Chapter 68: The Shining Beacon

It flew out! 

All eyes were fixed on the ball as it soared over the outfield wall. 

The faces of the second- and third-year players stiffened. 

They were truly dumbfounded. 

Just moments ago, they were brimming with confidence, thinking they could hold the line this inning. However, the reality was harsh—formed by a crushing blow dealt by Yuuki and Nishiyama. 

These two, directly promoted to the first-string team by Coach Kataoka and the coaching staff, undoubtedly displayed exceptional skills. 

The score shifted to 14:6! 

The first-year players were now only eight runs behind. 

"My goodness..."

President Ota's facial muscles twitched involuntarily. 

Among the coaching staff of Seidou, Ota had been with the school the longest. In all the years he had witnessed the orientation matches, never once had the score margin been reduced to within ten runs. 

Last year, under Sawamura Eijun's leadership, the new players had already performed impressively, yet the score gap remained terrifying. 

18:3! 

Even though Sawamura had sparked a 3:0 rally after taking the mound, the earlier runs allowed had little to do with him. 

But the orientation match wasn't about a single player—it was about the entire first-year team. In today's game, the standout rookies were rotated in rather than playing all at once. 

Which made the current score even more intriguing... 

'It is indeed a bountiful harvest year!'

That was the only way President Ota could comfort himself. 

If he didn't find solace in that thought, he feared he might lose control of his emotions. 

'By this point, the upperclassmen should almost have lost hope, right?'

President Ota glanced worriedly at the team of returning players. As expected, their faces were grim. 

'To have worked so hard at Seidou for so long, only to see such results—it must be difficult for them to accept.' 

'In the rest area, Sawamura observed the players around him with a sense of empathy.'

In this lifetime, Sawamura had been so overwhelmingly strong that he hadn't experienced much time as a benchwarmer. However, before his regression, he deeply understood what these players were feeling. 

He had climbed step by step from the third-string to the second-string and eventually became the team's rotation pitcher then the Ace. 

He couldn't fully empathize with their emotions, but he could guess most of it. 

"The game's not over yet!"

He didn't say much, just gave a signal to the players on the field. 

With Sawamura's voice, the players snapped back to their senses. 

'Yes, the game wasn't over.'

'Who were we putting on this sorry display for? '

"Let them hit it over!"

"We'll stop it, Kaneda!"

"Two Outs, two Outs!"

Once the players regained their focus, they immediately rallied to support Kaneda on the mound. 

If even the spectators were feeling this down, how must Kaneda, who was facing the opposing batters, feel? 

In truth, everyone was overthinking it. Kaneda's thoughts were simple: 

'As expected of Tetsuya-san's younger brother—he's a monster too!'

Yuuki Masashi! 

This young player's swing alone was enough to strike fear into anyone watching. 

When facing him in person, the feeling was even more intense. His batting style was different from Nishiyama's, but no one could say his hitting was any weaker. 

The two were simply in a league of their own. 

Yuuki Masashi was a batter capable of single-handedly deciding the game. 

He was also the power hitter Seidou High's team had been sorely lacking. 

'No wonder Coach Kataoka promoted him to the first-string team! '

After giving up a home run, Kaneda let go of the caution weighing him down and pitched with a more relaxed mindset. 

Ping! 

Hirota, who had hit a home run earlier, followed with an equally impressive performance, smashing the ball deep into the outfield. 

But the upperclassmen were prepared for this. 

Having already witnessed Hirota's swings, they knew it wasn't wise to position themselves too far forward. 

At the start of the play, the outfielders had already retreated significantly. 

The descending ball landed squarely within their defensive range. 

Snap! 

"OUT!"

Three Outs, sides retired. 

Though Hirota was caught out directly, none of his teammates underestimated him. That hit could have easily gone over the fence. 

Hirota's batting skills were undoubtedly at a monster level, on par with Yuuki Masashi. 

With players like this, no one dared to let their guard down. 

The score was 14:6. 

The gap had been reduced to single digits. 

Had such a close score ever appeared in Seidou's orientation matches? 

The second- and third-year players weren't sure. 

But to their knowledge, it definitely hadn't happened in recent years. 

"These first years are really something!"

"I've never seen an orientation match this close before..."

Supporters watching from the edges of the field were also full of emotion. 

This was an unprecedented situation for them. 

As for the upperclassmen, their sense of shame was palpable. 

