Captain Tanaka was out.
At first, the teammates of the Seido High School Baseball Team did not take it to heart. Although they felt that the pitcher named Kuriyama was not an opponent who could be easily defeated, they were confident in their own strength. Even if this Kuriyama was a little stronger, they still believed they could hit his pitching.
At this moment, no one expected how much trouble this seemingly not-so-strong guy would cause for the geniuses of the Seido High School Baseball Team.
The game continued, and Hidezawa, batting second, stepped into the hitting box.
Long ago, the Seido players privately joked that Hidezawa possessed nuclear-level pitches. It was a joke, of course, but it showed how powerful Hidezawa's pitching really was. His figure wasn't as burly as Tanaka, nor as robust as Azuma's, but his body still held terrifying strength. Once he stepped into the hitting box, the pressure he brought to the opponent was like a giant mountain.
Musashi's catcher felt a massive figure pressing down above his head. The weight of it almost made him breathless.
The powerhouse Seido High School Baseball Team.
When they learned their opponent was Seido, the players of Musashi were actually excited. Encountering a powerhouse in the first two rounds wasn't lucky, but facing Seido was still much better than facing Inashiro or Ichidai Third High School. Seido had not made it to Koshien for several years, and their results had worsened year by year. Rumors even said Seido might soon be delisted from the West Tokyo Three Great Powerhouses.
In the past year, they had not defeated the other two powerhouses even once.
Encountering such a declining powerhouse was still much better than encountering one at its peak. And no matter what, Seido was still a powerhouse. Even if they were delisted, they remained a nationally renowned baseball school. If Musashi could defeat them here, the benefits were countless. Their popularity would rise, their reputation would soar, and the victory would become a milestone for Musashi High School.
For these reasons, before the game, the Musashi players were enthusiastic. They were already imagining the glorious moment of defeating the Seido High School Baseball Team.
But after the game actually began, the Musashi players could clearly feel the immense pressure Seido brought. Even when they seemed to have the advantage, the pressure from Seido was suffocating.
Tanaka, Hidezawa—every batter who stepped onto the plate carried astonishing power. Facing such monsters, Musashi's battery was under immense mental strain. Once these hitters made contact, they didn't even have to hit the sweet spot. Their physical strength alone could send the ball flying.
Who could handle that?
"They say a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. Looks like it's true after all," Musashi's catcher sighed in his heart.
Even a declining Seido powerhouse was not something they could compare to easily. They had thought the situation was simple before, but could they really win against such an opponent?
Musashi's catcher had his doubts.
Even so, he did not hesitate in his actions. It was clear Musashi's players had been training rigorously.
"Foul ball!"
"Strike!"
"Strike!"
"Strikeout!!"
After getting Tanaka out, Musashi's pitcher and catcher continued their momentum and struck out Hidezawa.
A clamor immediately erupted throughout the stadium.
If Tanaka's out could be explained as coincidence—a moment of carelessness—then two consecutive outs, both by strikeout, could not be brushed off so easily.
In Seido's dugout, the players exchanged shocked looks. Clearly, none of them had anticipated this development.
Miyuki frowned. "With such a large drop in that curveball, even if Senpai were mentally prepared, it wouldn't be easy to hit."
"Not just our senpai. Across the whole country, there aren't many players who can hit a curveball like that," Zhang Han added.
As expected, anyone who used to be close to Azuma Kiyokuni was never an ordinary character.
Kuriyama's pitches had a fast, sharp drop. It felt almost like a forkball. Hitting that ball would not be easy.
"Azuma-senpai, was this Kuriyama already this strong before?"
"How could that be? Back in middle school, that guy had only just learned to throw a regular curveball."
Azuma Kiyokuni was the most surprised of all. He never expected that after so many years, his former middle school teammate would become so powerful. Time truly flew.
Batting third, Yamada seized the opportunity and hit the ball behind shortstop. He didn't try to touch Kuriyama's curveball but instead targeted the fastball. This was exactly what Coach Kataoka had instructed.
Overcoming that curveball in a short time was unrealistic. Seido had to find another approach. Fortunately, Kuriyama did not throw only breaking balls. He couldn't. If he relied on a single pitch, Seido would quickly adjust, and the curveball would lose its effect.
To make it more threatening, it needed to be paired with a fastball.
Coach Kataoka saw that immediately and instructed the batters to ignore the curveball and attack the occasional straight pitch.
Yamada followed the plan perfectly and earned a hit.
Two outs, runner on first.
"Fourth batter, third baseman, Azuma Kiyokuni."
When his name echoed through the stadium, the Third Base stands erupted. Many people shouted Azuma's name, expecting him to perform well.
"It's up to you!"
"Seido's strongest batter!"
"Send it flying!"
All kinds of voices rose from the crowd, but they all meant the same thing: cheer Azuma on and encourage him to hit the ball out.
For Musashi's players, this was a serious situation. They were already under huge psychological pressure facing Seido. Now that Azuma stepped up, everything felt even heavier.
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