No Outs, runners on first and third base!
Although the Seidou High School baseball team conceded one run in the top of the first inning, they quickly regained their momentum in the subsequent play. The two key players, Sawamura Eijun and Miyuki Kazuya continued to hit the ball to the outfield.
While they didn't manage to hit a home run, nor did they immediately tie the game, based on the flow and progression of the game, Seidou High School was not at a disadvantage.
In fact, it could be said that their offensive strength seemed even more dominant.
In addition to Sawamura Eijun and Miyuki Kazuya's hits, even Kominato Haruichi nearly hit the ball out of the park. If it hadn't been for Shirakawa's extraordinary effort in stopping the ball, Seidou High School would have already scored!
Of course, in this world, there is no "what if." But even without that "what if," Seidou High School had already secured two hits.
And their offense wasn't over yet; they were very likely to score another run.
"MAEZONO!"
"ZONO!!"
The Seidou High School supporters in the stands were becoming impatient.
They eagerly called out the batter's name, hoping he would continue and land another hit.
The fans weren't being greedy; they weren't asking for a hit that would immediately reverse the score.
They only needed a simple, ordinary hit — one that would bring the runner on third base, Sawamura, back home and tie the game.
They would be satisfied with that.
They weren't expecting more.
On the Batter's Box, Maezono put on his scary face and locked his eyes firmly on the pitcher, Narumiya Mei.
The fans' anticipation and the teammates' energetic cheers from the dugout filled the air.
Maezono was well aware of what they wanted him to do.
They were all hoping he would hit the ball beautifully, whether it was for a single run or two, but the most important thing was that he could get a hit and tie the score.
In this tough pitcher duel, the team that was trailing was certainly at a significant disadvantage.
And the opponent was Narumiya Mei. Forget about scoring — just getting a hit off his pitches was a rare achievement for the players.
In such a situation, when they finally had runners on first and third base, the fans naturally hoped Maezono wouldn't let them down and hoped he would get a hit.
But it wasn't that easy.
A person needs to know their limits.
Maezono knew exactly what kind of player he was. Although he was one of the core batters for Seidou High School, his abilities were nowhere near the level of the third and fourth batters.
Compared to those two monsters, he was just a sidekick, completely out of their league.
However, Maezono was not the one to give up easily.
No matter what, he will do his job and advance the runners.
With runners on first and third, Inashiro High School had no way out.
And Seidou High School had no way out either.
After all, besides the runners on first and third, there was another crucial detail to mention: Inashiro had already recorded two Outs.
In this confrontation, Seidou High School was undoubtedly at a disadvantage.
And not just any disadvantage — it was a huge one.
Maezono tried his best. During his showdown with Narumiya Mei and catcher Tadano, he used every trick he had.
He tried every possible way to hit the ball.
But in the end, he failed!
Not only did he fail to get a hit, but when Narumiya Mei pitched to him, Maezono couldn't even make contact with the ball.
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE!!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"
Three Outs. The sides are switched.
With that, Seidou High School's series of offensive plays came to an end.
At the conclusion of the first inning, Seidou High School was still trailing 1-0, leaving behind two baserunners hanging.
The atmosphere immediately cooled down, and this blow was a significant one for Seidou High School.
Although they showed their strength in the offensive round, at one point almost breaking through Narumiya, the result was the same — they couldn't score.
Victory or defeat was in their own hands.
Seidou High School had set up favorable scoring conditions but still couldn't score.
This was clearly not a good sign.
It seemed like luck wasn't favoring Seidou High School — at least not today, not in this game.
Luck wasn't on their side.
In this kind of situation, Seidou High School would likely face various unexpected challenges in the game.
The supporters of Inashiro Industrial High School in the stands were incredibly excited. With both performance and scoring surpassing the mighty Seidou High School, it wasn't surprising they were celebrating.
In the Inashiro dugout, the players were calm and composed.
They looked especially relaxed compared to the tense atmosphere at the beginning of the game.
On the other hand, Seidou's players, unable to tie the game in this inning, seemed a bit impatient.
"One run isn't a big deal, don't worry about it. I believe you guys will catch up!" Sawamura said with a smile.
