As the blazing pitch collided with the tal bat, a sharp, piercing sound rang through the air.
The mont of impact sent a heavy jolt through Maezono Kenta's arms, and the fierce fire in his expression dimd.
"Ha!"
With a grunt, he swung his arms with full force.
"Whoosh!"
"Bang!"
The ball slamd into the ground with a powerful thud.
Just as Eijun prepared to sprint from third—
"Foul!!"
The umpire's call rang out as the ball zipped just past the foul line.
Maezono frowned, adjusting his stance.
That guy's pitch has weight.
He inhaled deeply, shook out his arms, and reset his batting form.
....
Second pitch: screwball.
Masu Shinichirou ditched the cautious, probing ga plan.
There was no more room for hesitation—just brute force.
And for Ogawa Tsunematsu, this was the perfect approach.
With a violent arm motion, he unleashed another pitch:
"Whoosh!!"
It sliced through the air with sharp intensity.
Maezono's eyes locked onto the ball.
He stepped in, tightened his grip, and let loose with a full-bodied swing.
"Haahh!!"
"PING!!"
The bat rang out once more, but Maezono's face fell.
A screwball!!
The ball ricocheted off the dirt in front of the mound.
"Shortstop!!"
Masu shouted as Eijun hesitated, ready to dash but holding back.
Reading the play, Eijun stopped himself from charging ho.
Seeing this, Miyuki also stayed put at third.
The Seiko shortstop quickly fielded the ball.
His eyes flicked toward Eijun, hoping he would risk a dash—but Eijun pulled back, prompting a look of disappointnt.
Still, the shortstop didn't hesitate.
He spun and fired to first.
"Smack!"
"Out!!"
Ogawa's finishing screwball had done the job.
He cleanly shut down Maezono Kenta, Seidou's power-hitting fifth batter.
"Nice pitch, Tsunematsu!"
"That's how it's done!"
"Keep it up, Tsunematsu!"
The long-awaited first out gave Seiko a collective breath of relief.
Taking down the cleanup hitter for the first out?
It ant everything.
Even Masu at ho plate visibly exhaled.
"Ehehe…"
On the mound, Ogawa Tsunematsu grinned smugly, clearly pleased with himself.
"Batting sixth, right fielder—Shirasu!"
Don't rush it.
Watch the pitch first.
If necessary, be ready for a squeeze play.
From the bench, Coach Kataoka tapped his chest twice, giving the signal.
Out on the field, both Shirasu and Eijun tugged at the brims of their caps.
Eijun's entire body tightened, ready to break for ho at any mont.
....
"Great pitch, Tsunematsu! Next one's yours!"
Masu tossed the ball back to the mound.
Ogawa caught it with ease, flashing a confident nod.
....
First pitch!
"Whoosh!"
The trajectory of the pitch seed chaotic and unrefined.
Shirasu furrowed his brows.
He took a step forward, body opening up, and swung the bat with all his might.
Whoosh!
Ping!!
The sharp crack of contact rang out.
Shirasu's expression imdiately changed.
A fierce jolt traveled through the bat, surging into his palms — a sensation beyond his control.
It left him with an indescribable sense of heaviness.
Fwoosh
The ball ricocheted off the bat.
Thud
It slamd into the ground.
"Foul ball!"
"Ohhh! That was an inside fastball! After retiring the fifth batter, Seiko's pitcher-catcher duo pushed hard with aggressive pitches, showing no rcy as they pressured the batter!"
Starting with the engine at full throttle?
Looks like the rhythm of the ga is shifting.
Watching Ogawa Tsunematsu growing fiercer on the mound, Eijun narrowed his eyes.
He had thought they'd easily grab another run or two, but clearly underestimated this guy — even without much warm-up, he'd co in firing on all cylinders. That was unexpected.
In the Seidou dugout, Coach Kataoka had also picked up on sothing.
Without hesitation, he raised a finger.
"Force the run!"
If a clean hit isn't likely, then it's ti to capitalize on the runner at third. One run is still a run.
Secure the lead thodically — that's the best strategy.
Hesitation leads to chaos.
If the odds of a base hit are low, then they had to squeeze out every scoring opportunity they could.
In that mont, Kataoka's decisive style as a field general was on full display.
Even Ochiai, sitting beside him, showed a trace of admiration in his eyes.
That's the kind of man who could lead a team to the national championship.
As soon as the signal was given, both Eijun and Shirasu instinctively tensed, a glint of understanding flashing in their eyes.
Eijun readied himself to take off at a mont's notice.
"Good! That's it, Tsunematsu! Keep using your velocity and pitch quality to overpower them!"
At ho plate, seeing Ogawa's strong first-inning performance, Masu Shinnichirou's eyes lit up with hope.
If they could keep the rest of Seidou's lineup under control like this, the ga would still be within reach.
"Next pitch — high inside fastball. It's okay if it's slightly off the zone. Just throw it with everything you've got!"
"Got it!"
On the mound, Ogawa Tsunematsu nodded vigorously, his oversized head bobbing.
He grunted and drove his stocky fra forward again, releasing a powerful aura.
Fwoosh
As the ball blazed through the air—
At the plate—
Shirasu quickly bent forward, showing a clear bunt stance.
At the sa ti—
Zoom!
Eijun launched from third like a rocket.
The Seiko third baseman imdiately shouted,
"Runner's going!"
And at ho plate, Masu's face twisted.
Ping!
Shirasu made solid contact with the ball.
Well—on the surface, at least.
Unfortunately, instead of bouncing downward as intended, the ball lifted into the air.
"Tsunematsu!"
Masu called out instantly.
"Got it!"
Despite his round build, Ogawa Tsunematsu moved with shocking agility, diving forward.
Thwack!
He snatched the popped bunt out of the air with his glove.
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