Chapter 71: Snow-Tempered

"We'll be great partners!"

Miyuki Kazuya sprinted to second base, smiling widely and his eyes sparkling with excitement as he looked at Hongou on the pitcher's mound.

As an excellent catcher, he was eager to collaborate with more pitchers that are outstanding.

So far, his smoothest partnership had been with Sawamura, with whom he shared a certain level of understanding.

However, this did not satisfy the greedy Miyuki; he sincerely looked forward to partnering with more players.

For instance, there were those he had previously encountered, like Yoh Shunshin and Mukai Taiyou, his old rival/friend Narumiya Mei, and the current pitcher, Hongou Masamune.

He wanted to work with them all.

"MIYUKI!"

"MIYUKI!!"

"CAPTAIN!!!"

"NICE BATTING!!"

With no Outs, Miyuki hit a double. This was a once-in-a-lifetime scoring opportunity for Seidou High School.

Trailing by one run, Ace pitcher Sawamura was unable to take the mound.

It would be a lie to say that Seidou High School's fans weren't worried.

With no Outs and a runner on second, Coach Kataoka certainly wouldn't let this scoring chance slip away.

He decisively signaled to the players on the field.

He instructed Shiratsu, the fifth batter, to lay down a bunt to advance Miyuki to third base.

Upon receiving the sign from his coach, Shiratsu nodded slightly and executed the bunt decisively.

As the player with the most comprehensive skills at Seidou High School, Shiratsu was very comfortable with tactical bunts like this.

After making contact, the ball rolled precisely between first base and the pitcher.

The first baseman of Komadai Fujimaki High School ran up like a maniac to pick up the small ball.

He prepared to throw to third base…

"It's too late! Throw to first!"

Renji, the catcher, commanded loudly.

The first baseman hesitated but ultimately followed his catcher's advice and threw the ball back to first base.

Meanwhile, Miyuki, who had initially stayed at second base, had somehow reached third base.

His speed was already impressive, and now he had taken off early.

There was no way Komadai's players could stop him.

While they couldn't catch Miyuki, they managed to tag Out Shiratsu.

"OUT!"

On the current Seidou High School baseball team, the only ones who could truly rely on bunts and speed to reach base were Kuramochi and maybe Toujou.

Everyone else had their shortcomings.

To get on base via a bunt also required luck; it wasn't just about intention.

Kuramochi was different—if the opponent employed unsuitable defensive measures, he could steal bases effortlessly.

The situation changed from no Outs with a runner on second to one Out with a runner on third.

Now it was Maezono's turn at bat.

He too received a bunt signal from Coach Kataoka.

At this moment, Kataoka was determined to score that point first.

It's important to know that the more ambitious you are, the harder it is to get on the board.

'In this case, it was better to secure one run first.'

The difference between a score of 1-0 and 1-1 may seem small, but the implications were vast.

It could directly influence the outcome of the game.

At this moment, Kataoka just wanted Miyuki to run back to home plate and score first and foremost.

Although the current batter and the runner on third weren't the ideal type, Seidou had practiced this tactic countless times behind the scenes.

Any two key players could execute such a play.

For Seidou High School, this was a surefire way to score.

Kataoka and Coach Ochiai had already begun strategizing for the course of action after the tie.

The young players in the Seidou High School baseball team, who were resting in the dugout, watched with enthusiasm.

Just then, an unexpected upheaval occurred.

Roaar!

It felt as if he had drained all the power from his body.

Facing the enormous crisis of a runner on third with one Out, Hongou Masamune summoned all his strength to pitch the small ball.

At the moment he threw, Miyuki had already left third base and was sprinting toward first.

In the Batter's Box, Maezono readied for a bunt, making contact with the incoming ball.

Ping!

The ball struck the bat, and before Maezono could follow through, it rebounded in an unexpected way.

'Oh shit!'

Maezono's expression changed instantly; this situation was too unfavorable.

'This ball might get caught for an Out.'

Miyuki noticed this too, but now he was committed.

