The final game between the Seidou High School baseball team and the Yakushi High School baseball team reached its climax in the seventh inning.
Even though the outcome of the game seemed almost decided, this climax was still incredibly exciting.
In the top half of the seventh inning, it was time for the Seidou High School baseball team to bat.
The first batter up was Seidou High School's second batter, Kominato Haruichi.
His batting skills were definitely among the best in the entire Seidou High School baseball team.
Not to mention, right behind him were Sawamura Eijun, Miyuki Kazuya, and the fifth batter, Maezono Kenta, who had performed exceptionally well earlier.
The score was 5-0.
If Seidou High School could score two runs, or even more, in this round of offense, and if Yakushi High School could not break through Sawamura's pitching in their next turn at bat, the game would be over.
The final game of West Tokyo had always been a battleground for the powerful teams, and it had been many years since a game ended early.
Would such a spectacle occur today?
The audience was eagerly waiting.
When the audience is filled with anticipation, their enthusiasm can even affect the players on the field.
The Seidou High School players could clearly feel the fervor of their supporters.
For the third-year players, they certainly hoped that the accomplishments of their last tournament would be as glorious as possible.
If they could force Yakushi High School to concede defeat here, they wouldn't mind at all.
However, seeing the fierce looks of the Yakushi High School players, they knew deep down that it was an unrealistic fantasy.
No matter how desperate Yakushi High School might be, they would never concede.
In fact, to preserve their honor, they might even choose to deliberately drag things out with Seidou High School.
After all, the current Yakushi High School baseball team was no longer the same team it had been a year ago.
A year ago, before Yakushi High School gained fame, they were a bit reckless, not caring about anything.
They didn't care whether the situation on the field was a mess; as long as they could land a blow on Seidou High School, everyone from the coach to the players would go all out.
In contrast, now that the Yakushi High School baseball team had gained fame, they were under more pressure.
The prestige of their identity had brought them not only glory but also burdens.
If they were to be defeated by Seidou High School in the seventh inning, they would feel that they had failed to live up to expectations.
They would feel embarrassed.
To avoid such a humiliating situation, they would do everything in their power to make sure their performance looked better.
If they decided to fight on, it would not be easy for Seidou High School to score runs.
Because of these differences, the ensuing confrontation would be exceptionally thrilling.
The audience could hardly wait to see which team would come out on top in this clash.
Could Seidou High School score two runs in this inning?
Could they achieve the early end of the game?
Kominato Haruichi, who stood at the plate, was heavily affected by the pressure.
His eyes were locked on the pitcher's mound, constantly calculating the situation in his mind.
'What would the opponent choose?'
'How should I respond?'
As he thought about these things, his mind became cluttered with all kinds of thoughts.
As a result, he lost the focus he usually had.
When Coach Kataoka once asked him what he thought about when standing at the plate, Kominato Haruichi had replied simply: "Just hit the baseball that's coming my way."
This simple mindset was effective for him, but it might not work for others like Sawamura or Miyuki.
Everyone's style is different, and so are the thoughts that come to mind when standing in the Batter's Box.
But undoubtedly, this mindset worked for Kominato Haruichi.
Once he stopped thinking purely about hitting the ball, his swing would inevitably be affected.
If it had been before, Kominato Haruichi would not have made such a rookie mistake.
But now, with the game almost decided, the pressure on Kominato Haruichi naturally wasn't as heavy.
If he hit the ball, great. If not, it would only be two more innings.
With this unrelaxed mindset, he began to think too much. Unfortunately, this mental strain didn't help him at all.
Paak!
He hit the ball, but it wasn't a clean hit. The ball flew out, but its trajectory wasn't ideal.
It was caught cleanly by the second baseman from Yakushi High School.
Snap!
"OUT!"
This clean catch left the Seidou players stunned.
They were all momentarily dumbfounded.
Yakushi High School's Ace pitcher, Sanada Shunpei, may not have the same raw talent as his first-year teammate, Igarashi Sora, but when he was on the mound, the entire team seemed to unite.
Sanada could push his team to perform at 120% of their usual capacity.
With this added strength, what would have been just a national-level pitching performance became something even stronger, closing the gap to the top tier.
Although he couldn't completely suppress Seidou, it was certainly not easy for Seidou's players to get a hit or score off him.
Both teams were now locked in a stalemate, neither side willing to give in.
One Out, no one on base.
It was now Sawamura Eijun's turn to bat.
Once Sawamura stepped into the Batter's Box, he showed no enthusiasm. He was certain that Yakushi High School's pitchers would intentionally Walk him.
Why did Sawamura Eijun think this?
It wasn't surprising at all. The two first-year players had already given their answer.
Although they were first-years, their abilities were quite good.
Sawamura was also looking forward to facing them.
But both of those kids had chosen to walk him instead of facing him head-on.
Being newcomers to high school, they were fearless, and not afraid of anything. How could they choose to Walk Sawamura on their own? Clearly, it had been arranged by Coach Todoroki beforehand.
With this in mind, Sawamura naturally believed that Yakushi High School's pitchers had received strict orders to avoid facing him, regardless of the situation.
But what could Sawamura do about it if that was the case?
Although he was eager to swing his bat and make contact, the opponent wasn't throwing any Strikes.
He couldn't just swing at a Ball.
Not only would it be hard to get the ball into the field, but even if he did manage to hit it, the ball would lose its power and speed.
Given Yakushi High School's solid defense, the ball was likely to be caught.
Thus, Sawamura had no choice but to rely on the batters behind him.
'Wasn't Zono-san performing well earlier?'
'And there were also Shiratsu-senpai and Toujou.'
While they might not have the same level of fame or style, their skills were real.
Even Sanada couldn't be sure that he could stop them from getting a hit.
But what happened next was completely different from what Sawamura expected.
Sanada threw a Strike on the first ball, his signature pitch.
The inside-breaking cutter nearly hit Sawamura in the chest.
It wasn't easy to swing at such a pitch, and there was a chance the batter could get hurt.
But when Sawamura saw the ball, all he saw was a greedy glimmer in his eyes.
'This is a perfect pitch!'
A pitch he absolutely could not miss.
So, without hesitation, Sawamura swung his bat and nailed it.
PPAAAAAAKKKK!!!
The baseball soared into the air, flying far and high!
The crowd's eyes followed the ball, eager to see where it would land.
The ball kept flying, traveling over a hundred meters, before landing in the stands and bouncing back.
In an instant, the crowd in the stands surged forward.
"My ball! Mine!!"
"Don't steal it from me!"
"I got it first!"
"Who stepped on my foot?!"
Normally, home run balls like this are usually grabbed by the kids in the stands.
It's a bit of a perk for the audience.
But the home run hit by the "Great Demon King," Sawamura Eijun, attracted not just kids, but also adults who rushed forward, eager to get their hands on the ball.
Naturally, this caused some friction.
Fortunately, it didn't affect the game or the stadium in any major way.
In the seventh inning, with Seidou potentially set to end the game early, Sawamura hit a home run.
This gave Seidou High School a six-run lead, up from five.
The significance of this run was immense.
Now, Seidou only needed one more run.
Then they would accomplish this remarkable feat.
...