Chapter 14: So Close!

After two outs, Tekuno hit a single.

To be honest, this was something the players of the Seidou High School baseball team didn't expect at all.

It was as if everything had been set up. Tekuno swung the bat, and the ball was hit out.

Looking at the ball's landing spot, was right in between the outfielders, Toujou and Shiratsu. Both incredibly skilled outfielders rushed over.

Unintentionally, both of them noticed each other out of the corner of their eyes.

Almost instinctively, both stopped in their tracks.

They trusted each other's abilities so much that they were prepared to leave the catch to one another.

Then, the ball came down!

Toujou and Shiratsu, each looking at the other, stood frozen in place.

They both looked dumbfounded.

"SAFE!"

Tekuno successfully made it to first base.

In the Seidou High School baseball team's dugout, the teammates watched this scene as though it was a mythical story.

In their eyes, it was hard to believe.

Shiratsu and Toujou were undoubtedly two of the most reliable players in the Seidou team.

Yet, they looked like fools, standing there as the ball dropped right in between them.

This was an extremely rare occurrence in the Seidou High School baseball team.

"What kind of luck was that?!"

"The ball actually landed right between the two of them!"

The teammates discussed, astonished.

This was definitely not a good omen.

Before, they thought luck was on their side today. Now, it seemed that was not the case.

Both Shiratsu and Toujou looked embarrassed.

Had they not stopped, they probably would have collided, and the consequences could have been even worse.

Was the other team's hit just luck, or was it planned?

They thought about it but couldn't come up with a plausible answer and could only chalk it up to luck.

They refused to believe the other team had such strength.

If they had that kind of strength, they could have easily hit a home run instead of going through all this trouble.

No matter what had happened in the meantime, what they had to face was still ahead.

The fourth batter from Minori Shigeru High School, the one they needed to be most cautious of, was up next.

He was also the soul of the Minori Shigeru team, Hanayama.

Dealing with him was something even Miyuki had to be extra cautious about.

Miyuki had considered having Kawakami avoid facing Hanayama!

From their last encounter, the result was clear: Kawakami would have a hard time defeating Hanayama.

In that case, walking the opponent seemed like a good option.

'But no!'

Sometimes, a person inevitably has burdens they don't wish to bear.

This was determined by identity and status.

Some people say that when a person's status changes, they themselves change as well.

That's true!

Or rather, it's because their identity and status have changed that they have changed.

The Seidou High School baseball team was the champion, and they were now leading by ten points.

In this situation, could they afford to walk the opponent?

'No, definitely not.'

The Seidou team could not afford to lose face.

'Don't overthink it, just throw the ball,' Miyuki made the sign.

Earlier, Hanayama had already hit Kawakami's pitch to the outfield.

It had been proven that Kawakami struggled against Hanayama.

Miyuki's only request wasn't to defeat Hanayama but to prevent him from hitting a long hit.

As for getting on base?

Getting on base didn't mean scoring. Miyuki had plenty of opportunities to strategize slowly.

After receiving the signal, Kawakami seemed to relax.

He made his stride and pitched.

'Too High!'

When Miyuki saw it, his face darkened instantly.

The pitch was five centimeters higher than where his mitt was.

This was a pitch that could be hit out of the park!

BUUUZZZZZZZZ!!!!

Just as the thought crossed Miyuki's mind, a bat appeared right in front of him.

PAAANNNGGG!!

The bat struck the ball squarely in the center.

Then, as if swept by an autumn wind, the small baseball launched away.

Seeing this, Miyuki's eyes went blank.

The ball soared into the air and continued flying…

Shiratsu in right field backed up, attempting to catch the ball.

But as he reached the fence, the ball still hadn't stopped.

It landed in the stands.

A home run!

A TWO-RUN HOME RUN!

In terms of points, those two points were insignificant compared to Seidou's ten-point lead.

But in this game, those two points had already changed a lot.

They even changed the momentum of the game to some extent.

The score was now 10:2.

The gap between the teams was only eight points.

Eight points were still an insurmountable gap for the opponent.

However, the Seidou High School baseball team's goal of ending the game early in five innings no longer seemed so easy.

Especially after the home run, Kawakami's pitching showed signs of trouble.

First, he threw a four Ball Walk, and then he gave up a single.

With two Outs, runners were on first and second!

Seidou High School's good luck seemed to have suddenly run Out.

