Two outs.
Runners on first and second base.
At this moment, Sanada Shunpei stepped into the batter's box.
Tanba delivered the pitch.
But Sanada seized the opportunity.
The slightly high fastball floated into the zone, and Sanada didn't hesitate. His bat flashed forward—
Crack!
The baseball rocketed deep into the outfield, slamming into the wall.
The runners on base raced home one after another.
Two runs scored!
Sanada dashed around the bases and slid into third base.
A two-run triple!
"Damn, this guy's ability to seize opportunities is insane."
"That pitch was only slightly high, yet he still crushed it."
"Such a fast reaction."
"His batting skills aren't bad either."
"Don't blame Tanba. That pitch was meant to be hit. That's what happens in a head-on duel."
Inside the Seido dugout, the players discussed the play.
On the field, Tanba's face first flashed with anger when he saw the result of that pitch.
But soon after, the fire in his eyes burned even brighter.
Too embarrassing.
"Hehe, Tanba-san is angry now."
Kanzaki Ryou said with a smile.
Earlier, he had spotted Manaka Kaname sitting in the stands.
With his close friend watching the game, Tanba would never allow himself to pitch poorly.
Sure enough—
Moments later, Yakushi's seventh batter, Watanabe Tatsuya, struck out.
Tanba successfully ended Yakushi's offensive momentum.
On the sidelines, Coach Kataoka nodded in satisfaction.
If this had been the old Tanba, giving up runs like that might have caused him to collapse mentally.
Just maintaining control would have been a miracle.
But today, Tanba held on and finished the inning strongly.
Bottom of the Sixth Inning
Seido's offense came up again.
Kominato Ryosuke successfully reached base.
However, Isashiki Jun struck out soon after.
Yuki continued his steady performance and smashed a deep hit, but unfortunately the follow-up batter—
Tanba himself—
had already lost his earlier momentum and was easily struck out by Sanada Shunpei.
Next, the sixth batter Chris hit a high fly ball that was caught for the final out.
The inning ended.
Seido failed to score.
The score remained:
Seido 8 — Yakushi 3
Seventh Inning
Seido still led by four runs.
"Haha! Good thing we scored that inning."
"Otherwise Seido might've taken a seven-run lead and ended the game early."
Todoroki Raizo said happily, sitting in the dugout with his legs crossed.
"Hmm… if it's only four runs, we still have a chance."
Sanada Shunpei nodded.
"That's right. Kanzaki Ryou has already been taken out of the game and can't return."
"There are still three innings left."
"A four-run gap isn't impossible to overcome."
"If we end up winning, Coach Kataoka will definitely regret his decision."
Todoroki Raizo looked toward Seido's dugout with a confident grin.
In his opinion, Seido clearly hadn't expected Yakushi to mount a comeback.
Hearing this conversation, the Yakushi players became excited.
Seido — the King of Tokyo high school baseball.
If Yakushi defeated them here, they would instantly become famous.
One battle.
One victory.
And their name would spread nationwide.
Most importantly—
This didn't seem impossible anymore.
After all, the player who had been so overwhelming that they couldn't even think about resisting…
had already left the field.
Meanwhile, in Seido's dugout.
Tanba, who had pitched three innings, sat down to rest.
Even though he allowed three runs, Coach Kataoka did not criticize him.
Instead, he praised Tanba for pitching well today.
"Kawakami."
"The rest is up to you."
"No problem, right?"
Coach Kataoka turned toward him.
Kawakami trembled slightly before shouting loudly:
"No problem!"
In the corner of the dugout, Sawamura and Furuya both looked visibly disappointed.
"Haha, Kawakami."
"The chance to close out the game is yours."
"You better step up and show them your power."
Kuramochi Yoichi patted Kawakami on the shoulder.
"Yeah, Kawakami will definitely be fine."
Masuko Toru added.
"Look at those guys' expressions."
"Are they actually thinking about making a comeback?"
"Keep dreaming!"
