Chapter 44: The Unexpected

Sawamura was not aware of the matter of the national team.

However, the coaching staff of the Seidou High School baseball team had known about this matter in advance.

After all, such invitations must first be sent to the school.

But considering that the Koshien competition was about to begin, Coach Kataoka had not mentioned this matter.

It wasn't that he was afraid this might affect Sawamura's mindset.

However, just because he wouldn't be affected didn't mean others wouldn't be.

The Seidou High School baseball team wasn't just invited for Sawamura.

Would the others who are invited remain as calm as Sawamura?

That was hard to say.

But that wasn't the most important thing. The most crucial factor was those who didn't receive an invitation.

Their thoughts would also impact the team's performance.

"Well, there's still time. Let's announce this after the Koshien tournament ends."

At that time, Coach Kataoka and Coach Ochiai had discussed this plan.

Both of them believed that this approach would be best for the Seidou High School baseball team.

It was also the best for the players.

They understood that once the players knew they could join the national team, they would surely give their best effort.

But what about those who didn't join the national team? Shouldn't they still perform their best?

If someone refrained from performing because they hadn't been selected, and only performed after being selected, what meaning would such a player have for the Seidou High School baseball team?

Would pushing such a player forward really be good for the team?

Both Coach Kataoka and Coach Ochiai agreed that it was better not to test people's limits.

In the end, testing would likely lead to a futile result.

In this case, it was better to let the players perform freely. Whoever could step up, would.

One person goes out, and the next person steps up.

At this moment, it was Seidou High School's fourth batter, Miyuki Kazuya, who was up to bat.

By this point, Seidou High School had gained a one-run lead, and their mindset had relaxed.

With this advantage, they could afford to take some risks in their offensive approach.

As long as they took risks, opportunities would certainly arise.

Such opportunities were far greater than sticking to a step-by-step approach.

This kind of play is like a snowball, where the team's advantage grows bigger and bigger.

On first base, Sawamura, who was also the team's pitcher, wasn't a very fast starter.

Logically, at this moment, he should have stayed on first base.

But instead, he didn't do that. Instead, he moved actively toward second base, adopting a posture that suggested he was ready to steal a base at any moment.

Seeing Sawamura like this, the players from Kanetsu-Norin High School were at their wits' end.

They simply couldn't think of any good solutions to deal with Sawamura.

Even though they knew he couldn't actually steal the base, his actions were still quite frustrating.

If they ignored him, their mindset and momentum would be greatly affected.

To avoid this, Hoshitaru even had to throw a pickoff attempt at Sawamura.

When he threw the pickoff attempt, Sawamura seemed to have anticipated it and quickly returned to first base.

"SAFE!"

"SAFE!!"

After two failed pickoff attempts, Sawamura was unaffected.

He still actively maintained his stance as if preparing to steal a base.

Hoshitaru carefully observed Sawamura on first base and then glanced at Miyuki in the Batter's Box.

He had no doubt that if he pitched with full strength, Sawamura would steal the base.

That was his instinct, and he trusted it.

Moreover, looking at their posture, it wasn't just about Sawamura trying to steal the base.

'They must have other plans.'

As for what their plans were, Hoshitaru couldn't guess.

After all, he wasn't a mind reader and couldn't know exactly what the opponents were thinking.

Right now, all he could do was ensure that whatever plans they had, they couldn't succeed.

Trying to pick off Sawamura was no longer possible!

At this point, he had to focus all his attention on the batter.

Roaar!

Hoshitaru gave it his all, throwing the baseball with all his might.

During the process, he felt his entire arm burning.

This feeling was so intense!

Even though he didn't know what the result of the pitch would be, he was willing to try.

Seeing Hoshitaru pitch, Sawamura no longer hesitated and sprinted toward second base.

But after just a few steps, he heard a loud sound behind him.

Snap!

The sound was so loud that pretending not to hear it was impossible.

Sawamura didn't hesitate at all. He immediately turned back and sprinted back to first base.

"SAFE!"

As expected, the baseball had indeed been thrown from the catcher's position.

Luckily, he had returned in time, avoiding being tagged Out.

Just now, Miyuki had been confident he could hit the ball, but when the baseball neared his hands, it suddenly dropped.

