Chapter 235: Sawamura Takes the Mound
For Sensen, a three-run gap was neither too big nor too small. Naturally, they didn't want Seidou to extend their lead any further. However, they had no information on Kominato.
They assumed he couldn't hit for power. His previous pinch-hit appearance hadn't produced any significant extra-base hits, and given Haruichi's small stature, the assessment seemed reasonable.
"Hit it, Haruichi!"
"Go for it!"
"Feel the ball! Trust your bat, don't overthink things!"
"You can do it!"
"Go, first-year rep!"
...
"That guy, Maki, has some serious spirit!" Sendo muttered as he munched on a banana. "But it's good practice for Haruichi. He might get another chance to pinch-hit in a crucial moment. He'll be an important asset in the fall as well."
"Don't jinx it like we've already won," Miyuki teased.
But seeing his attitude, Chris-senpai knew these two troublemakers were up to their usual antics again.
"You think we'll lose?" Sendo asked.
"No! But in baseball, anything can happen," Miyuki replied. He knew full well that Sendo would never take things lightly, so he was more than happy to chat with him.
If it were someone like Sawamura making such a comment, he'd definitely be getting a lesson from the middle infielders and Jun-san later.
"I've never once considered the possibility of losing this game," Sendo said confidently. "Not even in our practice simulations!" His eyes burned with competitive fire.
"This guy... is it because of Narumiya?" Miyuki mused.
That practice game—seeing Narumiya's pitching must have ignited his fighting spirit, made him crave a real showdown.
"What the hell? The guy who usually slacks off is suddenly this serious about baseball?" Miyuki thought to himself.
One look at Sendo's expression and Miyuki knew—his next at-bat was going to be even tougher for the opponent.
"I'm counting on you—our future cleanup hitter!" Miyuki said, giving Sendo a light pat on the shoulder.
No one doubted that once the third-years retired, Sendo would naturally step in as Seidou's cleanup batter. But with the summer tournament still uncertain—whether it would end prematurely or lead them all the way to the finals—no one openly voiced those thoughts.
Miyuki was the first to say it outright.
And from the bench, many of their teammates were watching, their eyes filled with satisfaction. With Sendo and Miyuki leading the charge, Seidou's future was in good hands.
"Only until the finals? What about Koshien?" Sendo quipped. "Are you saying I won't be needed there?"
"Tch! Here I was being serious for once..." Miyuki scoffed, but after a brief pause, he added,
"You're right. Our summer—our seniors' final summer—won't end here. In fact, it's only just beginning."
Even Miyuki was saying it now.
If anyone thought these two were getting ahead of themselves, it was probably just Ota, the team manager.
Sendo didn't respond with words. Instead, he simply smirked—a knowing, confident grin.
Miyuki saw something in his expression. It was focus.
If it were anyone else, it wouldn't have been noteworthy. But this was Sendo—the guy who always seemed to be lost in his own world. And yet, here he was, completely locked in.
"No one here believes we'll lose," Jun-san chimed in as he approached.
"Yeah," Yuuki agreed.
These two really were the ultimate duo.
...
As the confrontation on the field commenced, the conversation among the players came to an end.
"Pop!"
"Strike!"
"Pop!"
"Ball!"
Standing in the batter's box, Haruichi could feel the pressure—it was even greater than he had imagined.
The fastball is similar to what the coach threw yesterday... Now I just need to track the curveball's trajectory before he gets me into a two-strike count.
"Pop!"
"Ball!"
"Whoosh!"
"Ping!" (The crisp sound of the bat)
"Foul!"
He barely made contact with the second pitch.
For someone with Haruichi's exceptional natural feel for the ball, it spoke volumes about how powerful Maki's fastball was at this moment.
Will he throw a curveball? It doesn't matter what he throws—I won't go down easily!
The other three have already contributed to the team. I can't be the only one to fall behind!
Just like in his previous life, Maki was too eager to finish him off with a curveball once he had two strikes. That impatience led to a mistake—Haruichi made solid contact, sending the ball into the outfield and making it safely to second base.
"Nice hit, Haruichi!"
"Just making clean contact and sending the ball back into play, huh?" Coach Kataoka watched intently, thinking to himself, That's the hardest thing to do in an actual game. Only a handful of players on our team can pull that off.
"There it is! The classic blushing victory pose!"
"Is that ever going to go away?"
Kanemaru and Maezono's loud voices echoed in unison.
The substitutes on the bench laughed, but more impressive was how their voices still seemed quiet compared to Kanemaru and Maezono.
"Did these two waste all their talent points on vocal volume?" Sendo thought to himself, shaking his head.
At this moment, the field belonged to Haruichi.
Kuramochi followed with a bunt, successfully advancing Haruichi to third.
Ryousuke then drew a walk, putting runners on first and third. Unfortunately, Jun was out again—luck just wasn't on his side today. Every ball he hit either landed straight in a fielder's glove or just barely missed the gaps.
However, thanks to Ryousuke's quick reaction, he advanced to second on the play, leaving Haruichi still at third.
Next up, Yuuki delivered a clutch single, bringing Haruichi home—still two outs, but now runners on first and third.
"Ping!"
