Chapter 13: The Fifth Inning

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Sawamura changed his pitching rhythm and started mixing in some Moving balls.

The ball paths that had once been nearly impossible to hit suddenly became easier to make contact with. Even though the players of Sankou High School knew it was a trap, they had no choice but to follow along.

This must be one of the most frustrating experiences for all of Sawamura's opponents.

Knowing that the other side was deliberately trying to entice them into swinging the bat, and using defensive plays to get Outs, they had to act according to the opponent's wishes.

Otherwise, if they didn't swing, once they fell behind with two Strikes, Sawamura would unceremoniously finish them breaking balls.

At that point, they wouldn't even be able to make contact!

The small ball was hit out time and time again, but ultimately, the defense of Seidou managed to stop it. Sawamura successfully recorded three Outs, sending the opposing team down in order.

On the surface, his rhythm seemed very smooth, but in the rest area of Sankou High School, Coach Tahara also let out a huge sigh of relief.

'We had finally made it through!'

The opponent was Sawamura, who from the start brought immense despair to his challengers. Therefore, Seidou's offense in the earlier innings had been quite frightening.

If they didn't handle it carefully, they risked giving up a significant number of runs to Seidou right from the start. Sawamura could have continued to dominate!

'At that point, there was even a risk of an early game call...'

Now that Sawamura had deliberately slowed down the pace, it indicated that the unstoppable momentum of Seidou from the beginning had dissipated.

Sankou had effectively survived a major crisis.

"The game situation has changed; we need to play steadily from here on out. First, let's stop Seidou's attack in the fifth inning..."

Coach Tahara meticulously arranged strategies before the players took the field.

On the other side, in the rest area of Seidou, Coach Kataoka was equally determined.

"The defense has already made the opponent feel hopeless; now it's time to showcase our offensive power."

Although only four innings had been played, Seidou had accumulated a significant number of hits, which meant they could start the third round of the lineup in the fifth inning.

This round was also the most likely for Seidou's lineup to explode with power.

With the graduation of the previous year's Senpais, Seidou had transformed into a team of skill-based hitters.

For such batters, consecutive hits in the latter half of the game had become Seidou's hallmark.

"Yes!"

The young players in the Seidou baseball team had bright, determined eyes. They, of course, listened intently to Coach Kataoka's words.

They felt they were gradually grasping Amahisa Kousei's pitching rhythm and believed they could make solid contact.

In the top of the fifth inning, Seidou launched their offense.

The first to step into the Batter's Box was the ninth hitter, Kanemaru.

He had performed flawlessly in the last game, and this time his spirit and form were also excellent.

Upon entering the Batter's Box, he displayed fierce aggression.

Facing such a batter, Amahisa seemed at ease.

'In the current Seidou, your hitting is the weakest, right?'

He appeared completely unconcerned about Kanemaru, pitching with a relaxed demeanor.

Whrroosh!

Watching the small ball fly towards him, Kanemaru felt every cell in his body buzzing with excitement.

Although Amahisa had given up several runs in the first inning, after that, his form had been surprisingly good, preventing Seidou from widening the score.

Throughout this process, Amahisa demonstrated the prowess of a top-tier pitcher in high school.

What Kanemaru lacked was the opportunity to prove himself against such a player.

As long as he could hit Amahisa's pitch here, he could show Coach Kataoka and all his teammates in the Seidou baseball team that he was qualified for his starting position.

Kanemaru was intensely focused, with no hesitation in his swing.

Buzzz!

The speed of his swing was so quick that Takami, the catcher, could even faintly hear the sound of Kanemaru cutting through the air.

That sound was truly shocking to Takami.

It's worth noting that the one standing in the Batter's Box wasn't one of Seidou's core hitters or power hitters, but the most inconspicuous ninth hitter, currently the weakest in terms of hitting.

'Even his swing could produce such a sharp sound.'

While Seidou was famous for its unbeatable pitching squad, the strength of their lineup should not be underestimated.

At that moment, Takami glanced thoughtfully at his partner on the pitcher's mound.

'Kousei!'

Although he still lagged a bit behind Sawamura, his ability to suppress a lineup like Seidou without any issues made him one of the rare pitchers in high school.

The key to today's game didn't lie with Amahisa Kousei.

If Sankou really wanted to turn the game around, it depended on whether they could decipher Sawamura's pitching.

That was the crux of today's match.

Ping!

The small ball was struck out, and Kanemaru's expression was momentarily stunned.

Just now, he suddenly felt an odd sensation, as if the opponent was deliberately waiting for him to make contact.

'Incredible!'

Because of the fast and sharp swing, the ball turned into a hard-to-catch grounder, giving a vague opportunity for Kanemaru to reach the base.

Without thinking, after making contact, Kanemaru immediately discarded his bat and sprinted desperately to first base.

