Chapter 91: The Strongest in the Country!
The score was now 8–5.
The game entered the bottom of the fourth inning, and the Seidou High School baseball team was on the offensive.
There were no outs, and a runner was on second base.
Seidou's attack seemed to have just begun.
Coach Kumakiri, who had always placed his trust in his pitcher, gave a secret signal at this time.
"Yamamoto, you can't use that type of pitch anymore!"
Although Yamamoto's soft breaking ball had been effective earlier—neutralizing several of Seidou's core hitters—it had now reached its limit.
The well had run dry.
If they continued to stubbornly rely on that kind of pitch, they were bound to get swept away.
And that was something Coach Kumakiri absolutely could not accept.
Even if they were destined to lose this game, he couldn't let his players shoulder the blame.
They had truly, sincerely played their hearts out.
The reason they were now falling behind wasn't because of the players—it was because of him as their coach.
In truth, the players of Seiko Academy had trained relentlessly.
They didn't just focus on batting practice.
Defense. Baserunning.
They practiced everything—with discipline and intensity.
Against other teams, these issues hadn't stood out.
In those matchups, Seiko Academy often crushed their opponents with ease.
But playing against Seidou High School was a completely different story.
It felt like his players were amateurs who could only swing the bat.
But that wasn't the truth.
It wasn't that Seiko's players were lacking—it was that Seidou's players were just too good.
Even as Seidou's opponents...
Coach Kumakiri had to admit, these Seidou players had undergone extremely thorough and well-rounded training.
Unlike his team, whose skills leaned too heavily in just one direction.
In terms of batting power alone, Seiko Academy wasn't inferior to Seidou—they might even be a step stronger.
And that says a lot, considering Seidou is one of the top baseball schools in the entire country.
But when it came to everything else, the gap was massive.
Yamamoto refused to back down.
That pitch of his was his trump card—something he'd specifically crafted to deal with powerhouse teams like Seidou.
He had poured so much effort into developing it, and his teammates had spent countless hours helping him perfect it.
Yet in just two innings, the pitch he'd worked so hard on had been completely dismantled by Seidou.
"Then I have no choice but to go back to my true form."
The second batter for Seidou stepped up to the plate.
Yamamoto abandoned his earlier pitching style and switched to a more aggressive one.
Now, the baseball in his hand felt more like a weapon.
The moment he released it, the ball shot toward the batter like a bullet.
"So fast!"
Back in Seidou's dugout, many of the players instantly understood.
They had considered many possibilities, but none of them expected Yamamoto to go all-in with power pitching.
Given his size, his power was immense. If he could pitch like this all along, why didn't he?
Why abandon your natural strengths and fight using an unfamiliar style?
The Seidou players couldn't understand it at first.
But now they realized they had completely misjudged him.
That pitch must've been clocked at over 140 km/h.
And coming in at such a steep angle...
Even if it wasn't a breaking ball, that kind of velocity and release made it extremely hard to handle.
"This guy…"
Even after switching styles, Yamamoto could still pitch like that?
The Seidou players felt a chill run down their spines.
Why couldn't this game ever be easy?
The opponents just refused to roll over.
As this thought crossed their minds, the intensity on the field only grew.
Yamamoto, now fully unleashed, had no intention of going down quietly.
Many spectators began to believe the game was destined to turn into a slugfest.
It was at that moment that Yoshida, standing in the batter's box, made his move.
"Ping!"
He swung cleanly and sent the ball flying.
As the ball sailed through the air, a smile formed on Yoshida's face.
"Now that's more like it!"
Earlier, watching Yamamoto's soft pitches had left Yoshida feeling uneasy.
As a skilled pitcher himself, he had sensed something was off before anyone else.
But without the full picture, he kept quiet. If he made a wrong call, it could cost his team.
Now, his doubts had vanished.
His judgment was right.
Yamamoto's earlier pitches had intentionally suppressed his natural power.
Now that he was pitching at full force, all Seidou had to do was play their usual game.
As the ball flew, Yoshida sprinted toward first base.
"Safe!"
Meanwhile, Matsumoto, already on base, rounded third and made a dash for home.
"Stop him!"
Seiko's fielders reacted fast. They got to the ball and fired it to home plate.
But the result wasn't what they hoped for.
The baseball reached their catcher's glove...
But by the time he reacted, Matsumoto was already sliding into home.
He was just a second too late.
In Seiko's dugout, Coach Kumakiri stood frozen.
The longer they played, the clearer the gap between them and Seidou became.
They were always just a little behind.
But that little bit was fatal.
"Bang!"
"Safe!"
"Seidou scores another run!"
The announcer girl shouted with excitement.
Maybe before today, Seidou was just another team to her.
But after this game, her perspective had completely changed.
To her, Seidou had become something entirely different.
Their game was just that thrilling.
From the 9th batter onward, they had already scored two runs—and there were still no outs.
Now the third and fourth batters were stepping up—
It was clear that Seidou's offense had no intention of stopping.
They weren't going to wait.
They were going to end it here and now.
"So this is the best offensive team in the country? Not bad at all!"
The announcer girl's voice rang with admiration.
Two sports reporters nearby nodded to themselves.
They had already made up their minds—once this game was over, they'd get to writing immediately.
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