Ping!
The baseball was struck and flew into the field.
The players from Gohara High School's baseball team imdiately rushed forward to intercept the ball when they saw this.
But their speed clearly couldn't match the speed of the ball.
By the ti they chased after it, the baseball had already flown past them.
"It got through!"
Matsumoto, the batter who hit the ball, dashed toward first base like a speedster.
If Gohara High's outfielder hadn't gotten there in ti to stop the ball, Matsumoto might have made it to second base.
"Safe!"
No outs, runner on first.
In the dugout of Seidou High School, the players didn't seem overly excited.
Even though Matsumoto had opened the ga with a clean hit and successfully got on base with the first at-bat...
No one showed any particular reaction.
As if this was completely normal—nothing to celebrate.
In the Gohara High dugout, their coach quickly jotted sothing down with a ballpoint pen.
"The strength of powerhouse high schools is very close to that of professional teams. Ordinary teams have a tiered gap when facing them."
After finishing his notes, he continued watching the ga without blinking.
He didn't look like a coach at all—more like a ticulous record keeper.
Seidou's second batter stepped up to the plate.
As soon as he took his stance, he showed signs of going for a bunt.
It seed he wanted to help Matsumoto advance to second base.
If Matsumoto made it to second, he'd be in scoring position.
Then with just a simple base hit, Seidou could score the first run.
Even though they'd just started facing Seidou, Gohara's players were already feeling imnse pressure from this powerhouse team.
The kind of pressure that felt like it was about to swallow them whole.
"Damn it, what the hell is going on?"
The Gohara players could feel it clearly, yet they were helpless to do anything about it.
On the mound, Ikegami clenched his molars tightly.
In their first two gas, it felt like they could take the initiative without much effort.
But now that they were facing Seidou, the pressure had spiked dramatically.
Trying to deal with Seidou's batters... was really not easy.
"I refuse to believe a powerhouse like you would seriously start the ga with a bunt sacrifice!"
Refusing to back down, Ikegami threw the pitch.
But what he didn't expect was—Seidou's second batter really executed the bunt without hesitation.
Ping!
The baseball was tapped and bounced toward first base.
The first baseman rushed forward, picked up the ball, and turned to throw to second.
But it was too late.
Matsumoto, using his blazing speed once again, had already reached second base safely.
Although the batter was out, the overall situation wasn't bad.
One out, runner on second.
The Gohara coach again jotted down notes in his notebook.
"Seidou's players possess the ability to make independent judgnts on the field. They adjust their offensive strategy based on the actual situation."
Originally, Seidou's second batter had only intended to fake the bunt.
But upon judging that the pitch was suitable, he decisively executed the bunt, successfully advancing the runner.
Next up were Seidou's third and fourth batters.
In the Gohara dugout, their coach could already picture Seidou scoring.
"It's not just about their player strength—even their playing style resembles that of pro teams."
As a forr professional coach himself, he was starting to understand why so many pro teams wanted to recruit players from Seidou.
There was a reason—they were reliable!
Players trained in this system could seamlessly integrate into professional teams.
Sothing that players from other high schools rarely achieved.
"Let's face them head-on—it's ti to show your strength!"
The Gohara coach, who had been acting like a quiet recorder, suddenly gave a signal to the pitcher.
Ikegami saw the sign and nodded at his coach.
This was earlier than Ikegami had planned.
He originally wanted to keep a few tricks up his sleeve. But at this rate, if he held back, they'd soon be shredded apart.
"So this is what a true national powerhouse looks like..."
Ikegami couldn't help but recall their spring tournant ga against Inashiro Industrial.
They had played decently in that ga.
But honestly, it was only because their opponents had underestimated them—giving them a chance to score early.
Otherwise, it would've been a one-sided beatdown.
Now facing Seidou, it was the sa kind of situation.
Unless they gave it their all and went all-in, there was no way they could get any advantage over a powerhouse.
Taking a deep breath, Ikegami seed like a different person.
The pitch he threw now had a sort of magic to it. Seidou's third batter swung with all his might but only managed to hit a weak grounder.
Pop!
The ball was fielded and quickly thrown to first.
"Out!"
Two outs, runner on second.
Even though Seidou tried to move their runner into scoring position, the offensive push didn't go smoothly.
This allowed Gohara's players to breathe a huge sigh of relief.
"Nice one, Ikegami!"
"So what if it's Seidou?!"
"We can still fight back—!"
From one out to two outs—
Seidou, who had been in control, suddenly seed to be getting held back by the opposition.
In the Seidou dugout.
Their players still looked relaxed…
They didn't appear anxious at all, despite the seeming crisis.
It was as if they believed the victory would ultimately be theirs—without question.
Their coach felt the sa.
Coach Kataoka stood at the front of the dugout, showing no reaction that revealed his thoughts on the current situation.
"Cleanup hitter, No. 5, third baseman—Azuma Kiyokuni!"
Two outs, runner on second.
It was Tohru Kiyokuni's turn to bat.
The mont Ikegami on the mound saw him, he felt his blood start to boil.
Even within Seidou's powerhouse roster, not all players were on the sa level.
Take Kiyokuni, for instance.
Not just within Seidou—even across Tokyo, or even nationwide—
Azuma Kiyokuni was a known na.
It was said that so professional teams had already set their eyes on his potential. Even if Kiyokuni didn't make it to Koshien in his final year, and didn't deliver any standout performances—
Pro teams were still ready to extend offers to him.
"It's precisely by facing a power hitter like this—and overcoming him in a head-on battle—that we'll have a chance to win."
Ikegami knew this clearly.
In terms of overall strength, they were far behind Seidou.
This... might be their only chance.
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POWER STONE!?
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