Chapter 483: Seiko Match — Clash of Beliefs
"What a brilliant double play from the middle infield! That ball looked certain to get through, but second baseman Haruichi Kominato used his incredible reflexes to stop it. With a seamless connection from shortstop Kuramochi, they completed a double play at home and first! Seidou High locks down two absolutely crucial outs!"
"Damn, a 3-6-1 double play to home and first—seriously, they pulled that off?"
"Man, I thought for sure they were going to give up a run there."
"Yeah, exactly! That was such a tricky hit—I can't believe the second baseman managed to snag it."
"Right? Did you see his posture? His glove was way out in front at an awkward angle."
"And hey, give the shortstop credit too! Without that perfect connection, they'd have only gotten the out at first and still surrendered a run."
"What an incredible middle infield! Seidou's defense is insane. And that second baseman—he's a first-year, right?"
"Haruichi Kominato and Yoichi Kuramochi—this has got to be one of the strongest middle infield combos out there."
The spectacular synergy between Haruichi and Kuramochi sent a wave of astonishment through the entire stadium.
Both of them had performed brilliantly in those few split seconds—any small mistake could've led to disaster.
But they pulled it off.
Up in the stands, Ryousuke smiled faintly as he watched Haruichi and Kuramochi bump gloves at the center of the field.
"Haruichi, you've really grown. Now your real journey begins."
Beside him, teammates like Chris and the others wore gentle smiles of their own.
"Nice one, Kuramochi, Haruichi!"
"That was awesome, Kominato!"
"You two are getting extra dinner tonight!"
"Damn it, you two are stealing all the spotlight!"
"Hahaha, that's right! Did you see that? That's our ironclad middle infield!"
"Go, Seidou High!"
Behind the plate, Miyuki finally let out a breath of relief.
Thank goodness.
Thank goodness we've got this iron defense to rely on.
Out in left field, Furuya clenched his left hand tightly, his eyes gleaming.
That was so cool—Haruichi, Kuramochi-senpai!!!
"Two outs now, Furuya!"
"Furuya, we've got your back—go on, attack boldly!"
Their voices of trust echoed behind him.
Furuya nodded firmly, determination burning in his eyes.
With teammates like these behind me—what is there to be afraid of?!
"Batting sixth, right fielder Nishijima!"
"Whoosh!"
"Pop!"
"Strike! Batter out! That's three outs—change sides!"
The flawless play from Haruichi and Kuramochi had fired up Seidou's momentum.
It boosted Furuya's confidence—and poured cold water over Seiko High's dugout.
What had looked like a golden opportunity had completely crumbled.
Nishijima, batting sixth, barely put up a fight—especially with two outs, when most tactics were no longer an option.
In the end, Furuya struck him out in three pitches.
Top of the fourth inning—Seiko High's offense ended scoreless despite having runners on second and third with no outs.
Inside the Seiko dugout along the third base line—
"I'm really sorry… If I hadn't rushed that swing, we wouldn't have gotten doubled up…"
Tamaki spoke with a frustrated look.
"Don't sweat it, don't sweat it!"
"Yeah, I thought for sure you'd get that through. It wasn't your fault—you made a great swing. Their defense was just too good."
"That middle infield was ridiculous, Tamaki. You hit it well."
"Next time, you'll definitely do even better!"
"Yeah! Next time, even if that guy goes for it, I'll blast it—and his glove—out of the way!"
Tamaki clenched his fists and spoke loudly.
"The game's only halfway through. We may be behind, but this is still anyone's game. Stay calm—our chances will come again. But first, let's hold them here."
Coach Oga spoke in a low, steady voice.
"Yeahhhh!!"
The first half of the fourth inning had been a rollercoaster of back-and-forth action.
It had looked like a sure scoring chance for Seiko.
But Seidou High had shut it down with sheer willpower.
Now the game had truly entered a fever pitch—neither side giving an inch.
"Alright, time to warm up."
"Let's go, Raichi."
"Yeah!!"
"Carlos, let's move."
"Narumiya-san!"
At that moment—up in the stands, players from both Yakushi and Inashiro had begun to leave.
It was time for them to get ready.
After all—their turn on the field was coming soon.
As they were leaving—
Raichi Todoroki and Narumiya Mei both exchanged a knowing glance toward the Seidou dugout.
But their gazes were different.
In Narumiya's eyes—he saw Miyuki and Furuya.
In Raichi's eyes—it was Furuya and Sawamura.
"Don't lose—you can only be beaten by the true ace! (I still want to hit your pitches again!)"
With that, the cleanup hitters and aces left behind only their parting words.
This was their shared belief—their shared will!
The exit of the Yakushi and Inashiro players didn't draw much attention because at that moment, everyone in the stadium was laser-focused on the fierce battle unfolding between Seiko and Seidou.
Yes—a true fight to the death.
The first half of the fourth had lit the fire.
Both sides were now going all-out.
Tactics were thrown out the window.
It was pure, aggressive baseball.
Bottom of the fourth—Seidou High's turn at bat.
After that fierce previous inning, where Furuya and Miyuki combined for a big stand—
Ogawa Tsunematsu's pitching had also become more refined.
Leading off, Shirasu—was completely shut down.
After being pushed back with three fastballs, an outside changeup lured him into hitting a weak infield pop-up—caught for the first out.
Next, the 7th batter, Furuya—he connected solidly on a spiral pitch and drove it to center, but not deep enough. Kojima Ryuhei made the catch.
Then, the 8th batter, Tojou, drew a walk and reached first.
But Kanemaru Shinji couldn't keep the rally going.
Three pitches—three strikes.
A dominant strikeout.
Kanemaru went down swinging.
In this inning, Seidou's lower lineup couldn't do much against Ogawa Tsunematsu.
And in the top of the fifth—Seiko's offense also failed to crack Furuya.
This time—
Furuya wasn't about to give Ogawa another chance like last time.
Though his pitch count went up slightly—
Furuya firmly shut down Seiko's 7th to 9th batters.
Three up, three down.
Another fruitless inning for Seiko.
And so—the game entered its latter stages with Seidou still holding a two-run lead.
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