Upon hearing his words, the teammates felt a little more at ease.
Sawamura was absolutely right. The game had only just started, and they had no reason to panic.
They could calmly handle this situation!
They believed in their strength, and they were confident that they could create a miracle.
This kind of confidence was crucial. Once the players had it, they would naturally be much more relaxed in their performance.
While encouraging his teammates, Sawamura himself didn't look relaxed at all.
His eyes were slightly closed, and a glint of brilliance flashed across them.
As his partner, Miyuki was undoubtedly very familiar with Sawamura's tactics.
Seeing Sawamura like this, Miyuki knew he was up to something.
"Do you have any thoughts?" Miyuki asked, stepping forward to inquire.
Sawamura nodded slightly and spoke softly.
"We can't continue like this. If we keep going like this, we'll fall into Inashiro's rhythm. Even though we can play a defensive game, we're still at a disadvantage compared to Inashiro."
Sawamura's words were a kind of compliment to his teammates.
To be honest, if it came down to a battle of defensive strategies, they were better than Inashiro.
"What are you thinking?" Miyuki asked after a moment of reflection.
"Change the pace and force them to face me in a head-to-head battle!" Sawamura said.
Upon hearing this, Miyuki immediately understood.
"Are you confident?"
If this worked, Sawamura would earn all the credit. But if it failed, the consequences would be severe.
Sawamura smiled slightly and nodded confidently.
He wasn't just confident in himself — he knew his opponent well enough.
As long as he threw out the bait, his opponent would latch onto it.
After all, Inashiro's Ace pitcher was Narumiya Mei.
"SAWAMURA!"
"SAWAMURA!!"
"DEMON KING!!!"
"DEMON KING!!!"
At Jingu Stadium, the fans of Sawamura Eijun seemed to feel his fighting spirit. As soon as he began pitching, they erupted into cheers and encouragement.
This scene deeply moved Sawamura.
Miyamoto, Obayashi, and Kobayashi were just too supportive! It was as though they were inside Sawamura's mind, understanding what he needed without him having to say anything. They just instinctively knew how to act.
In this passionate atmosphere, everyone's focus was on the intense pitch-batter battle.
Standing at the Batter's Box, Tadano Itsuki felt immense pressure.
It was no surprise that he felt this way, given that his opponent was Sawamura.
Even though Tadano had mentally prepared himself before the game, when faced with Sawamura, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.
It had been a while since they last faced each other, and he wondered just how much Sawamura's pitching had evolved since then.
Tadano was a bit excited but also anxious.
He couldn't find the right words to describe how he felt.
In short, his emotions were very conflicted.
On the pitcher's mound, Sawamura had no such concerns.
He raised his right leg high, then slammed it down. As his body weight shifted, his left arm swung like a whip.
Tadano couldn't afford to let his focus slip for even a moment.
He stared at Sawamura, afraid of missing any small detail.
Tadano knew very well that if he lost focus for even a second, he'd miss the split-second timing to swing.
So, he had to stay completely focused, giving it his all.
But, just like the rumors he'd heard before, Sawamura's pitches were impossible to track. By the time he saw the ball, it was already out of the pitcher's hand.
WHRROOSH!!
'So fast!'
In the blink of an eye, the baseball had crossed several meters and landed in the Mitt of Miyuki, who was catching.
SNAP!
"STRIKE!"
Despite his mental preparation, Tadano had no time to swing his bat at the first pitch.
"You idiot, don't just stand there and stare!"
As expected, voices of protest came from the dugout. It was Narumiya Mei, clearly displeased with Tadano's reaction.
Of course, Narumiya wasn't happy. Tadano's reaction was puzzling. Before the game, they'd done hitting drills for pitches at 155 km/h.
They even adjusted the pitching machine to throw at 150 km/h, setting it a meter ahead to help their players get used to the speeds of players like Furuya and Sawamura.
Given that preparation, facing Sawamura's pitches should have been far from shocking.
But Tadano was still stunned.
To be honest, he didn't expect Sawamura's pitch speed to be this fast! From the Batter's Box, the ball seemed even faster than Furuya's.
'How could Carlos-san hit such pitches?'
'It was unbelievable!'
