Summer Koshien, Quarterfinals.
The match between the West Tokyo Seidou High School baseball team and the Nagano Prefecture Hoshiryu High School baseball team is progressing at full speed.
After the 4th inning.
The score is 3-2.
With their Ace, Sawamura, still off the mound, Seidou High's baseball team has been able to firmly suppress their opponents.
Although there were some setbacks during the game, in the end, the result was still quite good overall.
They have firmly maintained the initiative and are in the lead.
To the coaching staff of Seidou High and Coach Kataoka, this experience has been beneficial for the players of Seidou High.
Perhaps because of how incredibly strong their "Great Demon King" Sawamura is, the Seidou High team's reliance on him has been growing stronger.
Whenever the team faces a difficulty, the first thought is often to rely on Sawamura to resolve the situation.
This isn't necessarily a problem for the Seidou team as a whole. After all, Sawamura is the soul of the team.
In crucial moments, if he doesn't step up, then who will?
However, this reliance is a problem for the other players on Seidou's team.
Relying too much on one player means that if that player faces an accident, a problem, or performs poorly, the entire team could face trouble.
For the other players, this is especially serious.
People tend to be lazy. Once they start relying on someone, they might lose their initiative and ability to deal with problems actively.
If it reaches that point, it would be a major loss for Seidou High as a whole.
Experiences like today's match are great for the team, especially for the players other than Sawamura.
Facing a crisis forces the players to reflect on their weaknesses and improve in the future.
It's great, really!
Whether in terms of the process or the result, Coach Kataoka is very satisfied.
Looking at the situation in front of him, this match is very beneficial for the growth of the entire Seidou baseball team.
If they win this match, the players will likely live up to his expectations in the semifinals and finals.
But that's not the most important thing. What really gratifies Coach Kataoka is the growth of the players themselves!
Especially the third-year players.
After they leave Seidou, they'll have valuable match experience, which will prevent them from disappointing anyone.
They will prove, in their own way, the path they have taken in baseball.
The game continues.
With a short bunt that scored a point, the Seidou baseball team felt like they had used up all their luck in the next encounters.
Furuya, Maezono...
They hit consecutive fly balls. The baseballs soared high into the air and then fell, easily caught by the Hoshiryu players in the outfield.
Snap!
"OUT!!"
Snap!
"OUT!!!"
The process was clean and efficient.
The two players had almost no resistance as they were quickly struck out.
Three Outs, change of sides.
The game moves to the 5th inning, the top of the 5th, with Hoshiryu now attacking.
The 4th inning felt like a rollercoaster for Hoshiryu's baseball team.
There were moments when they had no idea what had just happened, falling from the high ground only to be overtaken by Seidou once again after briefly pulling ahead.
It's hard to explain this kind of experience unless you've been through it.
Hoshiryu's players were still caught up in the emotions of that rollercoaster ride, not fully recovered.
At this point, they faced Furuya again.
To be honest, Furuya wasn't without flaws at this moment.
Compared to his earlier perfect form, the Furuya now gives the impression of being strong on the outside but hollow on the inside.
He still looks formidable, but if the batters are calm enough to observe, they would see that the current Furuya is a completely different pitcher from the one they first faced.
Before, Furuya was so powerful it seemed almost unfair.
He was a true force of nature, unstoppable!
But now, it's a different story.
Although his pitching speed hasn't dropped much, the vitality in his throws has diminished significantly.
As a result, the quality of his pitches has decreased.
With Hoshiryu's strength, if they could calm down and study the situation, they might spot the flaws.
But unfortunately...
Furuya encountered trouble, and Hoshiryu's players were just as troubled as if they were too intimidated to act.
In no time, they were struck Out.
Two of them were struck out, pushing Furuya's total strikeouts close to 10.
Although it's difficult to break Sawamura's single-game strikeout record in this match, it seems likely that he will set his own record.
Three Outs, change of sides.
Back on the Seidou bench, Miyuki couldn't figure out what to say.
He couldn't bring himself to praise Furuya sincerely.
From his own perspective, Furuya's state wasn't good at all.
It was even worse than his usual form.
Given that, it was surprising that Furuya was still able to accomplish such significant results.
Miyuki couldn't help but sigh about the help from the opponents.
