Chapter 423: The Momentum Issue in the Match Against Ouya
"Clap!"
"Strike!"
"Batter out!"
"Three outs! Change sides!"
With a forkball, Wakabayashi struck out Kanemaru to end the inning and halt Seidou High's offensive surge. On the field, the players of Ouya High collectively let out a breath of relief.
They knew full well—
If Seidou had been allowed to keep pressing on…
Even a team as mentally tough as Ouya might have cracked.
After all, the score difference was already four runs.
If Seidou had scored again, the idea of victory would've become laughable. Honestly, even now, their chances of winning were already slim to say the least.
Still, there remained a sliver of hope.
Ouya High was a team that wouldn't give up until the very end. More accurately, any team that holds onto true belief and ideals in their hearts—
Would never let go of their resolve until the final second.
No—even in the final second, as long as the game wasn't officially over, they wouldn't abandon their obsession with victory.
Over at the third base dugout…
As the inning ended and the players returned to the bench, a heavy silence hung over Ouya High. That solemn atmosphere was laced with anxiety, doubt—and for some, a creeping fear.
Under the suffocating pressure of Seidou High's powerful offense, cracks were starting to form in the hearts of some Ouya players.
Four runs.
From the very beginning, Ouya's game plan had been to keep the runs allowed under five to have a shot at winning. If they could keep it under three, they'd have a good chance.
Now they were only one run away from their red line.
And it was just the fourth inning. Seidou still had five more chances to bat.
Ouya? Still hadn't scored a single run.
Even the most optimistic person couldn't help but feel a bit disheartened. Let alone those whose belief was already fragile to begin with.
Optimism. Tenacity. Determination. Resilience.
All of these virtues—
Could be found in this Ouya team.
But still—
In the face of such overwhelming power, holding onto those values was like climbing an impossibly steep mountain. Especially when Seidou was showing off their dominance so blatantly…
And in the outfield…
That one single figure stood like a shadow.
The pressure of that number "1" on his back…
The intimidation it brought—
Left the Ouya players with an unshakable sense of discomfort. Even Wakabayashi, their ace, felt an inexplicable tightness in his chest because of it.
Sensing the heavy mood in the dugout—
As all the players returned to the bench…
Coach Araki scanned the team with gentle eyes.
"This is the strength of the reigning summer champions—you've felt it now, haven't you? But even so, for the first three innings, you stood your ground. You matched them play for play. That alone is proof that our strength is not inferior to theirs."
"And as for the runs we gave up in that last inning—you all know why. It was because they exploited our weakness. And what does that tell us? That Seidou did thorough, meticulous scouting and analysis on us before the match. They were able to seize that opening because of it."
"Why go to such lengths?"
"Because they respect us. Because they're wary of us. And what does that mean?"
"It means we have the strength worth fearing."
"It's only the top of the fourth. We still have six innings to bat. Now is the time to show the results of all the sweat you've poured into this game."
His tone was gentle, yet firm. Calm, yet full of fire.
Coach Araki's words reignited the fighting spirit in the Ouya dugout, sweeping away the gloom.
"Yes, sir!"
You had to hand it to him—Coach Araki, who once led a team to Koshien, wasn't just excellent in personal and tactical instruction. When it came to motivation and rallying his players…
He was second to none, no less skilled than the managers of the nation's powerhouses.
"Wakabayashi, your pitching is enough to take on Seidou. Don't lose faith. Stick to your strength—show everyone your baseball as an art form. Prove that these past two years were not in vain!"
"Yes, sir. I understand, Coach."
Determination burned in Wakabayashi's eyes, a cold edge flickering within.
From this inning on—from this very moment—
He swore not to repeat the mistakes of the fourth.
Damn those elite schools…
Wakabayashi vowed: he would win this match.
He would stake everything—his entire baseball philosophy—on it.
...
"Man, that was such a Seidou-style offensive."
"From the first batter to the ninth… they almost wrapped around to the top of the lineup again."
"Yeah, but credit where it's due—Ouya's ace isn't bad either. Everyone thought he was going to fall apart after giving up that home run and two more runs… but he held it together."
"Well, Ouya did make the top eight. They're no strangers to Koshien."
"The team's spirit is solid. It's the fourth inning and they're down four, but they're definitely not out of the game. Just… it won't be easy."
"True. Especially with Kawakami pitching well today. And Sawamura's still waiting in the wings. It'll be hard for Ouya to flip this."
"This next half-inning is critical."
"It all comes down to momentum."
"We'll see if Ouya can give us a surprise."
...
On Seidou's side, down the first-base line in their dugout—
Just like the fans in the stands, they were well aware of how important this inning was.
"Kawakami, this inning's going to be huge. They're definitely coming at us with fire. Their offense will be fierce. But if we can shut them down here—completely—then the flow of the game will shift entirely in our favor."
While putting on his catcher's gear with Eijun's help, Miyuki spoke in a low, serious tone to Kawakami.
"Yeah. I know, Miyuki."
Kawakami was a seasoned pitcher, after all. He'd been playing since elementary school. He understood just how crucial this inning was for Seidou.
They couldn't afford to make a single mistake on defense.
A look of fierce determination—one that mirrored Wakabayashi's earlier—flashed in Kawakami's eyes.
This rare opportunity to start—
He was going to seize it.
"Kawakami, Miyuki—be extra cautious this inning."
Coach Kataoka's eyes gleamed sharply as they swept across the two players.
"Yes, sir!" both Kawakami and Miyuki responded loudly.
"If they hold them here, Seidou can completely take control of the game," a third-year senior muttered solemnly from the stands as Ouya's half of the fourth inning was about to begin.
----------------
If you want to read 10 advance chapters ahead.
Visit my patreon: patreon.com/Leonzky