"Ushijima, great job!"
"Seido's strongest cleanup hitter! You're incredible!"
The Seido Second String players erupted in cheers from the stands above the dugout.
After circling the bases, Ushijima Wakatoshi returned with a calm smile on his face. Standing outside the dugout, he looked toward Mukai Taiyo on the mound.
Kuramochi narrowed his eyes.
"Hey, Coach said we were supposed to sacrifice the first trip through the lineup!"
"So that's what we agreed on," Shirasu added with an unusually rare complaint. "Then you go and hit a home run. What does that make the rest of us?"
"Haha..." Haruichi could only laugh helplessly.
Coach Kataoka, however, quietly let out a sigh of relief.
That single run would allow Furuya to pitch with far greater confidence.
"Actually," Ushijima said, "I wasn't expecting to hit a home run during that at-bat."
Everyone turned toward him.
"His first pitch was a screwball that barely grazed the outside corner. It was meant to tempt me into swinging."
"Then I remembered Teito's scouting report on me."
"They know my hitting ability."
"They wouldn't risk throwing an inside pitch. Even if the pitch was difficult, I'd still have a good chance of pulling it for a home run."
"My reputation as Koshien's strongest batter is still enough to make them cautious."
"So I was almost certain the second pitch would stay away from the inside."
"And since he'd already thrown a breaking ball on the first pitch..."
Ushijima paused before continuing.
"I studied Teito's games beforehand."
"Mukai likes using breaking balls when he's ahead in the count."
"And during the first inning, all of you who struck out or made weak contact after falling behind were finished off with screwballs."
"But he'd already shown me one on the first pitch."
"So the second pitch was unlikely to be another screwball."
"Even if it had been, as long as I committed to the outside, I would've had a chance to track it."
"So I sat on the outside pitch."
"I released my right hand after contact and swung with only my left."
"The moment I made contact, I felt the pitch was much faster than the previous screwball."
"So I knew it wasn't another breaking ball."
"It was a fastball."
"My body let go of the bat before my mind even finished processing it."
"I guess that's what Coach means by muscle memory."
"Your body moves before your brain does."
After hearing the entire explanation, everyone stared at him in disbelief.
"What a freak..."
Toujou couldn't help muttering.
"Seriously," Kanemaru agreed.
"You make it sound so simple, but is there another high school player in Japan who could actually pull that off?"
Ushijima merely smiled.
"There was one more reason."
Everyone looked back at him.
"He got caught up in my fighting spirit."
"He wanted to beat me so badly that he rushed the second pitch."
"That's why I was able to take advantage of it."
Removing his glove, Ushijima turned to Furuya.
"The pressure on you is lighter now."
"Starting from the third inning..."
"Don't let them create any scoring chances."
"If possible, I don't want to step onto the mound today."
"And don't give me a reason to."
"Honestly, I don't have much confidence pitching in this rain."
Furuya smiled gratefully and nodded several times.
His expression clearly said:
Don't worry.
With this lead, I won't give up another run.
I'll hold them here.
"Alright."
Captain Miyuki Kazuya picked up his bat.
"Miyuki," Coach Kataoka called.
"Use the momentum from Ushijima's home run."
"Take advantage of it and bring in another run."
"After you, it's Toujou and Kanemaru."
Miyuki nodded.
"Got it."
He stepped into the batter's box and looked directly at Mukai on the mound.
Back in the dugout, Ushijima smiled.
"The first pitch will probably be a low inside fastball."
"Now it depends on whether Miyuki can capitalize."
Everyone watched with anticipation.
Sure enough...
Mukai fired his first pitch.
The instant it left his hand, the corner of Miyuki's mouth curled into a grin.
Bang!
Already waiting for the pitch, Miyuki turned on the inside fastball and drove it hard down the right-field line.
"What?!"
Mukai's eyes widened in shock.
He saw through it too?
"Right field!"
Kan Kengo immediately jumped to his feet and shouted.
Miyuki tossed aside his bat and sprinted toward first.
Watching the right fielder chase the ball into the corner, he accelerated toward second.
"A beautiful hit!"
"Miyuki with a double down the right-field line!"
"Great job!"
"Let's bury Teito this inning!"
The stadium erupted once more.
A solo home run...
Followed immediately by a ringing double.
The entire momentum of the game had shifted because of a single swing.
This was baseball.
The beauty of baseball.
One pitch could completely change the flow of a game.
"Yeah! A double!"
Sawamura pumped his fist excitedly.
"A blind cat really did find a dead mouse!"
Standing safely on second base, Miyuki glared toward the dugout.
"Would you shut up already?!"
Toujou stepped into the batter's box.
On the mound, Mukai's composure was visibly shaken.
Teito's captain immediately called for time.
Unfortunately...
The timeout couldn't erase the damage.
Giving up a home run and a double on consecutive pitches was enough to shake any pitcher's confidence.
As Toujou settled into his stance, Mukai looked at him.
"I remember..."
"You were one of the top four pitchers in junior high."
"So why are you playing the outfield now?"
"The mound was handed over to that monster."
"I thought we'd compete again in high school."
"I didn't expect you'd give up."
Toujou seemed to read every word hidden behind Mukai's expression.
"Whoosh!"
The pitch darted toward his hands from the left-handed sidearm angle.
Toujou started his swing—
Then stopped.
Snap!
The ball smacked cleanly into the catcher's mitt.
Despite his shaken emotions, Mukai's command remained excellent.
"Whew..."
Toujou exhaled and reset.
The second pitch came.
This time, he stepped forward decisively.
As the bat came through the zone, he released his right hand, following the same one-handed technique Ushijima had demonstrated.
Bang!!
The baseball leapt off the bat.
"What?!"
Kan Kengo felt another jolt of disbelief.
The ball sailed over the shortstop's head before dropping safely into left field.
Seeing it fall, Miyuki immediately broke from second and raced toward third.
"Nice one, first-year!"
he shouted while rounding the bag.
Standing safely on first, Toujou looked toward Mukai.
His former junior high rival stared back at him.
"I haven't given up."
"Not on this game..."
"And not on becoming a pitcher."
Toujou answered without saying another word.
His bat had already spoken for him.
With runners on first and third, all the pressure shifted back onto Mukai Taiyo.
Now everyone waited to see how Teito's ace would escape the biggest crisis of the game.