The fans in the stands were cheering incredibly loudly, so much so that even Seido's orchestra's fight song was completely drowned out.
Their supporters were all eagerly anticipating Miyuki's performance. They wanted to see him make contact, and they were hoping Seido would score again.
In that atmosphere, Miyuki's performance was incredibly steady. He smiled as he sized up his opponent, playfully dropping into a bunt stance.
"Safety squeeze bunt, announced in advance?"
This caught everyone in the stands off guard. They never expected the man who had just hit a four-run home run to lay down a bunt. It was genuinely devious.
Yuuki was on third base, and Seido still had two outs remaining.
If they were committed to a squeeze bunt, it would be very difficult for Ichidai Third High School to stop them.
"This is the style of the current Seido!"
Commentator Kameshima addressed the audience watching at home. "Since entering Koshien last year, Seido's style has undergone some changes. The biggest change is a shift from active hitting to active scoring. The painful lessons of missing Koshien for several consecutive years before that taught Seido a truth: only runs that are actually on the board guarantee a team's victory. Otherwise, no matter how many hits you get, it means nothing if you don't score."
According to Kameshima, Seido simply wanted to push another run across with a squeeze play.
That run was extremely important to the game.
The current score was 6 to 3 in Seido's favor. A three-run lead sounds comfortable, but against a team like Ichidai Third High School, loaded with strong hitters, they could potentially erase it in a single opportunity.
But a four-run lead was a different story entirely. No matter how hard Ichidai Third High School's players fought, tying the game in one opportunity would become very difficult.
As long as the lead held, Seido could control the game.
Head-on confrontations were not as frequent as they used to be, but Seido's overall offensive strength, especially their coordinated offense, was undeniably much stronger than before.
Listening to Kameshima's commentary, the audience couldn't help but nod along.
Seido's style was beginning to resemble professional baseball more and more. As ordinary fans, it was genuinely difficult to judge whether that was a good or bad thing. But there was no denying that Seido was stronger than before.
Whether that strength came from the addition of exceptional rookies, or from the change in team philosophy, ordinary fans couldn't say. Even experts would have a hard time giving a clear answer.
Only time would tell.
In that moment, everyone assumed Miyuki would use a squeeze play to help the team score.
Ichidai Third High School saw it too.
But they did not send their infielders charging in.
Facing the crisis of a runner on third, Ichidai Third High School appeared to have accepted giving up the run.
In a game, while this wasn't a common situation, it wasn't unheard of either. To regain control of the game's rhythm, conceding one or two runs was sometimes the right call.
Ichidai Third High School had seemingly made their peace with it. Let this run go, get three outs as quickly as possible, and fight for the final result.
Both sides seemed to have reached a quiet understanding. Seido's supporters were already preparing to celebrate.
Then everything changed.
The moment Manaka released the ball, Ichidai Third High School's infielders, who had appeared ready to concede the run, came charging forward.
Manaka was no exception. The moment he threw, he was already running in.
The sudden shift made Seido's supporters curse under their breath.
"Damn it."
Ichidai Third High School's supporters had been complaining about Zhang Han's tactical depth earlier. But their own players were no simpler. On the surface, they had appeared ready to give up the run. In reality, they had been quietly preparing to field all along. The moment the pitch was released, the infielders were already moving.
What were they planning to do? It was perfectly obvious.
They were going to charge the bunt, field it cleanly, and throw home before Yuuki could score.
As long as luck was on their side, they had a chance.
Just as Ichidai Third's infielders came sprinting in, Miyuki's expression shifted in the batter's box.
A playful look crossed his face.
"I fooled you."
The bat he had extended for the bunt was pulled back, then swung through.
Fake bunt.
The move startled Ichidai Third's infielders, and they tried to slam on the brakes. But how could they possibly stop in time? You can't just halt at full sprint, let alone reverse direction and run the other way.
By the time they had steadied themselves, the ball Manaka had thrown was already long gone.
"Ping!"
It was as if the whole play had been designed for this exact outcome. The baseball landed just behind the third baseman, in the empty space he had vacated. The shortstop, having moved up to cover, had no time to retreat and cut it off.
Ichidai Third's players could only watch as the ball dropped onto the outfield grass.
"Safe!"
A hit that long brought Yuuki home without any trouble.
Seido scored their seventh run of the game. The total score moved to 7 to 3. At the same time, Miyuki advanced to second base.
One out, runner on second.
In just three innings, Seido had scored seven runs and collected eight hits off Manaka Kaname.
And their offense was not done.
It was worth remembering that their opponent was not some weak early-round team. This was Ichidai Third High School, a side that had just reached the quarterfinals of Spring Koshien. A national powerhouse, by any measure.
Even they, facing this Seido team, could only give ground.
The gap kept widening. The terrifying strength of Seido was plain to see.
While everyone celebrated around him, Fujio, senior reporter for Baseball Kingdom Magazine, had his attention fixed on one person.
Miyuki Kazuya.
He had become the team's starting catcher as a freshman last summer, and he had not only done an excellent job behind the plate but had performed exceptionally at the bat as well.
How lucky was Seido High School?
To have recruited both Miyuki and Zhang Han in the same year.
These two had now clearly become Seido's twin stars at the core of everything.
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