In the bottom of the fifth inning, Yakushi High School Baseball Team was on offense.
The score was 5:2, with Seido High School Baseball Team trailing by three runs. Sawamura, who was pitching, was experiencing significant issues with his condition.
He stood on the pitcher's mound, panting, staring at his opponent.
It was the unknown Ninth Batter of the Yakushi High School Baseball Team.
Sawamura had faced this player once before, and at that time, Sawamura had easily made the opponent hit a fly ball.
He had successfully gotten an out because of it.
Now, facing this batter for the second time, Sawamura felt powerless.
"Don't worry, let him hit it, we'll stop it."
"Just like the last inning, pitch one ball at a time."
On the field, the Seido players in defense cheered loudly for Sawamura Eijun.
Sawamura knew in his heart that these upperclassmen were sincere, and his previous performance had earned their recognition.
If possible, he really didn't want to leave the field in such a miserable state; he wanted to continue, he wanted to keep showing his presence in front of his upperclassmen.
But it probably wasn't possible...
He was just too tired.
Sawamura had never felt this way before; after pitching only four or five innings, he felt like he was falling apart.
All the fatigue accumulated over the past week suddenly surged through him; now, even lifting his arm felt strenuous.
Turning his head, he saw the upperclassmen standing behind him, each still full of vigor, showing no signs of fatigue.
This intense practice game had reached its halfway point.
Even without considering the hellish week of exhaustion, the physical energy expended by the players in this single game alone was an astronomical figure.
Even if they weren't like him, so tired that they couldn't even move, at the very least, they should show some signs of fatigue, right?
But there was none, not a single trace.
The second and third-year players of Seido High School Baseball Team were still full of vigor, and their eyes shone brightly.
They yearned for the game; they were very dissatisfied with the current outcome on the field.
5:2, trailing by three runs...
This was something the Seido High School Baseball Team's teammates absolutely could not accept.
In the remaining game, they had to win it back.
Sawamura, whose stamina had been depleted, clenched his lower lip tightly after hearing the encouragement from his upperclassmen.
He couldn't just give up like this.
He had come this far with great difficulty, joined the First string of Seido High School Baseball Team with great difficulty, and practiced with Miyuki and Zhang Han with great difficulty...
He absolutely did not want to leave the field like this.
"Whoosh!"
Using every last bit of strength he had left, Sawamura Eijun gritted his teeth and pitched the baseball in his hand.
Although the baseball's speed wasn't fast, it still retained some of its previous flair.
The Ninth Batter of Yakushi High School Baseball Team was also very nervous when he saw this pitch.
Unlike the first-year who pitched first for Seido, this guy named Sawamura Eijun was unexpectedly difficult to deal with.
The players of Yakushi High School Baseball Team had also used all their might, but after five innings, they had only managed to score two runs off this guy.
Such an opponent demanded their utmost caution.
Fortunately, his stamina seemed to be failing; continuous high-intensity matchups had left him drenched in sweat.
After his stamina gave out, his pitch quality also significantly declined.
Just like now, this pitch didn't seem to pose much of a threat.
Spotting the incoming baseball, the batter stepped forward and swung his bat with all his might.
"Ping!"
The hit baseball flew over the Shortstop's head.
Kuramochi leaped with all his might, but still couldn't touch the baseball, ultimately only able to watch as the baseball flew over his head and landed in the outfield.
The Ninth Batter of Yakushi High School Baseball Team also used this opportunity to successfully run to first base.
"Safe."
No outs, runner on first base...
In the dugout of Seido High School Baseball Team, almost all the teammates felt their hearts tighten.
Now, this was troublesome.
Yakushi High School Baseball Team had specially adjusted their team's lineup to deal with Seido.
Their First Batter was Raichi Todoroki.
This guy had previously hit a Homerun and a long hit in his matchups against the two first-year rookie pitchers of Seido High School Baseball Team.
He had helped Yakushi High School Baseball Team establish their lead.
If possible, Seido High School Baseball Team truly did not want to face this guy with a runner on base.
It was too dangerous.
It could easily result in two more runs.
Then the score difference between the two teams would be widened to five runs.
