"Gahahahaha..."
Raichi Todoroki seemed a bit unwilling, unable to continue his showdown with Zhang Han and exact his revenge. Even his laughter carried a strong sense of provocation.
He wanted to hit it out. As long as the baseball flew into the strike zone, he would definitely send it flying.
Given Tanba's current condition, Miyuki really didn't want him to face Raichi Todoroki head-on. He saw no chance of winning at all. The only outcome would be a bloody defeat. But he couldn't signal for an intentional walk.
On one hand, as a prestigious school, Seido couldn't lose face like that. On the other hand, with Tanba's personality, he would never agree to throw four bad pitches. Even if he reluctantly did, his performance afterward would inevitably be severely affected.
Among the three pitchers on Seido High School Baseball Team, only Kawakami was easygoing. The others, whether Zhang Han or Tanba, were extremely proud individuals. Making them voluntarily back down was harder than ascending to heaven. Even if they knew they might give up a Homerun, as long as there was a sliver of a chance to win, they would never give up.
In that case, it seemed they could only face them head-on.
Miyuki looked at Raichi Todoroki with considerable apprehension. Fortunately, this player wasn't hugging the edge of the strike zone like the previous batters. His stance was still very normal. This way, at the very least, Tanba's decisive Curveball could be used as they pleased.
Miyuki made up his mind, crouched down, and prepared to catch the pitch.
High breaking ball. This was Tanba's lifeline. It was just a pity that Raichi Todoroki happened to be among those who could smash it out.
Watching the baseball drop sharply, Raichi Todoroki didn't swing. Miyuki breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he had one good pitch under his belt, his subsequent pitch selection could be much more flexible.
However, what he didn't expect was that Raichi Todoroki wasn't not swinging; he just didn't think it was time to swing. He waited until the baseball was fully within reach before he swung his bat.
As Raichi Todoroki swung, it was as if the colors of heaven and earth changed. In the stands, the supporters of Seido High School Baseball Team all gasped in surprise.
They watched with wide eyes as the baseball was fiercely blasted away by Raichi Todoroki, traveling over 120 meters and crashing into the outfield stands.
"Gahahahaha..."
Raichi Todoroki hit his second Homerun of the game, helping Yakushi High School Baseball Team tie the score.
The scoreboard read 6:6.
After six innings of battle, the two teams were back on equal footing.
"Second one already?"
"This first-year is truly amazing! His Homerun count has actually caught up to Zhang Han, the Koshien's super rookie?"
Last year, Zhang Han was already incredibly strong. This year, he had improved even more. According to common thinking, no matter how good a newcomer was, catching up to Zhang Han's current pace was an impossible task. But now, what they thought was impossible had been accomplished by someone.
That person was Raichi Todoroki. He was a whole year younger than Zhang Han, a newcomer who had just started to emerge. It was truly unbelievable.
Even the fans in the stands were stunned by Raichi Todoroki's performance. As opponents, Seido's expressions were even grimmer.
Zhang Han and Isashiki Jun both rushed to the very back of the field, only to see the baseball flying away. The two looked at each other, a look of caution flashing in their eyes.
Seido, who had originally held a large lead, now seemed not so stable.
Yakushi High School Baseball Team's offense was not over yet. Akiba and Mishima, riding the momentum of Raichi Todoroki's Homerun, successively got hits, scoring another run for their team.
The scoreboard read 6:7.
Seido High School Baseball Team, which had been in the lead, was overtaken by their opponent. It wasn't until their fourth batter came up that Kominato Ryosuke made a crucial save, stopping the baseball and getting the final out.
Three outs, change of sides.
Coach Kataoka in the Seido dugout was extremely disappointed. When Tanba first came in, he performed well. Unexpectedly, in this inning, even with two outs already, they still allowed the opponent to score three runs in a rally. As a result, Seido's score was overtaken.
If it weren't for the fact that Zhang Han couldn't pitch right now, Kataoka would have wanted to pull Tanba directly off the mound.
After seeing Zhang Han's rise, Coach Kataoka thought they could finally relax and not worry about an Ace anymore. But now it seemed it was too early to relax.
Zhang Han had injured his finger twice. Once a hairline fracture, once a scraped finger.
Kataoka had a vague guess. This was very likely due to Zhang Han's short time practicing left-handed pitching, coupled with his excessive pitch speed. Theoretically, as long as he adjusted, he could fully control that god-like Fastball.
But adjustment would inevitably take time.
However, what Seido High School Baseball Team lacked most right now was time.
Tanba's condition was unstable. He had performed so well in the last game, but in this game, he kept faltering. Kawakami's condition was very stable, but his inherent strength wasn't strong enough, and he might not be able to shoulder the responsibility at crucial moments.
Even if Zhang Han was fine and could serve as the team's Ace to a certain extent afterward, they still needed pitching depth. Either Tanba or Kawakami would need to make rapid progress during this period.
For example, Tanba overcoming his psychological issues and consistently maintaining strong fighting spirit and stable performance. Or Kawakami re-unlocking his decisive pitch and restoring his pitching ability to his previous peak.
Or they would need to select new talent from the second team, third team, and including the new students. They didn't necessarily demand that they become the team's new Ace once they reached the First string. At the very least, with the addition of fresh blood, they wouldn't face such a difficult situation as they did now.
As a result, even if Kataoka wanted to replace Tanba, he had many reservations. With only Kawakami as a pitcher, unless absolutely necessary, Kataoka would not easily put Kawakami on the mound.
After all, with Yakushi High School Baseball Team's explosive offense, it was very possible for them to break Kawakami.
If Seido High School Baseball Team brought out this trump card too early, he might also break down earlier. Such a result was something Seido High School Baseball Team could not bear.
Three pitchers were still too few for Seido right now. They needed the addition of fresh blood.
************************************
Upto 50 Chapters In Advance At: P@treon/Vividreader123