"Did it… did it pass through the defense?"
In the stands, many of Seidou High School's loyal fans looked on with expressions of disbelief.
The lead of Seidou High School's baseball team had extended to four runs.
At this point, the players of the Hoshiryu High School baseball team had almost given up resisting.
In Seidou High School's stands…
Including the corner where the second team sat in the stands…
Everyone was extremely excited, loudly cheering Maezono on.
It felt as though that hit was their own.
"Maezono-senpai is really popular, isn't he?" said Matsumoto enviously.
He wasn't the same. His personality wasn't enthusiastic enough, and he wasn't good at socializing.
If it hadn't been for his lucky entry into Akagi, Matsumoto even doubted he would have ended up alone forever.
"Of course! Maezono-senpai is a role model for us ordinary players!"
A role model for ordinary players!
This was the title that Seidou High School's baseball team's teammates had given Maezono privately.
Seidou High School's baseball team was a powerhouse.
In such a powerhouse team, there were, of course, players with extraordinary talent.
They were like monsters.
Even without putting in much effort, their abilities were terrifying.
This made many of Seidou High School's teammates hopeless when they saw these players.
They were no match for the superstar players.
This is the difference between geniuses and ordinary people.
In fact, those who could make it into the starting lineup of Seidou High School's baseball team or even make it into the first team all had decent talent.
For example, the five star players, each one of them, had their own unique talent.
Talent that couldn't be matched by anyone!
The Great Demon King, Sawamura Eijun, was called the number one high school player.
He was terrifyingly strong in every aspect.
Catcher Miyuki Kazuya was called the number one catcher in the country.
Furuya Satoru had the fastest pitching speed in high school.
Kuramochi and Kominato Haruichi, although their talents didn't reach the number one level nationally…
Both Kuramochi's speed and Kominato's batting skills had far surpassed ordinary limits.
Even at the national level, they were among the select few.
These are the superstars!
Wherever they go, they shine.
Compared to them, the other first-team players didn't stand out as much.
But most of them still had significant talent.
Shiratsu, Toujou, including Kanemaru and Asou…
In some aspects, they were very notable.
The only exception in the first team was Maezono.
When people mention Maezono, they rarely think of any particular trait he's known for on the field.
The only thing memorable about him might be his effort.
His talent wasn't as good as the others, but his effort was second only to none in the entire team.
In the end, the heavens were watching.
They didn't waste his effort.
He became the fifth batter for Seidou High School's baseball team.
And also became a role model for many second-team players.
After all, talent is so intangible.
Even if second-team players wanted to find a direction to work towards, they wouldn't know where to start.
Such an intangible direction, how could they achieve it?
But the effort is different.
This is something they can learn.
And it fits very well with the philosophy of Seidou High School's baseball team.
What they originally pursued was to cry more than anyone, and sweat more than anyone.
This was the style that Seidou High School's baseball team advocated.
The presence of Maezono has become the best practice for this style.
That's why this player has such a high level of recognition in the team.
Sawamura doesn't even need to be mentioned, he's simply too high to reach.
Even if they dream during the day, they wouldn't dare to hope they could become a player like the Demon King.
But becoming a player like Maezono-senpai, shouldn't be impossible, right?
Maezono-senpai didn't have as much talent as they did, but through hard work, he had reached this point.
If they also worked hard, wouldn't they be able to achieve it too?
Now, seeing Maezono hit the ball from the top pitcher Nanami Haruka.
Hope and fighting spirit were exploding from them at this moment!
The fans who saw this were deeply shocked, more than anyone could understand.
Even the second-string teammates and reserves of Seidou High School's baseball team.
At this moment, they were also incredibly excited!
It was so magnificent!
The scene before them was so spectacular and thrilling.
Although Shiratsu hit the ball all the way to the outfield, it was caught by the outfielder.
Ending Seidou High School's attack for this inning.
Overall, they still did a great job completing their task.
In this inning, they scored three runs.
Extending their lead to four runs.
This meant that the teammates of Seidou High School no longer had to worry.
Things were going smoothly, and their lead was enough.
Now, even if there were any unexpected situations in the remaining games, they could still bear it.
There was no need to rush to change the pitcher just because of the slightest change.
