No Outs, runner on first base!
Toujou Hideaki's Bullet Time hit left the opponent completely stunned.
In the resting area of Yura Sougou, Coach Sakaki could no longer maintain the calm demeanor he had at the start.
He had already sensed that their situation in the upcoming confrontation would be very unfavorable.
It could even be said that it was quite dangerous.
He had to come up with a solution, or things would truly be over.
Coach Sakaki racked his brain, trying to find a way to break the deadlock.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
'This might be a way.'
Putting everything on the line, as long as the timing was right, they weren't without hope of turning the game around.
While Coach Sakaki made up his mind, the game on the field took a new turn.
No Outs, runner on first.
The first batter for Seidou High School's baseball team, Kuramochi, stepped up to the plate.
Toujou, at first base, immediately gave the signal for coordination.
Toujou, aside from not being a strong pitcher, he was a very well-rounded player, second only to Shiratsu.
Although he wasn't outstanding in any one area, he was competent in every aspect.
Whether it was stealing bases or tactical coordination, it was enough to keep the opponent on their toes!
Seeing the coordination between the runner and batter, Yura Sougou's Ace, Higashiyama, scratched his head.
The longer the game went on, the more he realized just how remarkable these opponents were.
Their strength was overwhelming, and not a single one of them was easy to handle.
Once they stepped onto the field, it was as if each of them was glowing, making it hard not to notice them.
'Truly the team of a powerhouse!'
Putting aside the incredible star players, where did they find so many capable players?
And how did they train them?
Higashiyama couldn't help but think about Coach Sakaki's daily training for them.
Suddenly, he felt it might not be so hard to understand after all.
They had only been training for about half a year, and their skills had already improved this much.
If they had received Coach Sakaki's guidance from the start, then their strength probably wouldn't be any worse than Seidou's players.
Higashiyama's thoughts began to drift…
Kuramochi, standing in the Batter's Box, narrowed his eyes slightly.
'The pitcher seemed distracted!'
Kuramochi, who once treated street brawling as his profession and baseball as a hobby, is familiar with such situations to perfection.
'GO!!'
Realizing his opponent's mental lapse, Kuramochi subtly signaled Toujou.
Toujou understood immediately and quietly sprang into action.
As soon as Higashiyama pitched, Toujou dashed toward second base.
'FAST!'
The catcher was stunned, not expecting such a decisive steal attempt.
But had they underestimated him a bit?
While they couldn't stop Kuramochi's steal, it didn't mean they could stop Toujou as well.
'Your Funeral!'
The catcher gritted his teeth, preparing to catch the ball and tag Out Toujou.
Just as the baseball was about to fly into his mitt, a bat suddenly appeared in front of him.
Kuramochi swung, his eyes cold as ice.
It was the same in street fights—when you strike, you can't hesitate.
Being merciful to your opponent is being cruel to yourself.
So you must not show mercy—strike decisively.
Don't give the opponent any chance to retaliate!
Ping!
The baseball, after being hit, flew straight toward the pitcher.
If Higashiyama had been in his usual form, he might have caught the ball and dealt with Toujou's steal.
But now, Higashiyama was clearly off his game.
Seeing the ball suddenly appear in front of him, he instinctively reached out with his mitt to block it.
However, the ball wasn't heading straight for him. It veered off slightly and flew past him.
Behind the pitcher was the second baseman and shortstop—Yura Sougou's two players in these positions clearly didn't have the same skill level as Seidou's.
As the ball landed between them, neither of them rushed to catch it.
They could only watch as the ball bounced into the outfield!
"It went through?!"
"Like that?!"
In Seidou High's dugout, everyone's eyes widened in disbelief as they watched this scene unfold.
It felt like watching a Hollywood blockbuster!
The baseball flew through the pitcher and the second-short duo and then into the outfield.
Though it looked like the center fielder would catch it, the whole thing was just so magical!
It was like kicking a soccer ball from your half of the field and unexpectedly going into the goal!
Seidou's team felt like that now.
It was just so unbelievable!
