This time—
Luck was on Seido's side.
The pitch that was meant to jam Jun Isashiki inside didn't break as sharply as before.
"Clang!!!"
Even without a clean hit, Jun's raw strength forced the ball forward.
It bounced hard in front of first base—
then kicked high into the air.
"Mine!"
Mishima Yuta leapt, stretching for it—
—but missed.
The ball sailed over his glove and rolled into the outfield.
By the time Yamauchi Yutaka cut it off—
Jun was already standing on second base.
"Nice!!!"
"That's how you do it, Jun!"
"Keep the pressure on!"
Seido had another chance.
Now—
It was the cleanup hitter.
Tetsuya Yuuki stepped in.
Facing the batter who had nearly turned his cutter into a hit earlier—
Sanada Shunpei knew he couldn't afford a mistake.
But his body was already reaching its limit.
He threw—
"Clang!!!"
Too high.
Too hittable.
Yuuki didn't hesitate.
He swung with full force—
The ball soared high into the sky.
Yuuki calmly raised his right hand.
"It's gone!!!"
"Home run!!!"
"Two-run shot!!!"
"That's Seido's cleanup—Yuki Tetsuya!!!"
"What a blast!!!"
The stadium erupted.
In an instant—
The score tightened.
5–3.
"See that?! That's Seido's firepower!"
"It's only a two-run gap now!"
"They can turn this around!"
The Seido supporters roared back to life.
From the dugout, Chris adjusted his glasses.
"He's leaving too many hittable pitches," he said calmly to Coach Kataoka.
Kataoka nodded.
"He hasn't started in previous games. He's probably not built for long innings."
"If that's the case," Ota added, "then this pitcher—Sanada Shunpei—is their true ace. The third-year Mino isn't much of a threat. As long as we shut down their two first-year sluggers, our chances increase significantly."
Chris's gaze sharpened.
"Then we just need to force their ace off the mound."
Meanwhile—
On the field—
Sanada exhaled slowly.
Then smiled.
"As expected of a nationally renowned powerhouse… you guys are incredible," he said lightly. "Looks like we'll be causing you even more trouble."
"Sanada-senpai…"
"Hang in there…"
Yakushi's players watched him, concern clear in their eyes.
"No problem at all!" Todoroki Raichi shouted. "Bring it on!"
"…I'd rather you didn't say that to me," Sanada replied with a wry smile.
"Why not?!" Raichi protested.
"Oi, stop dragging everyone down!" Todoroki Raizo's voice cut in from the dugout.
"Quit nagging, old man!" Raichi shot back instantly.
Despite everything—
Yuki's home run had reignited something inside Sanada.
He gritted his teeth—
and pushed forward.
Masuko Toru was retired.
Miyuki Kazuya followed—
shut down in just two pitches.
The inning ended.
A brutal fourth inning came to a close.
Yakushi scored 2 runs.
Seido answered with 3.
Score: 5–3.
The game—
was far from decided.
Watching from the sidelines, Sawamura Eijun clenched his fists.
…That's what an ace looks like.
Top of the Fifth Inning
To deal with Kitamura Kou's overwhelming speed—
Seido made a bold decision.
They walked him.
Not just him—
But also Mishima Yuta.
Four consecutive walks.
The crowd immediately erupted in dissatisfaction.
"What is Seido doing?!"
"They're not even fighting!"
"That's cowardly!"
But—
It worked.
With Mishima ahead of him, Kitamura's base-stealing ability was restricted.
Trying to force a double steal would be too risky—
even for Yakushi.
Seido had turned Yakushi's greatest weapon—
into a limitation.
"What kind of team does that?!" Tsukishima Wakaba puffed her cheeks angrily. "First they avoid Kou, now this?! That's just shameless!"
"Shameless Seido—bleh!" Tsukishima Momoe stuck out her tongue toward the dugout.
Aoba frowned.
"…They must be under serious pressure. Otherwise, a powerhouse like them wouldn't go this far."
"No guts!"
"Fight them head-on!"
"Crush them, Yakushi!"
The crowd continued to jeer—
But Seido didn't waver.
On the mound—
Kawakami Norifumi steadied himself.
With the team's full support—
He held the line.
Yakushi failed to score.
Bottom of the Fifth Inning
Seido pressed the attack again.
This time—
They changed tactics.
Seeing Sanada's fatigue—
They began using short-bat techniques.
Bait the pitcher forward.
Pull the bat back at the last moment.
Force long counts.
Drain his stamina.
It was the same strategy once used against Furuya Satoru.
Todoroki Raizo reacted immediately.
"When Sanada steps in—move up!" he shouted.
The infield shifted forward.
Fukuda and Kobayashi closed the distance toward the mound—
cutting off Seido's tricks.
"Don't let them play you!" Raizo barked.
The adjustment worked.
Sanada held firm—
and shut the inning down.
But the cost—
was heavy.
End of the Fifth Inning
Seido didn't score—
But they achieved something just as important.
They had drained Sanada's stamina even further.
Little by little—
The flow of the game was changing.
From being completely suppressed—
Seido was now taking control.
The comeback—
had truly begun.