Kuramochi reached base quickly, lining the third pitch cleanly into play.
Once on base, he immediately began harassing Manaka Kaname, taking an aggressive lead and threatening to steal at every opportunity. No matter how hard Manaka and the catcher tried, they couldn't completely shut him down.
Before long, Kuramochi had stolen his way to third base, firmly entering the scoring position.
Seeing this, Kominato Ryosuke knew it was time to act.
However, he didn't swing at the third pitch—he recognized it as a bad ball.
The count ran full.
Manaka Kaname's expression darkened. To prevent a run, he chose to walk Kominato Ryosuke.
With runners on the corners, the third batter, Isashiki Jun, stepped into the batter's box and swung aggressively without hesitation.
But the result was an out.
Even so, Kominato dashed from first to second, while Kuramochi sprinted home from third.
"Throw to second base!" the catcher shouted, urgently directing the outfielder.
However, the ball had been hit deep into left field. Even though Isashiki was retired, Kuramochi had more than enough time to score.
The score widened again.
Kominato also reached second safely thanks to his speed.
Now, the fourth batter stepped up.
Yuki Tetsuya.
Without holding back, Yuki crushed the very first pitch he saw.
The sound was unmistakable.
The ball soared over the outfield fence.
A home run.
"Nice. No need to rush back—just take a leisurely jog," someone muttered.
In this inning alone, Seido's top four batters had driven in three runs.
With only one out recorded, Ichidai Sankō had already suffered heavy damage.
By the end of the second inning, they were down by eight runs.
Masuko Tōru, batting fifth, failed to get on base.
With no runners aboard, Miyuki Kazuya stepped up next—and promptly got himself out as well.
As he returned to the dugout, Miyuki dragged his bat behind him, wearing an exaggerated, chibi-like expression.
"This bastard is blatantly slacking off," someone complained.
Ushijima Wakatoshi stood up, picked up his glove, and pulled his cap down firmly.
"Focus," Miyuki said seriously. "This next matchup is against the heart of their lineup."
"If necessary, I'll call for your cutter."
Ushijima nodded silently.
Ichidai Sankō's fourth batter—also their catcher—stepped into the box.
Facing him, Ushijima showed no fear.
His first pitch exploded out of his hand.
Bang!
The ball slammed violently into Miyuki's glove.
"Ooooh—!"
"The velocity's gone up!"
"Too bad there's no radar gun here."
"That pitch had to be around 145 kilometers per hour."
"145 as a first-year? That's incredible, even nationwide."
"Last year, Narumiya Mei's fastest was 148."
"Then Seido's rookie pitcher is already close to that level."
The stands buzzed with excitement.
Ichidai Sankō's cleanup hitter was visibly startled.
At the same time, it was clear—Ushijima Wakatoshi had entered the zone.
He wasn't like this in the first inning… Did his velocity increase?
Miyuki's eyes lit up.
This is good.
He set his glove, and Ushijima nodded in response.
He won't throw a two-seam, right? the batter thought.
I'm right-handed. A two-seam would break inside—straight into my hitting zone.
On the mound, Ushijima stared at the batter like a hungry wolf.
"The cleanup hitter…?"
"Then I'll strike you out."
With a powerful motion, Ushijima fired the ball.
The pitch screamed toward the inner corner at a sharp angle.
"Fastball—four-seam—low and inside!" the batter reacted instantly.
He swung.
Just as the bat was about to connect, the ball suddenly shifted sideways, veering off its original path and slipping out of the strike zone.
"Two-seam?!"
Thwack!
Miyuki caught it cleanly.
"Wow! He threw a two-seam to a right-handed batter?!"
"That kid's got guts!"
"If that pitch didn't move properly, it would've been crushed!"
"A right-handed pitcher daring to throw a two-seam like that—unbelievable!"
The stadium erupted.
Even the reporters were stunned.
"Seido's first-year pitcher is fearless," one of them said.
"They actually called for a two-seam?" Owada Akiko asked in disbelief.
"Normally, right-handed pitchers avoid that pitch against right-handed batters," Fujio replied.
"It breaks toward third base before reaching the plate. One mistake, and it's a perfect hitting pitch."
"But he still challenged him head-on."
"If the batter hadn't swung, that could've been a ball."
Cold sweat rolled down Fujio's temple.
Still—he couldn't help but admire Ushijima's courage.
Back on the field, the count stood at two strikes.
Ushijima straightened his posture.
"Pfft—"
He exhaled sharply and went into his motion once more.
The ball rocketed forward at full force.
"Swing!"
The batter swung with everything he had—
—but missed completely.
Bang!
The ball buried itself into Miyuki's glove.
"Strike three!"
The umpire's call set the stadium ablaze.
Facing Ichidai Sankō's cleanup hitter, Ushijima Wakatoshi struck him out cleanly in three pitches.
"That was overwhelming!"
"How did their cleanup hitter go down that easily?"
But Ushijima wasn't finished.
Against the fifth batter, he continued mixing four-seams and two-seams, attacking both corners relentlessly.
Three pitches later—
Another strikeout.
"Well done," Manager Ōta said excitedly from the bench.
Even Coach Kataoka couldn't hide his joy.
Though it was only the second inning, Ichidai Sankō still hadn't managed a single hit.
And now, stepping into the batter's box—
Their ace pitcher.
Manaka Kaname.