Toujou easily made it to second base, and Kuramochi kept running toward first.
Seeing the center fielder pick up the ball, Toujou restrained himself from advancing any further.
It would be too risky to try for third base now.
No Outs, runners on first and second.
Next up was Seidou High's second hitter, Kominato Haruichi.
Then came Shiratsu, third, and Miyuki, fourth.
There was no need to take the risk of advancing. Toujou trusted his teammates and upperclassmen completely.
He knew they'd bring him home.
Confident in that, Toujou stopped running.
No outs, runners on first and second.
Now, it was Kominato Haruichi's turn to bat.
Coach Kataoka's instruction was a face-off!
Now, it was time for a direct confrontation, and the situation was very favorable for Seidou.
With three more chances to attack, it was up to Kominato, Shiratsu, and Miyuki.
Coach Kataoka believed that while they couldn't say it was a certainty to score, they had a 70-80% chance.
At that high probability, not going for it would be foolish!
Kataoka was resolute in his decision.
He wanted to settle the score with his mentor here.
But his mentor, Sakaki, had no intention of settling things here.
"BALL!"
"BALL!!"
"BALL!!!"
"BALL!!!!"
"WALK TO BASE!"
Without any preparation, Yura Sougou had walked Kominato Haruichi, the unparalleled batter.
Looking at it carefully, this move wasn't surprising at all.
Kominato's batting style was highly effective against Higashiyama.
It could be said that Yura Sougou's choice was cowardly, but it was also a rational one.
With Kominato now on base, Toujou and Kuramochi advanced to second and third.
The bases were now loaded!
There's a common saying in baseball that when the bases are loaded, it's harder to score.
Is this saying accurate?
Even the most professional baseball experts couldn't give a definitive answer.
However, based on the results of previous confrontations, there's some truth to it.
When the bases are loaded, the probability of scoring is much lower than when there's a runner on first and third or just second and third.
The opponents were clearly setting the stage to face Shiratsu under these conditions.
It felt like a do-or-die situation.
Coach Kataoka's face darkened; he felt as though he'd been played.
Not that Shiratsu's batting was worse than Kominato's, but considering the opponent was Higashiyama, Shiratsu was indeed a better fit for him.
They only need a grounder, one grounder, and they will finish this inning, turning the crisis into an opportunity!
Yura Sougou had effectively cut off Seidou's options.
After a brief hesitation, Coach Kataoka clenched his fist.
He couldn't stand being outsmarted by his old mentor, so he decided to show them something.
"Sawamura, you'll be the pinch hitter!"
Upon hearing Coach Kataoka's order to have him pinch hit, Sawamura was directly stunned.
He never expected that a "lucky break" would fall right into his lap.
Kanemaru has been so smug about his Grand Slam from the last game, rubbing it to his face whenever he got the chance.
It made him itch for a homerun or two. (They Are Not Snacks!!)
Now, with the bases loaded, stepping up to the plate.
Just thinking about it was enough to get his heart racing.
Especially for Sawamura, who rarely finds himself in such a position anymore.
The opponent is Coach Sakaki, who has a deep connection with Seidou High's baseball team.
Currently, Seidou's team is trailing by one point.
Chris-senpai might be at the scene by now, watching the game from some corner.
'The perfect timing!'
'The home-field advantage!!'
'And the unity of his team!!!'
Everything is in place, and now it's just a matter of stepping up to score.
This feeling was amazing.
The only thing that made Sawamura uneasy was Shiratsu-senpai.
As a player, how long does it take to get such a chance?
With the bases loaded, stepping up to bat and getting a hit could bring in four runs.
In situations like this, it felt odd to be sent in to "steal" the spotlight from his senior.
Sawamura felt a little guilty.
But Shiratsu, who had been replaced, seemed completely calm.
He always had this poker face, making it hard to tell whether he was happy or upset.
So Sawamura didn't know how Shiratsu truly felt deep down.
He gave Shiratsu a glance, feeling uneasy, and steeled himself to approach.
Replacing someone was one thing, but going over to greet them felt strange.
