Chapter 10: Hope and Opportunity

When will the offensive of the Seidou High School baseball team stop?

This is the question that lingers in everyone's mind.

For those who came to watch the game or gather intelligence on Seidou's baseball team, they felt a chill down their spine.

They had some judgment about the strength of the Minori Shigeru team.

Minori Shigeru had previously defeated Sanko, and Sanko had played a fierce match against Sensen in the Spring Tournament. Their team's offensive ability was strong enough to score several runs against the mighty Giant Makoto.

Considering such performances, a comparison could easily lead to the conclusion that Minori Shigeru's defense should be strong as well.

So why did their pitcher collapse so suddenly?

Was it that Minori Shigeru's strength had suddenly dropped, or was it that Seidou High School's baseball team was always this dominant?

If the first reason were true, then it would be acceptable.

But if it were the second reason, the players who came to scout would not dare to imagine it.

"Unbelievable!"

Even Owada Akiko, a die-hard fan of Seidou High School, was extremely surprised at this moment.

Originally, she had expected that Minori Shigeru would definitely be able to go a few rounds with Seidou High School's baseball team.

How did it turn out like this?

Next to her, Fujio, on the other hand, was more composed.

"There's nothing surprising about it. In last year's Spring Tournament, when Seidou High School faced Sankou High, they demolished them in the first inning, even against their Ace. Why should Minori Shigeru be any different?"

Compared to Sankou High, Minori Shigeru was nothing, really.

Young players can perform supernaturally when they're on form, but their abilities can also drop dramatically when they're off.

Isn't that just how it goes?

Perhaps because of their grueling previous match, Minori Shigeru's pitcher had collapsed so miserably in this game.

"This game, Seidou High School's baseball team has already secured the win," Fuji said confidently.

The eighth batter, Asou, hit a long hit to the outfield that was caught. But Toujou was able to steal third base.

The ninth batter, Kanemaru, using a hit-and-run opportunity, escorted Toujou home. But the defense was finally starting to respond and Kanemaru was Out at the last step.

During this process, by relying on the last three batters, Seidou High School scored another run.

The score gap was now 7-0!

In the dugout.

Sawamura Eijun lazily leaned back in his chair.

He knew that he probably wouldn't get a chance to play in this game anymore.

His teammates were performing exceptionally well, and over time, they had definitely improved a lot.

This was something Sawamura had to admit.

Since the match against the Dream Team, Seidou High School's baseball team has gained a lot of confidence and experience.

Now, they had enough confidence to face any challenge.

"First batter, shortstop, Kuramochi-kun!"

The lineup of Seidou High School's baseball team had rotated back to Kuramochi's turn.

In just one inning, their lineup had made a complete circle.

Such a powerful start was rare, even for Seidou High School's baseball team.

"Hyaa-ha-haa! Hope you are having fun too!"

Leading by seven runs in the first inning, Minori Shigeru's players looked pitiful.

Especially their pitcher, Hanayama.

He looked on the verge of collapse like a small boat being battered by a storm.

At any moment, he could be destroyed.

Facing such a pitiful opponent, Kuramochi had no intention of showing mercy.

He didn't care about kicking them while they were down.

If they could lead by ten or more runs in the first inning, why wait for the second inning?

Anyway, Seidou High School's baseball team had already decided to show their full strength.

If Inashiro Industries could win by dozens of runs in the first round, so could Seidou High School's baseball team.

With this thought in mind, Kuramochi was determined not to go easy when facing the incoming baseball.

He swung his bat and hit the ball hard.

Ping!

The baseball bounced off the ground after being hit.

"Tch!"

Kuramochi clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

When other teammates hit the ball earlier, everything went smoothly.

Why did he make two mistakes in his own two hits?

This problem troubled him, and he couldn't figure it out.

Fortunately, hitting poorly didn't matter. Kuramochi Youichi wasn't a batter who relied purely on hitting to make a name for himself.

As long as he was fast enough, he could still reach base.

Kuramochi sprinted ahead.

But unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side this time.

The third baseman of Minori Shigeru stepped up, caught the ball, and threw it to first base.

Snap!

"OUT!!!"

For Minori Shigeru, this long first inning finally ended.

The score was 7-0!

