the team last year.
Both were outstanding and received the Coach's focused nurturing.
The only difference was that neither Nishiyama's skills nor luck was as favorable as Sawamura's.
Back then, Seidou High School faced a severe shortage of pitchers. Although Tanba-senpai was a good pitcher, he wasn't quite enough to support a powerhouse like Seidou High School.
But they weren't lacking in the batting power, and Sawamura still proved himself in batting even among the monsters like the Senpai.
This was why Sawamura could quickly become the team's Ace.
Nishiyama was facing a different era!
The Ace position at Seidou High School was among the most stable in the entire country, not to mention that Seidou High School was still known as the Kingdom of Pitchers today.
If Nishiyama truly wanted to stand out, he would have to fight his way through the pitcher kingdom...
The road ahead for him was much more challenging than it had been for Sawamura and he lacked the needed skill for it, but the Coach was still willing to give him more chances as he was still considering Sawamura to be an exceptional case.
In the stands, Owada Akiko, a reporter for Baseball Kingdom Magazine, looked at the score in disbelief. She hadn't expected that in just one inning, the two teams would be so clearly separated.
Originally, she thought they would have to battle for several more innings.
"I didn't expect this pitcher from Bunkyo to be so unreliable."
"Unreliable?"
Fujio, sitting beside her, widened his eyes in surprise.
To be honest, he hadn't anticipated his partner making such a judgment.
"Even though he gave up four runs in one go, he didn't actually allow that many hits. It was just Nishiyama, Sawamura, and Miyuki who solidly connected with the ball. The others couldn't do that and were using their skills and momentum to navigate the situation! To suppress the entire lineup of Seidou to this extent means this pitcher is definitely among the top in the country."
"Really?"
It wasn't that Owada Akiko doubted Fujio's judgment, but it was hard to imagine that Jack April could be considered a top pitcher after giving up four runs so quickly.
"Of course it's true."
The surprising outcome of the game wasn't because Jack April was poor.
It was because Seidou's ability to make use of the opportunity and score was incredibly high!
"The cooperation among these players is verging on the level of professional teams."
'Because they fought more than any other teams and defeated many strong pitchers, this experience accumulated and was flourishing dazzlingly right now.'
'King Seidou!'
'This team was beginning to resemble that title.'
The game continued, and Sawamura stood on the mound once more.
If nothing unexpected happened, this should be his last inning.
"Three Outs left."
For Sawamura Eijun, he only needed to secure three more Outs.
Of course, things wouldn't be that smooth.
After all, the players from Bunkyo High School hadn't given up, especially the first batter standing in the box.
The first baseman, J. Emil.
This young man was like a beast ready to pounce.
He made no extra movements, directly assuming a bunting stance.
"No one on base, and the batter is bunting?"
The audience gasped in disbelief.
"Actually, it's not surprising. The batter probably didn't see any opportunity to hit off Sawamura so maybe he is trying to steal base."
With this explanation, everyone suddenly understood. Upon reflection, it did make sense.
If the batter realized he couldn't hit Sawamura's pitches at all, opting for a base steal seemed reasonable.
Emil had absolute confidence in his speed. If he could successfully make contact with the ball, he had a good chance of reaching base!
"Go for it!"
"We believe in you!"
Surprisingly, instead of booing Emil, Seidou High School's supporters cheered him on enthusiastically.
"When did this guy get popular?"
Jack April looked around in disbelief. Though he couldn't understand what the people were saying, he could guess from their tone and actions that they were cheering for Emil.
Previously, they had shown a completely different attitude while he was on the mound!
"Could it be that people in this country like black guys?"
Emil found it quite baffling.
Aoki wasn't surprised at all.
For Westerners, they would never understand the concept of irony.
Those cheering for Emil were actually eager to see him make a fool of himself.
Sawamura didn't disappoint anyone, decisively throwing a pitch at Emil, who was in a bunting position.
Whrroosh!
The small ball shot forth at a terrifying speed.
Emil, in his bunting stance, frowned deeply. Even in that position, he couldn't see where Sawamura was releasing the ball.
By the time he reacted, the ball had already zipped past.
'So fast!'
Fortunately, his experience was rich enough, and his bunting practice was solid enough to match his speed.
Even in a hurry, he managed to make contact with the ball.
Ping!
The small ball rolled out after being knocked.
Emil dashed to first base as if he had suddenly turned on a valve.
His speed was impressive, but someone was even faster.
That person was Sawamura.
The small ball that had been bunted rolled almost directly toward the pitcher's mound.
Sawamura trotted over, scooped up the ball, and without pausing, threw it straight to first base.
SNAP!
"OUT!!!"
Emil was only three or four meters away from the base.
His speed was commendable, but he couldn't escape the reach of Sawamura.
"Haha, you've been taught a lesson."
"How dare you try bunting against Sawamura!"
Emil looked utterly defeated.
With his pride, he would normally scoff at using such a tactic.
Now, forced into a corner by Sawamura, he resorted to it.
Unexpectedly, he was still outsmarted by the opponent.
His speed, which he prided himself on, was ineffective against Sawamura.
Standing before Sawamura, he felt exposed, as if he were unclothed.
Despite not being the one to be easily embarrassed, Emil felt awkward at that moment.
He had a strange delusion that Sawamura seemed to know him for a long time, rather than just meeting him for the first time.
If Sawamura were aware of Emil's guess, he would surely be impressed.
The boy's intuition was too sharp.
The game continued.
Facing the second batter, Sawamura used his Moving ball.
Ping!
After being hit, the ball bounced toward second base.
A fast shadow dashed out, catching the ball beautifully.
"Haruichi!"
"Eijun-kun!"
Sawamura turned and waved to Haruichi, then faced his final opponent.
Aoki Sugi!
So far in this game, Sawamura had not given up a single hit.
Now, he was just one Out away from getting his perfect game.
No hits, no runs!
After that, it would be up to Nishiyama; it wouldn't be his concern.
He still wanted to pitch more though.
…
T/N: The game will be finished tomorrow!
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