This game was so intense that the crowd couldn't even sit down if they wanted to.
They were constantly on the edge of their seats, their hearts racing as if they were right there on the field with the players.
The entire Koshien stadium's stands turned into an ocean of joy in an instant.
If the 4-2 score earlier had filled the Hoshiryu High School baseball team with despair…
Now with the score at 5-2, a 3-point difference, it had sent them into an abyss, one from which they could never recover.
In the Hoshiryu High School baseball team's dugout…
Coach Hosho Ryuki and his players…
Were all silent.
At this moment, it wasn't just that Seidou High School had replaced their ace, Sawamura Eijun, on the mound.
Even if Seidou High School didn't make any further adjustments in the game…
Taking three more points from this opponent seemed like an impossible, Herculean task.
Furuya Satoru!
Although they had already scored two points off him, the players from Hoshiryu High School still had no confidence.
They didn't even think they could hit Furuya's pitch again.
His pitch speed had slowed, but it didn't seem to have affected his overall pitching ability much.
In fact, after losing some velocity, he seemed more willing to follow his teammate's instructions.
Completely obedient to Miyuki's orders, Furuya had increased his control after losing some speed.
With the cooperation of the Seidou High School baseball team's fielders…
They still posed a formidable challenge.
Even a strong team like Hoshiryu High School could see no hope of scoring.
Without the ability to launch an attack…
The point difference continued to grow.
Things were looking bleak for Hoshiryu High School.
When Sawamura returned to the dugout, he overheard his teammates from Seidou discussing this issue.
Kuramochi, who had returned to the dugout earlier, was pouting.
"If I'm not mistaken, aren't these guys your fellow townspeople? Isn't it a bit too cruel to do this to your own hometown team?"
Given the current situation, Hoshiryu High School was on the brink of collapse.
"They're not as fragile as you think," Sawamura Eijun replied, irritably.
It would be a lie to say that he wasn't worried about his hometown teammates.
But Sawamura had his principles, and he believed that the players from Hoshiryu High School wouldn't want him to go easy on them either.
At a corner of the stands…
Some old teammates from Akagi Middle School, who had come specially to watch this match, were sitting together.
They were older now, many of them in their second year of high school, preparing for their third year.
They didn't have much time left to watch games, as they were busy preparing for college entrance exams.
So they could only manage to watch two games during the Koshien tournament.
After coordinating with each other, they decided to watch this game and the final.
As for Seidou High School not making it to the finals…
The former teammates of Sawamura had never thought about that.
To them, Sawamura Eijun was the epitome of all that was powerful.
With such a weapon on Seidou's team, how could they not win?
It was impossible.
Even though they were all from Nagano, they now firmly supported Sawamura.
When they saw him hit the home run, they were all extremely excited.
"Just as expected from little Eijun, he's becoming more and more like the Demon King," Yamaguchi remarked with a sigh.
"Like? Our Ei-chan is the Demon King, okay?" Aoi replied, smugly.
As old teammates of Sawamura, who had once fought alongside him, seeing him shine at Koshien was like witnessing the rebirth of Akagi at the stadium.
That feeling was something ordinary people couldn't imagine.
First, the legendary stolen base, then the home run.
With these two points scored by Seidou, they had made any opponent feel hopeless.
Even though the players of Hoshiryu High School had relatively good mental fortitude, they were now on the brink of collapse.
They stood there, dazed.
Everything they had held on to had crumbled with Seidou's two recent hits.
At this moment, the players of Hoshiryu High School couldn't even find a reason to continue fighting.
They looked helplessly at Seidou, this opponent they had faced for six innings.
They had never felt so distant from them.
Before, the players of Hoshiryu High School thought they had found Seidou's weakness.
Just when they were about to launch their attack, the situation on the field had changed drastically.
The previously dormant batting lineup exploded, catching the players of Hoshiryu off guard.
In this situation, Seidou's captain, Miyuki, stepped up to the Batter's Box.
With cold eyes, he stared down his opponent.
After Seidou's attack—Kuramochi's stolen base, Sawamura's home run…
It seemed to have dealt a heavy mental blow to the players of Hoshiryu.
Their state was clearly off.
Except for the pitcher, Nanami Haruka, who remained defiant.
He still had a fighting spirit in his eyes, unwilling to accept the current situation.
But what could he do alone?
At this point, it was no longer a game where one person could turn the tide.
At least not Nanami by himself.
If it were Sawamura, there might still be some hope.
It wasn't that Sawamura's abilities completely outclassed Nanami.
It was just that their styles were different.
Both were pitchers who relied on pitch variation to induce hitters to hit the ball, only to capitalize on the next opportunity for an out.
