Chapter 79: Tough Problem

Sawamura hit a super long hit, sending the batter Kominato Haruichi from first base directly back to home plate.

This helped the Seidou High School baseball team tie the score.

Sawamura's fan clubs were, of course, extremely excited.

They were all cheering for Sawamura with hoarse voices!

Such passionate enthusiasm made the onlookers feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"It's just a single hit, why are these Seidou High supporters so boorish?"

They couldn't understand the fervor of the Seidou High fans.

It felt like they were making a big deal out of nothing.

Though, they too had felt the excitement earlier.

It was especially thrilling and exhilarating.

But at least they didn't lose control of themselves, unlike Sawamura's crazy fans.

Now, it seemed like they had lost all sense of rationality.

It was simply incomprehensible!

"What's the big deal!"

"It's just a single hit."

They whispered among themselves.

Amateurs watch the fun, experts watch the technique.

Although the onlookers didn't think there was anything remarkable about the recent encounter,

to the true experts, especially the team members of Hoshiryu High who knew the situation,

the recent encounter was absolutely incredible!

Looking at the ball that Sawamura hit, they were already sure.

Sawamura probably didn't hit the sweet spot of the ball.

In other words, Hoshiryu High should have had a significant advantage.

In such a situation, it shouldn't have been hard for them to deal with Sawamura.

If the ball was hit poorly, with Hoshiryu High's defense ability, stopping the ball should have been easy.

But strangely…

Sawamura clearly didn't hit the sweet spot, yet somehow he managed to hit the ball out.

Judging by the ball's landing spot, he hit it really well.

Doesn't that make you angry?

What exactly happened?

The Hoshiryu High team members were baffled.

Their gaze towards Sawamura was now tinged with fear.

They couldn't figure it out.

And because they couldn't figure it out, their fear of Sawamura only intensified.

They just couldn't understand it, couldn't make sense of it.

What kind of magic did Sawamura use?

How could he manage something like that?

Unlike the team members of Hoshiryu High, for the Seidou High team members, whether they understood or not didn't matter, since they often didn't understand Sawamura's thoughts and actions since he joined the team.

But so what?

As long as he could hit the ball out in the end, it was enough for them.

As for the rest, it was completely irrelevant to them.

As long as the result was good, nothing else mattered.

With this attitude of support, the Seidou High team members kept things simple.

There was no need to overthink; just cheer for Sawamura.

Now the score was tied.

The situation on the field was no outs with a runner on third base.

Standing in the Batter's Box was their fourth batter.

The nationally recognized best catcher, Miyuki Kazuya.

In this situation, it was only natural that the Seidou High baseball team would continue to score.

There were just too many offensive options available to them!

Steal home!

Force a run!

Directly steal the base!

Before any of the Seidou High players made a move, no one knew exactly what they were planning.

In the stands, the commentator was also asking the expert by their side.

"Given the situation, based on Seidou High's usual style, they should try to score one run first, right?"

"Yes! Compared to uncertain runs, securing the runs they can get is Seidou High's style. When they play against teams with some strength, they rarely completely crush their opponents. That's the reason!"

Seidou High's style of play made it difficult for them to be like teams such as the Yakushi High, constantly swinging for the fences.

When necessary, they slowed down the tempo to ensure they would score.

As a result, they rarely gained a huge advantage in a very short time.

Nor could they easily crush a strong opponent.

Of course, there are benefits to this style and not just drawbacks.

For example, this style makes it very difficult for their opponents to find any openings.

Because their moves are tightly connected, they never miss an opportunity to score.

This makes it hard for the opponent to retaliate, and they quickly fall into Seidou High's rhythm.

In this rhythm, Seidou High is almost invincible.

No matter how strong the underdog is, or how terrifying the powerhouse is, when facing Seidou High, their strength will be severely discounted.

This is the style of the reigning Seidou High baseball team.

Without a doubt, they are the team that knows best how to win a game.

And it's precisely because of this style that Seidou High has come this far.

Even though the fourth batter is at the plate, based on Seidou High's usual style, they are very likely to use a bunt to force a run.

Don't doubt it; Seidou High has done this before in previous games.

In the Hoshiryu High dugout, Feng Xiang Ryuki gave a signal to their players on the field.

To be on guard for a bunt or forced run.

At the same time,

Coach Kataoka also gave Miyuki Kazuya a signal.

'No matter the method, they had to send Sawamura back to home plate.'

In the top of the 4th inning, they had just been overtaken by their opponents.

Now that they had the chance, Coach Kataoka certainly hoped his students would return the favor.

Since they were overtaken in the top half of the inning, they would need to recover the score in the bottom half and overtake their opponents.

In this way, Seidou High's earlier loss of momentum could be recovered.

'Really giving me a tough problem!'

Miyuki Kazuya nodded helplessly after receiving Coach Kataoka's instructions.

Although he knew this wasn't going to be easy,

what could he do? His coach had said it, so he had no choice but to follow through.