Although Seido High School Baseball Team's hitting prowess was considered the Best Batting Line, their team's Ace, Sanada, had a very effective pitch.
So far, Seido High School Baseball Team had only managed to score a mere two runs off this guy. These two runs even included a Homerun by Zhang Han.
On the other side, the players of Yakushi High School Baseball Team seemed to have reached the climax of the game.
Even though they had firmly controlled the game from the start and were now leading Seido High School Baseball Team by a full three runs, no one in Yakushi High School Baseball Team felt at ease.
They easily saw through Seido High School Baseball Team's intention: the opponent was using them as a whetstone.
In this situation, they naturally tried every means to break through Seido High School Baseball Team's defense as quickly as possible, to let them know that whetstones were not so easy to find.
It was easy to overreach and end up worse off for it.
However, the game had continued until now, and although they had used all their might, the score between the two teams had not truly widened.
That first-year rookie from Seido was like a giant roadblock, standing in front of them.
Fortunately, hard work paid off, and they finally waited for it...
They had already seen the dawn of victory.
No matter what Seido High School Baseball Team's plan was before, they would take the victory in today's game first.
Sawamura, using his last ounce of strength, originally thought he could get the batter out.
Even if it was the last one, he would have given up then.
Unexpectedly, a hit was made.
The young boy was very unwilling and struggled, still wanting to do something.
As a result, he had just started to move his legs when he stumbled and almost fell.
"It's probably to this extent."
In the dugout of Yakushi High School Baseball Team, Todoroki Raizo was a bit unwilling.
They had clearly planned everything, and they were about to successfully score two runs.
If they could cleanly score two runs here, then Yakushi High School Baseball Team would basically have the victory in their grasp.
But things didn't generally go according to plan.
In the dugout of Seido High School Baseball Team.
Manager Ota was the first to jump up, "Quickly..."
He called for the school doctor to come forward and check on Sawamura's condition.
There were no problems.
He was just too tired; after being dragged back to the dugout, he immediately lay down.
He looked extremely disheveled, and he had left the field just as it was Raichi Todoroki's turn to bat.
It gave people the impression that he wasn't very strong.
Ochiai, observing this scene, stroked the little beard on his chin, and his gaze fell on Sawamura more than once.
Having just finished such intense training, Seido High School Baseball Team's players had already exhausted their physical reserves to the limit.
Under these circumstances, in the game against Yakushi High School Baseball Team, he actually pitched for nearly 5 innings.
This guy's stamina had already surpassed the level a first-year player should have.
Perhaps, even compared to some second-year players, he might not be far behind.
This wasn't the most important thing; the most important thing was that this little guy only gave up two runs.
Another person who saw it clearly was the Coach of Yakushi High School Baseball Team, Seido High School Baseball Team's opponent in today's game.
Todoroki Raizo frowned, looking at Seido High School Baseball Team's dugout.
"Another rising star."
Although Sawamura's talent was different from Furuya Satoru's, one could even say they were two opposing extremes.
But his future achievements would probably not be inferior to that of the boy named Furuya Satoru.
"Coach, I..."
Sawamura, lying on the chair, was told by the doctor to rest well.
Sawamura, unwilling, looked at Kataoka, tears almost falling. Although his body's fatigue made it difficult for him to even move, he was still unwilling; he still wanted to stand on the field, on the pitcher's mound, and fight alongside his teammates.
"You did great! Now, rest well. For the rest of the game, feel free to leave it to them."
Kataoka said.
Sawamura's request was not spoken.
He really wanted to continue to pitch, but he knew in his heart that his body would no longer allow it.
That's why he hesitated to speak.
Coach Kataoka obviously saw through this.
The game continued.
Sawamura left the field, and Seido High School Baseball Team's previous practice goal had also been achieved.
One of the most important reasons Coach Kataoka accepted the invitation was that he hoped to see the current limits of Furuya Satoru and Sawamura through playing against Yakushi High School Baseball Team.
Furuya Satoru's performance was very average.
Although there were various objective reasons, such as Yakushi High School Baseball Team not playing by the rules, and Furuya Satoru having just entered the field and not yet gotten used to it when he faced Raichi Todoroki, the final result was that he gave up a Homerun, losing three runs in the first inning.