At this point, Seidou High School's baseball team replaced their pitcher.

Sawamura Eijun, who was batting third, was substituted, and Kawakami took the mound.

This was Coach Kataoka's special consideration for Kawakami.

Among Seidou High School's current pitching lineup, Kawakami was the only third-year player.

If they didn't give him opportunities now to make his presence felt, he wouldn't get many chances to appeal to the scouts.

After Kawakami came on, he did not disappoint his teammates' expectations.

Although he allowed a hit, he beautifully executed a double play, cutting off the fourth batter of Minori Shigeru.

He displayed superb pitching skills.

When it was Seidou High School's turn to bat in the bottom of the second inning, they nearly pushed their opponents to a dead end...

Kominato Haruichi, with his outstanding technique, successfully reached base first.

Then, Kawakami, who had replaced Sawamura, hit a high fly ball.

Now, the situation was one Out, with a runner on second base.

Next up was Miyuki.

Miyuki was walked, creating a situation of one Out with runners on first and second.

At this point, the fifth batter, Maezono, was up.

Without hitting the ball's sweet spot, he still managed to swipe the ball far with sheer power.

The baseball soared to the back of the field and almost flew out of the stadium.

Minori Shigeru's outfielders had already retreated far back but barely managed to catch the ball.

They recorded the second Out.

However, Seidou High School's offensive didn't stop there.

Miyuki, without hesitation, dashed to third base and then home.

He was bold because Minori Shigeru's long-distance throw had gone wrong.

The left fielder, who was supposed to relay the ball, failed to catch it.

As a result, Miyuki seized the opportunity and scored.

He reached home, helping Seidou High School score their eighth run.

Later, Kominato Haruichi also made it home.

While this second inning wasn't as overwhelming as the first, where Seidou High School had scored seven runs, they still managed to secure two more.

By the end of two innings, Seidou High School led 9-0.

In the dugout, Coach Kataoka was starting to hesitate.

Should he ease up on the opponents a little?

After all, they made it to the third round, and it was still impressive that they had made it this far.

In the stands, Owada Akiko couldn't help but say, "The gap between the two teams is just too big!"

She never expected the match to turn out like this.

Fujio responded, "Minori Shigeru has made four errors so far. That never happened in their previous games."

He looked up at the surrounding spectators and nodded thoughtfully.

Facing Seidou was always high pressure. It was understandable that the players were nervous.

Still, something felt off to him.

Was everything going a bit too smoothly?

Can a team that made it to the third round really be this weak?

In Minori Shigeru's dugout.

Coach Miwara Rin stared seriously at the scoreboard.

The score at the end of two innings was 9-0.

Seidou High School had scored seven in the first inning and two in the second.

He turned to his team captain, Hanayama.

"Is it time?"

Hanayama nodded.

"Yeah, let's start now!"

Nearby, the catcher Tekuno asked, "Can we really catch up with a nine-run difference?"

Although they had already prepared a strategy to deceive Seidou into taking Sawamura off the mound—because they knew they had no chance if he stayed—this wasn't part of the plan.

They hadn't anticipated falling behind by so many runs.

Now, with such a big gap, how could they make a comeback?

It wasn't that Tekuno didn't trust his partner, but the strength of the two teams was clear.

Even if Seidou High School's pitcher wasn't Sawamura, would they still have a chance to score so many runs?

In the past six months, Seidou High School's total runs allowed didn't even add up to this many.

Hanayama didn't mind at all and said, "Let me ask you something. If Sawamura hadn't come off, do we have any chance?"

Minori Shigeru's players all shook their heads.

It wasn't that they were overly pessimistic; it was just that Sawamura was a monster.

Since Sawamura started playing baseball in high school, he had allowed fewer than ten runs in total.

That's the kind of terror he is.

He holds records in West Tokyo, Kanto, and even nationwide.

In other words, he's a living legend.

How could they even imagine beating someone like that?

"That's why we have to get Sawamura off the mound. It's our only chance. Even if we fail, we lose nothing. But if we succeed, we still have a shot. Don't think about being nine runs behind. Even if we were thirty-nine runs behind, what difference would it make? It's still just a loss."

"We have no more options. It's do or die. Trust me, while the odds are slim, it's not hopeless. There's still a chance to turn this around."

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