The baseball was hit to the very back of the field, then bounced off the back wall and came back. This was undoubtedly a super long hit. But if the Yakushi High School Baseball Team players had reacted quickly enough, their loss wouldn't have been irrecoverable.
With a bit of luck, they might have stopped Yuuki at Second Base. Even with worse luck, stopping him at Third Base would have been no problem.
But the outfielder clearly didn't react well. When he saw the baseball bounce back, his body was still running forward due to inertia and ended up missing the bouncing ball. By the time he stopped and looked back, he didn't know where the baseball had bounced to. By the time he found it and picked it up, several seconds had already passed.
It took a good amount of time for a baseball to fly to the deep outfield, and with the outfielder's delay, the time was already approaching the ten-second mark. By the time he picked up the ball, Yuuki was already about to step on the Third Base bag.
Watching the Yakushi High School Baseball Team's outfielder, who had just picked up the baseball and was still looking for the direction to throw, Seido High School Baseball Team's Third Base coach gave the signal to continue advancing with fierce resolve.
A distance of nearly a hundred meters, three or four seconds of time. Theoretically, it wasn't entirely impossible for the opponent to throw the ball back. But that was only theoretically possible; the difficulty of achieving it in reality was undoubtedly very high.
The Seido High School Baseball Team's Third Base coach gambled that the Yakushi High School Baseball Team's outfielder wouldn't react that quickly. He gambled that their throwing technique wasn't that precise.
Although the Third Base coach was very confident, his heart remained suspended until the final result appeared. It wasn't until Yuuki ran back to Home Base, and the white ball arrived belatedly, that his suspended heart finally completely relaxed. After his heart relaxed, his eyes filled with excitement.
This time, it's solid.
Zhang Han's Homerun had helped the team take an 8:7 lead. The blow to Yakushi High School Baseball Team was already immense. Now they had pulled the rug out from under them again, scoring another run. The score became 9:7.
Although this hit ultimately didn't fly out of the stadium, the result was the same, and the scene was even more shocking. Yuuki Tetsuya scored a very rare in-the-park Homerun. Even in professional baseball games, such a Homerun was extremely rare.
The fans who came to watch this game definitely got their money's worth, and then some. They not only enjoyed the destructive hitting of Zhang Han and Raichi, but also witnessed the skillful powerful hitting of players like Yuuki. This was a feast for powerful hitters.
Although the pitchers of both teams were not bad, the protagonists of this game could only be the power hitters from both teams.
"So lucky!"
Kominato Ryosuke said with a smile. Regaining a two-run lead, and most importantly, the batting order was extended. This way, even if there were any further changes, Seido High School Baseball Team could rely on their hitting in the final inning to turn the situation around. They not only had a two-run lead but also held absolute control of the game.
Next up at the plate was Seido High School Baseball Team's fifth batter, Isashiki Jun. He reunited with Yuuki at Home Base.
"You never disappoint us..."
Whenever it came to critical situations, Yuuki could always step up and lead everyone through difficulties. So much so that even with Zhang Han's rapid rise, he couldn't completely overshadow Yuuki in terms of popularity.
For now, most of the First string players of Seido High School Baseball Team still implicitly believed that Yuuki Tetsuya was their team's strongest hitter and the best choice for the fourth batter.
It wasn't that Zhang Han wasn't strong enough, nor that they didn't trust Zhang Han enough. It was just that compared to Zhang Han, Yuuki brought them a stronger sense of stability.
"You don't mess up either!"
Yuuki remained stoic.
Isashiki Jun bared his teeth, staring fiercely at the pitcher's mound. He wouldn't mess up; even if he had to use all his skills, he would closely follow in Zhang Han and Yuuki's footsteps. If his performance wasn't strong enough, or if he gave the impression of being easily dealt with, then the intentional walks that Yuuki and Zhang Han would face later would be several times what they were now. This was something Isashiki Jun could not accept, no matter what.
Even if he admitted that his strength was not as good as Zhang Han and Yuuki, he could not be the one holding back among the three core hitters. So he had to become stronger, to make opponents hesitate when thinking about intentionally walking Zhang Han and Yuuki, preventing them from doing as they pleased.