The speed and intensity were unlike anything Miyuki had ever seen before.

'This guy's ability is unusual!' Miyuki started to seriously assess his opponent.

Although they had been little known before, after their encounter just now, Miyuki could feel the same kind of pressure from Hoshitaru that he had felt from Narumiya Mei.

This guy in front of them could definitely pose a threat to Seidou High School's baseball team.

And the situation now was even worse than before.

Narumiya was a familiar opponent to them.

They knew exactly what he was capable of and what his strengths were.

The Seidou High School baseball team knew him inside and out.

The guy in front of them now had the same kind of pressure as Narumiya Mei.

The scariest part was that Seidou High School didn't know anything about his true abilities.

Originally, they thought they had some knowledge of their opponent.

But after the exchange just now, Miyuki realized they only knew the surface, not the real power behind the pitcher.

If they wanted to uncover their opponent's true abilities, they would have to put in a lot more work.

Roaar!

The pitcher on the mound continued, and after Miyuki missed the first pitch, Hoshitaru quickly threw his second ball.

The speed of the pitch seemed even more intense than before.

Facing this pitch, Miyuki swung his bat again.

This time, he finally made contact.

But Miyuki didn't feel any relief; instead, his face turned even darker.

The moment the bat met the ball, he felt as though his arms were no longer his own.

'So heavy!'

It felt like his arms had crashed into a heavy truck, and the bat nearly flew out of his hands.

The speed of the pitch was fast, but it didn't exceed Miyuki's limits.

Miyuki was capable of handling it.

But the force of the ball was another matter!

This kind of power reminded him of the chubby guy Mutoyama from Kuroba High School, who had similar pitch power.

Just hitting this ball drained all of Miyuki's strength.

Now, he couldn't control the ball's trajectory.

The baseball flew high after making contact with the bat.

It headed out of bounds.

Seeing this, Miyuki silently breathed a sigh of relief.

'Fortunately, the situation wasn't beyond repair.'

He still had a chance to study the pitcher's throws more closely.

But Miyuki was thinking too much!

Just as he thought the ball would fall, an image of someone sprinting rapidly approached the ball.

With remarkable speed, they secured the catch.

Not even a tiny mistake in the 20-meter sprint.

Snap!

When Kanetsu-Norin High School's first baseman caught the ball,

Even Seidou High School's supporters couldn't help but applaud.

It was an amazing performance!

Even though the game had just begun and hadn't even reached the 10-minute mark,

The spectacular moments had already flashed by multiple times.

From the Kuramochi Youichi's bold steal.

From the incredible bunt by Sawamura to this long-distance catch.

Each moment was breathtaking.

This game was going to be a big game.

Regardless of the final result or score,

The thrilling moments at the beginning of the game were enough to captivate everyone's attention.

"These kids are amazing!"

Reporter Owada Akiko from Baseball Kingdom magazine felt her eyes begin to water.

Both teams had delivered exceptional performances.

It left her in awe.

Beside her, Fujio was also impressed.

The strength of Seidou High School's baseball team was expected, given that they had managed to tie with the American Dream Team.

This was their third consecutive appearance at Koshien, and their goal was the championship.

Almost everyone believed it was only natural for Seidou to win the championship and create a legendary achievement.

It was hard to imagine any real obstacle in their path.

The teams that could threaten Seidou were mostly their old rivals.

And they knew each other very well. Seidou knew them too.

Such games were certainly exciting, but the stronger team usually won.

Because they understood each other, surprises were rare.

No one had expected a team like Kanetsu-Norin to emerge.

Kanetsu-Norin had already shown remarkable strength.

With another team, it would be difficult to replicate their performance.

Clap clap clap!!!

The sound of continuous applause echoed from the stands.

This applause was for both the incredible rescue by Okawa and the impressive performance of Seidou's team.

Both teams had been exceptional!

They deserved this applause. The audience was more than willing to give it to them.

With two Outs and a runner on first base,

It was now the turn of Maezono to bat.

Miyuki's Out and the earlier missed swing had a significant impact on Maezono.

His actions were noticeably more cautious than usual.

The hot Hoshitaru faced the out-of-form Maezono.

The result was clear.

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!!"

…