Chapter 242: A Frenzy of Strikeouts!
"Boom!!"
The white baseball shot forward with a deafening roar, cutting through the air.
The seventh batter from Inashiro Industrial High School could only watch as the ball flew past him, completely unable to react.
Even though he was a key player for Inashiro and had been the cleanup hitter during his middle school days, at this moment, facing an opponent who could casually throw pitches over 155 km/h, his resistance felt feeble and utterly powerless…
"We're no match for this!!"
The more he faced Furuya, the more obvious it became to Inashiro's seventh batter.
Even though he was two years older than the pitcher and had two more years of high school baseball experience, when it came down to it, he clearly realized he was no match for the young man on the mound.
The gap in their abilities was terrifyingly vast.
"Snap!"
"Strike!"
"Strikeout!!"
"Three outs, switch between offense and defense!!"
The bottom of the seventh inning ended with the score still tied at 2-2.
Although the Inashiro players had mentally prepared themselves to focus on defense rather than scoring, seeing the demon-like figure on the mound, they couldn't help but wonder.
Could they really overcome this seemingly invincible opponent?
At least for now, they couldn't see any hope.
Meanwhile, the Seido High School players were full of energy and determination, ready to seize any opportunity to score.
"What do we do?"
Just as this thought began to take root in the minds of Inashiro's players and supporters, a young man stepped forward.
It was none other than Inashiro's ace, Narumiya Mei.
He had sensed the hesitation in his teammates.
"As long as we don't give up any runs, we can't lose!!"
This was Narumiya's motto.
Today, as Inashiro's ace and the renowned Tokyo Prince, he hadn't lived up to that ideal.
But when he spoke these words, the players in Inashiro's dugout felt a surge of determination.
The score was tied 2-2.
Even though their ace had given up two runs earlier, the game was still even.
That alone was enough!
For them, as long as they didn't give up any more runs from now on, they could still turn the tide.
"You're right!!"
"That's our ace!!"
Narumiya held immense respect within the team.
The Inashiro players trusted him completely, without a doubt.
United, they turned their gaze toward Seido, their eyes filled with defiance.
The players in Seido's dugout naturally felt the aggressive energy from their opponents.
"This is interesting, really interesting!"
"Even though we've been performing better, our opponents' momentum has only grown stronger."
"This opponent is definitely tougher than we imagined!!"
As the reigning champions of West Tokyo and their arch-rivals, Seido knew Inashiro better than anyone else…
Yet, the resilience Inashiro displayed still left the Seido players in awe.
This opponent's tenacity was truly beyond imagination.
"We have to find a way to score!!"
The problem Inashiro's players had figured out was something Seido's players couldn't ignore.
They too realized that if they didn't act quickly to score and shift the momentum, the game could slip away from them.
If they didn't act soon, their situation would become increasingly difficult.
Top of the eighth inning, Seido High School's turn to bat.
Leading off was Masuko, batting sixth.
"Uga, uga!!"
At this moment, both Masuko and Miyuki, who followed him in the lineup, felt the immense pressure.
Due to Narumiya's dominant performance, Seido had managed very few solid hits throughout the game.
This had left them in an awkward position.
With only six outs remaining, if they couldn't secure a meaningful hit, the lineup would proceed as follows:
In the eighth inning: sixth, seventh, and eighth batters.
In the ninth inning: ninth, first, and second batters.
It wasn't that Seido's players were underestimating themselves or overestimating their opponents.
Against anyone else, Seido's hitters could still score.
But facing Inashiro Industrial High School, with Narumiya on the mound, their situation became precarious.
If they weren't careful, they might not even manage a single decent hit.
This meant their strongest hitters might not even get a chance to bat, and their chances of scoring would become slim…
"We can't let that happen!!"
Masuko gripped his bat tightly, his eyes locked on the pitcher.
It seemed that as soon as the ball came, he would swing without hesitation.
On the mound, Narumiya's face was expressionless.
The Tokyo Prince had learned to channel all his emotions into his pitching.
He wasn't willing to waste even an ounce of extra energy.
Not even a twitch of his lips!
He wound up, stepped forward, and as his weight shifted, the baseball shot out with a roar.
"Boom!"
The moment the ball left his hand, a thunderous sound echoed.
No one had expected that the Tokyo Prince, who had already thrown so many pitches, would still have this much energy left.
In the batter's box, Masuko's expression was serious.
But this pitch was inside, a standard fastball right down the middle.
He couldn't let it go!!
If he did, and Narumiya threw a breaking ball next, his chances of making a mistake would skyrocket.
"Now!!"
With his mind made up, Masuko swung his bat without hesitation at the incoming pitch.
"Ping!"
The white baseball was sent flying, arcing high into the outfield.
Inashiro's outfielder seemed to have anticipated this.
He was already waiting at the spot where the ball would land.
As the ball descended, he raised his glove and effortlessly caught it.
"Snap!"
