One out, runner on Second Base.
Coach Kataoka signaled Isashiki Jun on the field to execute an intentional walk.
Very few people at the stadium understood this decision. Although Seido High School had used the same tactic in the first inning, the situation back then was completely different. At that time, the batters were the core third and fourth hitters, and the probability of the runner returning home was extremely high.
But now?
The batter coming up was a lower-order hitter.
Where did Coach Kataoka and the Seido High School Baseball Team get the confidence to believe they could still score?
It was worth noting that even in the first inning, Seido had failed to score against Hosen High School.
The spectators did not understand, but the people from Hosen High School understood very well.
From the moment the draw was announced to the start of this game, they had spent three full days collecting and studying Seido High School Baseball Team's data.
Unlike Hosen's smooth run through their regional tournament, Seido's journey had been filled with fierce battles. Especially their clashes with the two major powerhouses from the same region. This information did not require special channels. Anyone could find it online.
During their research, two first-year players stood out like beacons.
It was impossible to overlook them.
Especially Miyuki.
Not only were there countless discussions online, but Baseball Kingdom and Baseball Weekly had also published special reports on him. His batting average was already impressive, but with runners on base, it exceeded sixty percent.
In other words, in this situation, the threat posed by Miyuki Kazuya was no less than that of Seido's core hitters.
"What a terrifying team. Even their lower-order batters can start such an offense."
Hosen High School's coach sighed quietly.
He knew exactly what Seido was planning to do next.
Not only him. Every player on Hosen High School knew it.
They had anticipated this situation long before the game began.
Just like the first inning, when they intentionally walked Azuma Kiyokuni, Hosen already had a plan for what would follow.
Of course, Miyuki's status was not high enough to justify an intentional walk.
They also could not afford to do so.
Walking Azuma Kiyokuni had already been humiliating enough. If they intentionally walked a first-year rookie like Miyuki Kazuya, they might as well rename themselves the Cowardly Turtle Team. What kind of perennial Koshien contender would that be?
Newcomers always carried an advantage. The stronger the newcomer, the greater the pressure they applied.
However, just because they could not walk him did not mean Hosen was out of options.
They had already prepared countermeasures. Now, they simply needed to execute them.
"Whoosh!"
A sharp fastball exceeding 145 kilometers per hour screamed toward the inside corner.
Miyuki was a left-handed hitter, and he was not particularly comfortable dealing with inside pitches like this.
According to the data Hosen had collected, Miyuki did not have any pitch he was especially weak against. However, the number of times he chose not to swing at inside fastballs was higher than with outside pitches.
What did that mean?
It meant that, subconsciously, Miyuki avoided direct confrontation with inside fastballs.
Not just Miyuki.
Among Seido's hitters, aside from Zhang Han, who actively enjoyed attacking inside pitches, most players preferred balls closer to the center of the strike zone.
Only when they were forced into a corner, or when a decisive hit was required, would they swing at pitches on the edges.
This approach was extremely effective against a pitcher like Hosen's ace, whose control was unstable.
But Seido did not do this only in this game.
Hosen's scouting revealed that Seido employed this approach in almost every match.
Even their power hitters, the so-called monster sluggers, were incredibly cautious when selecting pitches.
This style had obvious advantages.
First, it forced pitchers to throw more pitches, gradually draining their stamina.
Second, it gave the batters more time to observe and understand the pitcher's habits.
Such an approach placed enormous demands on the players themselves.
What impressed Hosen the most was that almost every Seido player could execute this strategy.
Even when their bodies were stiff early in the game, they could still maintain this discipline. As the game progressed and their tension eased, it became even more natural.
From Hosen's perspective, allowing Seido to hit pitches near the center of the strike zone was absolutely unacceptable.
The ball had to be thrown to the very edges.
Even if this was not their ace pitcher's strength, they had no choice.
Otherwise, once Seido locked onto the pitching rhythm, their powerful swings would turn the game into a disaster.
To avoid that outcome, they had to take the risk.
The white ball cut sharply toward the inside edge of the strike zone.
Miyuki, standing in the batter's box, looked as if he had anticipated it.
In fact, he had.
Hosen's bald ace pitcher had a small habit.
Normally, pitchers avoided throwing the same pitch that had just been hit in the very next confrontation. It was a psychological safeguard, preventing doubt from affecting their mechanics.
But this pitcher was different.
He liked to throw the same pitch again.
The probability exceeded seventy percent.
It was almost as if he enjoyed challenging the batter directly.
Fortunately for Seido, his control was not precise. Otherwise, this habit alone would have allowed Seido's hitters to punish him mercilessly.
This time, however, his control was unusually good.
The baseball skimmed the edge of the strike zone.
Unfortunately for him, Miyuki had already read it.
Without hesitation, Miyuki swung at the first pitch.
The Hosen catcher nearly froze in shock.
How could he swing at the first pitch?
"Ping!"
The crack of the bat echoed through the stadium as the ball sailed over the first baseman's head.
Only then did the catcher snap back to reality, springing up and shouting, "Outfield!"
Just as Seido was about to score, a figure appeared directly in the ball's path.
The ball landed, bounced once, and the fielder dove forward, barely managing to stop it.
Opportunity.
The moment Zhang Han saw the ball's trajectory, he made his judgment.
The Hosen fielder would not be able to secure the ball before it landed.
Without hesitation, Zhang Han accelerated from Second Base and sprinted toward Third.
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