Yuki Tetsuya glanced at the field situation.
Two outs.
If the quality of the hit wasn't high enough, the runner could easily be caught out on the basepaths, ending the inning immediately.
So there was only one option.
He had to hit the ball deep.
On the mound, Sanada Shunpei understood this as well.
At this point, he only needed one more out. The most ideal result would be forcing Yuki to hit a ground ball in the infield.
Sanada already had a plan in mind, but he didn't intend to reveal his intentions so early.
After clearly seeing the catcher's mitt, Sanada threw the first pitch.
An outside high fastball.
Yuki calmly watched the ball pass.
He didn't swing.
As expected—
"Ball!"
"Hey, hey… can he see that clearly? At least move a little."
Yuki's unmoving stance actually increased the pressure on Sanada.
Still, Sanada maintained his usual easygoing smile.
After adjusting his breathing, he threw the second pitch.
An inside high fastball.
Yuki swung.
Bang!
"Foul!"
One strike, one ball.
After two consecutive high pitches, Sanada felt the timing was right.
For the third pitch, he threw an inside low splitter.
Yuki frowned slightly.
He had predicted the pitch would come inside, but he couldn't guess which type.
His bat barely connected with the ball.
Bang!
Despite the awkward contact, the sheer explosive force behind the swing sent the ball rocketing forward—
A high-speed line drive that pierced straight through Yakushi's infield.
"How is that possible?!"
Sanada stared in disbelief.
Yuki's batting posture had clearly been off balance.
Yet the ball still flew through the infield.
Is his explosive power really that terrifying?
The baseball dropped into the empty grass of the outfield.
Sanada gritted his teeth.
Fortunately, Yakushi's fielders quickly relayed the ball back.
Otherwise, Kuramochi Yoichi might have scored all the way from second base.
Kuramochi stopped at third base, roaring excitedly.
Looking at Isashiki Jun on second and Yuki on first—
The bases were now loaded.
This was a perfect scoring opportunity.
But whether they could convert it into runs depended on the fifth batter.
Tanba Koichiro.
Stepping into the batter's box, Tanba felt an intense desire to hit.
At this moment, his desire to bat even surpassed his desire to pitch.
If he could personally drive in a run—
Kaname would definitely be happy.
Holding the bat lightly, Tanba felt his condition had reached its peak.
His eyes locked onto Sanada.
Every detail of Sanada's pitching habits flashed through his mind.
Just then—
Sanada delivered the pitch.
An outside low cutter.
"Ha!!"
Tanba swung instantly.
Bang!
"Foul!"
The ball flew out of bounds.
Tanba clicked his tongue in frustration.
Behind the plate, catcher Watanabe Tatsuya couldn't help glancing up when he heard the sound.
What a terrifying expression…
He swallowed nervously.
For some reason, he felt killing intent from Tanba.
Did Yakushi offend Seido somehow?
Unable to figure it out, Watanabe quickly signaled for the next pitch.
First pitch: outside cutter.
Second pitch: inside splitter.
A good combination.
Sanada nodded.
The baseball shot toward home plate.
Tanba's bat followed.
Crack!
The bat bit firmly into the ball.
"Hiss!"
"Tanba-senpai is in incredible form today!"
"It's like he's possessed!"
"They scored!"
The hit itself wasn't particularly strong—
But it was enough.
The runner crossed home plate.
Seido scored another run.
Standing on first base, Tanba finally released the emotions he had been holding back.
The bases were still loaded.
Sanada shook his head with a bitter smile.
Giving up a run wasn't surprising.
What surprised him was Tanba.
According to their scouting report, Tanba's batting ability wasn't particularly strong, and his personality was relatively gentle.
So why was his fighting spirit so intense today?
Next came the sixth batter, Masuko Toru.
Although Masuko managed to hit the ball, the quality wasn't high and the direction was poor.
Yakushi's defense quickly stopped it and completed the out.
The inning ended.
The game moved to the fifth inning.
Score:
Seido 8 — Yakushi 0
Top of the Fifth
Tanba started strong.
He quickly retired Yakushi's fifth batter, Daiki Fukuda.
However, Sanada Shunpei, batting sixth, hit a double.
After that:
Seventh batter — strikeout
Eighth batter — reached base
Ninth batter — forced out
Bottom of the Fifth
Sanada continued pitching well.
Shirazu, Sakai Ichiro, and Kuramochi Yoichi were all retired in order.
The game moved to the sixth inning.
Yakushi's leadoff batter—their most dangerous hitter—stepped into the batter's box once again.
Todoroki Raichi.
Tanba threw a curveball.
Raichi swung.
BOOM!
The baseball soared into the sky—
Straight into the stands.
Home run!
The blast instantly ignited Yakushi's morale.
Players and fans alike erupted in cheers.
After so many innings, they had finally broken the shutout.
"Yahahaha!"
Raichi happily jogged around the bases.
The frustration from being struck out twice by Kanzaki earlier completely disappeared.
For Raichi, nothing felt better than smashing the pitcher's ball out of the park.
"Hmph."
Tanba snorted coldly.
Even from the dugout earlier, he knew this kid's swing was terrifying.
But experiencing it firsthand—
Tanba suddenly felt a surge of admiration for Kanzaki Ryou.
Such a terrifying batter…
And yet Kanzaki made it impossible for him to even touch the ball.
Still, giving up a home run made Tanba's expression darken slightly.
"Tanba! Don't worry about it!"
"Tanba-san! Keep pitching!"
"Trust us!"
His teammates' voices echoed from behind him.
Tanba took a deep breath and refocused on the next batter.
In Seido's dugout, Kanzaki sat beside Fujiwara Takako, holding a thermos.
"This Todoroki Raichi kid really is something."
"A direct home run."
"If it were the old Tanba-senpai, he probably would've lost his composure by now."
Takako smiled.
"Kanzaki, no matter how good Todoroki Raichi is, he still can't hit your pitches, right?"
Kanzaki turned and smiled.
"You're flattering me now, senpai."
"I'm just stating the facts," Takako replied calmly.
Just then—
Bang!
A sound echoed from the field.
Kazuma Akiba had hit Tanba's vertical-dropping curveball.
But the quality was poor.
Kuramochi Yoichi easily fielded it and threw him out.
"One out!"
"That's it, Tanba! Keep pitching!"
Next came the third batter, Mishima Yuta.
He swung and missed twice in a row.
Following Chris's instructions, Tanba deliberately threw a tempting ball to bait a swing.
But Mishima didn't bite.
Despite being only a first-year, his discipline was impressive.
With two strikes, he still calmly judged the pitch and chose not to swing.
He had real courage.
On the fourth pitch, Mishima scooped up a forkball.
The ball flew over second base and landed safely in the outfield.
Single.
After that, Yakushi's fourth batter executed a crucial bunt hit, sending Mishima to second base.
Then the fifth batter came up—
And struck out.