Chapter 84: The Birth Of a Star

"SAFE!"

Sawamura returned to home plate, helping his team turn the score around.

In an instant, Seidou High School's dugout transformed into a sea of joy.

Today's game was a confidence-building match for the other players on the Seidou High School baseball team.

Before the game, Ace pitcher Sawamura suffered an unexpected injury, casting a shadow over the future of the entire team.

The boys themselves were lacking confidence.

They knew too well the strength of Komadai Fujimaki High School, and there was no reliable pitcher available at this moment.

Winning seemed impossible.

Aside from Sawamura, neither Furuya nor Kawakami had the level to fill the gap left by their Ace.

It felt like a sword was hanging over their heads, poised to drop and send Seidou High School into despair.

Unexpectedly, through sheer effort, the team fought hard, and at the last moment, they completed the comeback.

'We can do this, and we can be stronger!'

At that moment, their confidence was nearly overflowing.

In Seidou High School's dugout, Coach Kataoka's demeanor remained as cold as ever.

"There are still three Outs. We must secure these Outs. Don't underestimate the opponent; they are just one run behind, and I'm sure the players of Komadai Fujimaki High School won't accept defeat easily." Kataoka's assessment was spot on.

The players of Komadai Fujimaki High School were indeed unwilling to concede. Their coach, Nitta, was equally determined.

Nitta wore a grim expression, like a demon rising from the depths of hell.

"I don't ask for much. Just one point! One point is enough! From what I just saw, Sawamura definitely won't be on the mound today. Therefore, if we can take down Furuya, victory will tilt in our favor. Do you understand what I mean?"

With Nitta's directness, how could the players not understand?

The game had reached a crucial point.

Whoever loosened their resolve first would be the one to lose.

"Fourth batter, third baseman, Yanagi-kun."

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Yanagi stepped into the Batter's Box first.

'The ball speed had decreased!'

'Physical stamina was nearly at its limit.'

As he silently assessed Furuya Satoru's condition, Yanagi pondered how to defeat this opponent.

He had many ideas, but few that would truly be effective.

Even with a drop in speed, Furuya's pitch still clocked in at 150 km/h.

There was no room for carelessness.

He needed to seize the opportunity and deliver a decisive blow.

Make the opponent utterly helpless!

Yanagi raised his bat, intensely focused on Furuya on the mound.

He was waiting for the first pitch from Furuya.

He would judge his next strategy based on the quality of Furuya's first pitch.

Roaar!

Without much delay, the white ball soared out.

As the baseball flew, it felt like the sky was collapsing.

The force behind the pitch was immense.

How is this possible?

Yanagi's brows furrowed deeply.

Now Furuya had clearly thrown over 100 pitches.

'How could his speed and power remain unaffected?'

Yanagi didn't swing at the first pitch.

He carefully analyzed Furuya, his eyes filled with caution and wariness.

Looking up at the electronic display, he saw Furuya's pitch speed.

155 km/h! (96 mph)

After over 100 pitches, Furuya's speed had not dropped but became sharper.

Yanagi turned in shock to his opponent, disbelief etched in his expression.

It was hard to imagine how Furuya achieved this.

'What kind of strength was hidden within this guy?'

In the catcher's position, Miyuki looked relieved.

From the impact he had just felt, it was clear Furuya's power hadn't diminished.

In the closing moments of the game, his performance was becoming increasingly stable.

Perhaps it was due to continuous pitching that he had eliminated unnecessary energy and tension from his body.

'As a result, he could deliver the cleanest pitches possible.'

It was no wonder such a sensation had been created.

As his stamina reached a critical point, Furuya's performance became flawless, leaving the batters from Komadai Fujimaki High School at a loss.

Ping!

After a swing and miss, Yanagi finally caught up with the last pitch.

He barely managed to keep up with Furuya's speed.

But his contact with the ball wasn't clean.

After hitting the ball, it bounced high into the air.

Snap!

At second base, Haruichi opened his mitt and effortlessly caught the fly ball.

"OUT!"

With that, Seidou High School was just two outs away from victory.

"Fifth batter, catcher, Enjou-kun."

Next up was Renji, the fifth batter.

He had performed exceptionally well today, securing two key hits.

The players of Komadai Fujimaki High School had high hopes for him.

The cheers for him were particularly loud.

But the outcome was disappointing.

Renji also failed to reach base, despite hitting the ball well toward first base.

However, the ball was blocked by Maezono's ready mitt.

Snap!

As the ball hit the ground, Maezono scooped it up and stepped on first base.

"OUT!"

Two Outs, nobody on base.

At this point, everyone in the audience was focused on Furuya's performance.

In the stands, Fujio, the senior reporter of Baseball Kingdom Magazine, stared incredulously at his notebook.

Then he looked up at Furuya, who was pitching on the mound.

Perhaps due to his earlier mistakes, he hadn't paid close attention to Furuya.

Now, looking back, he realized this guy was clearly the biggest contributor to Seidou High School's victory in this game!

This assertion was not without reason.

Everything was clearly documented in his notebook.

At this point, Seidou High School was just one out away from victory.

In his earlier pitches, Furuya hadn't left a strong impression.

Without support from the defense, he likely wouldn't have lasted this long.