Tadano was thoroughly shocked.
He had thought that after a year of practice, his skills had caught up to Sawamura's.
But the gap was still huge.
The figure standing ahead, Sawamura, wasn't getting any closer. Instead, it felt like he was becoming more distant.
This was Sawamura Eijun, the greatest pitcher of this era!
Lost in his shock, Tadano failed to notice that Sawamura wasn't wasting any time.
After catching the ball thrown back to him by Miyuki, Sawamura immediately threw it again.
"Such a fast pace!"
"The Maou looks different today..."
The crowd in the stands also noticed the unusual tempo from Sawamura.
His pitches were razor-sharp, leaving no openings for the opponent.
He was giving it his all—each pitch was an unexpected surprise!
On the second pitch, Tadano did manage to swing.
But he clearly missed the right timing. By the time his bat came halfway through, Sawamura's ball had already flown over the home plate.
SNAP!
"STRIKE!!"
Two consecutive Strikes put Tadano in a tight spot.
Even with a 0-2 count, Sawamura showed no intention of throwing a Ball. He threw the ball right down the middle of the strike zone.
The ball was coming straight at him!
Seeing the pitch, Tadano's eyes widened. With his back against the wall, he couldn't afford to let this pitch go by.
As the baseball neared him, Tadano swung his bat with full force.
BUUUUZZZZZZ!!!!
He swung with all his might, and during the motion, there was even a faint sound of wind from his bat.
But in the end, his bat never touched the ball.
The baseball suddenly rose, three balls' worth of height, just before crossing the strike zone.
The ball passed cleanly over the bat and into Miyuki's Mitt.
SNAP!
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"
When Tadano swung, the outcome was already determined.
Still, he found it hard to accept.
The final pitch was a rising ball!!!
As Tadano returned to the dugout, he was met with Narumiya's furious face.
"You fool! How could you think Eijun would throw a perfectly hittable pitch right down the middle?!"
Tadano, frustrated, nearly lost his breath.
Yeah, how did he end up thinking that?
After all, his opponent was the Maou, Sawamura! How could he expect a pitch like that?
How could he have been so foolish to think that?
Tadano couldn't understand himself.
"Sixth batter, third baseman, Yabe-kun!"
Yabe was famous in his own right. If not for last year's performance from the Inashiro High baseball team, he might have already been promoted to the main lineup.
He was one of those who had joined the Inashiro High baseball team when Narumiya invited him.
His talent needed no explanation.
But beyond his talent, Yabe was also a carefree optimist.
Facing Sawamura, he was completely unfazed. He didn't feel nervous at all.
Yabe knew his place. Compared to the legendary Sawamura, what was he?
Most of the audience probably didn't even know his name. Even the people who had come to cheer for the team couldn't have named him.
For someone like him, a nobody, to face off against the Maou Sawamura was already an honor.
If he lost, it was expected. But if he won, he would shock everyone.
This kind of pressure was like buying a lottery ticket. No one would lose sleep over not winning the grand prize.
Thus, Yabe entered the Batter's Box carefree, with the mentality of someone buying a lottery ticket. Even if he knew he had no chance of winning, there was always hope.
What if he did win?
Even with a small investment, the dream was far bigger.
So, Yabe remained fully focused as he faced Sawamura, observing every pitch carefully.
He was looking for the right moment to swing.
His approach wasn't bad, but he didn't expect Sawamura to take him seriously.
Sawamura threw three completely different breaking balls at him.
By the end, he even used his signature deadly pitch.
The baseball hurtled toward Yabe but suddenly disappeared before his eyes.
'It was a Cutter Ball!'
Even though Inashiro had researched this pitch thoroughly, not every batter could hit it.
Clearly, Yabe wasn't up to the task.
In the end, his bat and the ball passed each other, missing completely.
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE!!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!"
Six pitches in, Sawamura hadn't wasted a single one, and he struck Out two batters.
Now, he was facing Inashiro High's seventh batter.
The batter looked at Coach Kunitomo, who shook his head.
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE!!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!!"
Just like that, Sawamura Eijun struck out three batters with nine pitches.
A rare feat, going all-out in the first round.
…