One out, runners on First and Third Base.
The eighth batter for Inashiro stepped into the batter's box. Despite his late batting order, his power should not be underestimated. He had already hit a home run in this Autumn Tournament.
Miyuki, in the catcher's position, felt his mind churning like a boiling pot.
This situation was truly exasperating.
Kawakami's pitching just now had no major problems. When Yamaoka Riku was hitting, the goal had been to make him miss the sweet spot and get an out through fielding. Unexpectedly, Yamaoka Riku's swing was so powerful that even a slight touch was enough to sweep the ball out.
Yamaoka Riku used the largest size high school metal baseball bat. Miyuki had considered this, but hadn't worried too much about it. He hadn't expected to give up a hit because of it.
With runners on base, Kawakami was somewhat nervous. It was his first time representing the team in such an important game, so anxiety was inevitable. But his overall pitching had no major problems.
For the seventh batter, Hirai, to hit the ball out, Miyuki could only credit his excellent hitting skills.
Two consecutive hits given up, but Seido as a whole had no problems and could continue to fight. The key issue was Kawakami's condition and mindset. Having pushed himself into a desperate situation, would a pitcher be completely unaffected?
Probably not.
Miyuki considered calling a timeout but was afraid it might backfire. Kawakami hadn't shown any problems yet, and a sudden strong word might be counterproductive.
Deal with this batter first.
Having made up his mind, Miyuki gave Kawakami a helpless gesture. The message was clear: your pitching had no problems whatsoever. He wanted to steady Kawakami before focusing on the batter in the box.
But at that moment, in Inashiro's dugout, Coach Kunitomo, who had been silent, suddenly took action. He signaled to the players on the field.
"Whoosh!"
As Kawakami pitched, Hirai on First Base and Yamaoka Riku on Third Base moved almost simultaneously, both decisively advancing to the next base.
Miyuki watched carefully.
A direct steal, at this moment?
The opponent's actions were puzzling, but Miyuki quickly made a decision. First, protect the run. Deal with Yamaoka Riku at Third first. If there was an opportunity, try for a double play after.
He had a plan. Inashiro clearly wasn't following it.
The eighth batter, built like a mountain, suddenly switched to a bunt.
A squeeze play combined with a steal.
A storm raged in Miyuki's heart. He understood the opponent's intentions instantly. But by the time he understood, it was too late.
"Ping!"
The white ball rolled toward Third Base.
Masuko Toru ran forward desperately the moment he saw the bunt. These guys from Inashiro were really going too far, treating him like a soft target. They kept hitting the ball his way. Normal hitting was one thing, but now even bunts were directed at him. Did they really think he was easy to bully?
Upon fielding the ball, he would throw directly to Home Base. Whatever else happened, protecting the run was most important.
Masuko, with his muscular brain, had correctly identified the most crucial point. He thought it and intended to do it. What he didn't expect was that after the ball bounced, it didn't roll forward. It rolled the other way.
An irregular bounce.
The field wasn't perfectly flat. Uneven spots existed, and while the probability of a bad bounce wasn't high, it happened occasionally. This ball curved in the middle.
Seeing it, Miyuki ran forward immediately.
There was no one defending Home Base, so that was hopeless. Instead, he picked up the ball and threw it to Kuramochi at Second Base, with the hope that Second Base would then throw to First for a double play. With one out already, even if Yamaoka Riku scored, they wouldn't give up the run without a fight.
Miyuki covered seven or eight steps, picked up the ball, and threw it directly to Kuramochi.
Kuramochi's reaction was a beat slow. He didn't fully understand until the ball was already in the air toward him. After catching it, he ran hard to Second Base. But he wasn't there immediately, and by the time he arrived, it was too late.
Hirai had already touched the bag.
Hirai himself was startled. He had never imagined Seido's reaction would be so fast. Kuramochi was only one step behind him. If he hadn't chosen to dive immediately, a double play might have caught him.
Kuramochi gritted his teeth, leaped up, and threw to First Base. The double play had failed, but at least he could get one out.
"Safe!"
"Safe!"
"Out!"
Hirai successfully reached Second Base. Yamaoka Riku came through Home Base like a heavy bulldozer.
Inashiro scored their fourth run.
On the other side, Seido didn't miss the remaining out. The ball was accurately thrown into Yuuki's glove just before the eighth batter reached First Base.
Two outs.
The exchange left the fans in the stands speechless. So many unexpected changes in the blink of an eye. Many hadn't even followed what happened, but that didn't stop the excitement.
So thrilling. So exciting.
The confrontation between these two teams was truly unmissable. Nobody dared to blink, afraid of missing something.
Inashiro had scored their fourth run, making it four to two.
But more significant than the score was how that run had been scored. This entire attack had been launched by Inashiro's lower-order batters. None of their nine starters were passengers. Once their offense started, it would be relentless.
Kawakami had performed well, even with the run given up. He himself hadn't made any major mistakes.
But that didn't change one fact: stopping Inashiro from scoring would be very difficult for him. And if the runs couldn't be controlled, the scales of this game would tip significantly.
That's how baseball works. Either the east wind overwhelms the west wind, or the west wind overwhelms the east wind. Once Seido encountered serious problems, this game would completely become Inashiro's.
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