Furuya Satoru definitely failed this assessment.
On the contrary, Sawamura's performance on the pitcher's mound was very unexpected.
Even his own teammates in Seido High School Baseball Team didn't expect that guy to be so capable on the field.
Although he eventually collapsed due to exhaustion, Sawamura left a very good impression on Coach Kataoka.
"The game objective has changed. Now, let's go all out to win this game."
Coach Kataoka held a meeting with all the players, re-establishing their new goal for today's game.
"Oh!"
For the teammates of Seido High School Baseball Team, they had been waiting for this moment for too long.
They were already impatient.
"Shirasu, you will be the new outfielder. Zhang Han will handle the mound."
Seido High School Baseball Team made a substitution.
As Zhang Han stepped onto the pitcher's mound and started his warm-up, in Yakushi High School Baseball Team's dugout, everyone's eyes were focused on the handsome guy on the mound.
That person was so dazzling.
When Zhang Han was in the outfield before, they had truly never noticed that Seido High School Baseball Team's outfielder could so naturally become the focal point of the entire field.
This was too fantastical.
"The legendary Zhang Han!"
A player couldn't help but exclaim.
"Are you living in a dream? Didn't that guy just hit a Homerun earlier?"
The legendary Zhang Han.
Although the players of Yakushi High School Baseball Team were not dealing with Zhang Han for the first time, and had just given up a Homerun to him earlier today, for such a player, even if their interactions weren't many, they should still remember him vividly.
But the reality was not like that.
Their previous impression of Zhang Han, though also very deep, was only in terms of hitting.
Sanada had very high prestige in Yakushi High School Baseball Team; all the players of Yakushi High School Baseball Team greatly admired his pitching.
Even Raichi Todoroki, whom they considered a monster, only slightly fell behind Sanada when facing him.
In 10 official encounters, he could still get him out 3 or 4 times.
But it was this Sanada who was cleanly hit for a Homerun when facing Zhang Han. This couldn't have failed to shock the players of Yakushi High School Baseball Team.
However, this shock was still completely different from the shock after Zhang Han stepped onto the pitcher's mound.
At that time, Zhang Han was just as powerful as a monster.
Although he was powerful, the players of Yakushi High School Baseball Team were not to be outdone.
They firmly believed that Raichi Todoroki would not lose to Zhang Han.
Supported by this belief, the players of Yakushi High School Baseball Team showed no weakness when fiercely competing against the players of Seido High School Baseball Team.
However, all of this changed as Zhang Han stepped onto the pitcher's mound.
Zhang Han, standing in the batter's box, looked like a monster.
But Zhang Han, standing on the pitcher's mound, looked different; he was like a true protagonist.
It was also under these circumstances that someone in Yakushi High School Baseball Team's dugout uttered the words, "the legendary Zhang Han."
The legendary Zhang Han, a creator of miracles, a synonym for invincibility.
During the Spring Tournament, although the score difference between the two teams was not that large, during the game between Yakushi High School Baseball Team and Seido High School Baseball Team, the players of Yakushi High School Baseball Team never got many opportunities from beginning to end.
They were completely suppressed by Seido High School Baseball Team, with almost no ability to retaliate.
A large part of this was due to Zhang Han's presence.
It was also from that time that Yakushi High School Baseball Team began to think about revenge.
After two months of enduring hardships, they believed that their current strength was definitely not inferior to Seido High School Baseball Team.
Especially the strength of their core players.
No outs, runner on first base.
Zhang Han vs. Raichi Todoroki.
Shortly after the bottom of the fifth inning began, Sawamura left the field due to exhaustion.
This also created one of the biggest climaxes of this game.
The strongest players from both teams finally met.
They would engage in a spectacular showdown in the most direct way.
Raichi Todoroki tightly gripped the bat in his hand, greedily looking at Zhang Han, who was preparing to pitch.
"Whoosh, it's coming!"
Recalling their previous showdown, the little flame in Raichi Todoroki's heart had never extinguished.
He was eager to face Zhang Han and see how much the fastest pitch in the nation had evolved.
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