Seidou High School wasn't about to give up their final opportunity.
Up until now, Coach Kataoka had not given many instructions, but at this moment, he seemed to have grown restless. He stood up and started giving out assignments to the players.
First, he sent Kanemaru to replace Higasa.
Higasa had not impressed during his previous at-bats, having struck out twice.
By putting Kanemaru in his place, Kataoka was giving him the chance to show what he could do.
Kanemaru knew that Kataoka had high expectations for him. If he wanted to gain more trust, this opportunity was essential.
It was a great opportunity. If Kanemaru seized it, he could completely become Seidou's third baseman.
But it wasn't going to be easy.
In the future, Lincoln would be one of the top pitchers in the world.
Even now, he had kept Seidou's batting lineup under control, preventing them from finding their rhythm.
With his current ability, it would be no easy feat for Kanemaru to overcome Lincoln.
Although Kanemaru put in a lot of effort, in the end, he still couldn't avoid the fate of striking out.
At this point, despite being exhausted and seemingly struggling with every breath, Lincoln, with only three outs left, gritted his teeth and persevered.
"STRIKE!"
"FOUL!!"
"FOUL!!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"
He first struck out Kanemaru, then turned his attention to Seidou's final batter.
Snap!
"OUT!!!"
The baseball was hit and soared high, eventually landing in the mitt of the second baseman.
Just like that, two Outs were recorded.
In the top of the ninth inning, there were two Outs, and no one was on base.
Since Seidou High School had batted first, and their score was behind, the Texas Team only needed one more Out.
Once they secured that final Out, they would win the game 4-1, with a three-run lead over Seidou.
Lincoln, panting heavily, stood on the pitcher's mound, feeling an exhaustion like never before.
He had miscalculated in today's game. Because Coach Abel was watching, he had started off too aggressively.
Unknowingly, he had overexerted himself. By the time he realized it, the game was already nearing its end.
Lincoln even found himself struggling to continue at one point.
Fortunately...
Despite the immense struggle he had gone through, Lincoln had stubbornly pushed on.
He was just one Out away from finishing this game.
Although he had given up a home run and conceded a point during the process, he hadn't managed to shut out the opponent, achieving a perfect game, which was a regret.
But Lincoln believed his performance had definitely caught Coach Abel's attention. He hoped the coach would be satisfied.
The only downside was the unexpected appearance of an additional rival.
Due to the sudden appearance of Sawamura, Lincoln couldn't be the most prominent player in today's game.
Even though Lincoln had performed admirably, in both the direct interactions and overall performance, he was just a little bit behind Sawamura.
This was the only thing that made Lincoln feel uneasy.
He couldn't help but wonder whether Coach Abel had noticed Sawamura's performance and whether his view of Lincoln would change because of it.
If we only talk about Lincoln himself, he was certainly outstanding.
But when compared to Sawamura, his performance didn't seem quite as impressive...
Standing on the pitcher's mound, Lincoln's mind was full of twists and turns.
He had already started thinking about what would happen after the game.
Of course, before that, he needed to secure that final Out.
Lincoln focused his gaze on the Batter's Box, ready to observe his last opponent.
Youichi Kuramochi!
Any team that had studied the baseball team from Seidou High School would never ignore Kuramochi's presence.
Lincoln was no different...
He was fully aware that this opponent was very fast. Although he had only seen Kuramochi's performance on base in the game footage, the statistics were clear enough for Lincoln to understand.
If Kuramochi managed to get on base, he would immediately become a very tricky opponent.
Even someone as proud as Lincoln didn't want to let Kuramochi get on base easily.
Though Lincoln felt sorry, he still aimed to send Kuramochi back to the dugout.
Lincoln took his stance and decisively threw the baseball.
Whroosh!
Even though he had thrown over 100 pitches and his rhythm had completely fallen apart, Lincoln's pitch at this moment was still as terrifying as ever.
The baseball was almost in front of Kuramochi's face in the blink of an eye.
'So fast!'
Whether it was from the dugout or from the Batter's Box, Kuramochi could clearly feel the power of this pitch.
It was already two Outs, and as the last batter, Kuramochi should have been under a great deal of pressure. It should be difficult for him to swing his bat.
But Kuramochi didn't hesitate. Seeing the pitch, he decisively swung his bat.
Paak!
The baseball was struck, but it rolled out of bounds.
"FOUL!"
Both of Kuramochi's hands trembled slightly.
Even now, Lincoln's pitching still hadn't lost any of its power.
'This guy is really a monster!!'
It was said that Lincoln, the pitcher in front of him, was only ranked in the top three in America.
'He was not the best!'
But even though he wasn't the top pitcher, Lincoln still gave Kuramochi the feeling that he was unbeatable.
It was as though a small creature had encountered its natural enemy — no matter how hard it tried, it was not a match!
'As if we didn't have enough troublesome guys back home!'
Even though there are crazy good pitchers in Japan like Narumiya and Hongou, Kuramochi felt like the creature in front of him was something else completely.
It wasn't like he was incredibly tricky or impossibly unique, what Kuramochi saw in front of him was might.
Just pure, simple, but also despairing, soul-destroying Might!
'So this is what the world has to offer.'
Shaking his head, Kuramochi tried to rid himself of this odd feeling in his mind.
He focused all his attention on his opponent — Lincoln, right in front of him.
'Was there no way?'
Kuramochi honestly had no confidence that he could hit the pitch from this monster.
But it was already two Outs. If he struck Out now, Seidou High School would lose!
Sawamura and Miyuki had performed so well, could they really repay them with failure?
'That would be too embarrassing!'
No matter what, he had to hit this pitch.
Kuramochi was determined to keep his place on the Seidou High School team. How could he tolerate that?
Despite the intense moment, Kuramochi's mind momentarily wandered.
Just as he wasn't paying attention, his opponent struck with a killer move.
Whroosh!
Seeing a flaw in Kuramochi's stance, Lincoln immediately took advantage and threw the ball without hesitation.
The timing was perfect.
Kuramochi, standing in the Batter's Box, was completely unprepared and watched the baseball fly toward him.
For a moment, he really froze!
But at that moment, his body reacted on its own.
It was like a reflex, similar to when he had to dodge or counterattack in street fights.
Once his body reacted, Kuramochi didn't try to stop the impulse.
He let his body follow his instincts.
It was fast — too fast!
As the baseball came toward him, Kuramochi decisively swung his bat.
Paak!
The bat connected with the baseball, sending it flying toward third base.
What a chance!
The third baseman from the Texas team's eyes lit up.
A ball like this, falling directly at his feet, was practically a gift.
If he let it slip, his conscience would never let him live it down.
Seeing the ball, the third baseman rushed forward and grabbed it, then prepared to throw it to first base.
But just as he reached for the ball, it took an irregular bounce.
Instead of rolling toward him, the ball ricocheted off to the side.
"Oh shit!"
The Texas third baseman froze in disbelief.
Still, he quickly rushed forward, took two more steps, and stopped the ball.
But even though he stopped it, trying to throw it to first base was already out of the question.
A figure in white and blue flashed like lightning, crossing the field in an instant and reaching first base.
"SAFE!!!"
Before the third baseman could even look up, Kuramochi had already made it to first base.
Seeing this, the Texas third baseman felt his hair stand on end.
'How could this be?'
If the opponent was this fast, there was no way they could feel at ease once the player was on base.
This was someone who needed to be watched carefully!
Just as the Texas team was about to secure their victory...
The game suddenly took an unexpected turn!
…
T/N: Well, That's it for now!
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