With a runner on First Base and one out, Tachi Hiromi's gaze fell on Yuki Tetsuya, who was walking towards the batter's box.
Yuki Tetsuya stepped into the batter's box, his bat eager. As Seido's third batter, he clearly understood his responsibility. With a runner on base, he needed to hit a single if possible, advance the runners, expand Seido's scoring opportunities, and then hand that opportunity over to Azuma Kiyokuni, the fourth batter.
According to the information obtained, Tachi Hiromi was a very difficult pitcher to deal with. His control was precise, his Straight ball speed exceeded 140, and he had sharp cutters and sinkers. If this guy got into a rhythm and started throwing well, it would be a considerable problem for Seido.
At this moment, both the batter and the pitcher were in their best form.
A few seconds later, Tachi Hiromi swung his arm and threw the ball. Yuki Tetsuya didn't hesitate, swinging immediately.
Bang!
The bat accurately struck the white ball, forcefully sending it flying.
"He hit it!"
"He swung on the first pitch."
"As expected of Yuki."
"So decisive."
Amidst the exclamations, Yuki Tetsuya quickly sprinted to First Base, and the baseball flew over the infield, landing on the ground.
One out, runners on First Base and Second. Next to step into the batter's box was the cleanup hitter, Azuma Kiyokuni.
Not letting his teammates down, a cutter thrown by Tachi Hiromi was powerfully sent flying by Azuma Kiyokuni's heavy bat. The baseball arced through the sky towards right field.
The speedy Kuramochi exploded with his fastest speed at that moment, dashing from Second to Third Base, and he didn't stop. By the time the ball was picked up in right field and thrown back, Kuramochi had already rounded Third Base and was sprinting towards home plate!
"Safe!"
As Kuramochi returned to home plate to score a run, Yuki Tetsuya advanced to Second, and Azuma Kiyokuni also safely reached First Base.
"Azuma!"
"Kuramochi!"
"Speedster!"
"Seido!!"
Upon scoring, the fans on the sidelines spared no cheers and applause.
Starting for the first time as the leadoff batter, Kuramochi Yoichi got a hit first and was also the first to return to home plate to score. This made Kuramochi overjoyed. After returning to the dugout, he looked expectantly at Coach Kataoka.
Coach Kataoka had originally intended to praise him, but being stared at like this made him feel like maybe he shouldn't. He was already so smug; praising him more would make him fly to the heavens.
"Not bad."
Ultimately, Coach Kataoka still spoke, as he couldn't dampen the players' enthusiasm.
"I'll keep working hard!" Kuramochi shouted.
Everyone was speechless. Those who had intended to go over and congratulate him simply dispersed.
Afterward, the fifth batter, Isashiki, came up. Among the second-year students, Isashiki's batting ability was among the best at Seido. With runners on First Base and Second, Isashiki also wanted to hit a ball that would send Yuki to Third Base.
Tachi Hiromi threw the ball, and Isashiki swung with full force, hitting the sinker aimed at the inside corner into the ground, creating a ground ball.
"Tsk!"
Isashiki threw down his bat in annoyance and began to sprint. The baseball was quickly picked up by Osaka Kiryuu High School's shortstop, who lightly tossed it to Third Base. Third Base quickly threw it to Second.
"Slap!"
"Out!"
"Slap!"
"Out!"
"Double play!!"
Isashiki reached First Base, but Yuki Tetsuya and Azuma Kiyokuni were caught in a double play by Osaka Kiryuu High School. The first inning ended there, and Isashiki walked off grumbling.
"You idiot, why were you in such a hurry to swing!" Azuma Kiyokuni said, slapping Isashiki on the back.
Isashiki yelped, "I only swung when I had a good read."
"Bullshit, I think you just got too hot-blooded," Azuma Kiyokuni said.
Back in the dugout, Isashiki immediately faced criticism from Coach Kataoka. He was a passionate guy, but prone to getting carried away. Batting wasn't just about passion.
In the second inning, Kanzaki Ryou faced Osaka Kiryuu High School's batters and still encountered no obstacles. He immediately struck out their cleanup hitter, then easily got two more outs, taking an astonishingly short amount of time.
"Damn it, how are we supposed to play like this!"
"We can't even touch the ball!"
"There's no chance at all, our swing speed just can't keep up!"
In Osaka Kiryuu High School's dugout, their players stared intently at Kanzaki Ryou on the opposite side, each muttering discouraging words.
Coach Takahiro Matsumoto standing in front heard them and turned around, saying, "What are you doing! Are you losing heart when the game has just begun?"
"Coach, we can't hit him at all."
"Yeah, that guy's pitching is too abnormal."
Hearing this, Coach Matsumoto smiled, "Don't worry, Kanzaki Ryou will pitch a maximum of four innings. In Seido's eyes, the next game is what they truly value, and they absolutely won't let him expend too much stamina at this time."
"As long as the score isn't too far apart, there will definitely be opportunities later."
Hearing the Coach's words, Tachi Hiromi, who was nearby, said, "I will suppress Seido's batting lineup!"
"Good, I'm counting on you." Coach Matsumoto reached out and pressed heavily on Tachi Hiromi's shoulder, encouraging him.
In reality, Coach Matsumoto felt very heavy-hearted. What he had just said was true: Kanzaki Ryou absolutely couldn't pitch the entire game. But even if he was replaced, would Nanjo Taishi, who came in, be easy to deal with?
The reason he said that was merely to calm his players' emotions.
In the bottom of the second inning, after Tachi Hiromi got out the sixth batter, Araki Keita, and the seventh batter, Yoshikawa Junpei, he faced the eighth batter, Miyuki.
Seeing this, Kanzaki Ryou knew he wouldn't get a chance to bat this inning.
Sure enough, with no one on base, Miyuki's batting was still not worth expecting, and he was cleanly struck out.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I was just trying to hit a home run," Miyuki said, scratching the back of his head as he left the field.
"Give it a rest, we all know what you're like," Kanzaki Ryou said, not indulging him at all.
"Hehe." Miyuki chuckled awkwardly.
At this moment, Coach Kataoka spoke, "Kanzaki Ryou, you can rest after the third inning."
"Yes, Director." Kanzaki Ryou wasn't surprised; he knew from last night's meeting that he would only pitch three innings today.
In the third inning, after taking the mound, Kanzaki Ryou and Miyuki's cooperation continued to perfectly suppress Osaka Kiryuu High School's batting lineup. After striking out three more batters in a row, Kanzaki Ryou stepped into the batter's box in the bottom of the third inning.
"Whew~~"
Kanzaki Ryou prepared himself. This Tachi Hiromi was the most difficult pitcher he had encountered in these few rounds of games. After the first two innings, this person still hadn't thrown any changeups, relying only on his cutter and sinker, which had allowed Seido to score only one run, and that run was mostly due to luck.
Will he throw it? The Curveball.
Kanzaki Ryou's gaze fell on Tachi Hiromi's face, hoping to discern something from his expression. Instead, he saw the other person curl his lips into a lopsided smile at him, and Kanzaki Ryou was momentarily stunned. Good heavens, was this guy provoking him?