Under the watchful eyes of the entire stadium, the baseball soared into the gap between center and right field.
A figure from right field sprinted forward—its speed rivaling Yoichi Kuramochi, Seido High's famed "Cheetah."
Less than fifty centimeters from the ground, the player dove, using his momentum to snatch the ball just before it hit the dirt.
The momentum carried him forward, and he rolled smoothly to absorb the impact before raising his left hand high.
"Out! Third out! Change of field!" the umpire's voice echoed.
The crowd erupted.
"Wow! That was a perfect slide catch!"
"I never expected Yakushi High to have such a strong defensive player!"
"Keep it up, number 18! Take down Ichidaisan High!"
The cheers didn't stop.
"That was amazing! Kou did a fantastic job!" Tsukishima Wakaba hugged Tsukishima Momiji tightly, jumping with excitement.
"Tch… in my opinion, it was all luck. That catch and the home run earlier pure flukes. Otherwise, how could he hit a breaking ball?" Tsukishima Aoba said dismissively, turning her head.
"Alright, alright, whatever you say," Wakaba said softly, giving Aoba a gentle look as she sulked.
Yutaka Yamauchi, arriving a bit late, extended his hand to Kitamura Kou.
"Thank you so much, Kitamura!"
Kou stood, removed his cap, and brushed the dirt off his uniform.
"What a beautiful dive!"
"Well done!"
Everyone gathered around, celebrating.
"Alright! Time to switch sides. Back to the dugout to change your gear. Our turn to bat—let's crush them!" Kou shouted.
"Yeah! Let's go!"
In the stands, Akiko Owada analyzed the game. "Judging by this momentum, Yakushi's defense is even stronger than Akikawa Academy's. I'm curious how their ace, Shunpei Sanada, measures up or when he'll enter."
"Yes. Their momentum is total. The outcome now depends on whether Ichidaisan's next hitters can break through their defense. And up next is…" Mine Fujio's voice lowered, "…Yakushi's center batting lineup."
In Ichidaisan's dugout, tension was high.
"I didn't expect their pitcher to be this tenacious. Hanamichi, it's on you put pressure on their center batter," Coach Tahara said, patting Hanamiya on the back.
Hanamiya swallowed hard, eyes fixed on Yakushi's four first-years, already geared up and ready.
"Bottom of the third inning, Yakushi High's attack. Third batter, first baseman, Mishima."
"Mishima, don't hold back hit hard!" Todoroki Raizo encouraged as Mishima Yuta stepped up.
Mishima nodded and entered the batter's box.
"Hanamiya, don't be careless you've already seen how strong our next opponent is," Takami Akito said, setting his glove at the outer corner.
Hanamiya gripped the ball, throwing with both caution and force.
Snap!
"Strike!"
Mishima didn't swing.
"First, we'll count the outside balls, then settle things on the inside," Takami decided.
Hanamiya threw the second pitch.
Another outside corner pitch, this time high.
Ping!
"Foul!"
Mishima swung decisively, but the ball sailed wide.
"Good, he's reacting to our pattern. Let's throw another high outside ball and see if he falls for it." Takami analyzed.
The third pitch went high and outside again. Mishima, with his count already low, had no choice but to swing.
Clang!
The ball flew out of bounds. He was entangled in Ichidaisan's defense.
"Three outside balls down. Now for the inside corner Hanamichi, this is our advantage," Takami thought.
Hanamiya nodded silently, adjusting his grip.
Four-seam fastball, 140 km/h, high inside corner.
Mishima's eyes lit up finally, the pitch he wanted.
He swung decisively, using his left hand to powerfully follow through after releasing his right.
"Get out of here, you bastard!"
Clang!
The ball soared toward left field not very fast, not very high but perfectly landing between third base and left field.
"Run, Mishima!"
"Go for it, little fatty!"
The Yakushi students shouted, urging him on.
Though Shimizu, the left fielder, was quick to react, by the time he secured the ball, Mishima had already reached first base safely.
"Fourth batter, third baseman, Todoroki Raichi!"
"Give me another big one, first-year brat from Yakushi!"
"Let's go, Yakushi!"
"Take them down, Todoroki Raichi!"
Even before Raichi entered the batter's box, the crowd was restless.
"Coach, should we switch pitchers?" Takami Akira asked via code.
"It's only the third inning. Substituting now will make the rest of the game harder," Coach Tahara decided, letting Hanamiya continue.
Raichi didn't shake with excitement like before. He simply smiled, watching Hanamiya on the mound.
"Hanamiya, don't overthink it. We're in the lead. Even if they score a run or two, our offense will catch up. Just throw your best into my glove," Takami Akira said, covering his mouth with his glove.
"Yes, trust our defense and let him swing," Fukushima said.
"That's right show confidence! Ichidaisan has never feared anyone when it comes to batting!" Takahiro Ohmae added.
"Go, go! Ichidaisan High!" The players returned to their defensive positions, ready for the next battle.