The players of Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team were stunned. They clearly couldn't accept this cruel reality: in that situation, Miyuki had actually managed to pick off Carlos? This out was quite baffling.
In the dugout, even Coach Kunimoto's expression turned grim.
They shouldn't have given Seido a chance. At that moment, they should have hardened their hearts and let Shirakawa bunt. They shouldn't have held onto a lucky mentality. If they hadn't, wanting to score one more run, they actually had a good chance of getting it.
Of course, it was too late to say anything now. Seido had already gotten the out, and the huge crisis had passed.
One out, no one on base.
Although Shirakawa successfully got on base next, Inashiro Industrial couldn't score any more runs. Yoshida was outsmarted by Miyuki, hitting an infield grounder. Without anyone else needing to step up, Seido High School Baseball Team's Second Baseman, Kominato Ryosuke, resolved the situation himself. After he got the ball, he ran to Second Base first, then threw to First Base.
"Out!"
"Thwack!"
"Out!!"
Three outs, change of sides.
The tables had turned. Now, it was finally Seido High School Baseball Team's turn.
Seido got three outs very smoothly, advancing the game to the bottom of the fifth inning. Seido High School Baseball Team was on offense. The score on the field was 4:2.
Inashiro Industrial's players desperately wanted to widen the gap, to push the difference to more than three runs. But Seido High School Baseball Team was like an unkillable cockroach, absolutely refusing to give them a chance. They held the line again and again, preventing the score from changing further.
Now, it was their turn to counterattack.
First to the batter's box was Seido High School Baseball Team's ninth batter, the pitcher, Kawakami. The result was obvious; he was quickly struck out. Although Kawakami tried his best to swing, by the time his bat came around, the baseball had already flown past him. He simply didn't have time to react.
In Seido High School Baseball Team's dugout, everyone's expressions grew grimmer.
Kawakami's hitting ability was average; everyone knew this, and no one had too many expectations. But for the gap to be so large that he didn't even have time to swing, that was unreasonable. During practice, Kawakami's hitting wasn't this weak. Could it be that Narumiya Mei's pitching was really that strong?
One out, no one on base.
Seido High School Baseball Team's lineup was in its third rotation. The leadoff batter, Kuramochi Yoichi, stepped into the batter's box again.
Although Seido had successfully defended earlier, the crisis they faced had not been resolved. Kuramochi wanted to contribute to the team; he urgently wanted to get a hit off Narumiya Mei.
"Let this great one see clearly, just what kind of ability do you possess, fellow?"
Kuramochi had gotten a hit before. He not only got on base but also scored a run. So this time, he carried a strong air of confidence, looking as if he was ready to fight Narumiya Mei to the death.
But very quickly, that confidence was completely stripped away.
Each pitch came in faster than the last, sharper than the last. Kuramochi didn't let a single one go by, but he only barely made contact once, fouling the ball off. Then, facing Narumiya Mei's forkball, he swung and missed, watching helplessly as the baseball flew past him.
"Thwack!"
"Strike!"
"Strikeout!!"
Two consecutive strikeouts. This pushed Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team's momentum to its peak.
If the game continued like this, Seido High School Baseball Team would face a huge crisis. As things stood, the overall strength of Inashiro Industrial was undoubtedly a bit stronger than Seido's. Even ordinary spectators could see this, let alone the players themselves.
But being weaker didn't mean Seido would definitely lose. The gap was not yet irreversible. As long as Seido had good luck, the players were in form, and the team's tactics were used well, they still had about a forty to fifty percent chance of winning.
But that was under ideal circumstances.
Once the score gap became too large, or the game fell completely into Inashiro's rhythm, Seido, already at a disadvantage, would basically be finished.
"We can't let this continue!"
Just then, a small boy with a smiling face stepped into the batter's box.
"Second batter, Second Baseman, Kominato Ryosuke."
This short, smiling boy was Kominato Ryosuke. He keenly sensed that Seido's crisis had arrived. If Narumiya Mei continued pitching like this, Seido's situation would be very perilous.
A two-run difference, with good luck, could be recovered in one inning. If the gap continued to widen, they would need at least two opportunities. Their opponent was Inashiro, and the probability of such opportunities appearing was not high.
Perhaps it wasn't obvious now, giving the impression that Seido was gritting their teeth and relentlessly pursuing. But in fact, Seido High School Baseball Team was already on the verge of danger. Their offense would find it difficult to score, and they could concede runs at any time. If the game continued at this pace, losing would only be a matter of time.
To prevent all this, Kominato Ryosuke had to get on base and extend the opportunity to the batters behind him.
He held his bat, ready for action.
Narumiya Mei quickly figured out what Kominato Ryosuke wanted to do. Kominato Ryosuke had done it once before, and it had made him an instant name. By drawing walks and constantly fouling off pitches, he had made a reputation for himself on the Koshien field. He had become a somewhat famous player.
When Narumiya Mei saw that performance back then, he laughed heartily.
"How interesting!"
"This senior's hitting style is truly interesting."
In their previous confrontations, Narumiya Mei had been very mindful of this. He constantly used hard fastballs to suppress Kominato Ryosuke, never giving him a chance to draw a walk. From the outcome of those confrontations, Narumiya Mei had been undoubtedly successful. He had dealt with Kominato Ryosuke twice before, without giving him a chance to perform.
This time, even though Kominato Ryosuke's determination was stronger, Narumiya Mei had no intention of changing his tactics. He planned to continue using hard fastballs to suppress him.
As the saying goes, a single skill can conquer the world. It didn't matter if the trick was common, as long as it worked. Narumiya Mei didn't mind taking down his opponent in the way they hated most.
He wound up and threw.
The white ball whistled in. Kominato Ryosuke in the batter's box, however, seemed not to have seen it, remaining completely indifferent. He watched as the baseball flew past him and landed in the catcher's mitt.
"Thwack!"
"Strike…"
One strike, followed by a ball. Narumiya Mei tried to entice Kominato Ryosuke into swinging, but Kominato Ryosuke didn't fall for it. For the third pitch, Narumiya Mei threw it into the strike zone again. Kominato Ryosuke still didn't swing. He seemed to have made up his mind not to swing until he was cornered.
"Strike!"
Two strikes, one ball. Kominato Ryosuke was cornered. One more strike, and he would be out. It wouldn't be two strikeouts, but three.
But Kominato Ryosuke still looked composed, as if he were the one doing the cornering.
Narumiya Mei threw his fourth pitch. This was the one he intended to use to finish Kominato Ryosuke off.
Kominato Ryosuke, who had been indifferent, suddenly moved.
This was already the third rotation, and although Narumiya Mei was giving his all, his pitching speed and power had inevitably declined slightly. And Kominato Ryosuke, after adapting over the previous two rounds, had gradually been able to keep up with Narumiya Mei's pace.
As one declined, the other improved.
The bat in Kominato Ryosuke's hand swung decisively.
"Ping!"
The ball dropped to the side of the catcher, Harada Masatoshi, and rolled behind him.
"Foul ball!"
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