"Second batter, second baseman, Kominato-kun."
At this moment, it was Haruichi's turn to bat. As he stepped into the Batter's Box, the teammates of the Seidou High School baseball team felt their hearts tense up.
Whether or not he could reach base would largely determine whether Seidou High School could score in this final inning.
They were both expectant and anxious.
Kominato Haruichi was the player with the best batting skills on the team, so naturally, everyone had high hopes.
However, based on the earlier encounter between Kuramochi and Narumiya, they couldn't fully relax.
That monster was just too strong. After throwing 130 to 140 pitches, his performance was still dominant.
This situation had completely exceeded the Seidou High School baseball team's understanding. They couldn't comprehend why Narumiya could still be this powerful.
Kominato Haruichi, after stepping into the Batter's Box, showed no signs of backing down. He set himself up for a fierce battle.
His threat level was much higher than Kuramochi's!
If Kominato Haruichi were determined to hit all the balls to foul territory, although it might not carry the same intimidation as his brother's, it was still pretty scary.
Some referred to them as the "Devil Brothers."
In reality, it was hard to attach such a nickname to the Kominato brothers after meeting them.
The older brother, Ryosuke, always had a smiling face, and the younger brother, Haruichi, had a kind heart and was friendly to everyone.
People who had just met them and didn't know their true nature would find it hard to imagine them on the field.
Once they were on the field, however, these two transformed. The originally friendly older brother and gentle younger brother turned into Devils.
Just like now, Kominato Haruichi was doing the same.
He hit all the borderline balls foul, letting the bad balls go…
Narumiya Mei had already forced Kominato Haruichi into a six-pitch battle, yet he still couldn't break through.
The count was two Strikes, one Ball!
Narumiya Mei's eyes darkened with determination, and he threw his final pitch.
Cut fastball!
Even a batter as skilled as Kominato Haruichi was helpless against this breaking ball.
Haruichi, who had planned to make a precise hit, swung and missed, watching the ball pass right in front of his eyes.
"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!"
Although there were some struggles along the way, in the end, Narumiya was nearly unstoppable.
He struck out both Kuramochi Youichi and Kominato Haruichi, two of the most powerful players on the Seidou High School baseball team.
Originally full of momentum, the Seidou High School baseball team now seemed deflated.
Even though their Ace and most trusted batter, Sawamura, would be up next, their expressions didn't ease at all.
Everyone's face was heavy, filled with concern.
Many of them had a feeling that they might have to go into extra innings.
This wasn't because they lacked confidence in Sawamura, but from the earlier game situations, it seemed Narumiya might not face Eijun directly.
This thought wasn't surprising.
When Sawamura faced Narumiya for the second time, it seemed like Narumiya made a mistake with his strategy.
But anyone with a sharp eye could tell it was all an act.
Narumiya's real intention was to avoid a direct confrontation with Sawamura.
Though the third time, he had successfully dealt with Eijun, it wasn't so much Narumiya's doing as it was Shirakawa's.
Now, Narumiya seemed to be avoiding a direct, head-to-head showdown with Eijun.
If Narumiya still had stamina left, the Inajitsu High School baseball team wouldn't have given up.
They could just Walk Sawamura, and then if they could get the next batter out, they would finish the game with three Outs.
The Inashiro team knew this approach could still keep them in the game.
Although Sawamura and Ono seemed to have a good partnership now, the Inashiro team knew that this wasn't something that would last long.
Given the circumstances, the teammates of Seidou High School knew that their best chance for a crack in the defense would come from Sawamura himself.
As Sawamura stood in the Batter's Box, he didn't seem to be affected at all.
With a calm expression, his gaze was firmly locked on Narumiya.
The spectators in the stands were also eagerly waiting, cheering loudly for both players.
To encourage Narumiya, many neutral fans began shouting his name.
For a moment, both their names echoed above the Jingu Stadium.
"SAWAMURA!"
"MAOU!!"
"SAWAMURA!!!"
"NARUMIYA!!"
"PRINCE!"
"MEI!!!"
Along with the names, their nicknames could be heard as well.
On one side, they shouted "The Demon King!" On the other side, they shouted "The Prince!"
Neither side was willing to back down.
In this tense atmosphere, Narumiya threw his first pitch.
It missed the strike zone, and Sawamura watched it fly into Tadano's Mitt.
SNAP!
"BALL!"
The choice that Sawamura made puzzled both Narumiya and Tadano.
At this point, they had already secured two Outs, so Walking Eijun wouldn't be difficult.
If they wanted to go into extra innings, it wouldn't be a problem at all.
Considering the current situation on the field, and the upcoming final match tomorrow, they initially thought Eijun would be eager to end it, taking any ball close to the strike zone.
But Sawamura was unexpectedly conservative and didn't swing.
It was clear what he meant.
'If it's going to extra innings, I'm ready! Who's afraid of who?'