Even Kataoka's expression had lightened up significantly.
Back in the dugout, Maezono specifically went to thank Haruichi.
The reason he was able to hit that ball so cleanly was, of course, partly his own doing.
But the contribution of another person also had to be mentioned.
That person was Sawamura Eijun.
In fact, during his at-bat, Sawamura had given him a reminder.
He even offered advice!
"If you get the chance, aim for the inside pitch and swing with all your might. Even if you can't hit the sweet spot, you should be able to send the ball flying far."
At first, Maezono didn't fully understand Sawamura's meaning.
Until later, when he stood on the field and faced the opponent.
When Nanami threw the first pitch to the inside corner, Maezono suddenly had an epiphany.
He understood. He understood everything!
Although he didn't know how Sawamura had guessed it.
He knew exactly what Sawamura meant by advising him to aim for the inside pitch.
Because Nanami had thrown the ball to the inside corner.
Seeing that pitch, Maezono, who was already mentally prepared, didn't hesitate.
He swung his bat with all his might and hit the baseball out of the park.
Ping!
As expected, he didn't hit the sweet spot.
But because he swung with enough force, even without hitting the sweet spot, he managed to send the ball flying.
When they saw the baseball flying out, both Nanami and Hosho's expressions were filled with surprise.
How could this be?
According to their original plan, the unexpected inside pitch should have made Maezono uncomfortable!
Maezono was especially good at hitting inside pitches, particularly inside fastballs.
To counter this, Nanami Haruka and Hosho had been focusing on outside pitches.
Now, they had already solved him with two outside pitches.
If possible, they would have preferred to continue using outside pitches.
But Maezono wasn't foolish. How could he keep waiting for the inside pitch?
One or two times is fine, but not three.
They had already used two outside pitches to get him out.
Now, they decided to throw an inside pitch, not necessarily to get him out, but at least to make him cautious and not swing with all his might at the outside pitch.
But they didn't expect that Maezono had been waiting for that very pitch.
As a result, the ball was hit, and Miyuki from third base easily ran home.
The score was 6-2, and the gap widened to 4 points.
At this point, the members of the Hoshiryu High School baseball team had more or less given up.
Even the most stubborn players now clearly realized that they probably didn't stand a chance.
Their opponents were the legendary Seidou High School, not just some random team.
Trying to score more than 5 runs against them in the next three innings?
Even if Sawamura wasn't on the mound, their chances were so slim they were almost negligible.
The fact that they managed to get a hit against such a team was already an achievement for Maezono, which is why he thanked Sawamura.
Although it felt a bit awkward for a senior to thank a junior, luckily, Sawamura wasn't an ordinary Kohai.
Aside from age, he probably outperformed his seniors in every other aspect.
This was widely recognized within the Seidou High School baseball team.
Even though Maezono thanked him, everyone was only surprised, not overly shocked.
Anything that happened with Sawamura didn't faze them.
The teammates of Seidou High School's baseball team had become so accustomed to his incredible feats that they wouldn't be surprised if one day they saw him fly.
After all, it's Sawamura; if he flew, it would make sense.
In this atmosphere, the game entered the 7th inning.
The first to step up to bat was Nanami.
He was definitely a troublesome opponent, someone who could easily surprise them with an unexpected attack.
Sometimes, Miyuki couldn't help but admire these players.
They were incredibly skilled.
Every player on the Hoshiryu High School team, from the first to the ninth batter, had solid abilities.
Their strength was impressive, and even Miyuki had to be fully on his toes when facing any of them.
Up until now, Furuya's pitch count was nearing 100.
Although the Hoshiryu High School players hadn't gotten many hits off him in the past 6 innings, they had made it difficult for him.
They kept him on edge and didn't let him relax too much.
Because of this, his pitch count had already reached almost 100.
His peak physical condition had long passed, and his pitch speed was gradually slowing down.
But even in this state, his pitches were still among the best in the country.
Every fastball could still reach speeds above 150 km/h.
Only someone like Furuya could do this.
Despite his weariness, his abilities were still far beyond what most people could handle.
But the players from Hoshiryu High School weren't ordinary either.
Especially the one standing at the plate now.
Nanami!
