At the bottom of the fourth inning, Seido began their attack.
After pitching for two full innings, Sanada's leg injury had clearly worsened.
The continuous close battles had already exposed his pitching style.
Even so, he continued fighting with everything he had.
But when he faced Yuki Tetsuya, the result was inevitable.
CRACK!
The moment the bat connected, Sanada felt his heart sink.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the baseball soared high into the sky and flew over the left-field wall.
A two-run home run.
With Kominato already on base, Yuki's hit extended Seido's lead even further.
Sanada stood on the mound in silence.
"…Ah."
For a moment, he completely broke down.
From the stands, players from Ichidai Third High watched the scene.
"Is that the fourth home run today?"
One of them muttered.
"Ushijima, Masuko, Furuya, and now Yuki."
"Each of them hit one."
"If that's the case…"
"The match might end early."
Manaka Kaname shook his head.
"Yakushi High School has no way to turn this around."
Not only Ichidai thought so.
The players from Inashiro Industrial had reached the same conclusion.
Several of them had already stood up.
There was no point in continuing to watch.
With Ushijima Wakatoshi pitching, a comeback was practically impossible.
The scoreboard showed:
Yakushi High School: 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Seido High School: 7 – 0 – 1 – 2
The difference had reached ten runs.
And the fifth inning was about to begin.
Yakushi's cleanup batter stepped up first.
On the mound, Ushijima threw his first pitch.
CRACK!
The batter predicted the pitch and managed to send the ball into play, reaching base.
"Alright! That's it!"
"Their pitcher is starting to slip!"
"We still have a chance!"
Mishima Yuuta shouted excitedly.
On the mound, Ushijima simply stretched his neck slightly.
So they're starting to get used to my pitching rhythm…
As expected of a strong batting lineup.
Still…
Coach Todoroki really is something.
Even after everything, his players still haven't lost their fighting spirit.
With Yakushi's dugout watching nervously, Ushijima faced their fifth batter.
The pitch was hit sharply into the infield.
But Seido's defense reacted instantly.
Shortstop Kuramochi sprinted toward the ball, scooped it up cleanly, and threw it to second base.
"Ya-ha!"
Kominato caught the ball perfectly and stepped on second base to force the runner out.
Then he quickly turned and fired the ball to first.
THWACK!
Yuki caught it without moving.
"Out!"
The first base umpire signaled immediately.
A beautiful double play.
"Double play! Woohoo!"
Sawamura shouted excitedly from the dugout.
That was a perfect defensive play.
Ushijima chuckled quietly on the mound.
"I told you…"
"Even if you manage to get on base, it won't change anything."
Now only one batter remained.
If he retired this batter, the game would end early.
Ushijima calmly delivered two pitches.
A Shootball.
Then a Two-Seam fastball.
The batter failed to connect.
"Strike three!"
The umpire raised his arm.
"Game over!"
With four complete innings played and a ten-run difference, the game ended by mercy rule.
The match between Seido High School and Yakushi High School was officially over.
Both teams lined up on the field.
"Seido!"
"Yakushi!"
"Thank you very much!"
As the teams bowed, Raichi Todoroki looked directly at Ushijima.
"Ushijima Wakatoshi… right?"
Ushijima glanced at him calmly.
"…Hmm?"
Raichi clenched his fists.
"Next time…"
"I'll definitely hit your pitch out of the park."
Ushijima smiled slightly.
"Then you'd better work hard."
"After all…"
"I'm improving too."
Raichi grinned fiercely.
"I know."
"You'll only get stronger after going to Koshien."
"And that's when beating you will mean the most."
Ushijima waved casually as they separated.
After the handshake, Seido's players left the field.
The Round of 16 was officially over.
Next up…
The semifinals.
Which school would they face?
It was something everyone on Seido's team was already thinking about.
After changing their uniforms, Seido's players ran into Inashiro Industrial in the hallway.
Both teams paused for a brief moment.
Everyone understood one thing.
If nothing unexpected happened…
They would meet in the finals.
After watching Seido's match today, the pressure on Inashiro had grown significantly.
Even Narumiya Mei, who had just completed a full-game shutout earlier, looked unusually serious.
The two teams simply walked past each other.
No words were exchanged.
Inside Inashiro's team bus, Coach Kunitomo began speaking.
"After we return, I'll arrange two pitchers to give you specialized batting practice."
"This time, the opponent is not the Seido you knew before."
"I believe you've all seen their growth today."
The players listened quietly.
"This year's Seido is extremely strong."
"They've gained a pitcher who can rival Narumiya."
He continued calmly.
"I also need to tell you something important."
"So far in the Summer Tournament…"
"Across four games…"
"Seido has allowed fewer than five hits in total."
"What?!"
The entire team was stunned.
Less than five hits in four games?
What kind of pitching performance was that?
Narumiya clenched his fists silently.
Coach Kunimoto continued.
"As you saw today, Ushijima Wakatoshi's Four-Seam fastball can exceed 155 km/h."
"He also has decent control. Not perfect, but enough to consistently challenge the strike zone."
"His Cutter and Shootball have also improved."
"Both can exceed 145 km/h, and he can vary their speed."
"A 145 km/h pitch is nearly as fast as Narumiya's fastball."
"And that's not all."
"He also throws a Two-Seam and a Sinker."
"If we don't prepare specifically for him…"
"We'll be at a huge disadvantage."
Coach Kunitomo looked at his players seriously.
"Be ready."
"The training before the finals will be… intense."
Meanwhile, Seido's team bus was far livelier.
After their victory, the atmosphere was relaxed and cheerful.
Players chatted loudly.
Ushijima sat quietly beside Yuki.
"I need to improve my Sinker control soon."
"It would be even better if I could push its speed past 140 km/h."
"Otherwise…"
"I'm afraid it won't be enough in the finals."
He looked out the window.
"I have a feeling Inashiro won't let me dominate them like this."
Yuki nodded thoughtfully.
"So tomorrow's practice…"
"Sinker and Two-Seam drills?"
Ushijima smiled slightly.
"Sounds good."
"I have no objections."