"Mine-senpai, what exactly is Hakuryu High School trying to do here?"
Owada Akiko looked confused by Hakuryu's decision.
"It's actually pretty simple," Mine Fujio explained calmly.
"Nakanishi is rather bulky, and Coach Sasaki probably believes he isn't very fast. By putting him in front of Kitamura Kou, they can limit Kou's stealing ability to some extent."
"And even if Yakushi uses a reckless double-steal strategy to intentionally sacrifice Nakanishi in order to clear the bases for Kou, Hakuryu still benefits from it."
"At the very least, it's safer than facing an unknown pinch hitter directly."
After a brief pause, Mine adjusted his glasses.
"After all, Yakushi High School's most terrifying trait has always been its endless stream of hidden trump cards."
Akiko nodded in realization.
"It looks like Hakuryu High School made incredibly thorough preparations before this game."
"Yeah."
Mine's expression grew serious.
"This is the first time Yakushi has been pushed into such a difficult position since Kitamura Kou took the mound."
"Hakuryu has targeted nearly every weakness they have."
"If Yakushi doesn't still have some hidden cards left..."
"Then Hakuryu's chances of winning are clearly much higher."
Although he spoke rationally, Mine still secretly hoped Yakushi could create another miracle.
After all, he had watched them fight their way through countless powerhouse schools to reach the Koshien quarterfinals.
"Damn it!"
"Those Hakuryu guys are looking down on me!"
Nakanishi Daiki gritted his teeth furiously.
"Just wait... I'll make sure they remember me forever!"
"Timeout! Yakushi High School requests a pinch hitter!"
At that moment, Todoroki Raizo stepped out of the dugout once more.
The current situation no longer allowed him to calmly observe from the sidelines.
Yakushi was already trailing by three runs.
Considering Hakuryu's overwhelming defensive range and surging momentum, expecting a huge offensive explosion was unrealistic.
They needed to seize every possible chance to score while they still had runners on base with no outs.
The pinch hitter sent up was—
Akaishi Osamu.
"Shintaro, be careful."
Although Hakuryu held the advantage, Ito remained completely composed.
"This batter hasn't shown much in previous games, but looking at his build, he's definitely strong."
"If we're careless and he sends one into the outfield, things could get dangerous fast."
After a quick discussion between pitcher and catcher, Ono Shintaro prepared to throw.
Then suddenly—
"STEAL!"
"STEAL!"
Hakuryu's infielders shouted warnings simultaneously.
"What?!"
Ono Shintaro was startled.
He never expected Nakanishi Daiki and Kitamura Kou to attempt a double steal on the very first pitch.
In panic, he forcefully adjusted the pitch location mid-delivery.
The moment the ball left his fingertips—
Ono's heart sank.
"Oh no!"
Because of the rushed adjustment, the pitch completely missed its intended target.
Now he could only pray Ito could somehow salvage the situation.
"SWOOSH!"
Even Ito hadn't expected Ono to make such a mistake.
At this point, catching and throwing in one motion to stop the runners was impossible.
All he could do was minimize the damage.
Smack!
"Bad pitch!"
Reacting quickly, Ito blocked the baseball before it could roll behind him.
Without hesitation, he immediately fired the ball toward third base.
He knew very well that stopping Kitamura Kou at second was nearly impossible—
Especially after a pitching mistake.
Whoosh!
Smack!
"SAFE!"
"SAFE!"
Nakanishi slid safely into third base while Kitamura Kou successfully stole second.
With no outs and runners now on second and third—
Yakushi High School had suddenly created a golden opportunity.
Now the question became:
Could Akaishi Osamu capitalize on it?
Ito glanced toward the dugout, silently seeking Coach Sasaki's decision.
Should they change pitchers?
But Coach Sasaki chose to trust Ono Shintaro.
After all, Ono had pitched extremely well so far.
Holding Yakushi to just one run was already an excellent performance.
And his recent mistake was understandable under the pressure.
More importantly—
Hakuryu only had two reliable pitchers.
The remaining options simply weren't good enough to suppress Yakushi's dangerous lineup.
Seeing the coach's decision, Ito nodded firmly.
"Then let's keep going."
"Shintaro... don't let the coach's trust—or Tanaka-senpai's sacrifice—go to waste."
"The next pitch goes here."
Ito adjusted his glove while cautiously watching Nakanishi and Kou on the bases.
"Tanaka-senpai..."
"I'll definitely bring home the victory for you."
Ono slowly exhaled.
He still had a chance to redeem himself.
The image of Tanaka bleeding on the field flashed through his mind once again.
At that moment, Ono's eyes became firmer than ever.
With all his strength, he hurled the baseball forward.
"SWOOSH!"
The pitch exploded toward Akaishi Osamu high and tight on the inside corner.
"Based on this pitcher's previous patterns..."
"There's roughly a sixty percent chance this is a Cutter."
"And a forty percent chance it's a fastball."
Although Akaishi had not appeared in previous games, he still retained the habits of a catcher.
From the bench, he had carefully studied Hakuryu's pitching strategy the entire time.
The instant he saw the inside-high pitch—
He swung decisively.
Just as Akaishi predicted, the baseball suddenly cut sharply inward near home plate.
Clang!
"Hm?! This feeling..."
Akaishi's eyes widened slightly.
He absolutely could not waste this precious chance to close the gap.
Veins bulged across his arms as he poured every ounce of strength into the swing.
The baseball soared high into the air toward right field.
Igarashi, who had replaced Tanaka, immediately sprinted after the ball like a madman.
Even though the hit was obviously tailing foul—
Just like the previous one—
He still charged toward it without hesitation.
Even if it meant smashing into the wall.
Even if it meant ending up bloodied as well.
Seeing the scene unfold, the students of Yakushi High School froze in shock.
Was the same nightmare about to happen again?
"No..."
"Please..."
"Even if it's foul, let it fly into the stands!"
At that moment, every Yakushi player and supporter silently prayed with all their hearts.