Two outs, runner on second.
That's when Seidō's cleanup hitter stepped up to the plate.
At first, a few guys in the Seidō dugout were wondering...
Would the other team get nervous facing Azuma Kiyokuni, with his big reputation, and try to avoid him?
It happens, it's not a big deal in baseball.
But they quickly realized they didn't need to worry.
Facing Azuma, the Akikawa pitcher didn't seem scared at all.
If anything, he looked ready to fight.
"This guy's got some serious guts!" one Seidō player exclaimed in admiration.
The Seidō players couldn't help but think that.
Not everyone's got that kind of nerve, they acknowledged with a hint of respect.
The third hitter, who had just come back, heard what his teammates were saying and frowned a little.
That guy's pitching is tricky. The ball's got some weird spin on it..." he remarked with a touch of concern.
The Seidō players trusted what he observed with a nod of agreement.
Their team's main players, with the exception of Takumi, who needed to be on the field to experience the atmosphere, were all hand-picked.
Their intel is usually spot on.
Still, they were confident in their batter.
Over on the Akikawa side, it was the same thing..
When their Ace showed what he could really do, their players seemed to think they could surprise Seidō.
You Shunshin on the mound got ready and threw the ball.
He didn't hold back just 'cause he was facing Azuma.
Instead, he showed off his pitching style, clean and sharp.
Takumi, in the dugout, was really locked in on Shunshin's pitch, with sharingan already activated.
Even though he was pretty far away, he could still see all the details of the pitch.
'The ball's spinning slower, and it's a low spiral...' he thought to himself.
Then he saw the ball pass through the strike zone and directly into the catcher's mitt.
Pop!
"Strike!!"
He found himself gripping the back of the dugout bench.
He'd faced Azuma before.
Didn't really have a great impression of him.
Not like anything personal, just based on how they played against each other.
They'd gone up against each other twice, and he'd struck him out once, but also given up a homer.
But the time he gave up the home run, his stamina was already depleted.
So, hitting his spiral ball out of the park then didn't really prove anything.
Plus, Azuma still had to deal with Sawamura Eijun after that.
He could only imagine how much energy Sawamura had at that point.
But even against Sawamura like that, Azuma struck out.
Now he was watching You Shunshin, and it was their first time facing each other.
Takumi suddenly had a feeling their offense in the first inning was about to be over.
Shunshin, with one strike already, looked like he was ready to go.
As soon as he got the ball back, he fired off his second pitch.
Still aiming low in the strike zone.
If you don't hit that kind of pitch just right, it's an easy grounder to the infield.
Azuma, already down one strike, seemed to have no choice at this point.
If he didn't, he'd be in a tough spot.
And once the pitcher has you in a corner, who knows what's coming next?
"They've lost the momentum..." Takumi murmured thoughtfully.
That's what he and some of his teammates were muttering in the dugout.
That was their take on it, anyway.
But then, that big guy standing in the batter's box suddenly moved.
No matter what anyone else thought, when Azuma locked in on the ball and swung, he just had this intense presence.
Like a huge mountain, inspiring fear.
The Akikawa catcher was a little surprised by how much power he showed.
They hadn't faced any of the big-name hitters before, so they weren't sure what to expect.
But this guy was definitely one of them.
He was like this intimidating force, making them nervous.
But for them, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Shunshin's best pitch was his low-angle spiral ball.
Even before it got really good, it had helped Akikawa start winning games.
The main reason their team was getting better and getting noticed was their assistant coach, a guy who used to play pro ball.
Training with him was tough, but they'd definitely improved.
They could feel it themselves, and that's why they started winning.
And once they started winning, they really understood how much fun baseball could be.
That feeling of victory was something they'd never forget.
After that, everyone on the team started training seriously.
Shunshin included, of course.
With the assistant coach's help, he really got the hang of his spiral ball.
Using that pitch, even Inashiro Industrial's cleanup hitter, who's a big deal in West Tokyo, couldn't get a good hit.
That's how they managed to keep the score close and not get completely blown out.
"Get ready to block it." Shushin signaled, with anticipation.
The Akikawa catcher was already picturing what would happen when the ball was hit.
They'd get the third out and shut down Azuma, that monster.
Their team would be so hyped!
Boom!
Just as the catcher was getting lost in his thoughts, a loud crack echoed in his ears, like a distant thunderclap.
Right away, he saw the bat connect perfectly with the ball.
The ball's spin had slowed down, so even if it was hit, it'd probably just be a foul.
But as the catcher was thinking that, his eyes went wide as he saw the bat's power just carry the ball away.
It should have gone foul.
But Azuma's swing was so strong that it changed the ball's direction and sent it soaring into the sky.
There weren't many fans there, maybe a little over a hundred.
With everyone watching, the ball traveled way over a hundred meters and landed right in the stands, bouncing off the seats.
"It's out!" someone shouted in disbelief.
"Home Run!!!" others yelled with unrestrained joy.