"Whoosh!"
Sanada was like an unkillable cockroach; even after Seido High School Baseball Team saw through his weakness, he still persisted in fighting with inside pitches. It was hard to say whether he was stubborn or incredibly resilient. The overall morale of Yakushi High School Baseball Team was the same. They weren't shaken at all by the in-the-park Homerun Yuuki had hit.
Of course, they didn't need to be shaken. Although Seido High School Baseball Team had broken through their defense, they hadn't made it easy, had they?
Their hitters had previously taken Zhang Han out of the game, and later scored many runs off Tanba. As long as it was the starting hitters' turn again,
Yakushi High School Baseball Team's players firmly believed that they still had a chance to catch up. No matter what the score difference was, when the opportunity arose, they would take it all.
Now, not only those few powerful first-year hitters, but also the other hitters of Yakushi High School Baseball Team were gradually getting used to Tanba's pitching and finding their hitting rhythm. As long as they survived Seido High School Baseball Team's offensive onslaught, they were confident they could give Seido a run for their money. Only a two-run difference. In the eyes of these wild players, it was nothing.
Facing a splitter that had subtle movement within the strike zone, Seido High School Baseball Team's hitters had initially struggled. But with Zhang Han's insight, plus Coach Kataoka's analysis in the dugout, the boys gradually realized that this splitter wasn't as powerful as they imagined.
If the opponent continued to attack the inside corner and they couldn't swing well, the power of such an inside pitch would undoubtedly increase exponentially. However, once such a pitch became a strike in the middle of the plate, as long as they swung thoroughly enough, they could powerfully drive the ball out.
Even if they couldn't hit the sweet spot, they could still send the baseball flying with a powerful swing.
"Ping!"
Isashiki Jun gritted his teeth and swung, not only hitting the ball but also forcefully sending it flying. The Yakushi catcher could only stare in astonishment. That kind of swing, although it couldn't compare to Yuuki and Zhang Han, was definitely good enough. In Yakushi, only Raichi could surpass him. As for other hitters, Mishima could probably only match him. Akiba and Sanada's actual hitting level was probably not as good as Isashiki Jun's.
After Isashiki Jun hit the ball, he didn't wait to see where it would land and immediately ran to First Base. Fortunately, the baseball landed on the Third Base side, and Raichi didn't have time to stop it, watching it zip past him. Even if the shortstop behind him successfully covered and stopped the ball, it was already too late to throw to First Base.
"Safe!"
One out, runner on First Base.
In the stands, the Seido High School Baseball Team's cheerleaders and supporters erupted. The sound of cheering and screaming immediately increased by nearly double.
"Miyuki, it's your turn!"
"Aim carefully, hit it out!"
"This is your chance to show off your power."
Although Miyuki's popularity among girls was slightly less than Zhang Han's, among boys, he was really not much worse. Isashiki Jun, standing on First Base, looked annoyed at Miyuki, who had stolen his thunder. He could somewhat understand Zhang Han's fame. But how did Miyuki get famous too? Why was this kid's popularity so high?
Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Miyuki, looking calm and composed, stepped into the batter's box. With a runner on base was undoubtedly Miyuki's favorite situation. The only minor flaw was that if Isashiki Jun could advance one more base, or if Kuramochi were in the running position, his feeling would undoubtedly be better. In that situation, as long as he got a hit, there was a very high probability that it would directly translate into a run. Just thinking about it made him happy.
But in the team's current situation, they would absolutely not easily give up any chance to get on base. After all, the number of runners on base represented the extension of the batting lineup, and also represented another offensive opportunity for Seido High School Baseball Team. It was impossible to give up the last offensive opportunity just for one aggressive attack. That would be too much of a loss. So Isashiki Jun couldn't sacrifice his base, and the hitting had to be done by himself.
Miyuki raised his bat and watched Sanada, ready for battle. He had to admit that Sanada was truly, truly tenacious. Having suffered back-to-back Homeruns and an in-the-park Homerun, most people would have broken down by now. But Sanada, from beginning to end, showed no sign of dejection, always maintaining a very strong fighting spirit. He gave the impression that he no longer cared about the outcome of the game, but was simply wholeheartedly enjoying the process. No one could be unmoved by such spirit.