"Kawakami! Don't let them score!"
Isashiki Jun shouted.
Hearing the encouragement from his teammates, Kawakami smiled and nodded.
"Kawakami… that pitch."
"You can try it."
Suddenly, Ochiai Hiromitsu spoke up.
Kawakami froze for a moment before realizing what Ochiai meant.
"Yeah… it should be fine."
"I've practiced it for quite a while now."
Chris nodded as well.
"It's worth trying."
Finally, Coach Kataoka gave his approval.
Only then did Kawakami respond with a firm nod.
He turned toward Chris.
"Please take care of me, Chris-senpai."
Top of the Seventh Inning
Seido changed pitchers again.
This development made the Yakushi players frown.
Another pitching change at this moment wasn't good news for them.
"Swing aggressively!"
"Make the pitcher feel pressure with every swing!"
Todoroki Raizo shouted to the batter heading up.
"Yes, Coach!"
The game resumed.
Kawakami, who had just taken the mound, quickly struck out Yakushi's eighth batter.
However, the aggressiveness of Yakushi's swings surprised him.
He had faced stronger batting lineups before.
But he had never encountered a team with such relentless attacking intent.
Whoosh!
"Strike!"
Swish!
"Strike!"
Using a combination of sliders and sinkers, Kawakami quickly pushed Yakushi's ninth batter to two strikes.
Then he threw a curveball.
The batter made contact, but the ball rolled weakly into the infield.
The defense easily handled it.
Out.
Khew…
Two batters down.
Now Kawakami faced Yakushi's leadoff hitter once again.
Todoroki Raichi.
"Kawakami! Pitch to him!"
"Don't be nervous!"
"You can do it!"
"Strike him out!"
Cheers from the crowd echoed around the stadium.
Kawakami lightly tapped his chest twice with a clenched fist before looking toward home plate.
Chris nodded calmly.
Since they planned to test a new pitch, the best target was Yakushi's strongest batter.
Not only would it catch him off guard—
It would also clearly reveal the pitch's effectiveness.
Still, they would set it up first.
Chris tapped his glove.
Signal: low outside slider.
Kawakami glanced at Raichi.
The batter was staring at him with an excited grin.
After shaking his head slightly, Kawakami lifted his left leg and stepped forward.
His arm swung low from the side.
The baseball shot toward home plate.
Raichi swung immediately.
But the pitch's strange trajectory fooled him.
Swing and miss.
"Strike!"
"Damn it! It moves so much!"
Raichi made an exaggerated face.
Is this what a sidearm pitcher's ball looks like?
Because he had played relatively few games, Raichi hadn't faced many pitchers.
A sidearm pitcher like Kawakami was a completely new experience.
Chris threw the ball back.
A good start.
One more.
Chris raised his glove again.
Signal: high outside fastball.
Whoosh!
Kawakami's pitching rhythm was extremely fast.
As soon as he received the signal, he threw the ball.
"Haha!"
Raichi swung with full power.
Bang!
The baseball flew high into the air.
Raichi looked up with his mouth wide open.
"Idiot Todoroki Raichi!"
"Why swing at such an obvious high ball?!"
In the dugout, Todoroki Raizo covered his face helplessly.
His son was good at many things—
Except getting carried away.
"Foul!"
the umpire shouted.
If that ball had stayed fair, it would have been caught easily.
Raichi exhaled in relief.
He had almost been retired.
Chris and Kawakami exchanged glances.
Third pitch.
After Raichi reset his stance, Chris gave the signal.
Kawakami adjusted his breathing.
He had to stay perfectly calm.
Then he stepped forward and released the ball from an extremely low arm angle.
Raichi's eyes lit up.
A sinker!
"Haha!"
Laughing loudly, Raichi swung with full confidence.
But the next moment—
The smile on his face froze.
What…?
How is that possible?!
The pitch dropped slowly.
It wasn't a sinker.
It was a slow changeup disguised as a sinker.
Pop!
"Strike!"
"Strikeout!"