"Ping!"
The moment Isashiki Jun made contact, Komochi felt his heart sink into a cold abyss.
For a split second, despair overwhelmed him. Had the goddess of fortune truly abandoned Osaka Kiryuu and chosen to side completely with Seido High School Baseball Team? Otherwise, how could a pitch that was five or six centimeters off the strike zone be hit like that?
The previous pitch had nearly brushed against the batter's body. To avoid it, Isashiki had leaned back dramatically, creating an awkward gap of more than twenty centimeters between himself and the ball. From such an unstable posture, he had somehow managed to flick the pitch forward.
It looked almost like a circus act.
How was that even possible?
Even though Komochi had witnessed it with his own eyes, he struggled to accept what he had seen. Isashiki Jun, in such an unnatural position, had still found a way to make solid contact. Worse, the direction of the hit was not poor at all. If it dropped, it would likely become another clean hit.
Zhang Han, standing on second base with two outs, had reacted instantly. The moment the bat connected, he broke toward third. With two outs already recorded, there was no reason to hesitate. If the ball landed safely, he would attempt to score without question.
Given the trajectory and the situation, Zhang Han had at least a ninety percent chance of reaching home plate if the ball fell.
Seido was on the verge of scoring their seventh run.
Then, in the blink of an eye, a figure burst into motion.
Araki, Osaka Kiryuu's second baseman, sprinted several meters across the infield. His reaction was sharp, his instincts precise. Before the ball could touch the ground, he stretched out and secured it cleanly in his glove.
"Thwack!"
"Out!"
The inning was finally over.
Osaka Kiryuu had secured the elusive third out and prevented further damage. The score remained 6 to 4, Seido leading by two runs.
In Seido's dugout, Manager Ota stomped his foot in frustration.
Before the inning had begun, he would not have dared to imagine such a dramatic comeback. Recovering one or two runs would have satisfied him completely. Yet the players had surpassed all expectations. Against two pitchers from the Cosmic Team, they had strung together six consecutive clean hits and overturned the scoreboard.
It was astonishing.
Still, there was regret.
Perhaps it was greed, but he could not help feeling it. Momentum and fortune had clearly been on their side during that explosive sequence. When momentum built like that, everything seemed to connect. Every swing found a gap.
Opportunities like that were rare.
If Isashiki's hit had fallen, the lead would have extended to three runs. A three run cushion would have provided far more strategic flexibility. Since Hidezawa's awakening, he had rarely disappointed. With a three run advantage, Seido's chances of closing out the game would have increased significantly.
But two runs?
Two runs were not comfortable.
Especially not against Osaka Kiryuu.
With their offensive firepower, they could erase a two run deficit in a single opportunity. A well placed double and a timely hit would be enough. Even a single swing could reverse everything.
Ota felt conflicted. He knew he should be satisfied. Yet anxiety gnawed at him.
If their opponent had been any other team, he might have relaxed. Seido's performance had been strong. Even if they were trailing slightly, he would not have panicked.
But this was Osaka Kiryuu.
The pressure they exerted was suffocating.
Even after Seido had exploded for five runs, Ota could not truly breathe easily. He knew that Osaka Kiryuu's lineup was just as terrifying. Hidezawa might be performing brilliantly, but he was not unquestionably superior to Nakagawa or Komochi.
If Seido could score repeatedly against Osaka Kiryuu's pitchers, what guaranteed that Osaka Kiryuu could not retaliate in kind?
In a hitting battle of this magnitude, unless the gap widened beyond recovery, no one could predict the outcome until the final out.
Seido's six hit surge had opened something dangerous. It felt as though Pandora's box had been unlocked, releasing uncertainty into the game.
Ota could only pray silently.
As if responding to that prayer, Hidezawa returned to the mound in the top of the fourth inning with renewed intensity.
His movements were fluid. His focus sharpened.
"Strike!"
"Strike!"
"Strike!"
"Strikeout!"
Although he surrendered one clean hit during the inning, he forced three outs with authority. His pitches carried sharp bite, and his rhythm was steady. Osaka Kiryuu failed to score.
The scoreboard remained 6 to 4.
For the first time, even Osaka Kiryuu's supporters were forced to acknowledge Hidezawa's presence seriously.
"This is unbelievable. He looks stronger now than at the beginning of the game."
The same thought echoed among many spectators. Hidezawa seemed to be improving as the game progressed.
"Could he be a slow starter?" someone speculated.
In Osaka Kiryuu's dugout, the players exchanged uneasy glances. The batters who had been retired were from the lower portion of the lineup, but even their lower order hitters possessed near star level ability. If Hidezawa could dispatch them so efficiently, the rest of the lineup had reason for concern.
Fortunately for Osaka Kiryuu, Komochi also stabilized after his difficult third inning. When he returned to the mound in the bottom of the fourth, his composure had returned. He shut down Miyuki, Kou Shunmin, and Tanaka in quick succession.
Three up, three down.
The fourth inning became a showcase for both aces. Neither side allowed further interference. It was a duel of pride and skill.
Thus, the game advanced into the fifth inning.
Osaka Kiryuu's lineup had now cycled twice. The batters stepping into the box were facing Hidezawa for the third time.
Fujio, watching carefully, murmured, "This is the real test for Seido's ace."
He spoke sincerely.
By the end of the fourth inning, both lineups had completed two full rotations. Osaka Kiryuu's pitching stamina was not an issue due to their earlier substitution. Hidezawa, however, had shouldered every inning alone.
Stamina was only one concern.
Familiarity was another.
The more times batters saw a pitcher, the greater the chance they would decipher his patterns. By the fifth or sixth at bat, even the slightest habits could be exposed.
The score was 6 to 4, Seido leading by two runs.
Yet as Fujio analyzed the situation, he struggled to see a clear path to victory for Seido.
The real battle was only beginning.
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