Without Hoshiryu's lower batters cooperating, Furuya wouldn't have been able to get those strikeouts so easily.
Though he couldn't bring himself to praise Furuya, he felt that criticizing him wouldn't be right.
Two strikeouts resulted in three up, and three down for the opposing batters.
If that performance isn't good, then the teammates don't know what could be considered good.
Miyuki was at a loss for words, opening his mouth and then closing it again, saying nothing.
Sometimes, it's better to wait until the real crisis hits before bringing things up.
The game moves to the bottom of the 5th, with Seidou now on the attack.
Seidou's lower hitters were looking impressive today.
Shiratsu, with solid batting ability, is the 7th hitter.
Following him is Toujou in the 8th spot.
The 9th batter is Kanemaru.
Just the combination of these three hitters is enough to give any opponent a headache.
Seidou's team has great confidence in these three.
"Shiratsu!"
"Hit it out!!"
In the previous inning, the team had gained significant momentum.
The seemingly strong Nanami was also taken down by them.
At this point, they should press forward and widen the gap.
3-2!
The score difference is only one point.
Although Seidou has been firmly in control overall, that one-point lead isn't secure.
One single hit could easily change the course of the game.
In such a situation, Seidou's best strategy is to extend their lead.
A one-point lead is highly risky; in fact, in baseball, a one-point lead is often overturned by the opponent.
The chance of that happening is around 30%.
But a two-point lead changes everything. Once the gap reaches three runs or more, Hoshiryu would have a much harder time making a comeback.
Shiratsu steps up to the plate, preparing for a serious approach.
Nanami, the pitcher for Hoshiryu, looks expressionless.
He calmly assumes the pitching stance and throws the baseball.
Whoosh!
Shiratsu's response isn't as cautious as before.
Clearly, the pitch from Nanami is exactly the type of ball Shiratsu wanted.
So, naturally, he doesn't hesitate.
The bat swings and connects with the ball.
Ping!
The ball flies high.
"Another high fly ball!"
"Damn it!"
In Seidou's dugout, the atmosphere is tense.
Previously, Maezono and Furuya were both eliminated by such high-fly balls.
The Seidou players are confused, not understanding what trick the opponents are using to produce so many fly balls.
At second base for Hoshiryu, their second baseman catches the ball effortlessly.
"OUT!"
Next up is Toujou, who learns from Shiratsu's mistake.
Moreover, Toujou is particularly good at handling pitchers like Nanami.
In this exchange, he surprises Seidou's team.
Ping!
The ball finally drops into a gap in the field.
Before Hoshiryu's players can react, Toujou runs to first base.
One Out, runner on first.
Unfortunately,
The 9th hitter, Kanemaru, hits an infield bounce that goes straight into Nanami's mitt.
Nanami turns and throws to second base, and the second baseman throws to first.
"OUT!!"
"OUT!!!"
Double play!
With that double play, the situation on the field changes dramatically.
After 5 innings, the score remains 3-2.
Despite being dominated by Seidou, Hoshiryu has shown resilience.
They've been hanging on, not letting Seidou get comfortable.
"This is an intense battle!"
In the stands, Akiko is in awe of the game before her.
Both teams have been playing incredibly well, so fast.
She never expected that, with Sawamura not on the mound, the game would be so evenly matched.
If anyone had predicted this before the game, they would have been laughed at.
What is Hoshiryu, really?
Although they've been performing well these past couple of years, it's nothing compared to Seidou, the strongest team in the country.
And yet, here we are.
"The two teams are already familiar with each other, and the other side isn't really lacking in any way. This is the quarterfinals of Koshien and no one is willing to give up easily after coming this far."
For Fujio, he wasn't surprised at all by the current situation.
Both teams have solid strength, and this kind of performance is only natural.
The game moves to the 6th inning, which is the most crucial inning.
Seidou is in control, but finishing off Hoshiryu is no easy task.
The gap just won't widen!
In fact, Hoshiryu, with their persistence, seems to be gaining ground.
Now, both teams are aiming for a breakthrough in this critical moment.
Hoshiryu is hoping to change the momentum of the game with their 3rd round of attack.
Seidou also hopes to widen the lead by taking advantage of their upper hitters.
Both teams are full of ambition and ready to strike!
…