"If you feel embarrassed, then fight to close the gap!"

The fourth batter, Takatsu Hiroomi, suddenly spoke up. 

He had recognized the strength of these rookies—no doubt about it, they were extraordinary. 

But Takatsu didn't believe he would lose to them. 

Takatsu seemed to shine a beacon of hope. 

The second- and third-year players found their backbone. 

'That's right, the game wasn't over yet.'

'Why hang our heads in shame now?'

The top of the ninth inning—upperclassmen's turn to bat. 

Before taking the field to defend, Yui and Nishiyama had a quick huddle. 

"Our Senpais are going to do everything they can to get on base..."

Yui didn't elaborate, as if merely offering a friendly reminder. 

Nishiyama smiled and nodded. 

He was well aware of this. 

Since the two of them had been subbed in, the score had shifted to 1:5. 

Sixth inning, seventh inning, eighth inning. 

In those three innings, the first-years had scored five runs in one fell swoop. 

On the other hand, the upperclassmen managed only one run. 

If this game were to start from the sixth inning, the score would be 5:1, with the first-years clearly dominating. 

Seidou's second-string players were the ones closest to making the first-string team. 

They had made the decision to train at Seidou High with strong resolve. 

With firm determination and considerable talent, how could such players resign themselves to fate? 

So, naturally, the upperclassmen would fight back. 

This was nothing more than a normal reaction from normal people. 

Nishiyama didn't mind. 

As a pitcher, knowing your opponents were eager to attack often made them easier to handle. 

In the battle between pitcher and batter, beyond the technical and statistical clashes, the mental games were a key too. 

Nishiyama saw this clearly. 

In fact, no successful pitcher on the mound was truly clueless. 

Unless they were someone like Furuya Satoru, any competent pitcher was half a strategist. 

Nishiyama was no exception. 

He knew full well that the upperclassmen would spare no effort in their offense. 

The more aggressive they were, the calmer he remained. 

Against the third batter, Mimura, he continuously used corner pitches to keep him entangled. 

He was certain that someone would eventually lose their patience, creating an opportunity to strike.

"BALL!"

"BALL!"

"BALL!!"

"BALL FOUR!!"

Unfortunately, his focus on entanglement backfired. Without realizing it, Nishiyama ended up throwing four balls. 

Mimura was Walked to first base. 

Both Nishiyama and his rookie catcher Yui appeared embarrassed. 

They had underestimated their seniors, failing to anticipate Mimura's composure in such a dire situation. 

"Our Senpais are really putting up a fight!"

In the first-year dugout, Seto Takuma commented with a sigh. 

Beside him, Okumura Koushuu shook his head. 

"It's not that our Seniors are tenacious—it's that they got careless just now."

Yui and Nishiyama! 

The duo had indeed displayed extraordinary capability. 

But it was precisely because their performance had been so outstanding that they seemed to forget who their opponents were mostly Seidou's second-string main force. 

While not as formidable as the first-string regulars, these players were far from weak. 

Underestimating them was a grave mistake. 

The fourth batter stepped into the Batter's Box. 

Takatsu was a batter who demanded the first-years' full attention. 

The defense tightened, moving closer to guard against hits into the infield and to prevent the runner on first from stealing. 

"Such thorough preparation!"

In the upperclassmen's dugout, Sawamura nodded appreciatively. 

He felt an odd sense of foreboding. It seemed like the rookie battery wasn't willing to give their all. 

Were they holding back intentionally? Or did they believe their opponents weren't worth their full effort? 

"If that's what you think, then I'm sorry to say..."

The next batter was unlike anyone they had faced before. 

PANG! 

The ball shot off the bat like a streak of light, soaring past the first baseman. 

A massive hit! 

There was no one stationed behind the first baseman. 

Though the ball didn't travel far, it was undoubtedly on a trajectory for a long hit. 

Takatsu, the second-string cleanup batter, delivered a timely hit. 

Mimura sped past second base and third base, returning to home plate. 

"SAFE!"

At the top of the ninth inning, the upperclassmen scored another run. 

The score became 15:6... 

Though the seniors' fighting spirit was commendable, the score gap remained in single digits. 

'We need to come up with another plan...' 

In the dugout, Sawamura began signaling to the batters on the field. 

The current situation: no Outs, a runner on second. 

If they could score another run, the score would shift to 16:6, restoring the double-digit lead. 

…