But statistics don't lie. Fujio's notebook held records of Furuya's performance.

This pitcher, who seemed underwhelming to many, had astonishing statistics.

So far, Furuya had only allowed six effective hits.

Out of those, three were Walks, and the other three were hits.

In other words, in today's game, he had given up only three effective hits.

His opponent, Hongou Masamune, didn't issue any Walks throughout the game.

He allowed six effective hits—double that of Furuya!

Looking at the score, both teams were adept at seizing opportunities. With six effective hits, Komadai Fujimaki scored two points, while Seidou High School scored three.

Among them, Miyuki Kazuya's performance was the most impressive.

In four at-bats, he achieved three hits and two RBIs.

In this critical match, the fourth batter of the Seidou High School baseball team showcased his full potential.

Yet, Furuya's brilliance on the mound could not be overshadowed; his performance was certainly on par with Hongou Masamune.

He even had one more strikeout than his opponent.

To date, Furuya has recorded eleven strikeouts.

Fujio swallowed hard, sensing something.

A terrifying Monster was emerging.

If Seidou High School secured a victory today, Furuya's name would undoubtedly become well-known among Schools following Koshien.

A new terrifying pitcher had been born, one who could be compared to Sawamura Eijun, Hongou Masamune, and Narumiya Mei.

Just the thought made Fujio smile with excitement.

Of course, this merely indicated that Furuya had reached their level; whether he could remain there depended on his future performances.

But Furuya had only been truly learning baseball for a mere year.

And he had already achieved this.

It's hard to imagine how far he could go in the future.

At this moment, Fujio looked at Furuya as if he were witnessing the birth of a new star.

The game continued.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, with two Outs.

"Sixth batter, pitcher, Hongou-kun."

Now it was Hongou's turn at bat.

His eyes burned with intensity, and his fighting spirit was evident even to the casual observer.

He aimed to recover the points he had lost with a powerful swing.

Such a determined player was not difficult to handle—at least not for Miyuki.

'Your last performance was great. Remember that feeling. Let's do it again,' Miyuki signaled as he crouched into the catcher's position.

At this moment, Furuya seemed to focus solely on Miyuki's Mitt.

He aimed to throw the ball right into it.

All his strength was concentrated in his pitching fingers as he shifted his weight forward.

At this moment, Furuya felt invincible.

Roaar!!

He pitched like an artillery shell, relentlessly targeting the batter's nerves.

In the strike zone, Hongou's lips curled in dissatisfaction.

Gritting his teeth, he swung at the incoming ball.

Ping!

The bat connected with the small white ball, sending it soaring behind the catcher.

"FOUL!"

This outcome surprised players from both teams.

Miyuki frowned, glancing at Hongou.

'Furuya's current state was a bit unusual; it felt as if he had suddenly powered up. Despite exceeding 100 pitches, his speed and power showed no signs of decline.'

'At this moment, Furuya's pitching quality was exceptionally high.'

But the opponent still seized the opportunity and made contact with the ball.

Starting from the fourth batter, they had Yanagi, Renji, and Hongou…

'Komadai Fujimaki High School was indeed a strong team.'

They had made it this far, not solely relying on their pitching lineup.

'Their batting power was also commendable.'

'However, they were still somewhat immature like us; once they truly honed their skills, they could become serious competitors for Seidou's summer Koshien title.'

Miyuki had to be cautious.

At this moment, he was already thinking about the upcoming summer Koshien.

His calm demeanor was because he felt confident about handling Hongou.

Next pitch: Forkball!

Roaar!

The ball suddenly dropped as it approached the batter, catching him off guard.

BOOM!

"STRIKE!!!"

The count was now two Strikes, no Balls, and the batter was under pressure.

Seidou High School was just one Strike away from victory.

At this moment, the audience seemed to forget to cheer, their eyes glued to this matchup.

Miyuki signaled Furuya for the final pitch.

The batter had just been unsettled by a series of breaking balls.

'At this moment, the trajectory of the breaking ball must still linger in the batter's mind.'

'For the final pitch, throw your best pitch.'

'A straight ball right down the center.'

On the mound, Furuya nodded subtly.

Unlike the outgoing Sawamura, the currently pitching Furuya had no expression on his face.

From his expression, you couldn't read his emotions.

It seemed that no matter what pitch he threw, he was entirely confident.

He took his stance, raised the baseball high, and then hurled it with all his might.

Roaar!!

With this pitch, Furuya squeezed out the last bit of strength in his body.

The white ball seemed to plummet toward the ground.

'So low!'

Seeing this ball, Hongou's first instinct was that it would hit the dirt.

So even though he was down to two strikes, he didn't swing.

He watched helplessly as the small white ball suddenly rose.

Then it rose again!

BOOM!

The baseball slid perfectly into Miyuki Kazuya's open mitt.

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!"

"GAAAAMEEE!!!! SEEEEET!!!!!"

With three Outs, the game was over.

"Spring Koshien Invitation Tournament, the first game of the semi-finals: Seidou High School vs. Komadai Fujimaki High School. The final winner is King Seidou High School!"

…

T/N: Komadai have been stopped and defeated, and Seidou, at least in defense, proved they can make do without Sawamura.

Not the best results, but acceptable nonetheless.