If the aggressive attack from Seidou High School's baseball team in the bottom of the sixth inning only caught the players of Hoshiryu High School's baseball team off guard, then in the top of the seventh inning, under the tight defense of players like Sawamura, Kuramochi, and Kominato, and with the explosive performance of Furuya, the three Outs from Hoshiryu High School's middle-order batters left them feeling completely hopeless.
The defensive players from Hoshiryu High School now understood very well that they probably wouldn't be able to stop the offensive force of Seidou High School's baseball team.
As for offense, even if they barely managed to hit a pitch from Furuya, scoring was still a huge challenge!
After all, the true strength of the reigning champions, Seidou High School's baseball team, didn't lie only in their pitchers. They also had a top-tier defense, which was typical of a powerhouse team.
Breaking through this defense to score would clearly not be an easy task for the players from Hoshiryu High School.
As the game moved into the bottom of the eighth inning, the sense of despair among the players of Hoshiryu High School became even more obvious.
Due to too many pitches, Furuya's condition had been greatly affected. However, even in this situation, he was still able to throw pitches exceeding 150 km/h. For the lower-order batters of Hoshiryu High School, hitting such pitches was simply unrealistic.
Then, a cruel scene unfolded on the field. Despite it being a critical moment for Hoshiryu High School, where they desperately needed to score, they still couldn't manage to get a hit off their opponents. Instead, they were repeatedly forced out, leaving the entire team in a very low state.
Snap!
"OUT!"
Even when the ball was barely touched, the players from Seidou High School immediately intercepted it, never giving Hoshiryu High School any opportunity to capitalize.
Quickly, it was three Outs, and the sides switched. Furuya had set a personal strikeout record of 14. He was in great form!
If it weren't for the terrifying presence of Sawamura Eijun on their team, the performance Furuya displayed in this game would certainly have made his teammates from Seidou High School feel proud. This guy was just outstanding!
His performance had exceeded expectations, and it left everyone amazed.
Under these circumstances, the game reached the bottom of the eighth inning.
In fact, by this point, the players from Seidou High School's baseball team were already in a very secure position. Even if the players from Hoshiryu High School had the best of luck, there was no way they could close the score gap with the little time remaining.
However, Coach Kataoka wasn't satisfied with just securing the win.
Through his brown-tinted sunglasses, his players couldn't see the expression in his eyes, but when the players from Seidou High School's baseball team were preparing to take the field in the bottom of the eighth, he suddenly stopped them all.
He looked seriously at his players and said, "There are two more innings! Our future opponents are sitting up there watching you, do you understand what I mean?"
The players of Seidou High School's baseball team, who were already full of enthusiasm, became even more fired up after hearing Coach Kataoka's words.
Their eyes changed, turning red like bulls about to charge. They looked like they were ready to fight to the death with their opponents.
"You've all worked so hard to get here, and I've witnessed every step of your journey," Coach Kataoka said with a hint of emotion in his voice.
He stared at his proud players and said, "Now, it's time for us to reap the rewards. Show everyone with your actions that we've made it here not by chance, but because you've earned it. Declare war on those sitting in the stands and watching you!"
"YEAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
The players in the Seidou High School baseball team's dugout were so stirred up by Coach Kataoka that their eyes turned red. One by one, they let out battle cries, ready to take the field and fight to the death.
At the same time, they declared war on the opponents in the stands.
Hakuryu!
Komadai Fujimaki!
Seihou!
Osaka Kiryu!
It didn't matter who they were, as long as they encountered them, they would pin their opponents down and give them a good thrashing.
Coach Ochiai, who was stroking his little beard, couldn't help but feel envious.
He had been with Seidou High School's baseball team for quite a time now—almost a year. During this time, he selflessly passed on his knowledge and experience to the players. At the same time, he had also learned a lot of things.
For example, Coach Kataoka.
When it came to professional skills and knowledge, Ochiai was clearly superior to Kataoka. But when it came to motivating players, to get them to go on the field and fight like beasts, Ochiai knew he could never do that.
"No wonder he's a Japanese teacher—Language always had its magic."
There were many coaches who were good at motivating their players, but coaches who could do it as effectively as Coach Kataoka were few and far between in the entire country.
He was really outstanding!
Although his excellence was somewhat different from ordinary coaches, it was still incredibly impressive.
Ochiai couldn't help but feel envious.
Coach Kataoka's sudden excitement had stirred up the players in the rest area of Seidou High School. They were all like they had eaten gunpowder, and the whole atmosphere felt like it was about to get out of control.
The fans in the stands didn't care about this; they were all watching the spectacle, enjoying the chaos.
Seeing the Seidou High School players so excited, they too got worked up, cheering loudly to support the players on the field.
The intention of Seidou High School's baseball team was successfully conveyed to the opponents they would face next.
In the stands.
A few teams that had specially come to watch this game had serious expressions on their faces.
The performance of the Hoshiryu High School baseball team in today's game was impressive, enough to make everyone take a second and third look!
In the past, when people said they were at the level of the country's top teams, there were inevitable doubts.
Hoshiryu was good, but still slightly short of being a top team.
However, based on today's performance, they had definitely reached the level of the top teams.
Especially their Ace pitcher, Nanami Haruka, who had completed two evolutions in today's game, resulting in a dramatic improvement in his strength.
Nanami Haruka, at this moment, with no thought for the future, was certainly performing as well as the top pitchers in the country in today's game.
But despite their excellent performance, they were still at a disadvantage against Seidou High School's baseball team.
Though the game had started without a large gap in score, the difference could still be seen.
They were strong, truly strong!
The king-like Seidou High School baseball team's power had reached a point where it left people speechless.
And yet, the overwhelming team didn't seem to be satisfied.
They were all extremely excited, and from their stance, it seemed they were eager to score even more.
Could Hoshiryu High School withstand this attack?
The other teams in the stands couldn't help but place themselves in the shoes of Hoshiryu High School.
There was nothing they could do—after all, Seidou High School was their common enemy.
Naturally, they were more inclined to support the teams opposing Seidou High School.
The game continued.
The first batter to step up to the plate was Kominato Haruichi.
If you simply looked at his demeanor, he seemed to have no desire to compete.
But was it really true?
Not at all.
Kominato Haruichi had a strong fighting spirit and a competitive nature.
The instructions from Coach Kataoka matched exactly what was in his mind.
He raised his bat, continuously searching for an opportunity.
If he saw a chance to strike, given his current form, there was no way he would let it pass.
'Bring it on!!'
Whoosh!
On the pitcher's mound, Nanami Haruka felt immense pressure from the opposing team, but he had no intention of backing down.
On the contrary, he was determined to fight until the very last moment.
…
T/N: This game is almost over!
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