"Damn it! What's wrong with that pitcher?!" Ninomiya complained as he returned to the dugout.
"Relax, Ninomiya," Shiratori said. "He's nowhere near as strong as that fastball pitcher from earlier. We'll definitely beat him next time."
"You don't get it," Ninomiya replied irritably. "His pitches feel… weird. They're hard to read."
Bottom of the Fourth Inning — Seidou's Attack
This inning was the heart of Seidou High School's lineup.
A perfect opportunity to launch a counterattack.
The batter stepped into the box.
"Please take care of me," said Jun Isashiki, giving a quick bow.
Then his expression hardened.
"Tch… even the first-years are fighting so hard. How can we third-years just sit around and do nothing?!"
"Don't you dare look down on us!"
You Shunshin's pitch came high and tight toward the batter's chest.
Crack!
Isashiki swung without hesitation.
The ball rocketed toward left field and rolled deep into the outfield.
Isashiki sprinted hard and slid into second base with a double.
"Whoa! He hit that pitch?!"
Sawamura Eijun exclaimed.
"Haha," Kuramochi Yoichi laughed. "As long as it's not completely unhittable, that senior will swing at anything."
"Isn't that just chasing bad pitches?" Sawamura muttered.
You Shunshin glanced toward second base.
That batter again…
I still can't find his weakness.
He's the one I hate facing the most.
"Fourth batter, first baseman — Yuki Tetsuya!"
Akikawa's catcher signaled.
"If necessary, we can just walk him."
But You Shunshin shook his head.
"There's no need to intentionally walk him."
"Even the best hitters don't bat a hundred percent."
He threw the pitch.
Crack!
The ball screamed off the bat and shot foul at terrifying speed.
The infielders froze.
"What a fast line drive!"
"If that had stayed fair…"
You Shunshin felt his heart skip a beat.
The batter standing in front of him wasn't someone he could easily handle.
Finally, he made a decision.
Four pitches far outside the strike zone.
Ball four.
Yuki calmly took first base.
"The first time I've seen him walk someone," Sawamura said in surprise.
"Looks like the precision machine is starting to crack under pressure," said Miyuki Kazuya with a faint smile.
Next up was Masuko Tooru.
He laid down a short bunt.
Although he was thrown out at first, the runners advanced.
Now there was one out with runners on second and third.
A golden scoring opportunity for Seidou.
Miyuki stepped into the batter's box wearing a confident smile.
"Miyuki! Crush him!"
"Bring the runner home!"
"This is a perfect chance! Don't mess it up!"
The crowd roared.
Miyuki narrowed his eyes.
When he faced Tetsu-senpai, he already started wavering.
This is the best chance to beat him.
Akikawa's fielders moved in, determined not to give up a run.
Seidou's dugout was ready to force the score.
The duel began.
First Pitch
Snap!
"Strike!"
Miyuki barely nicked the curveball.
"Foul!"
"Tough pitch," Miyuki muttered. "Barely caught that one."
Second Pitch
A high inside fastball.
Ping!
Foul again.
Two strikes.
Third Pitch
Another foul ball.
Miyuki analyzed calmly.
Low outside breaking ball first.
Then high inside fastball.
Another high pitch.
If I were the catcher…
The deciding pitch would be a low outside breaking ball.
The Fourth Pitch
You Shunshin threw.
Exactly as Miyuki predicted.
The ball curved low and outside.
Miyuki swung.
CRACK!
The stadium fell silent for a split second.
Then the ball soared high into the sky—
And flew over the outfield fence.
A three-run home run.
Miyuki jogged calmly around the bases.
"Great minds think alike," he said with a relaxed smile.
"We'd make a pretty good pitcher–catcher duo."
The stadium erupted.
"Amazing!"
"A three-run homer!"
"Seidou takes the lead!"
"What an incredible duel between the two glasses-wearing players!" shouted Akiko Owada, her face flushed with excitement.
"That's the difference in strength," said Fujio Mine calmly. "This inning might completely crush Akikawa's momentum."
In the Stands
Kitamura Kou suddenly stood up.
"Kou, where are you going?" asked Akaishi Osamu.
"Just going for a walk," Kou replied. "This game has gotten boring."
"Huh?"
"I thought that pitcher, You Shunshin, would be a decent opponent."
"But the moment he backed down against the fourth batter, the result was already decided."
Kou shook his head.
"A pitcher without the courage to face strong hitters head-on…"
"He's not even as impressive as that pitcher named Sawamura who just came in."
"I'll be back before the next game."
Although You Shunshin regained his composure and retired the next three batters, the damage was already done.
Seidou had taken the lead.
Score: 3–2
Top of the Fifth
Sawamura grew more confident on the mound.
Three batters up.
Three batters down.
Akikawa had no chance.
Bottom of the Fifth
Kuramochi reached base and immediately stole second.
Then he stole third.
Working perfectly with Kominato Ryosuke, Seidou executed a quick scoring play to bring in another run.
The offense didn't stop.
Hit after hit followed.
By the end of the inning, Seidou had scored five runs.
Final Result
Seidou High School: 10
Akikawa Academy: 2
The game ended in the seventh inning by mercy rule.
Akikawa Academy—the tournament's dark horse—was eliminated in the Round of 16.