The progress of the match between Yakushi High and Sankou High was something no one had expected.
However, from the situation on the field, the result was roughly what everyone had imagined, with Yakushi High School taking the lead and holding the advantage.
By the time the game reached the 8th inning, the score was tied 4-4, making it a draw.
Although both sides had the same score, in terms of momentum and the overall situation, Yakushi High School's baseball team had a slight advantage.
Even more importantly, Yakushi High School's Ace pitcher was injured, and despite his absence, the team managed to maintain such a performance. Their effort and strength were visible to all.
As the game neared its end, almost inevitably, Yakushi High, having weathered the crisis, now looked even more powerful.
In the stands.
The members of the Seidou High School baseball team were whispering amongst themselves.
The progress of today's game was completely different from what they had imagined.
After Sanada's injury, Yakushi High's team nearly collapsed.
This was something the Seidou High team had anticipated. In a game of this level, if a pitcher wasn't strong enough, there was no way they could remain on the field.
And it wasn't just Yakushi—if it were Seidou's team, they would face the same issue.
Back in the third inning, Yakushi's team had evened the score, and they even completed a comeback.
They performed aggressively, looking nothing like a team without an Ace pitcher.
However, even with the score turned around at that point, many members of the Seidou High baseball team still didn't believe that Yakushi High could stabilize the game.
Sankou High, after all, was one of the three major powerhouse teams, alongside Seidou High and Inazuma Industrial High.
Even though they hadn't shown particularly dazzling results in the past year, having lost twice to Yakushi High previously, they still had the foundation of a powerhouse. Plus, they had their Ace, Amahisa.
A strong pitcher could boost their teammates' morale.
So from every angle, Sankou High's team still had a significant advantage.
The first-year pitcher who had taken the mound, though he had shown strong performance initially, was still unfamiliar to Sankou High, who hadn't yet figured out his pitching style.
As the game continued, it was only a matter of time before his pitches were hit.
Sure enough, in the following attack, Sankou High found the gap.
They hit successive singles, and within one breath, scored two runs.
This changed the score to 4-3, completing the comeback.
"Yakushi High School's baseball team is in danger now!"
Everyone who saw this was shocked.
At that moment, they felt that Yakushi High's team would definitely face an even greater crisis in the remaining time.
These two runs were just the beginning—it wasn't anywhere near over yet.
Not only the casual spectators but even many of the Seidou High School players thought the same.
There was no choice—Yakushi High was in a very unfavorable situation at the moment.
Unless Sanada could make a full recovery, it would be difficult for Yakushi High's baseball team to turn the situation around.
But no one expected that at this critical moment, the team's power hitter, Todoroki Raichi, would step up.
With a clean and decisive swing, he hit his second home run of the game.
This guy was a monster—once he got going, no one could stop him!
Just like that, the score was tied 4-4.
When the score changed to 4-4, although everyone was stunned by Todoroki Raichi's personal strength, they still didn't have much confidence in Yakushi High's team.
From their previous feeling, it seemed that the tall first-year pitcher who had just stepped onto the mound wouldn't be able to stop Sankou High's attack.
Even if Todoroki Raichi was terrifying, the team would definitely not be able to complete a comeback on the scoreboard!
At that time, people almost all thought that it was only a matter of time before the first-year pitcher would collapse.
But no one expected that, in the next part of the game, despite giving up several hits, Igarashi remained unscathed, not conceding a single run.
His tenacious performance made everyone look at him with newfound respect.
It also indirectly told everyone not to underestimate him just because he was a first-year student.
He was strong!
"I didn't expect this kid to really hold on!"
Up in the stands, Miyuki commented with a touch of admiration.
Having played almost six innings against Sankou High's team, and conceding only two runs, Igarashi's performance was quite surprising.
However, Sankou High wasn't in the mood to appreciate this surprise at the moment.
"This is too early to say. Let's see what happens in the eighth inning," muttered Sawamura.
In the bottom of the 8th inning, it was Sankou High's turn to bat.
The first batter up was the third batter, Miyagawa.
Even though Igarashi had kept the score intact and prevented Sankou High from scoring too many, he had still given up a fair number of hits!
This was already the third time he'd faced Miyagawa
In the bottom of the 8th, it was Sankou High's key batting lineup.
For Sankou High, this was a golden opportunity to take the lead.
They certainly weren't going to let it slip.
The Seidou High School players sat leisurely in the stands, and that only deeply irritated both teams.
Seidou was fully prepared, after all, their match was already over.
Although it was a very intense and heated match, once a game is finished, it's over.
Moreover, thanks to having Sawamura as their safety net, the Seidou players didn't expend much energy.
Tomorrow's back-to-back matches didn't pressure them much.
Meanwhile, Sankou High and Yakushi had already exhausted a lot of energy in this game. If they had to play extra innings...
They might not even have the stamina to challenge Seidou High; they could collapse as soon as they stepped onto the field…
That absolutely couldn't happen!
So, they had to secure the victory as soon as possible.
With that mindset, Sasaki stepped up to the plate, ready to give everything he had to hit the ball.
Perhaps because of his intense determination, his swing wasn't as fluid as usual.
Though he made contact with the ball, it became a high-fly ball.
The baseball soared into the air, and Mishima at first base caught it effortlessly.
Snap!
"OUT!"
Mishima, having secured the out, looked particularly happy.
"I'm a genius!!"
Mishima kept repeating that, even waving his hand to the stands and the players behind him, expecting some praise.
The fans in the stands cooperated, applauding and complimenting him.
They exaggerated Mishima's actions to the point where he almost seemed like a prodigy.
If it were anyone else standing in Mishima's place, hearing such praise would likely have made them embarrassed. But Mishima didn't care at all, continuing to show off.
"Coach, did you see that? This is what the super first baseman Mishima can do!!"
In the Yakushi High School bullpen, Coach Todoroki Raizou felt embarrassed.
'Is this a joke?'
The current Yakushi High team was completely different from the old Yakushi High.
Though the old Yakushi team had managed to make it into the top 16 in the West Tokyo region, it was barely a qualification, and their actual strength couldn't compare, let alone their reputation.
In the West Tokyo top 16, Yakushi was the least well-known team.
Apart from the local rivals, hardly anyone knew them.
But now, the situation is completely different!
Since Coach Raizou had led the team to practice matches against the national powerhouses, starting with consecutive victories, Yakushi's team had bid farewell to its past mediocrity.
Now, wherever they went, Yakushi High's team was an impressive sight.
Especially after reaching the top 8 in the Spring Koshien, Yakushi's popularity surged dramatically.
Although their fame still couldn't compare to that of Sawamura and Seidou, they were significantly ahead of everyone else.
Some professional scouts had also taken notice of Yakushi's team, particularly Todoroki Raichi's potential.
It must be said, there were very few hitters like him.
Back to the point, now that Yakushi High's team was so under the spotlight, naturally, they began paying attention to their image.
And Coach Raizou wasn't exempt from that.
He too had started to take his image seriously. His previous untidy appearance had been cleaned up considerably.
Last year, when Mishima acted like this, Raizou didn't find it embarrassing. But now, seeing Mishima behave this way, he felt extremely awkward.
"After the game, just wait and see how I'll deal with you!"
Coach Raizou muttered to himself, simmering with anger.
The Coach was furious in the bullpen, while the players had no idea.
…