Like showing off on purpose.
But surprisingly, Shiratsu took the initiative to greet him.
He extended his hand.
Sawamura immediately followed suit, and their palms slapped together with a loud sound.
Smack!
The sound was so clear it eased Sawamura's nerves a bit.
"If you're feeling guilty or uneasy inside, answer with your bat!" Shiratsu's serious gaze met his.
That made Sawamura's heart swell with determination.
"You Got It!"
Without saying anything more, he gave a firm nod.
He would answer with his bat.
Sawamura Eijun had been thinking that way all along and was determined to do just that.
No Outs, bases loaded.
Sawamura stepped up to the plate.
In the Yura Sougou team's dugout, Coach Sakaki wasn't in a state of rage over Kataoka's decision.
Instead, he wore a satisfied smile.
"This kid has really overcome that mental hurdle!"
At this moment, Coach Kataoka wasn't just focused on the current game.
In his heart, he had already crossed the barrier that was Coach Sakaki.
Only by breaking free from this restraint could Kataoka now send Sawamura out.
At the critical moments, winning the game is more important than the player's feelings.
What mattered was securing the victory to face the challenges ahead, only then can the player's mentality improve.
This may not sound overly inspiring or in line with the mindset of a typical high schooler.
But this was maturity!
Maturity is the process of transcending oneself and overcoming constraints.
Now, Coach Kataoka has surpassed his past self, both in vision and ability.
This pleased Sakaki greatly.
Despite being on opposing sides now, Sakaki's feelings for Seidou's team were no different from anyone else's in the stadium—perhaps even stronger.
Watching Kataoka perfectly take his place and even surpass him, he felt truly satisfied.
Of course, this sentiment wouldn't change his stance. If given the chance to bring Seidou's team down, he wouldn't hesitate.
Such is the professional ethics of Coach Sakaki.
All of this was no distraction at all for Sawamura, standing in the Batter's Box.
For him, the goal was always clear.
That is, to hit that incoming baseball out of the park!
Bases loaded—there was no escape for the opponent.
Even if they wanted to save face, Sawamura had Miyuki backing him up.
There was no choice but to face him head-on.
Sawamura focused all his attention, unknowingly sinking into that familiar, intense State.
It was an overkill, he knew. But he really didn't want to mess up here, for the people watching, and for his teammates, he can't afford to mess up here.
Everything around him seemed to vanish, and the cheers of the crowd became distant.
In Sawamura's eyes, there was only his opponent.
Yura Sougou's pitcher, Higashiyama!
'Here it comes!!!'
The baseball flew towards him and started expanding in Sawamura's vision.
'I can see it.'
In Sawamura's perspective, the ball was flying in slow motion.
He could clearly see the spin and angle of the ball.
The ball was coming in low and inside, targeting Sawamura's knees.
From an observer's angle, it still looked fast, and the angle was tricky.
Facing the infamous 'Great Demon King' Sawamura, Higashiyama unleashed 120% of his strength.
But unfortunately, it wasn't enough!!!
Higashiyama's pitch wasn't bad, but it was no match for Sawamura's current strength.
Sawamura pulled his bat high, and with a motion like a golf swing, he spun his bat around.
The bat hit the ball with a resounding PPPPAAAAAKKKKKK!
The pleasant sound reverberated across the entire field.
It was like a cannon shot, echoing above the home plate.
The baseball soared high into the sky, disappearing in an instant.
After a long moment, the commentator's voice erupted in a wild scream.
"It's gone!!!"
"The Great Demon King, Sawamura Eijun, living up to expectations! He steps in as a pinch hitter and turns the game around with one swing!!"
A GRAND SLAM!
With the runners on base circling the bases, Seidou High's baseball team scored four runs in one go, changing the score to 5-2.
Yura Sougou, who had been able to somewhat match Seidou earlier, was now thoroughly defeated.
It looked like the game was decided. The Seidou supporters, who had been holding their breath for the last two innings, including Sawamura's fans, erupted in celebration!!
...