The fielders of Sankou were not to be underestimated; they skillfully caught the ball and threw it to first base.

Kanemaru reached the first base the moment the ball arrived.

Snap!

"OUT!"

In the end, Kanemaru was eliminated.

This outcome was, of course, a significant blow to Kanemaru himself, but for the surrounding audience, it was just a routine occurrence.

Even the upper-middle hitters of Seidou couldn't manage to gain an advantage against their opponents, let alone the ninth hitter, Kanemaru.

The game continued.

At this point, it was the top of the lineup's turn for Seidou.

"First batter, shortstop, Kuramochi-kun."

The first to step into the Batter's Box was, of course, Seidou's starting batter, Kuramochi.

The situation was one Out, with no runners on base.

For Kuramochi and Seidou, this was not a bad situation at all.

As long as Kuramochi could reach base, it would be Sawamura's turn next.

Against other teams, it might not matter if it was Sawamura's turn to bat.

But today's game was very different.

Amahisa Kousei, the Ace pitcher of Sankou High School, was quite fearless, showing no intention of avoiding batters.

This meant that if it truly came down to Sawamura, even with runners on base, Amahisa would choose to face off against him.

For Seidou, this was undoubtedly a fantastic opportunity.

It represented a great chance for them to expand their lead.

'I have to get on base!'

With that determination, Kuramochi stood in the Batter's Box, appearing very cautious.

Ping!

"FOUL!"

Ping!

"FOUL!!"

Snap!

"BALL!"

He had been entangled with Kousei!

The opponent's pitches were too sharp, making it hard to find a hittable ball.

Of course, Kuramochi didn't mind that. What if he couldn't find an easy pitch to hit? The most important thing was to get on base.

In other words, for Kuramochi, even being Walked on four balls wouldn't be unacceptable.

He had only one goal: to reach base. As for how he got there, he didn't care at all.

This also signified that Kuramochi had truly matured!

'Tough customer!'

This point was clearly felt by the battery of Sankou High School.

Takami frowned, scrutinizing Kuramochi in the Batter's Box.

He was recalling how to handle him!

Typical methods would be hard to solve the challenge posed by Kuramochi.

'This guy was far scarier than from the data we had collected.'

'Now fully familiar with Kousei's pitching rhythm, he could even send tricky Sliders foul!'

'In this case!'

'Unlock it!!!'

'It had only been used against Sawamura once before and had never been used against other players of Seidou.'

On the pitcher's mound, Kousei wore a complex expression. He had imagined many times when he could finally use his real winning shot.

Besides Sawamura of Seidou, who else deserved to face his winning shot?

He had thought of many possibilities.

The only thing he had never considered was that his first use of the winning shot, aside from Sawamura, would be against Kuramochi.

'Cunning weasel, go to hell!'

The complex emotions in his heart were pushed aside; he felt like a drawn sword.

Whrroosh!

The small ball zipped towards Kuramochi in an instant.

'It is here!'

Watching the small ball fly towards him, Kuramochi didn't hesitate at all.

He swung his bat with confidence.

He watched the pitch closely; it was a Slider.

Just as the bat was about to make contact with the small ball, the ball suddenly sunk further.

'It sunk?'

This unexpected break threw Kuramochi off completely.

He had not anticipated encountering Amahisa Kousei's winning shot in such a situation.

'A vertical Slider!'

The feel of the breaking ball can vary greatly depending on the pitcher.

Amahisa's vertical Slider felt like a clean, sharp executioner's blow!

Before the batter could react, the small ball was already right in front of him.

Of course, Kuramochi wanted to struggle, but it was utterly impossible; his bat could not connect with the ball.

SNAP!

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"

At that moment, the entire field fell silent.

Previously, Amahisa Kousei had used the same breaking ball against Sawamura, but that pitch had been hit, leaving the audience relatively unfazed.

They merely felt the ball was certainly impressive, but that was all.

But now it was different; Kuramochi, with his fast swing, hadn't even touched the ball.

That felt very unusual.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

And it wasn't over yet.

After striking out Kuramochi Yoichi, Amahisa Kousei faced the exceptionally skilled batter, Kominato Haruichi.

He threw two exceptionally sharp Sliders one after the other.

Kominato didn't let either pitch go, sending both into the Foul.

'I am making contact, but the velocity and the break make it harder for me to direct the ball where I want.'

'This is a very tricky course, and he revealed it like that before the summer.'

'But if he revealed it now means he is going to abuse it.'

He was anticipating that Amahisa would still throw his best pitch.

And Amahisa certainly didn't disappoint.

The last pitch was indeed another vertical Slider!

But what Haruichi didn't expect was how sharp can Amahisa make it break.

'Damn it!'

The bat missed the ball at the last moment.

SNAP!

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"

The highly skilled batters Kuramochi and Haruichi were Struck Out in succession.

…