Chapter 10: Lifeline

Tokyo Fall Tournament Play-off first round, Seidou High School against Kasuga First High School.

In the bottom of the first inning, no Out and no runners on bases.

And the score now is 6-0.

Kasuga's Ace pitcher couldn't even last an inning and was quickly destroyed.

In desperation, Kasuga High School's coach sent in a substitute pitcher.

This backup pitcher is a first-year with a shockingly slow ball speed, around 120 km/h.

Nevertheless, he has his own strange Slider. And he had used it to solve Seidou's three strong batters one after another.

Including Kanemaru, Toujou, and Kawakami.

Kawakami's hitting power wasn't impressive, so no one expected much from him.

But Toujou and Kanemaru are known for their good ball sense. Logically, they shouldn't struggle with such a slow Slider.

After they were Out, the Seidou players gathered to discuss the pitcher's style.

"It's a very peculiar pitching style. The ball speed is slow but has a sly break."

Although Toujou couldn't hit the ball well, he understood the characteristics of this type of pitch.

"According to previous information, this guy has no official game records. I wonder where they found such a promising player."

"Didn't we encounter similar pitchers back in Koshien?"

"We did!"

At this moment, Seidou players who had experienced Koshien displayed a different attitude.

They had faced many unusual players there.

Their experience in handling them gave them confidence in dealing with Kasuga High School's sudden secret weapon.

"Let's focus on defense this inning!" Miyuki said to Kawakami.

Kawakami nodded, he too wanted to show the result of his training.

"OUT!"

"OUT!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!"

Kawakami came in and cleanly secured three Outs with stable and consistent pitching.

Three easy Outs with no chance for the opponents to react.

"You are doing great! Nori!"

"Nice pitching!"

"That was beautiful!"

In the bottom of the second inning, Seidou High School was up to bat again.

The freshman pitcher who had previously faced Seidou High School's lower-ranked batters took the mound once more.

The Seidou players were not about to take this opponent lightly.

'A Slider with a unique break.'

On the strike zone, Kuramochi scrutinized the pitcher, fully alert and focused.

Whoosh!

As soon as the ball was pitched, Kuramochi adjusted his stance for a bunt.

'Even if you have a unique break ball, your other problems won't disappear.'

As the ball was slow, Kuramochi could take his time and adjust the bat easily for bunting.

Ping!

The white ball was knocked and rolled right in front of the pitcher.

The first-year pitcher struggled with this unexpected ball.

He had the same issue as Furuya—remarkable pitching but poor fielding skills.

"Hyaa-ha-haa!"

'Just as I suspected.'

Kuramochi felt a sense of pride.

'This freshman's pitching skills were clearly better than their Ace's.'

'But why didn't he become an Ace himself?'

'The reason is likely simple, he had other glaring weaknesses.'

'Like defense for example!'

"SAFE!"

After Kuramochi reached base, it was Haruichi's turn at bat.

Paak!

Kominato hit the ball to the outfield, but the outfielder was ready this time and was barely able to catch the ball.

But that gave enough time for Kuramochi to advance to second base.

One Out, runner on second base.

Now, it was Sawamura's turn to bat.

"BALL!"

"BALL!"

"BALL!"

"BALL!"

"Walk to base!!!"

Sawamura had faced a pitcher like this before in Koshien. He was confident he could hit the ball out of the park.

The pitcher's speed was only 120 km/h (74 mph), so Sawamura knew he could wait for the ball to come to him before swinging. He was sure that he could swing with all his power once the ball was in his strike zone.

Sawamura was confident and thought he had anticipated every possible scenario in advance. Unfortunately, the opponent didn't give him a chance to prove himself.

He was walked straight to first base.

"Damn it!"

Sawamura, who had been eager to hit a home run, was extremely frustrated.

"Don't worry, leave it to me!" Miyuki took over from Sawamura.

With one Out and runners on first and second base, the situation was perfect for Miyuki, who was unbeatable with runners on base. There was no need for the opponent to walk him since the first base was open. However, the opponent had no way to walk both Miyuki and Sawamura.

If Miyuki also got walked, it would load the bases with one out, a situation that would be tough for the opponent to face Shiratsu like that.

Miyuki was very satisfied with the situation as he stood in the Batter's Box, full of determination.

The opponent clearly had no intention of Walking Miyuki. Compared to the unstoppable Sawamura, Miyuki, though powerful, didn't seem as intimidating.