Miyuki was also very touched, so he had to give 120% of his strength to have a good showdown with this opponent he respected. Otherwise, he was afraid he would let Sanada down.
"Ping!"
Miyuki didn't observe; he swung decisively on the first pitch. However, the ball he hit grazed the bat and fell behind the umpire.
"Foul!"
Miyuki finally truly witnessed the true nature of Sanada's pitching. It seemed a bit different from what Seido High School Baseball Team had guessed before. This didn't look much like a splitter, nor was it a cutter. It was like a cutter. No wonder they had made so many hitting errors before. It was really because this pitch was too similar to a splitter. So much so that the boys of Seido High School completely misunderstood.
"Ping!"
"Foul!"
For two consecutive pitches, Miyuki swung and hit them foul. He stood ready, staring at Sanada, waiting for the final decisive pitch.
The baseball flew over, but Miyuki frowned. That Sanada, who had always insisted on using inside pitches to fight no matter how difficult the situation, who had still insisted on inside pitches even after giving up a Homerun, had actually thrown an outside pitch.
As a result, Miyuki completely missed the timing due to a hurried change in direction.
"Pop!"
The baseball went straight past the bat and landed in the Yakushi catcher's glove.
"Strike!"
"Strikeout!"
After giving up two consecutive Homeruns and a single, Sanada finally got an out. Saving a little face.
The total score was still 9:7, with Seido High School Baseball Team leading by two runs. The situation became two outs, runner on First Base.
At this point, Seido High School Baseball Team's batting lineup had reached their seventh batter, the lower-order hitters who hadn't made any impact in the game so far. In the stands, those fans who had been holding their breath for Yakushi High School Baseball Team could finally relax a little. In this situation, it seemed they didn't need to worry too much; Yakushi High School Baseball Team wouldn't have any more problems in this inning, at least.
Although Yakushi High School Baseball Team would inevitably face a very severe test in the final two innings, at least for now, they could breathe a sigh of relief. They could have a moment to catch their breath and think about what to do next.
After Sanada let out a long breath, he threw his first pitch to Seido High School Baseball Team's seventh batter. He still aimed at the inside corner. Sanada and his partner also believed that with the previous outside pitch disrupting Seido's batters' timing, they shouldn't aim for inside pitches as recklessly as before. This way, the pressure Sanada had to face would also be reduced accordingly.
"Whoosh!"
The white ball whistled out and arrived in front of the batter in the blink of an eye.
Masuko Toru, who had been quiet and unremarkable except for his intimidating physique, widened his eyes when he saw the flying baseball.
"Buzz!"
The bat in his hand swung out fiercely, like a rapidly rotating windmill. The bat violently struck the incoming baseball.
"Ping!"
The bat didn't hit the sweet spot; the baseball showed a slight change as it approached the strike zone. But this slight change, facing Masuko's powerful swing, had no chance of altering its fate. Even grazing half the ball, Masuko Toru still forcefully sent it flying. The white ball soared into the sky, flying for a full hundred meters as if tearing through the heavens, finally landing in the left-field stands.
The fans in the stands, those die-hard supporters of Seido High School Baseball Team, were stunned for a moment before jumping up in joy. Nitta, the Tokyo Television reporter, excitedly patted his assistant's shoulder.
His eyes even shimmered with tears. Not tears of sadness, but tears of excitement.
"Zhang Han's two-run Homerun, Yuuki's in-the-park Homerun, and now this powerful Homerun. In this inning, Seido High School Baseball Team actually hit a total of three Homeruns!"
Three Homeruns. Although they weren't consecutive, they were indeed in one inning of the game. Seido High School Baseball Team, since last summer, had been known as the team with the strongest offense in the nation.
Later, with the retirement of the monster Azuma Kiyokuni, this title suffered some impact. But now, probably no one would dare to question that Seido High School Baseball Team was the number one offensive team in the nation. No team could challenge them in this regard.
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