"This situation doesn't look good!"

Even the most oblivious person could tell the game was shifting.

Before, Seidou had been dominating the opponent.

But suddenly, Minori Shigeru hit Seidou hard.

This caught Seidou off guard.

What seemed like a confirmed victory was now uncertain.

In the Seidou dugout, Coach Ochiai stroked his little chin and suggested to Coach Kataoka, "If this doesn't work, we might need to switch out Kawakami."

After the home run, Kawakami's form was clearly off. There was no need to push him further.

But Coach Kataoka believed Miyuki and Kawakami could adjust on their own.

"TIME!"

Miyuki called a timeout!

When Kataoka didn't react, Miyuki felt it was his responsibility to encourage his old teammate.

"This isn't something small…"

Before Miyuki could finish, Kawakami spoke up.

"Don't worry about me. I've adjusted."

Although Kawakami had been shaken after the home run, seeing that Kataoka didn't pull him off the field gave him confidence again.

"Okay! Then don't let down Coach Kataoka's trust!"

Sometimes, players just need that kind of recognition and encouragement.

After the trouble, Coach Kataoka showed faith in his players through action.

Kawakami regained his focus and started pitching again.

First, he threw two pitches at the corners to deceive the batter, getting two foul balls.

Then, he threw a splitter.

Faced with a ball that suddenly dropped toward the batter's feet, the batter failed to respond in time.

Snap!

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!!"

The outcome was clear!

With three Outs, offense and defense are exchanged.

Back in the dugout, Kawakami felt deeply embarrassed.

He felt like he had really let the team down.

He could accept allowing a home run, but the way he let the game slip afterward was unbearable.

Coach Kataoka's attitude was gentle, in sharp contrast to his usual strictness.

"Save your regrets for after the game. Right now, your job is to focus on pitching. I won't pull you off until the score is within six runs."

That gave Kawakami a sense of relief.

In addition, Kataoka set a standard: six runs.

Kawakami nodded firmly.

Since the Coach had shown such trust in him, what could he say?

He could only give his all!

Coach Ochiai, stroking his chin, seemed to be pondering something.

To be honest, this was the first time he had seen Coach Kataoka in this way.

He had always thought Kataoka's style was more hard-nosed.

But to Kawakami, he was so gentle.

'Every player has a different personality, so the way to guide them should also be different.'

It seemed that Coach Kataoka had understood this fact, which was why his approach had changed.

This was the first time Coach Ochiai had seen Kataoka's growth.

'Not only the players but also the Coach can grow!'

'This man was something else!'

'Maybe I too should find ways to improve,…sigh but I am getting old for this.'

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Seidou's offense began.

The first batter was Miyuki, the fourth hitter for Seidou.

Earlier, the Ace pitcher from Minori Shigeru had split the Seidou team's core hitter into two parts.

This time, Miyuki would be the first to step up to bat.

Miyuki was known for being unbeatable when there were runners on base.

When there were no runners on base, however, his performance was more average.

This was quite well-known and even reported multiple times in baseball magazines.

In Miyuki's view, Hanayama likely had a reason for making such an arrangement.

But, sorry!

If you think I'm like that, then you'll probably be disappointed!

In the past, Miyuki had such a reputation. It had become almost ingrained in others' minds.

But now, or rather, since he became the team captain, his performance has improved a lot.

Now, even when there were no runners on base, his batting was just as good.

Paak!

Miyuki swung at the pitch, sending it flying.

He had originally planned to face Hanayama's Winning Shot, but the first pitch was too easy to hit.

He felt that passing it up would be letting himself down.

So, Miyuki couldn't help but swing!

The ball flew across the field, landing deep in the center-right field.

'So Close!!'

It almost went out of the park.

A super long hit!

Miyuki sped through first base, second base, and dived into third.

If the opponent hadn't already thrown the ball back, he might have gone all the way to home plate.

With no outs, there was a runner on third base!

"DRAAAAAAAAA!"

Ping!

Next, Maezono hit a super long hit, although it was caught.

But he still brought Miyuki home.

As the ball was caught, Miyuki calculated the distance and ran back to home plate.

It was a 60-meter distance, enough for him to make it.

"SAFE!!!"

With two runs scored, Miyuki helped the team earn a point.

The score was now 11:2!

They were just one point away from ending the game early.

…