'On the other hand can you, Mei-san?'
With Sawamura's calm demeanor, both Tadano and Narumiya couldn't figure out what he was thinking.
If it really went into extra innings, Inashiro didn't want that either.
Even though Narumiya Mei hadn't slowed down, his performance was still fierce, but those who understood the rhythm of sports knew that this was just a flash of brilliance.
It couldn't last much longer.
Even though Narumiya had extraordinary talent, he could last only another inning at most.
Would Inajitsu High School's baseball team be confident about scoring off Sawamura in this last innings?
Definitely not.
In Fact, They Knew,
This Game Is Over…
In The Battle Of Gambling,
Seidou Won…
In The Battle Of Might,
Seidou Won!!
Even if they could defeat Sawamura here, it would mean nothing.
The moment the extra inning started, Seidou would come swinging like a madmen.
And the totally exhausted Narumiya wouldn't be able to stop them.
Just one hit, just one crack, and the whole iron wall of Inashiro would go down.
However, the players of Inajitsu still holding some tiny hope.
If they could take down Sawamura, then Seidou High School's defense might crack first.
Not just a blow to Sawamura, but to the entire Seidou High School baseball team.
That would definitely affect their morale, and it wouldn't be a small impact!
With that, Inashiro's team might actually find an opportunity.
Otherwise, they had no chance.
Simply put, for Inashiro to win, extra innings were only one condition. The key was to find a crack in the Seidou defense, and that crack was in Sawamura.
Only by defeating Sawamura could they find that opening.
'Let's do it!'
Roaar!
Without warning, Narumiya threw his first strike.
It wasn't a fastball, but it was accurate.
SNAP!
"STRIKE!"
"BALL!"
PAAAK!!
"FOUL!"
At this point, Narumiya was exhausted, but his pitches were still strong.
Every pitch was at peak speed, and even Sawamura couldn't hit two strikes.
As Narumiya's energy began to dip, his control faltered, making the ball hard to track.
In the bottom of the ninth, with two outs, the count was full.
Narumiya had already thrown almost 150 pitches, but his speed and strength hadn't diminished. He was like a cheat code, never showing his limits.
The final pitch!
At this moment, Narumiya threw his last pitch.
In the rest area of the Seidou High School baseball team.
Miyuki murmured.
"Cutball!"
At this point, Narumiya was sure to throw his best pitch.
It had to be the same cut fastball he had used to get rid of Sawamura earlier.
Not just Miyuki, but anyone who understood baseball would think the same.
What's a Winning Shot?
It's the final pitch to seal the deal.
In short, it's a pitch the batter can't handle.
From this angle, it was highly probable that Narumiya would throw the Cut fastball.
But, he didn't.
At this moment, Narumiya and Tadano finally understood each other's intent.
Sawamura and Miyuki had a habit of predicting pitches. While Eijun wasn't as sharp as Miyuki, he was very good at it.
Knowing Sawamura would be aiming for the cut fastball, would Narumiya still throw it?
'Sorry,'
In the past, the answer would be yes.
'Even if it lost, I still want to win!!'
But now, the answer was completely different.
'For My Team, And For Myself!'
For the last pitch, Narumiya threw a fast Splitter.
'We Will Win!'
'EIJUN!!!'
ROAAAAAR!!!!
It was another totally different breaking ball, thrown at a very fast speed!
However, Narumiya didn't realize that this time, Eijun wasn't guessing anything.
What Eijun relied on were his eyes.
The moment Narumiya's hand began to release the ball, Eijun already knew what pitch it was.
'The ball would only come out one way when Mei held it with his index and middle fingers,'
'The Splitter.'
In Eijun's vision, the ball wasn't moving fast, but it did drop slightly at the last moment.
'NOW!'
'It Ends Here!'
'MEI!!'
SHUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!
Sawamura swung decisively, using his wood bat.
Though wood bats don't generate the same power as metal ones, they can send the ball far when struck cleanly.
PPPPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A loud colliding sound resounded through the field!
WHRROOSH!!
The bat struck the sweet spot, launching the ball flying high!
The ball flew high, further and further, in the vision of everyone in the stadium who was looking agape at the ascending ball!
StepStepStepStepStep!
All but one person…
Step! Step! Step! Step! Step! Step!
Carlos threw away his hat and was running on the field like a mad panther!
He didn't give up yet! His unyielding heart didn't give up yet!
The ball didn't fly in the air forever and finally fell…
And there was a mitt to catch it!
SNAP!
However, this mitt wasn't Carlos, nor the mitt of any other player of Inashiro…
It was the mitt of an eleven-year-old kid in the center field stands!
"O-OUT OF THE PAAAAAAAAARRRRKK!!!!!!!"
"A HOME RUUUUNN!!!!"
In the bottom of the ninth inning, after two Outs,
The Game Is Sealed!
…