One out, no one on base.
Teams that make it to Koshien are indeed not weak.
Hosen High School, which had been firmly suppressed by the Seido High School Baseball Team and barely able to breathe, immediately seized the opportunity once it appeared. Not only did they grasp it, they used it to stabilize their footing.
Even after Seido put their ace pitcher, Hidezawa, back on the mound, it was difficult to regain the overwhelming advantage they had earlier.
The second batter, Hidezawa, was retired just like that.
"Haha, well done!"
"Seido High School Baseball Team is nothing special."
"What kind of powerhouse are they? How many years has it been since they last made it to Koshien?"
Sarcastic voices rose from the stands.
On the other side, Seido's supporters immediately fired back.
Hosen's fans were being far too ill-mannered. If Hosen had already taken the lead, that kind of arrogance might have been understandable. But the score was merely tied. Was there really a need to act like this?
Earlier, when Seido had been leading for most of the game, they had not said a single word.
These people were truly unsophisticated, getting carried away at the slightest encouragement.
The two sides glared at each other, engaging in a fierce verbal clash.
Inside the Seido High School dugout, the players were seething.
An opponent they had suppressed for so long had not only turned the tables but now looked ready to bite back.
It left them furious and at a loss for words.
Hosen High School, just you wait.
The Seido players, who had been calm before, now had bloodshot eyes. Like beasts staring down their prey, their fighting spirit surged.
"The opponent's physical strength is almost exhausted. The pitcher's control is poor, and excessive use of breaking balls in this situation will only increase the burden on his body."
Coach Kataoka spoke coldly.
Poor control combined with too many breaking balls would only result in more bad pitches.
The pitcher's stamina would not hold.
"Whether their pitcher and catcher want to or not, as long as he continues pitching, he will have to rely mainly on fastballs. Next, abandon all breaking balls and swing at fastballs. Especially the inside fastball. Do not let a single one go."
Earlier, due to a substitution error, Seido had given up three runs.
An ordinary person might have been flustered by that.
But Kataoka was not.
His tone remained steady, and his expression, hidden behind sunglasses, did not change at all.
"Yes!"
The players responded with resolute eyes.
While Kataoka was giving instructions, Yamada, batting third, was already facing Hosen's pitcher and catcher.
Yamada, with his two small canine teeth, had always been known for his aggressive batting style. Hosen's battery used a large number of bad pitches and breaking balls against him, trying to induce a swing.
But Yamada stood motionless in the batter's box.
It was not that he was extraordinarily calm, nor that his pitch selection was flawless.
The main reason was simple.
Baldy's control was terrible.
The ball was missing the strike zone by more than ten centimeters.
In this situation, no Seido batter would swing. Even among the second-string players, very few would chase such a pitch. Before long, Baldy had thrown three bad pitches and was in trouble.
Hosen's catcher had no choice. Since they did not want to walk Yamada, they had to confront him directly. They would have to decide the outcome inside the strike zone.
Unfortunately, Baldy's control remained unstable.
Not only did he throw bad pitches, even when he tried to throw a strike, he sometimes failed.
The ball drifted.
The moment Yamada realized the pitch had missed its mark, he suppressed his urge to swing. He watched as the ball, deviating five or six centimeters from the strike zone, landed in the catcher's mitt.
"Pop!"
"Ball!"
"Four balls. Walk to first base."
Yamada reached first base just like that.
The Hosen High School coach, who had been overjoyed moments earlier, suddenly felt his heart sink. He had thought his luck had finally turned, exposing Seido's weakness.
He did not expect that his own team had problems as well. By now, Baldy's pitch count had exceeded one hundred twenty.
Even the strongest pitcher had limits.
Coupled with the immense pressure exerted by Seido's batters, whether Baldy could continue holding on was a serious question.
"Do not focus on the decisive pitch. Focus on fastballs. All fielders, move forward."
Faced with the crisis, the Hosen coach immediately adjusted his strategy. His players were good soldiers, but there were no generals among them. Expecting them to identify and solve problems on their own was unrealistic.
Hosen changed tactics.
Their Director believed that the earlier pitching strategy had relied too heavily on Baldy's decisive pitches, which had left a deep impression on Seido's batters.
Continuing that approach would only accelerate Baldy's exhaustion and increase the chance of being read.
Switching to mainly fastballs had a high probability of catching Seido off guard.
The idea itself was not bad.
Unfortunately, it played straight into Seido's hands.
When Baldy threw the fastball, Azuma Kiyokuni was so moved that he almost teared up.
The people from Hosen were being far too considerate.
Had they already realized Seido was targeting fastballs and decided to deliver one directly to him?
Azuma could not figure it out.
But that did not matter.
The moment he saw the fastball, he swung without hesitation.
"Ping!"
The bat struck the white ball, which rebounded at terrifying speed.
Azuma Kiyokuni dashed toward first base.
Yamada, already prepared, sprinted straight to third.
One out.
Runners on first and third.
This was one of the easiest scoring situations in baseball, even more favorable than having the bases loaded.
Hosen High School clearly did not want to hand Seido such an opportunity.
So they chose to walk Yuuki.
Once again, Seido High School Baseball Team loaded the bases.
As early as the fifth inning, Seido had been in this same situation.
That time, they failed to score.
One out.
Bases loaded.
"Sixth batter, shortstop, Zhang Han.
************************************
Title: Bases Loaded Again?
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