Tanba was stunned.
It wasn't just him. A considerable number of Seido players felt at a loss.
Just moments ago, it had looked like Miyuki Kazuya was about to take care of Carlos. Yet, in that odd stance, the opponent had managed to score another run.
The score became three to one. The gap remained two runs.
All of Seido's previous efforts seemed to have become a joke. The louder the Inashiro supporters laughed, the more humiliated they felt. It was a truly complex feeling.
In Seido's dugout, the players' faces were grim. Nobody spoke.
In today's game, the main players on Seido's field hadn't performed poorly. Even Tanba's pitching had maintained its usual standard and hadn't fallen apart.
But for some reason, the game just wasn't going their way. Whatever they tried seemed to fail for one reason or another. Conversely, whenever Inashiro's players wanted to achieve something, it was as if the odds bent in their favor.
That situation with Carlos just now. Miyuki couldn't even get him out. How do you explain that?
By everything they had seen before, Carlos should have been out for sure.
"This game feels cursed!"
Even Manager Ota couldn't help but mutter it.
Coach Kataoka did not agree. He coldly surveyed his players on the field and said nothing.
The reason they felt unlucky had nothing to do with luck at all. That feeling came down to one thing: the difference in strength between the two sides.
Previously, Seido had faced opponents with such a large gap in ability that it made high school baseball seem simple. But in reality, that was only because those earlier opponents had been so far below Seido's level.
Players like Yuuki, Zhang Han, Miyuki, Isashiki Jun. These players had competed at Koshien before. Their performances there hadn't been dazzling, but they adapted well and were basically able to show their full strength here, too.
The others had not managed the same. They weren't performing at a hundred percent.
That was why the team was still on the defensive.
What should he do next? How could he re-ignite his players' fighting spirit? That was the problem Kataoka needed to solve.
On the other side, in Inashiro's dugout, Coach Kunimoto's gaze had settled on Tanba at the pitcher's mound.
Just as he had anticipated: those Seido players who had competed at Koshien were a serious threat. If they were allowed to continue, the final outcome of this game would be genuinely unpredictable.
He needed to move quickly and secure an absolute advantage. And the best way to do that was to target the opponent's weakness.
Seido's biggest weakness right now was their pitching.
Seido had three pitchers, and all three appeared capable. Most people would find it hard to associate such a pitching staff with the word "weakness." To outsiders, all three still looked strong.
But that was just how it looked.
Each of these pitchers had real problems. Left to pitch freely, each of them carried surprising destructive potential. Even Inashiro could fall into their trap. That was precisely why Inashiro had prepared a strategy to dismantle them one by one.
Now was the time to send Seido's first pitcher off the mound.
"Act!"
At their coach's signal, the Inashiro players felt a jolt.
They had just scored their third run. Was it too soon to go after Tanba already?
Was it too ruthless?
On second thought, it was exciting.
One out, no runners on base. The next batter was Inashiro's third hitter, Yoshizawa, a second-year and a power hitter with more than enough ability to hit a home run.
But after stepping into the batter's box, he didn't come out swinging. He adopted a bunt stance.
"One out, nobody on. A bunt? Are they crazy?"
The fans in the stands were puzzled.
On the mound, Tanba was furious. He didn't understand it either. But it didn't matter. He didn't need to understand. He just needed to use the baseball in his hand to get rid of this guy.
"Whoosh!"
After releasing the pitch, Tanba immediately ran forward. But he covered several steps and nothing happened.
"Thwack!"
"Strike!"
Yoshizawa, who had been in a bunt stance, had quietly pulled his bat back.
Tanba was panting.
The game had only reached the third inning, and he'd thrown about thirty or forty pitches in total. Even accounting for his stamina being a weakness, he shouldn't be gassed after so few pitches.
Tanba couldn't work out what was happening. He was too close to it to see clearly.
Zhang Han, out in the outfield, had the clearer view.
It was the offensive rhythm.
Inashiro's offensive rhythm was simply too fast. Tanba hadn't had time to adapt. These pitches weren't being thrown with rest in between. Throughout every pitch, the runner on base and the batter in the box were piling pressure on Tanba without stopping.
Inashiro had clearly prepared this strategy long ago. They had just kept it hidden until now.
Yoshizawa's bunt stance had pulled back the last veil. They were now using every means available to drain Tanba's stamina openly.
Once stamina ran low enough, pitching would break down. And once pitching broke down, Inashiro would attack without restraint.
Their strategy was no longer about rushing to score runs. It was about forcing every one of Seido's pitchers onto the field. This was aimed at a Seido with no Ace like Hidezawa remaining.
A strategy to cut off the source of strength.
Zhang Han had always heard that Coach Kunimoto was formidable. When they had faced each other in the Summer Tournament, his command had been extraordinary. But Zhang Han had always thought people were exaggerating. Kunimoto was good, but not the superhuman figure people described. Just an excellent high school coach.
Before, it had been Azuma Kiyokuni and the other third-years absorbing the pressure for Seido, so Zhang Han hadn't felt it directly. Now that he was facing it himself, the feeling was completely different.
Kunimoto was unlike any coach he had faced before. This one used an overt strategy. Other coaches targeted the situation and the scoreboard. Coach Kunimoto targeted people.
"Ping!"
After a string of pitches, Yoshizawa found a Fastball he liked and hit it out.
The sustained pressure had worn on the fielders too. You never knew when the ball would actually come. Every pitch required full readiness, and if it came your way, you had to stop it immediately.
One or two pitches, that's manageable. Three or five, still fine. But once the count climbs high enough, some relaxation is inevitable.
This hit wasn't unblockable. The fielders simply hadn't expected Yoshizawa to swing. By the time they reacted, it was too late. The ball landed, bounced, and skipped out.
Yoshizawa had originally only meant to drain Tanba's pitch count and force him off the mound. He hadn't expected to find a gap and reach First Base.
One out, runner on First Base.
On the mound, sweat was already running down Tanba's forehead. He had fallen into a vicious cycle. He hadn't collapsed yet and could still hold on, but he probably wouldn't last much longer.
According to Seido's own data, once Tanba reached seventy pitches, his pitching would start to slip and he wouldn't be able to maintain his initial form.
He was already past fifty.
"Timeout. Seido requests a pitching change!"
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