In an instant, Harada Masatoshi understood Coach Kunitomo's plan.
Although walking Azuma Kiyokuni at this moment would load the bases, the next batter was Tanaka Wataru, whose hitting strength was good but still easier to handle compared to Azuma Kiyokuni.
Moreover, seeing Azuma Kiyokuni's excitement, if he accidentally hit a home run, they would lose three runs at once—a price Inajitsu could not afford.
Understanding this, Harada Masatoshi immediately signaled Matsumoto Takumi.
Walk?
Matsumoto Takumi frowned, then relaxed; perhaps this was indeed a good idea.
Soon, one ball after another was thrown, and Azuma Kiyokuni's face grew increasingly ugly.
"Coward!!"
Azuma Kiyokuni cursed under his breath, stomping angrily toward First Base.
"To choose a walk at this moment, it seems Inajitsu has no choice."
In the Seido dugout, Araki Keita whispered.
"Haha, they're afraid of Senior Azuma!"
As Azuma Kiyokuni's loyal fan, Isashiki Jun laughed proudly.
"Now it's up to Senior Tanaka."
"He can do it!"
"Inajitsu wouldn't think walking Senior Azuma would make them safe, would they? That's too disrespectful to Tanaka."
"Exactly, if it were me, I'd hit a home run against them."
Hearing this, everyone looked at Kusunoki Fumiya, who spoke. As Seido's reserve shortstop, his playing opportunities were pitifully few, and his presence on the field was not high. However, with his looks ranking among the top three in the team, this guy had many fangirls at school. Seeing him boasting at this moment, everyone simultaneously snickered in disdain.
On the field, Tanaka Wataru felt a bit indignant. Inajitsu's bastards actually looked down on him. Although his hitting was indeed not as good as Azuma Kiyokuni's, he was still Seido's fifth batter, a core hitter!
He had to show them a thing or two!
Whoosh!
The baseball flew, and Tanaka Wataru swung his bat with all his might.
Thwack!
"Strike!"
Damn it, I swung too slow.
Tanaka Wataru gritted his teeth and reset his stance.
Thwack!
"Strike!"
It was another Fast Forkball. Tanaka Wataru swung and missed twice, and Inajitsu's fans were sweating nervously.
"Come on! Matsumoto!"
"Strike him out!"
On the pitcher's mound, Matsumoto Takumi felt much less pressure after getting two strikes.
"Can't relax yet," Matsumoto Takumi muttered to himself as a reminder.
The third pitch was quickly thrown, a high-speed slider.
Bang!
Tanaka Wataru swung with all his might, and the bat connected with the baseball.
"Foul ball!"
Bang!
"Foul!"
Two consecutive foul balls—Tanaka Wataru seemed to be locked in a battle with Matsumoto Takumi.
Bang!
Finally, on the fifth pitch, Tanaka Wataru hit the baseball, but unfortunately, it hit the ground — a ground ball.
Inajitsu's shortstop picked up the ball and threw it directly to home plate, forcing out Kominato Ryosuke, then threw it to Second, forcing out Azuma Kiyokuni.
Compared to Yuki, who was running towards third base, the slower-running Azuma Kiyokuni obviously had a greater chance of being out.
They succeeded. After Kominato Ryosuke and Azuma Kiyokuni were out, Inajitsu got three outs. Inajitsu's fans in the stands went completely wild. Such a dangerous situation was resolved by their players. Twice with bases loaded, facing Seido's core lineup, they only allowed one run. From both pitching ability and psychological endurance, Matsumoto Takumi was excellent.
On the pitcher's mound, Matsumoto Takumi felt as if he had been released at that moment, his entire being a bit dazed.
After five innings, Seido led Inashiro Industrial 2–1.
Back in the dugout, Matsumoto Takumi stopped in front of Coach Kunitomo.
Coach Kunitomo's expression was serious. The Inajitsu players watched him nervously, fearing that the Director would criticize Matsumoto Takumi.
After a long while, Coach Kunitomo spoke.
"You worked hard."
Matsumoto Takumi suddenly looked up, tears shimmering in his eyes.
"Go back and rest well after batting. Leave the rest to your teammates," Coach Kunitomo said.
"Yes!" Matsumoto Takumi immediately began to change his glove. Coach Kunitomo did not directly put in Narumiya Mei. Compared to this immature kid, Matsumoto Takumi's batting was still better.
At this moment, Narumiya Mei walked forward, hands on his hips, and said with a smile:
"Senior, just watch how I teach those Seido guys a lesson later."
Matsumoto Takumi smiled. He wasn't annoyed by Narumiya Mei's arrogance; on the contrary, he liked that kind of personality. He patted Narumiya Mei's shoulder and said:
"I'll be watching closely. I look forward to your performance."
"Hahaha!" Narumiya Mei was like a child praised by an elder, his face filled with pride.
On Seido's side, after Azuma Kiyokuni and Kominato Ryosuke returned to the dugout, everyone expressed regret that they only scored one run in such a great situation with bases loaded twice.
"A one-run lead is still a lead, no need to be so unwilling," Isashiki Jun said.
Everyone nodded. At this moment, Coach Kataoka had already submitted a substitution request to the umpire. Kanzaki Ryou and Miyuki Kazuya walked out of the dugout, then turned back and said:
"One run is enough."
Upon hearing this, the teammates immediately understood the meaning behind Kanzaki Ryou's words.
"Kid, it's up to you," Azuma Kiyokuni said.
"Suppress them fiercely for me," Isashiki Jun said.
"Don't be careless, okay?" Kominato Ryosuke said.
Kanzaki Ryou nodded, then turned and entered the field, followed by his Seido teammates.
"Seido! Seido!"
"Kanzaki!!"
As soon as he stepped onto the field, uniform shouts like waves surged one after another. The band also played passionate music at this moment, and Seido's momentum swelled to its peak.
Standing on the pitcher's mound, Kanzaki Ryou spread his arms, feeling the atmosphere of the venue. Unlike the batter's box, the pitcher's mound was truly his position.
"Indeed, I still prefer it here."
Kanzaki Ryou looked at the blue sky, breathing the air of the pitcher's mound.
Then, his fist was raised, and the cheers of the entire stadium reached their peak at this moment. His teammates behind him couldn't help but smile as they looked at Kanzaki Ryou's back.
A few seconds later, his fist dropped sharply, and the entire stadium fell silent.
Top of the sixth inning, start!
The first batter, Inajitsu's ninth batter, Matsumoto Takumi, stepped into the batter's box.
Miyuki Kazuya shifted his position, moving closer to the batter.
Come on, inside Straight ball! Miyuki gave the signal.
Kanzaki Ryou nodded and threw the baseball with a whoosh.
In the batter's box, the baseball in Matsumoto Takumi's eyes was like a bullet. He subconsciously swung his bat, then missed.
"Strike!"
Everyone gasped, then looked at the speed board:
153 kilometers!
It got faster again! This freak!
In the catcher's position, Miyuki's mouth curved into a smile. This feeling was too wonderful.
"Niceball!"