Seeing Kanzaki Ryou safely reach First Base, Coach Kataoka silently retreated to the dugout, but he had already made up his mind to give Kanzaki Ryou a good lecture when he returned!
Facing such a dangerous pitch, he didn't even try to dodge a little; this was practically joking with his own future!
"This bastard!" Miyuki Kazuya's expression was not very good, his gaze sharply fixed on Kanzaki Ryou. Did this guy still remember that he was the pitcher, always doing such dangerous things?
On First Base, Kanzaki Ryou suddenly felt a chill down his spine. He looked back at Coach Kataoka and Miyuki. Miyuki's expression was easy to guess; he was very angry now.
But for some reason, Kanzaki Ryou also felt a sense of terror from the Coach expressionless face.
In reality, he saw the pitch's trajectory very clearly and knew in his heart that the baseball wouldn't actually hit him, and he had actually subtly dodged a little, though the movement was small.
To others, this was undoubtedly a dangerous move. He would definitely be criticized later, right? Kanzaki Ryou thought to himself.
At this moment, Seido's leadoff hitter, Shida Shota, stepped into the batter's box.
On the pitcher's mound, Matsumoto Takumi felt relieved after seeing the smile on Kanzaki Ryou's face. When that pitch flew out, he himself broke into a cold sweat. If Kanzaki Ryou had really been injured because of him, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.
Composing himself, Matsumoto Takumi looked towards the batter's box. Seido's leadoff hitter, with Kanzaki Ryou already on base, if Shida Shota were to get on base as well, the situation would become very bad.
Soon, Matsumoto Takumi threw the ball, a Fast Forkball shot towards home plate. Shida Shota swung his bat decisively, and just as it was about to connect, the baseball dropped and dodged away.
"Strike!"
Shida Shota licked his lips. This inning was a good opportunity to score, and he absolutely couldn't miss it!
Whoosh!
"Strike!"
It was another Fast Forkball, and Shida Shota swung and missed again.
The Fast Forkball, as Matsumoto Takumi's best pitch, was thrown with great ease and was very sharp. Even though it was now the fifth inning and his stamina had somewhat decreased, Matsumoto Takumi could still pitch very well.
After pitching one Fast Forkball to the inside corner and one to the outside corner, Harada Masatoshi immediately gave the signal: an outside low high-speed slider.
The white little ball flew in an arc. Shida Shota held his breath, and with a "bang," his bat hit the baseball, sending it through the infield defense and onto the ground.
Kanzaki Ryou dashed to Second base, and Shida Shota also successfully reached First Base with his speed.
Runners on First and Second base, no outs. Inajitsu was truly in crisis this time.
Kominato Ryosuke, who stepped into the batter's box, was a little excited. This kind of situation was truly good; just watching it made one happy. If he could also get on base, that would be even better.
As the saying goes, blessings never come in pairs, and misfortunes never come alone. Following Shida Shota's hit, Kominato Ryosuke also connected with one of Matsumoto Takumi's Fast Forkballs, hitting it behind second base.
"Third Base!" Harada Masatoshi shouted. At this point, they definitely had to get Kanzaki Ryou out first.
Kanzaki Ryou sprinted at full speed, and after the baseball was caught, it was thrown towards Third Base.
Thwack!
As his foot touched the base, the sound of the baseball entering the glove followed immediately.
"Safe!"
"Whoa!!!" The spectators immediately cheered; the bases were loaded!
On the pitcher's mound, Matsumoto Takumi wiped his forehead, his hands full of sweat, and his breathing became somewhat rapid.
Bases loaded, no outs. Next, he would face Seido's core batters: Yuki Tetsuya, Azuma Kiyokuni, and Tanaka Wataru.
Clenching his fist, Matsumoto Takumi turned to look at Inajitsu's dugout. Coach Kunitomo nodded at him. This situation could no longer be resolved by changing pitchers.
"Whew ~"
Matsumoto Takumi had never been as nervous as he was now. This was the semifinals, and the opponent was Seido. If they gave up runs here, it was very likely to ruin Inajitsu's summer.
His expression was too stiff!
Noticing Matsumoto Takumi's change, Harada Masatoshi frowned. If he didn't intervene now, this inning would truly be over.
He requested a timeout from the umpire and jogged to Matsumoto Takumi's side.
"Relax, take a deep breath!" Harada Masatoshi gently pressed his gloved hand on Matsumoto Takumi's chest.
Harada Masatoshi didn't know what else to say. Neither pep talk nor criticism seemed appropriate.
Looking at his teammate's worried expression, Matsumoto Takumi looked up at the sky and exhaled deeply. After a while, he finally felt a little better.
"It's alright, I'm fine," Matsumoto Takumi said.
Harada Masatoshi nodded. Although he was still a little worried, the game had to continue.
Returning to home plate, Harada Masatoshi and Yuki exchanged glances. Yuki smiled politely at him.
This is a guy with a hidden dagger in his smile!
Harada Masatoshi thought to himself, then gave Matsumoto Takumi the signal.
Fast Forkball! If they could get Yuki to hit a ground ball with this pitch, they might even get a double play if they were lucky.
Matsumoto Takumi also knew this, but since the opponent was Yuki, the pitch had to be kept as low as possible.
Gently lifting his left leg, Matsumoto Takumi took a big stride, swung his arm, and the baseball was released!
Whoosh!
Watching the baseball fly, Yuki twisted his body and swung his bat. With a "bang," the bat grazed the baseball, sending it flying directly through the gap between Second and Third Base. The Inajitsu shortstop stretched out his glove with all his might to try and intercept it, but it was useless.
Good opportunity!
"Kanzaki!!"
A chorus of shouts rang out.
Kanzaki Ryou sprinted towards home plate.
"Third Base!" Harada Masatoshi shouted.
It was too late to throw back to home plate to get Kanzaki Ryou out now. Getting Shida Shota out and preventing him from reaching Third Base was better instead.
The baseball flew towards Third Base, getting Shida Shota out, while Kanzaki Ryou returned to home plate to score a run.
Runners on First and Second, one out. The situation seemed to have eased. As long as they could get two more outs, giving up one run was acceptable, the Inajitsu players calculated.
Matsumoto Takumi rubbed his eyes hard. The weather wasn't that hot today, and his condition was very good at the start of the game, but now he felt a little tired.
Calming himself again, Matsumoto Takumi faced Seido's cleanup hitter, Azuma Kiyokuni.
Standing in the batter's box, Azuma Kiyokuni's pressure on the catcher and pitcher was undeniable. Harada Masatoshi clearly felt this pressure, but the current situation didn't allow them to think too much.
Just then, Harada Masatoshi noticed Coach Kunitomo on the side of the field making a move.
The signal, intentional walk!
Harada Masatoshi's mind stirred. Intentionally loading the bases?