[209] Entering the Battle Against Seihou
Chapter 209: Entering the Battle Against Seihou
"Whoosh!"
Thud!
"Strike! Batter out! Three outs! Side retired!"
At the plate, Seihou High's second batter could only watch in frustration as his third swing missed, resulting in a strikeout.
Defeated, he left the batter's box.
The pitcher's performance had become increasingly steady.
With his blazing fastballs consistently landing in the strike zone while staying low, it wasn't impossible to hit them, but connecting solidly was exceptionally difficult.
With this clean strikeout, Seidou High reclaimed the momentum lost in the previous inning.
At this point, both teams were in a fairly balanced state.
If anything, Seidou held a slight edge due to Furuya's relentless energy on the mound, though it wasn't a decisive advantage.
...
In the bottom of the third inning, Seidou High's offense began with their third batter, Jun Isashiki.
This was the heart of Seidou's lineup.
When it came to power in their core batting order, Seidou High was by no means inferior to Seihou High.
The only reason Seidou's reputation didn't match Seihou's was their absence from Koshien in recent years.
In terms of skill, Yuuki was no less capable than Seihou's Sano. In some areas, he might even surpass him.
...
"Whoosh!"
Ping!
After falling behind with two strikes and letting a ball pass, the count was 2-1 when Isashiki finally capitalized on an outside fastball.
His solid swing sent the ball over the infield and into right field.
However, the hit was slightly shallow, and luck wasn't on Seidou's side. Seihou's right fielder, positioned nearby, quickly reacted.
Though the ball wasn't caught midair, the defense promptly relayed it to first baseman, who caught it just before Isashiki reached the bag.
Pop!
"Out!"
A ground hit into shallow right field turned into an out, a rare stroke of bad luck for Seidou.
Isashiki let out an annoyed grunt. If he had Kuramochi's speed, he would have easily reached base regardless of the defense's quick reaction.
...
Following Isashiki's out, cleanup hitter Yuuki stepped up, drawing Seihou High's full attention.
Their battery was well aware that Seidou's captain was on par with their ace slugger Sano.
On the first pitch, an outside slider, Yuuki perfectly timed his swing, overpowering the pitch and sending the ball deep into the right-center field gap.
It landed for an extra-base hit, and Yuki safely reached second base.
Seidou High once again found themselves in a prime scoring position.
What followed was a daunting challenge for Seihou's defense: power hitter Masuko and clutch specialist catcher Miyuki were next in the lineup.
Seidou's aggressive strategy placed immense pressure on Seihou High.
However, as a nationally renowned powerhouse, Seihou's defense was no pushover.
Their ace, Narakoshi, had faced dozens of strong hitters in hundreds of games, including scrimmages, over the past two years.
He wasn't one to crumble easily.
With a powerful, aggressive pitching approach, Narakoshi threw five direct pitches, striking out Masuko.
This brought Miyuki to the plate.
Seihou's catcher Misaki had learned his lesson and was determined not to be deceived by Seidou's crafty catcher again.
No tricks, no unnecessary antics—just pure skill against skill.
This unexpected approach caught Miyuki slightly off guard.
After quickly falling behind in the count with two strikes, Miyuki had no choice but to swing at a tricky pitch.
His hit resulted in a high infield pop fly, which was caught, ending the inning.
In the bottom of the third inning, Seidou High's offense came to an abrupt halt with only Yuuki's double. They too failed to score.
...
On the third-base side, in Seihou High's dugout, Coach Nishidera addressed his players calmly.
"Good job, Narakoshi. Keep this up. This is a grueling tug-of-war, and only the one who endures will emerge victorious. The later innings are where the real test for pitchers begins. Understood?"
"Yes, Coach, I understand," Narakoshi replied in a firm tone, nodding.
"Alright, boys! It's our turn now. This is also the heart of our lineup. Let's show them our strength this inning. Go get them!"
"Yes!" the team responded with determination.
...
Meanwhile, in Seidou High's dugout, Coach Kataoka made an unexpected announcement just before the players took the field.
"Furuya-kun, after facing the cleanup hitter this inning, switch to left field and swap with Sawamura-kun."
Furuya froze for a moment, and a faint sense of surprise spread among the players.
Only Miyuki, Chris, and Yuuki remained composed, while even Eijun showed a hint of astonishment before quickly realizing what it was about.
It's because of that home run in the top of the second, isn't it?
Eijun thought.
That one big hit must've made the coach hesitate a bit.
Furuya stood silently for a moment before responding in a low voice, "Understood."
Although clearly frustrated about being removed from the mound, Furuya knew it was because his current skill level wasn't enough.
I need to get stronger. I won't let go of this position so easily!
At that moment, a powerful determination surged in Furuya's heart.
...
"Top of the fourth inning, Seihou High's offense. Third batter, first baseman, Ichinose-kun."
"Let's go, Ichinose!"
"Show him what we're made of!"
"Teach this kid a lesson!"
"Seihou! Invincible!"
It was Seihou's heart of the lineup this inning.
The rotation was indeed well-constructed, but there was no need to fear.
Furuya, give it your all!
Miyuki placed his glove on the inside corner, his eyes resolute as he looked toward the mound.
Furuya nodded lightly.
With a deliberate motion, he stepped forward and unleashed his full power.
Whoosh!
Thud!
"Strike! Batter out!"
Using simple but overpowering fastballs, Furuya quickly retired Seihou's third batter in just four pitches.
"One out! One out!"
"Nice pitch, Furuya!"
"Keep it up, but don't get complacent!"
Furuya's motion was fluid, his arm swinging without stiffness.
Watching from the dugout, Coach Nishidera silently admired Furuya's composure.
Not bad for a rookie.
But this is where it gets interesting.
Sano, show this first-year prodigy what real batting is all about.
"Fourth batter, third baseman, Sano-kun!"
-------------------
If you want to read 10 advance chapters ahead.
Visit my patreon: patreon.com/Leonzky