"Tsk, Kominato-senpai's batting style is really annoying. But if he's your teammate, that's a different story," Kanzaki Ryou said with a chuckle.
Just then, Kominato Ryosuke stepped into the dugout, and Miyuki immediately walked over to him with a grin.
"Kominato-senpai! Kanzaki said he doesn't like your batting style."
"Oh?" Kominato Ryosuke narrowed his eyes and smiled, staring straight at Kanzaki.
"Slander! Kominato-senpai's batting is my absolute favorite!"
"Really?"
"Truer than pearls!"
Kanzaki quickly forced the dangerous Kominato Ryosuke into his seat, then glared at Miyuki. This guy betrayed him in record time—no hesitation at all.
Out on the field, Aomi Rin delivered the first pitch to Yuki Tetsuya. The ball had sharp movement, cutting toward Yuki's hands.
Whoosh!
The wind split from Yuki's full-power swing. He didn't hesitate—he had already made up his mind to attack. With a loud crack, the white ball bounced sharply off the dirt, slipping past the gap between shortstop and third, breaking through the infield.
Shida Shota sprinted to second base, and Yuki safely reached first. One out, runners on first and second. Kawaji High immediately faced a dangerous situation.
"Next is Senior Azuma. Aomi Rin's movement is sharp, but his velocity is lacking," Kanzaki Ryou commented.
"His forkball is good. If he threw just a few km/h faster, he'd be a nightmare," Tanaka Wataru added.
"So you're saying it's not that he's unhittable, but it's hard to hit him well?" Araki asked.
"You can hit him, but getting a solid hit is difficult. This pitcher is smart—he knows his velocity can't overpower our lineup, so he pushes the corners harder than ever. Look at Yuki-senpai hit earlier—if that ball had been just a little higher, it would've been a long hit," Kanzaki explained.
Miyuki shrugged with a smirk. "Even if he lasts, they'll just bring in a reliever later."
"…Right," Kanzaki muttered, realizing he had forgotten about that. A Koshien-level team wouldn't rely on just one pitcher. Even Seika had backups, despite Kazashima Eita going the distance.
Crack!
A crisp sound echoed. In the batter's box, Azuma Kiyokuni swung at an outside slider after whiffing on the previous pitch. The ball flew high to right field.
"Dammit!"
Azuma clicked his tongue the moment he saw the trajectory. It was too high—an easy catch unless the outfielder messed up. Still, he had to run. Yuki and Shida were forced to advance.
As expected, the ball was caught cleanly. Then it was thrown quickly to first base—Yuki couldn't return in time.
Double play.
Seidou left two runners stranded and failed to score in the top of the first. The atmosphere dipped.
"Nanjo-senpai, it's up to you. We can't let Kawaji score first," Kanzaki said.
Nanjo nodded firmly. Kawaji was stronger than Seika, but Seidou wouldn't be giving up runs that easily.
Seidou's defense took the field. Nanjo and Tanaka Wataru retired the first batter after a brief battle. The second batter rolled a cutter straight to the infield for another out.
The third batter attacked Nanjo's first-pitch fastball, sending a sharp line drive toward shortstop.
"Shida!"
The ball shot toward Shida Shota's zone. Shida burst forward, glove snapping shut around the hard-hit ball. With a smooth flick, he sent it to Kominato Ryosuke at second. Ryosuke pivoted—no hesitation—firing straight to first.
Yuki's glove popped.
"Out!"
A perfect double play. The smooth infield defense drew immediate applause.
Neither side scored in the first inning. The game moved to the second.
Tanaka Wataru opened with a single. Moments later, Isashiki blasted a long hit, putting runners on first and second again—exactly like the previous inning.
Bearing the responsibility of scoring first, Araki Keita stepped up. After missing the first pitch, he swung at a slider and sent it to left field. Kawaji threw to third, forcing Tanaka out. Isashiki and Araki advanced safely.
Aomi Rin stared at the runners. One out. Two on. A double play would end the inning—just like before.
He went for the low outside fastball.
"Pop!"
"Strike!"
"Pop!"
"Strike!"
Yoshikawa Junpei swung and missed twice. He clicked his tongue—frustrated. Then he suddenly squared for a bunt.
Hmm?
The catcher understood immediately—advance the runner, but the risk was huge. With runners on first and second and just one out, it was too aggressive. A bad bunt could mean a double play… or worse.
Still, he had no choice—they had to defend it.
The defense crept in.
The catcher signaled: outside slider.
Aomi Rin lifted his arm—
And Yoshikawa suddenly pulled the bat back, then swung with everything he had the moment the ball came out of Aomi's hand.
CRACK!
The catcher's heart dropped. He'd been fooled.
The ball soared high. The runners took off at full speed.
The left fielder backpedaled desperately. If he hadn't been playing so shallow, he would've caught it—but now he couldn't reach it at all.
The ball dropped cleanly.
Isashiki rounded third without hesitation—charging home!