But Sawamura, even without relying on his defense, was a very capable pitcher.
He could easily rack up strikeouts.
That was precisely where Nanami's weakness lay.
When the game began, Nanami could have gotten a few strikeouts, but by now, the Seidou players had already become familiar with his pitching patterns.
Speed, movement…
They knew it all.
At this point, in a one-on-one duel…
Even if Nanami managed to avoid letting the hitters make solid contact with the ball…
He'd still need help from his fielders.
Only with their assistance could he get an Out.
On his own, it was becoming increasingly difficult.
Though Nanami's fighting spirit remained strong, he no longer seemed as difficult to deal with.
As long as they can hit the ball, the fielders of Hoshiryu High School's baseball team may not necessarily be able to catch it.
Their current state is too confused.
So confused that they don't even have a clear target.
In this situation, even if a baseball is hit near them, they may not even be able to react in time.
Tightening his grip on the bat and raising it high, Miyuki's gaze swept across the defense of Hoshiryu High School's baseball team with an aggressive intensity.
It seemed as though he was about to hit the ball to that very spot on the next pitch.
After being stimulated by this, a few of the players immediately reacted.
These guys were indeed talented prodigies, having gained fame as youths. Even when there was no possibility of winning, they still maintained their fierce combat experience and high morale.
If they hadn't felt threatened, it might not have been obvious.
But once danger approached, they instinctively responded.
Miyuki, seeing this scene, silently nodded in approval.
Although the players of Hoshiryu High School's baseball team were still somewhat behind compared to theirs, it wasn't in terms of talent, but effort.
Up until now, the players of Hoshiryu High School had visibly started to breathe more rapidly.
As for the players of Seidou High School? Except for pitcher Furuya, the others hadn't even sweated much.
For example, in the outfield, Sawamura had yet to show any sweat on his face.
Compared to the terrifying exhaustion he endured when pitching, being an outfielder was incredibly easy for him.
Hoshiryu High School may not be able to match Seidou High School, but judging by their level, it was clear they must have also put in a lot of practice behind the scenes.
But even so...
The gap between the two sides had already started to show.
It wasn't just in terms of physical stamina and score. The differences in mentality, experience...
The gap existed in many aspects.
Three to four years ago, if the players of Seidou High School's baseball team had played against a star team like this one, they probably wouldn't even have had the requirement to compete.
But now, in the course of this game, the players of Seidou High School were not only not weaker than the others, but they were also much stronger.
This was the difference in training.
Realizing this, Miyuki raised the bat in his hand high.
At this moment, he had some vague thoughts in his mind.
When Nanami threw the ball, Miyuki didn't choose to engage in a prolonged battle but instead directly struck the ball with his bat.
PAAAAKKK!!
The bat made solid contact with the small baseball, sending it flying.
Oda instinctively attempted to make a stop, but couldn't get to the ball in time.
Seizing the opportunity, Miyuki ran all the way to second base.
A hit to second base!
The fans in the stands cheered loudly for Miyuki!
To them, Miyuki's performance was worthy of praise.
On the other side, Fujio, a senior reporter from Baseball Kingdom magazine, shook his head with a sigh.
Though the game was far from over, with still three full innings to play, the outcome seemed to be decided.
His judgment wasn't based merely on the fact that Seidou High School had a 5-2 lead, a three-run advantage.
In this type of game, while a three-run gap wasn't small, it clearly wasn't enough to determine the winner yet.
What truly made him feel that Hoshiryu High School had no hope was the reaction of their players during the defense.
This kind of reaction left Fujio firmly believing that Hoshiryu High School's baseball team was likely already beyond recovery.
Several of them had already given up on the game.
This was the difference in experience!
Although it wasn't immediately obvious from the score, the players of Hoshiryu High School had likely never experienced this level of despair before.
Therefore, it was only natural for them to think that their journey had come to an end.
As for the players who hadn't given up, either they naturally had a big heart, or they had extraordinary experiences.
That's why they were able to persist!
But relying solely on their perseverance was far from enough.
Miyuki had seized this gap and thus...
Ping!
Furuya's super long hit, though ultimately caught by outfielder Hattori, was hit far enough that Miyuki still safely reached third base.
Two Outs, a runner on third.
Next up was Maezono.
Just when everyone thought that the offense of Seidou High School's baseball team had reached its limit...
Maezono did something incredible.
BUUZZZ!!!
PANG!!!!
He powerfully launched the ball away with a full swing.
The baseball flew along the foul line, landing in left field.
In an unexpected turn of events, Maezono hit a beautiful long hit.
This allowed Miyuki to make it safely back to home plate.
The score now is 2-6!
Seidou High School is now leading by 4 runs!
...