Even if he had to go in with full determination, he had no choice but to comply.

The Hoshiryu High players weren't slow to react either.

They had anticipated the moves the Seidou High players might make.

As the team's fourth batter, using a bunt to attack was, to be honest, a bit shameless!

Even among regular teams, the strongest hitter rarely does something so undignified.

Let alone a powerhouse like Seidou High.

For a top-tier team, every fourth batter is a star player.

Would they give up their pride like that?

Just for one point, using such a lowly tactic as a bunt?

It was absolutely absurd!

In other circumstances, against other powerhouse teams, the players from Hoshiryu High wouldn't have to worry so much.

Because no one would dare do something like that.

But when it came to Seidou High, things were different.

Even if they didn't care about their reputation,

Seidou High had done this kind of thing more than once.

When an average team does something like this, it's inevitable that people will talk behind their backs.

But when Seidou High does it,

people don't criticize them behind their backs—in fact, they think it's perfectly reasonable.

After all, who made Seidou High's style so unique?

At this point, even if Miyuki Kazuya used a bunt, it was still a completely understandable move to the spectators.

Because, after all, this is Seidou High!

Considering this possibility, Hoshiryu High's players took defensive action immediately.

They set up a shift with their infielders positioned closer to the plate.

They made it clear they were determined not to give the Seidou High players any opportunity.

They forced the batter to face the pitcher directly.

Hoshiryu High wasn't going to let Seidou High easily take this point.

Their defense was incredibly tight!

Of course, Miyuki noticed this.

He was deeply impressed after seeing their defensive move.

He hadn't expected them to go this far just to deal with him.

In this situation, it seemed like he would have to face Namiya Haruichi head-on.

Miyuki wasn't without confidence.

He was very confident that he could deal with the opponent.

But, if he were to just retreat and follow their wishes,

he felt somewhat dissatisfied!

On the contrary, the more the opponent feared him, the more they didn't want him to use a bunt, and the more Miyuki wanted to use it.

Under the intense surveillance from Hoshiryu High's players, if he could still successfully bunt and send Sawamura back to home plate,

Hoshiryu High's players would surely be in a very interesting situation.

This thought grew in his mind like bamboo shoots after a rainstorm.

It became stronger and stronger, and he almost couldn't contain his desire to act on it.

After carefully observing Hoshiryu High's shift,

he realized that maybe because their tactic was too thorough, their infielders had become a little lax.

Perhaps they had already assumed that they couldn't use a bunt in this situation.

This is a good opportunity!

From third base to home plate, it usually takes just a little over three seconds.

If the batter can make contact with the ball, even if it's not perfect, the runner has a high chance of getting home.

If it were someone like Kuramochi or Lee-Hyun, just making the ball bounce on the ground would make it impossible for anyone to stop them from scoring.

Their speed is just that overwhelming.

It's impossible to resist.

You can only watch as they succeed.

By comparison, Sawamura's start is slower, and his timing isn't quite as perfect.

He's a little slower than those two.

But it's only by a fraction of a second.

As long as Miyuki can make use of that fraction of a second,

Sawamura still has a good chance to make it back to home plate.

Understanding this, Miyuki knew exactly what to do next.

He positioned himself, taking a stance that looked like he was ready to swing for a hit at any moment.

Whoosh!

Pitcher Nanami wasn't concerned about Miyuki's bluff.

He clearly had a plan for this confrontation.

He was quick to act, and Sawamura was just as fast on third base.

Earlier, he had received Miyuki's subtle signal.

To act on the first pitch.

Sawamura trusted his teammate 100%.

So, as Nanami prepared to pitch, Sawamura was already on the move.

Although his initial acceleration wasn't quick, after gaining some speed, Sawamura's pace wasn't slow at all.

By the time Namiya's pitch reached the batter, Sawamura had already covered about 10 meters.

Paak!

Miyuki, who had originally taken a normal stance, suddenly went for the bunt.

"You are on!"

With their intense defense, the Seidou High batter still resolutely chose this tactic.

Hoshiryu High's players felt their pride was deeply challenged.

Masamoto rushed forward to pick up the ball that had bounced.

But the speed of the first pitch was a bit slow.

Masamoto ran seven or eight meters before finally grabbing the ball.

By the time he was ready to throw it, Sawamura was only about five or six meters from home plate.

As the ball reached Hosho's glove, Sawamura's foot was already firmly planted on home plate.

"SAFE!!!"

After scoring one point, the Seidou High baseball team followed it with another.

The score was now 3-2.

Less than ten minutes after being overtaken in the top of the 4th,

in the bottom of the 4th, the Seidou High team had already tied the game.

The score was now 3-2.

One Out, no runners on base.

The Seidou High offense was far from over.

The stands were already a sea of joy.

Especially among the die-hard supporters of Seidou High and Sawamura.

They were even more excited than ever!

...

T/N: Well, That's it for now.

Thank you all for reading!

Have a good day!

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