"Out!!"
In Seido High School's dugout.
The players watching the game looked as grim as could be.
It took a while before someone finally spoke.
"Was that on purpose?"
The result was too smooth!
Even if Seido's players didn't want to overthink it, they couldn't help it.
"Most likely on purpose. The coordination was perfect! He even pitched to Masuko's favorite spot. It was like fishing."
Chris, holding a pen, analyzed calmly.
Hearing this, the expressions on Seido's players' faces grew even darker.
This was definitely not the result they wanted.
How could Inashiro's ace, who had already thrown so many pitches in this game, still have this much stamina and control?
"Just like we can't fully understand their ace, they can't fully understand ours."
Miyuki, who was about to step up to bat, said with a bitter smile.
In today's game, the score was tied 2-2.
This meant that, purely in terms of the score, the two teams were evenly matched.
But if you looked at the flow of the game, Seido had been performing slightly better.
Yet, even so, they couldn't deny one fact.
Inashiro had the momentum!
If the game continued like this, things didn't look good for Seido.
"Luck is part of skill! You guys sure know how to prove that!"
Miyuki muttered with a wry smile.
Then, dragging his bat, he stepped into the batter's box.
Inashiro, having secured an out, looked fired up.
The closer the game got to its end, the more confident their players and supporters became.
Over the years, Inashiro had faced all kinds of critical situations.
Especially in high-stakes games like this, even though both teams were national powerhouses, Inashiro clearly had more experience than Seido.
Facing such a situation, Inashiro's players had more room to maneuver.
"We're definitely going to win!!"
Inashiro's players, who had almost been crushed earlier, now seemed to have regained their confidence.
Miyuki knew.
If he wanted to change the momentum, he had to get a hit.
"I have to hit it. I can't swing carelessly!"
Just as Miyuki made up his mind, the white baseball came hurtling toward him.
"Boom!"
The same fastball, right down the middle.
Inashiro's ace wasn't using any fancy pitching strategies.
He was going to take down Miyuki with pure power.
"You jerk!!"
Miyuki, who had been trying to figure out the pitcher's strategy, felt his lungs about to burst with anger when he saw such a straightforward pitch.
The pitcher was completely disregarding him.
"Do you really think I can't hit this?"
Miyuki focused on the incoming pitch and swung with gritted teeth!
He knew that if the pitcher was determined to challenge him with a fastball down the middle, avoiding it wouldn't solve anything.
If he didn't swing at the first pitch, the pitcher might mix in a changeup or a splitter next.
Things would only get more complicated.
"Now is the time to test everything I've learned at Seido High School!"
Miyuki swung with all his might, his bat connecting perfectly with the ball.
"Ping!"
The ball soared high into the air.
Miyuki, still in the batter's box, stared at his hands in disbelief.
In that moment, it felt like he hadn't hit a baseball—it felt like he'd hit a shot put.
It was so heavy!
The base of his thumbs felt like they were about to split open.
"How can it be this strong?"
The young catcher couldn't understand it.
But this was the reality. The power behind that pitch was truly beyond imagination.
Even though he had made contact, the ball didn't travel far.
The Inashiro fielder, already in position, easily caught it.
"Snap!"
"Out!!"
Two outs, no runners on base.
In the stands, Seido's die-hard supporters could feel the shift in momentum.
"That guy just took down Masuko and Miyuki with only two pitches each?"
At this point, they knew their chances were running out.
Inashiro's determination to shut them down was stronger than ever.
"Just four more outs!!"
"Strike!"
"Strike!!"
"Strike!!!"
"Strikeout!!!!"
"Three outs, switch between offense and defense!!"
The top of the eighth inning ended, and Seido's players were on the brink of despair.
In a normal game, they would only have the top of the ninth inning left to score.
"What do we do??"
Just as Seido's players were at a loss, the game moved to the bottom of the eighth inning, Inashiro's turn to bat.
Leading off was their eighth batter.
A burly third-year player.
Thanks to Inashiro's strong performance, this player, who had been on the verge of breaking down earlier, had regained his confidence at the plate.
He glared fiercely at Furuya, as if determined to send the first-year monster's pitch flying.
On the mound, Furuya's face was expressionless.
At this moment, he and Narumiya were like mirror images.
Both pitchers had poured all their energy and focus into this game.
They couldn't spare a single thought for anything else.
Furuya lifted his leg, stepped forward, and as his weight shifted, the baseball shot out like a bullet.
Even now, Furuya's pitching motion was as smooth as flowing water.
It was a sight to behold.
But when the ball left his hand, the feeling it gave off was completely different.
"Boom!!!"
Like a cannon firing, the white baseball appeared in front of the batter in an instant.
The batter, who had just regained a bit of confidence, looked utterly lost as the ball flew toward him.
"Why hasn't he weakened at all?"
"Snap!"
"Strike!"
"Strike!!"
"Strike!!!"
"Strikeout!!!!"
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