"Pop!"
"He dropped it!"
"He dropped it! Run!"
Sendo sent a powerful drive toward shortstop, and though it initially looked like it would be caught, the sheer force behind the hit caused the fielder to only graze the ball's edge.
A normal play might have stopped the ball, but this one seemed to blast right through the glove.
The moment the bat made contact, Ryousuke was already running.
Hearing the ball hit the glove, he instinctively hesitated for a split second before realizing it had bounced away. Without wasting another moment, he dashed toward home, determined to score.
"Home plate!"
Sendo sprinted as well, and Yuuki was already near second base. The brief pause in Ryousuke's run led the catcher to decide throwing home was the best option.
At the plate, Ryousuke collided with Yagi in a fierce play. The outcome was difficult to judge—it could be an out or a safe call, and everything depended on the umpire's decision.
But in the next second, the catcher dropped the ball, erasing any uncertainty.
"Safe!"
"No way!"
The crowd erupted as Seidou extended their lead by five runs. While the rest of the team celebrated, only Sendo remained frozen, staring intently at Ryousuke.
Without this home plate collision, Sendo might not have remembered. But this scene unlocked memories buried deep within him.
In his past life, Ryousuke had suffered an injury in a similar collision. Though it was minor and healed quickly, he hadn't fully recovered before the finals.
A bad feeling crept into Sendo's mind. The flow of this game had already deviated significantly from what he remembered.
If Ryousuke doesn't get injured, the outcome between Seidou and Inashiro might not be so certain after all...
A large part of Seidou's loss had been due to Kawakami's shaky start. His personality made him susceptible to the pressure and atmosphere of the game—not that he was the type to be immediately shelled as soon as he took the mound, but the tension affected his performance.
Of course, Sendo wasn't aware of any of this. He had only watched the game against Inashiro once, and even if he went back for a second or third rewatch, he would intentionally skip that match.
As a result, the crucial game against Inashiro was the one he remembered the least.
All he could recall was Sawamura's hit-by-pitch and Jun's desperate shout: "No!"
Still, this wasn't enough to shake Sendo. Instead, he was more worried about Ryousuke's condition.
As for the finals, Sendo had always been the type to recognize his own limits—there were things he could control, and things he simply had to believe in.
What had already happened couldn't be changed, and dwelling on it wouldn't help.
Besides, Ryousuke didn't seem visibly injured.
In his previous life, Kuramochi had only noticed something was off when he caught a brief moment of discomfort as Ryousuke stood up. Despite his small stature, Ryousuke was undeniably a tough competitor.
"Let's just wrap this game up quickly!" Sendo thought.
However, Maki proved to be surprisingly resilient, and Seidou's offense for the inning came to an end with Masuko's at-bat.
"This inning is critical!" Yuuki reminded everyone as the sixth inning opened.
The stability of the relief pitcher would largely determine the flow of the game from here on out.
"One out at a time!"
"Got it!"
"We've got a comfortable lead!"
From the stands, Kanemaru and Maezono's booming voices echoed again.
"You can pitch without holding back!"
"Did you hear that?" Sendo pointed toward the two loudmouths.
"Sendo! Are you worried I'll get too nervous?" Sawamura grinned.
"Yeah. I'm afraid you're still dwelling on that home run from the Yakushi game," Sendo replied. His words seemed caring, but his tone made Sawamura wince.
"Also, don't try to show off just because those guys came to watch."
"Who would do that?!"
Sendo didn't respond—he just looked at Sawamura.
If Sawamura had been his rival, Sendo would've challenged him to a real match, or at the very least, lifted him up like he did with Miyuki.
Despite his bravado, deep down, Sawamura was nervous.
"Well, it's not like you can control everything," Sendo whispered as he leaned in. "Anyway, the lead is safe enough. You're allowed three walks, but if you go over that, Jun will have your head."
"Get lost! I'm not walking a single batter!" Sawamura snapped.
And with that, Sendo actually walked away.
Watching Sendo casually drape his arm over Sawamura's shoulder and whisper to him, the other players were reminded of last year—when they had all fought together on this very diamond.
"Man, Sendo was right... Three years go by way too fast," The others got sentimental for a moment. But that quickly passed, and they returned to cheering their heroes with all their might.
"Hiino! Get ready like usual!" Coach Ugai barked. "If anything happens, we'll pull Maki right away!"
His sharp words were typical—tough on the outside, but filled with concern underneath.
The truth was, as long as Maki didn't fall apart, he wouldn't be taken out.
And yet, Sensen's batters immediately turned the tables.
Inspired by Maki's determination, the rest of the team wanted to step up for their ace.
Coach Ugai heard their rallying cries, and deep down, he approved of their resolve.
Meanwhile, Sawamura was determined not to let his teammates see him flustered. He put more force behind each pitch—but just as Sendo had warned, he ended up walking the leadoff batter.
"Agh! I screwed up!"
"Walking the first batter of the inning is the worst thing you can do!" Sawamura yelled in frustration atop the mound.
"Just calm down already!"
He didn't even dare look in Sendo's direction.
Sendo, of course, was watching with an expression that all but said: You really didn't disappoint me.
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