The fifth batter of Seiko Academy showed clear doubt in his eyes.
Just as he entered the batter's box, he was still thinking.
He must continue to work hard.
The third and fourth batters on their team had just hit ho runs.
As a core hitter himself, how could he fall behind?
But when he actually stood in the batter's box, he was surprised to find that the opponent on the mound seed different from before.
Yoshida's eyes were sharp, fingers tightly gripping the baseball.
He took a step and fired the pitch.
"Whoosh!"
The fifth batter of Seiko Academy felt dazed watching the ball.
Before he could process what was happening, the baseball was already in Chris's glove.
"Bang!"
"Nice pitch!"
Was this the sa pitcher as before?
Due to his weight, the fifth batter had small eyes.
Now those small eyes were filled with doubt.
Was this really the sa guy they faced earlier?
On the next pitch, he still couldn't find a chance to swing.
By the third pitch, the batter was about to be struck out. Even though he hadn't clearly seen the ball, he still swung.
Unsurprisingly, he missed.
"Nice pitch!"
"Nice pitch!!"
"Strikeout!!"
Three outs — offense and defense switched.
Applause broke out in the Seidou High School dugout.
The team had a love-hate relationship with Yoshida, their ace.
His performance was too volatile.
When in poor condition, he wasn't even top-tier in Tokyo — just upper second-rate.
That would be manageable against average teams, but when facing strong opponents like Seiko Academy, he could get punished hard.
Today was one of those days. He was off his ga and gave up two ho runs in a row.
At that mont, everyone on Seidou High School's baseball team wanted to scream.
But the very next second, their ace found his rhythm again.
And when Yoshida's in form, he's a top-level pitcher even on a national level.
He easily shut down the rest of Seiko Academy's lineup.
When Yoshida returned to the dugout, the third-year seniors who had just been cheering now surrounded him.
"Can you not give us a heart attack?"
"Keep it together, man!"
"Otherwise, your ace spot might be taken by a first-year!"
Yoshida himself looked helpless.
Pitching rhythm isn't sothing he can control at will.
The fact that he could recover when pressured was already impressive.
"All right, ti to attack."
Coach Kataoka stepped in quickly when he saw the scene starting to get rowdy.
Even though they were trailing by two runs — both ho runs — the Seidou High School baseball team wasn't too shaken.
In fact, the lost points were still within a manageable range.
Coach Kataoka had planned to use Seiko Academy's strong lineup to push his pitchers.
Force them to recognize their flaws and grow stronger.
From that perspective, the results were clear.
Seiko Academy's hitters were stronger than Kataoka had expected.
But if he wanted the plan to work fully…
The batters on their side couldn't just sit around. They had to score.
Otherwise, this whole exercise would be pointless.
Bottom of the first inning, Seidou High School went on the offense.
Seiko Academy sent out their third-year ace pitcher.
This pitcher had perford well overall.
Though he gave up runs in previous matches, they were within a controllable range — enough for Seiko Academy to keep winning.
Now, standing on the mound, he exuded confidence.
"We're already ahead by two runs, don't worry!"
With that, he wound up to throw.
"Whoosh!"
His pitching was still sharp.
When Matsumoto, Seidou's leadoff hitter, saw the incoming ball, his eyes lit up.
It was right in his sweet spot.
Matsumoto didn't hesitate.
He stepped forward and swung.
"Ping!"
The ball flew off the bat.
Seiko Academy's fielders tried to make a play.
But their size slowed them down — their bulky bodies weren't the most agile.
Despite their effort, the ball bounced past them.
"It's through!"
Matsumoto made it safely to first base.
No outs, runner on first.
Seiko Academy's ace looked a little awkward.
"It's fine, just a hit,"
he said optimistically, trying to reassure his teammates.
They smiled back as if it were nothing more than a fluke.
"Second batter, number one, pitcher, Yoshida-san!"
Yoshida, who had just vented his anger on the mound, showed no rcy in the batter's box either.
As soon as he saw the ball, he attacked.
"Ping!"
Another hit.
Seiko Academy's defense tried to respond but couldn't.
Yoshida reached base, and Matsumoto advanced to third.
No outs. Runners on first and third.
Now it was ti for Seidou's third batter — Yuuki Tetsuya.
"Boom!"
The bat cut through the air in a blur, sending the ball flying.
A streak of white light shot through the infield — Seiko Academy's defenders didn't even react.
The ball soared out.
"Safe!"
"Runner scores!"
"Another one!!"
Thanks to Yuuki's deep hit, both runners returned to ho plate.
Yuuki advanced to second.
"Just five minutes after falling behind, Seidou High School ties the ga!"
"The score is 2–2!"
Though their attack wasn't as explosive as Seiko Academy's earlier hors…
It was just as lethal.
Every swing carried weight.
The players of Seiko Academy could no longer keep their smiles.
Everyone looked stunned.
The two hard-earned runs they scored… were gone just like that?
And this wasn't over yet.
Because the next batter for Seidou High School…
Was that man.
"Fourth batter, number five, third baseman, Azuma Kiyokuni-san!"
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POWER STONE!!!
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