Having already run half the distance of 30 meters, turning back to third was clearly unrealistic.

Regardless of the outcome, he had only one choice.

He had to grit his teeth and continue forward.

'Please fall! Please fall! Please fall! Please fall!'

At that moment, he could only gamble that the ball would hit the ground.

Pak!

Seidou High School was favored by luck as the ball fell.

The charging third baseman, Yanagi, didn't catch it immediately.

'Yes!'

Miyuki cheered internally.

He sprinted toward home plate like a maniac.

"YEAAH!!"

"GOOO!!"

"RUUUN!!!"

"DOOOO IT!!!!"

"RUUN! MIYUKI RUUN!!!"

The players from Seidou High School and the supportive fans around them cheered and high-fived each other.

They seemed to have already seen the score.

From initially trailing by one run to quickly tying it, the members of the Seidou High School baseball team felt they had gone from hell to heaven.

Just when they thought they had a 90% chance of scoring this run…

Yanagi, who had rushed to the rebound position, quickly scooped up the ball and threw it toward the catcher.

Snap!

In a split second, Renji caught the ball and tagged Miyuki Out.

"OUT!"

Miyuki, who had failed to steal the base, looked at the calm and relaxed Renji in disbelief.

'No way!'

'Did these guys really train this thoroughly?'

Renji's expression was one of satisfaction.

In the icy, snowy weather of Hokkaido, they couldn't practice much with balls hitting the ground.

Conditions simply wouldn't allow it.

Covered in snow and ice year-round, the baseball wouldn't bounce back when it hit the ground.

Given that, they practiced various passing and receiving techniques.

Passing the ball directly with the Mitt was one of their honed skills.

In the harsh winter conditions of Hokkaido, they could execute this trick with ease.

Not to mention now.

Miyuki's Out cast a shadow over the future of Seidou High School.

"We can't be this unlucky forever!"

This was said by Kuramochi.

At that moment, Miyuki had just been banned from the game, and the morale of Seidou High School took a significant hit.

As the team's vice-captain, Kuramochi stepped forward at this critical time and declared resolutely.

Beside him, Maezono nodded his head repeatedly.

"The game has just begun; we still have opportunities."

Hearing such passionate words from their two vice-captains, the players felt greatly encouraged.

They eagerly awaited the chance to defeat Hongou Masamune.

However, as the game progressed, they suddenly realized that this would not be an easy task.

In the next inning, they still didn't score.

The lower batters were unable to take on Hongou, which was no surprise for the Seidou players.

Last summer, even the exceptionally strong seniors had struggled to get hits against Masamune.

Aside from the core batters, none of the other batters could make it on base.

The current situation for Seidou High School was no different; to overcome the monster that is Hongou, they needed their core batters to step up.

In the top half of the fourth inning, Seidou's core lineup began with Kominato Haruichi.

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!"

In the bottom of the third inning, with Miyuki's lead, Furuya's combat power erupted fully.

During the second half of the second inning and the third inning, he didn't allow any batters from the Komadai Fujimaki High School to reach base.

His outstanding performance was remarkable.

"The fastest pitch clocked at 157 km/h(97 mph), with speeds consistently around 155 km/h(96 mph). While his control isn't perfect, he still manages to keep it within the strike zone."

Fujio Mine, the senior reporter for Baseball Kingdom Magazine, looked on with awe as Furuya displayed his prowess on the mound.

Even though Sawamura Eijun is the Ace of the team, Furuya's growth and performance are still impressive.

His talent ranks among the best in the country.

The Komadai Fujimaki High School from Hokkaido is top-tier in every aspect, including offensive power.

To suppress their lineup to this extent, even if it's just for the first three innings, is shocking.

'The only problem now is offense!'

If Seidou High can take the lead in the next inning, even if it's just to tie the game, they would seize the absolute initiative on the field.

In the top half of the fourth inning, Seidou High was on the offense.

"Second batter, second baseman, Kominato-kun."

…