<47> Scoring, Scoring!!

Chapter 47: Scoring, Scoring!!

No outs, runners on first and second!

For Nada High School's baseball team, the current situation is undoubtedly very dangerous.

Considering that the game has just begun, the outcome of this inning could very well directly influence the entire match.

This means that the difficulties they face will only multiply.

Yet despite the looming crisis, Nada High's ace pitcher let out a long sigh of relief.

In his showdown with Ryosuke, if you only look at the final result, there's no doubt he lost.

He was forced to throw four balls, walking the batter and allowing him to advance to first base.

But from the pitcher's perspective, he didn't find this outcome disappointing.

In fact, he felt as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"At least it's over, and no runs were lost."

This result was far better than what he had anticipated.

"Now, I can focus entirely on dealing with Seidou High School's core batters."

As long as he didn't have to face Ryosuke again, Nada High's ace was confident he could suppress the rest with his breaking pitches.

"Batting third, number eight, outfielder, Jun Isashiki."

Seidou High's third batter was a player who looked unusually mature. Especially with his little mustache, he appeared much older than his peers.

When the mustachioed senior stepped up to the plate, Nada High's assistant coach was tempted to file a complaint with the umpire and the organizers.

"Is this guy really just a high school student? He looks older than I am!"

The assistant coach of Nada High's baseball team said, clearly annoyed.

"He's a well-documented third-year student. We thoroughly investigated Seidou High School's baseball team before, so there's absolutely no mistake."

Nada High's head coach replied with certainty.

It was clear that he had also had similar doubts when watching the game footage earlier.

Not only in Nada's dugout, but many in the stands were also raising similar questions.

Fortunately, these were just words of doubt. Deep down, they all knew that Seidou High was a top national team, so they wouldn't resort to using college students just to gain an advantage, right?

Nada High's ace pitcher, of course, was unaware of all this outside noise.

At that moment, his entire focus was on the opponent in front of him.

"Jun Isashiki, a third-year, doesn't play by the rules. He's very aggressive with his swings! As long as I set a small trap, he'll fall right into it. The key is to make him see something enticing!"

Nada High's ace had studied Seidou High's players very thoroughly.

So much so that he had already devised a strategy for dealing with this team from the start.

"Whoosh!"

The white baseball shot out.

"Right down the middle of the strike zone?"

Seeing that Nada High School's ace had pitched the ball, and that it was heading right down the middle of the strike zone, Jun Isashiki's brow furrowed immediately.

"What is this guy trying to say? Is he looking down on me? Screw you!!"

Whether it was a trap or not, Isashiki didn't care at all. The moment he saw the ball, he swung his bat fiercely.

The seemingly ordinary pitch, as it approached the strike zone, suddenly dropped.

As a result, Isashiki only managed to hit the upper part of the ball with his bat.

Crack!

The ball was struck and almost skimmed the ground as it flew out.

"Damn it!"

The result of the hit was far from what Isashiki had intended.

Fortunately for him, his opponent didn't get the result they wanted either.

The ball, skimming the ground, successfully evaded the second baseman's dive, only bouncing up after it reached the base.

Thanks to this, Isashiki managed to safely reach first base.

Ryosuke also advanced to second base.

Originally on second base, Kuramochi sprinted all the way home.

"Safe!"

"One run!"

The score on the board changed to 1-0.

As for the situation on the field, it was still no outs, with runners on first and second.

Nada High School's ace squinted his eyes as he watched this unfold.

Something wasn't right!

Earlier, he was certain that Seido High School's third batter had fallen into his trap.

The ball that was hit should have landed and bounced within the infield!

Yet, Jun Isashiki had managed to turn what should have been a dead ball into a rare "grass cutter."

This kind of hit is much harder to catch than a high fly ball.

"How many times did he practice his swings in private, to be able to instinctively lower his bat just as it was about to make contact with the ball?"

Nada High School's ace was utterly baffled.

In Seidou High School's dugout, Coach Kataoka couldn't help but smile.

Although the current third-year players seemed as immature as elementary school kids when they first joined the team, their growth had been remarkable. Initially, it wasn't just Kataoka; many others felt despair when they saw this group. Seidou High School's baseball team was already in a tough spot, and now they had recruited a bunch of players who seemed hopeless. When would they ever see success?

But this group of players, who no one had faith in, managed to prove everyone wrong, relying solely on themselves.

What was their secret?

They relied on endless practice and relentless self-discipline.

Isashiki Jun's swing had long become second nature to him, an instinctive part of his body. Kataoka wasn't surprised at all by his performance on the field.

And the game was far from over.

Seidou High School's cleanup hitter, the fourth batter, was already stepping into the batter's box.

"Batting fourth, number three, first baseman, Yuuki Tetsuya."

As Yuuki took his position, the loyal Seido fans in the stands erupted in thunderous cheers.

"Captain!"

"Yuuki!!!"

It was clear how much this captain meant to everyone.

Faced with such an opponent, Nada High School's ace and catcher exchanged glances and decided to issue an intentional walk.

"Ball!"

"Ball!!"

"Ball!!"

"Ball!!!"

"Walk!!"

As Yuuki was walked to first base, the displeased fans immediately started booing loudly.

But the ace from Nada High School didn't care one bit.

The score was 1-0.

No outs, bases loaded.

Now, it was Seido's fifth batter's turn to hit.

"Batting fifth, number five, third baseman, Masuko Tooru!"

A towering figure stepped up to the plate, standing in the batter's box.

"Uggh!!"

Seeing this player take the field, Nada High School's ace couldn't help but glance at Seido's dugout.

Overall, the players in Seido's dugout were quite good-looking.

Especially players like Kusonoki, who looked no different from movie stars.

In comparison, Masuko's appearance…

"Well, it's like he belongs to a completely different genre!"

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