Zhang Han hit a Second Base hit.
No outs, runner on Second Base.
For the Seido High School Baseball Team's supporters, what better scoring opportunity could there be than now?
At this moment, the Seido High School Baseball Team's hardcore supporters, including Zhang Han's personal fans, were all incredibly excited.
They shouted the names of Seido and Yuuki in ecstasy, completely forgetting themselves.
"Seido! Seido!!!"
"Yuuki, Yuuki!!!"
In this fervent atmosphere, many fans in the stands even involuntarily imagined the Seido High School Baseball Team tying or even taking the lead.
That image was so clear it lingered in their minds.
Precisely because of this, the cheering from the stands became even more intense.
It was as if the game had reached its climax.
In fact, the game had indeed entered its final decisive stage.
Facing this huge crisis, the Yokohama Kohoku players, however, showed no signs of panic.
On the contrary, it seemed as if all of this had been anticipated, and their subsequent reactions were decisively swift.
They intentionally walked Yuuki Tetsuya for the first time.
The situation became no outs, runners on First and Second Base.
Owada Akiko in the stands, although a new editor for Baseball Kingdom, didn't know much about baseball.
But from the few games she had covered, intentionally walking a batter with no outs and runners on base was a rare sight.
Were the Yokohama Kohoku players overreacting?
"No overreaction, this is precisely calculated. Yokohama's Coach seems like a reckless person, but that's mainly due to his outgoing personality. In fact, he is extremely meticulous. He must have discovered something very unusual to make such a drastic decision."
No outs, and a runner still on Second Base.
Under such circumstances, intentionally walking a batter would put the pitcher in a very passive situation.
But Yokohama Kohoku still resolutely did so, with almost no hesitation.
Knowing it was a very difficult choice, yet able to make a decision instantly, it's impossible for just a few teenagers to have such courage.
This must have been the Coach's idea.
From this detail, it can also be seen that even though Yokohama Kohoku was leading by one run, they were well aware of their own capabilities.
Going toe-to-toe with the Seido High School Baseball Team in a brutal slugfest would not benefit them at all.
Instead, the game could be reversed, leading to a loss.
This was something the Yokohama Kohoku players were unwilling to accept at all costs, which is why they made that choice.
Even if it meant taking some risks, they wanted to resolve all the Seido High School Baseball Team's batters as much as possible.
Even if they lost a little face, they wanted to ensure victory in this game.
Such a thing is of course easy to say, but by no means easy to do.
This not only requires great courage and determination, but also sufficient trust in the players on the field.
This isn't even just technical trust; it also includes the players' personal mindset…
All in all, being able to make such a choice indicates that Yokohama has a certain level of confidence in achieving it.
The Seido High School Baseball Team's teammates were naturally well aware of this.
They easily sensed the intentions of these Yokohama Kohoku players.
However, being able to sense it is one thing; wanting to break it is another.
Isashiki Jun, widening his eyes, stepped up to the plate next.
After Zhang Han got a hit, the Yokohama Kohoku players chose to intentionally walk Yuuki without hesitation.
What did this mean?
Was it a sign of disrespect towards him?
Although Isashiki Jun admitted that his hitting ability was not as good as Zhang Han's and Yuuki's, that did not mean he had no dignity.
"You want to treat me like a pushover? You'll have to see if you have the teeth for it!"
In the previous three at-bats, Isashiki Jun had also hit the ball and helped the Seido High School Baseball Team score their first run.
At this moment, his words were not without basis.
He did have some confidence that he could blast the opponent's pitching and score runs.
Seeing the prepared Isashiki Jun, even Uehara, who had been pitching very calmly before, couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.
Isashiki Jun left a very bad impression on him; it wasn't that his swing was incredibly powerful.
Compared to Zhang Han's and Yuuki's swings, Isashiki Jun's swing was at most passable; it wasn't particularly powerful.
He dared to face Yuuki Tetsuya and Zhang Han, so how could he be afraid of Isashiki Jun's swing?
The key issue was not whether he was afraid, but that the opponent was too unpredictable; Isashiki Jun's actions were simply impossible to predict.
It was precisely for this reason that Uehara's pitches had been hit before.
Now, challenging this opponent again and resolving him cleanly was also a considerable challenge for Uehara.
Fortunately, after the first three rounds of confrontation, he had gained some understanding of Isashiki Jun's hitting style.
The opponent's swing was very aggressive; even if the ball wasn't in the strike zone, as long as it was in a position he could swing at, he would actively swing.
Knowing this characteristic, redesigning the pitching strategy against Isashiki Jun was no longer so difficult.
Of course, to truly resolve him, superior skill was still required.
"Ping!"
"Foul ball!"
"Ping…"
"Foul ball!!"
Isashiki Jun swung twice in a row, both times hitting the ball foul.
Manager Ota's expression was almost tearful.
"Why did he swing at such an obvious bad pitch?"
He really didn't understand.
It was precisely because Isashiki Jun swung recklessly at bad pitches that the current terrible situation was created, leading to him being pushed to two strikes by the opponent.
In that case, didn't Isashiki Jun have no way out at all?
Coach Kataoka, on the other hand, said nothing.
He also knew where the problem lay.
But aggressive hitting was Isashiki Jun's characteristic, and Coach Kataoka couldn't say anything about that.
If he had to say something, he could only say that their opponent today was too cunning.
They actually formulated a pitching strategy specifically targeting Isashiki Jun's own characteristics.
Should it be said that they were indeed Yokohama Kohoku players?
Just as Coach Kataoka was thinking that, the situation on the field had reached an irreversible point.
Isashiki Jun, with a fiery gaze, swung his bat unceremoniously at the incoming baseball.
Even with no room to retreat, Isashiki Jun still adhered to his hitting style.
"Ping!"
"Thud!"
The baseball was hit into an infield pop-up and landed in the Second Base player's glove.
"Out."
The situation became one out, no runners on base.
Zhang Han and Yuuki stood on the bases, unable to move a single step.
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