His talents weren't just limited to pitching; he was also incredibly skilled with the bat.
At Furuya's current pitch speed, trying to strike him out seemed a bit unrealistic.
Miyuki's mind raced as he thought of a strategy.
Soon, he seemed to have figured something out and carefully scanned the Batter's Box.
He took a deep breath, then made the sign.
Roaar!
Even though he was physically exhausted, Furuya's velocity still couldn't be underestimated.
'Fast!'
In the blink of an eye, the baseball was already in front of him.
As the ball flew toward him, Nanami gritted his teeth.
He didn't look at the scoreboard, but he could still guess the speed of the ball.
Though it wasn't quite 160 km/h, it was at least 155 km/h.
After 100 pitches, how could his speed still reach 155 km/h?
It was unbelievable!
Nanami himself was quite talented and had always held his head high when competing against others, looking down on his opponents.
None of them had his talent.
But compared to the two pitchers from Seidou High School, his so-called talent seemed laughable.
Facing such a threat, whether Nanami liked it or not, he had no choice but to face it head-on.
'Here we go!'
At this moment, Nanami used all his strength to hit the baseball.
PANG!
The ball flew high into the air and kept flying.
It flew to left field.
'Damn!'
Seeing this, Miyuki's heart sank with worry.
They had underestimated their opponent. They didn't expect Nanami to have such a powerful hitting ability!
If the ball flew out of the field, they would lose a lot of faces.
Fortunately, despite Furuya being exhausted, his pitch speed was still strong.
Although Nanami used all his might, he still couldn't hit the ball out of the park.
The ball finally began to descend in the outfield.
Of course.
Even if the ball didn't fly out of the field and hit the ground, this was still an impressive hit. The players from Hoshiryu High School could use it to advance to second or third base.
However, making any further progress was unrealistic.
With such an opportunity, they could easily score one or two more runs.
It wasn't just Miyuki and the other Seidou High School players who were worried.
The fans in the stands, their die-hard supporters, were also nervous.
They had just pulled ahead in the score, but would they be caught up so quickly?
The earlier offensive surge from Hoshiryu had left a deep impression on them.
If they managed another attack like that...
The teammates of Seidou High School felt their hearts racing.
That would be astonishing!
But that was exactly where the ball was likely to drop.
Just as everyone was nervous, a figure appeared under the descending ball, crossing a distance of several meters.
Snap!
Sawamura caught the ball and raised it high.
"OUT!"
Although Nanami's hit was impressive, it ultimately didn't result in anything.
Sawamura had caught the ball beautifully, preventing Hoshiryu High School from retaliating.
Next up was Hosho, who was also a threat for the Seidou High School team.
When he was on the same team as Sawamura, Hosho had performed decently but never showed this kind of potential.
Now that he had joined Hoshiryu High School, he seemed like a completely new player.
He had developed the aura of a top hitter.
His current hit was impressive.
Ping!
The baseball hit the bat, drawing a sharp arc, heading toward the area behind the pitcher, looking like it might fly out.
In a critical moment, another lithe figure dashed forward.
"Hyaa-ha-ha!"
He grabbed the ball and pulled it into his chest before quickly throwing it to the waiting teammate.
Haruichi caught it without hesitation and passed it to the first baseman, Maezono.
Snap!
The ball was passed twice, but the time taken was surprisingly short.
Their reflexes were almost inhuman.
Even if a single player performed all those actions, they wouldn't have been faster than these two.
By the time the ball reached Maezono's mitt, Hosho hadn't even made it halfway to first base.
"OUT!!"
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE!"
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!!"
With two Outs from their defense, Furuya struck out the final batter.
His strikeout count reached 12.
This marked the end of the most threatening offensive from Hoshiryu High School.
During this sequence, they hadn't even managed a single hit.
It was clear now—Hoshiryu High School's defeat was imminent.
In this fierce showdown, the winner was undoubtedly Seidou High School.
Hoshiryu's offense never really got started and ended quickly.
Meanwhile, Seidou's offense showed no signs of stopping.
Although they didn't get a notable hit in the bottom of the 7th inning, things would change in the 8th inning.
The mighty Seidou High School baseball team was ready to unleash their power.
…
T/N: Like This XD