So they placed their bet on Miyuki.

It was evident that their bet was misplaced.

'It is clear that you guys didn't do your homework well, if you did you will know that I'm best at handling these kinds of odd pitches.'

PAANG!!!!

With a pitch speed of 120 km/h even with a strange break, Miyuki smashed it out of the park!

The baseball flew out of the field for the fourth time.

The score became 9-0.

This score was enough to make anyone feel hopeless.

The fourth batter for Seidou High School, Miyuki Kazuya, hit two home runs, earning a total of four RBIs. If there were an MVP award for the game, he would be the clear winner.

The freshman pitcher who had just entered the game was stunned by such a heavy blow. Fortunately, his pitching had some unique qualities, allowing him to stabilize the situation and secure two outs.

However, before that, he had still allowed one run.

With the combined efforts of Shiratsu and Toujou, they scored another run, making the total 10-0.

If Kasuga couldn't recover the score, the game might end early in the fifth inning.

In the third inning, Kawakami perfectly suppressed Kasuga's lower lineup, quickly getting three Outs and making them go three ups and three down again.

"I need no flashy hits or home runs, I want you all to get consistent hits! You understand?" Coach Kataoka ordered.

"YES!" all the players replied.

He evidently intended to use the match to acclimate the player to Seidou's attacking style.

And that is what the players did.

Although there were no Explosions like the previous two innings, the player still managed to score three runs in a consistent manner.

In the fourth inning, Seidou's lineup erupted again. Especially Sawamura, who hit a Grand Slam with the bases loaded.

Adding the two earlier runs, the score increased to 19-0.

Kataoka scolded Sawamura harshly after he returned to the dugout, he did not replace him but had him write a three thousand words essay about Seidou's attacking style.

The game continued!

By the fifth inning, the game was essentially over. Seidou High School's performance was flawless. Or rather, it was beyond flawless—it was terrifying.

Kasuga, a renowned school in East Tokyo that had also competed in Koshien, was thoroughly dominated in just five innings.

It was unbelievable.

The only downside was that Kawakami allowed a hit that was exploited into a run by the opponent. Allowing Kasuga First High School to regain some dignity.

"In the first round of the playoffs, Seidou High School defeated Kasuga First High School with a score of 19-1 in five innings, securing an early and effective victory!"

The first battle was won!

The Seidou players were thrilled. After this period of preparation, their strength had significantly improved. If they continued to work hard in these playoffs, they were sure to make it to Koshien.

Although they still had the goal to win the Championship, the game against Inajitsu has humbled them.

If they couldn't make it to Koshien first, all other goals were just empty talks.

Moreover, reaching Koshien is also not without significance.

While several of the first-string players had been to Koshien before, most had not. For them, reaching Koshien was a lifelong dream, comparable to playing in the NPB.

Given the circumstances, this playoff qualification match felt like a lifeline they couldn't afford to let it slip away.

After thanking the fans who came to came to cheer on them in this irregular game, Seidou players returned to school.

At this time, Watanabe, who had been scouting at another stadium, also returned.

"How did it go?" Miyuki asked with concern.

The previous death group had been extremely difficult, and if it hadn't been for the tough draw, Seidou might not have had to go through all of this.

Now, with the playoffs needing to be completed within a week, averaging one game every two days, the schedule was unprecedentedly intense.

In this situation, knowing who the opponent would be was crucial.

"Ouya won!"

"It's Ouya High School, the one that caused Inajitsu High School a lot of trouble."

This opponent was clearly not on the same level as Kasuga. While Kasuga was a prestigious school, it had been struggling in recent years and didn't have any exceptionally strong players. A first-year rookie pitcher had ended up saving them.

But Ouya High School was different!

As one of the few public teams that could reach Koshien, they had distinctive strengths. Their coach, Araki, was also highly skilled and talented.

"This opponent will clearly be much tougher than Kasuga," Miyuki said.

"It's not that they're difficult to handle, as their strength is not very strong," Sawamura replied.

"It's still necessary to study them thoroughly."

That night, Seidou held a strategy meeting to discuss tactics against their new opponents.

Watanabe provided a detailed analysis of Ouya High School's habits and characteristics. He even identified a weakness in their team.

…

T/N: As always, Thank you all for reading and your support!!

See you Tomorrow!

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