Bab 129: [129] The All-Out Battle Against Sensen
Chapter 129: The All-Out Battle Against Sensen
Danger!
In Sensen High's dugout, Coach Ugai furrowed his brows. He hadn't anticipated that Seidou High would suddenly accelerate their offensive tempo here.
One out, bases loaded, and they were facing the cleanup hitter.
There was no option to walk him—the lead was only by one run. But thinking about that fourth batter's powerful swing, the gloom on Coach Ugai's face deepened.
Being cautious, conceding runs was inevitable, but he had to limit the damage to the lowest possible level and secure an out!
After weighing the pros and cons, Coach Ugau made the difficult decision.
At home plate, Yagi lightly waved his hand.
Sensen's players shifted their defensive positions, with the outfielders moving slightly to the right.
They had thoroughly analyzed Seidou's lineup, especially Isashiki Jun, the core batter.
His ability to unleash power and perfectly control his swings to the right side made him a daunting opponent. Naturally, Sensen prioritized defense on that side.
The infielders adopted a middle-defense stance, prepared to give up one run but determined to get the necessary outs.
"Oh! Sensen High hasn't panicked under pressure and has opted for a middle-defense strategy, aiming to minimize their losses!"
This cautious defensive setup was a standard move for careful coaches.
But the key issue remained: Coach Ugai hadn't noticed the hidden danger in Maki's mind—the intense frustration, anger, and resentment he felt toward Seidou High.
Even after being repeatedly hit, Maki wasn't cooling down to reflect on whether it was his own fault. Instead, he grew more furious, determined to prove himself.
Perhaps Coach Ugai did notice, but he thought it wasn't a big deal and didn't take it seriously.
He was confident in his control over his players.
But he underestimated human emotions, especially those of a proud pitcher.
Only Seidou could provoke such emotions!
In this game, Maki's pride as an ace exploded. His refusal to lose to Seidou was pushing him step by step toward self-destruction.
Whoosh!
Smack!
"Ball!"
Whoosh!
Crack!
"Foul!"
"The second pitch was another fastball to the outside corner, fouled off toward third base. Despite the bases-loaded crisis, Sensen's pitcher and catcher are fiercely fighting back, refusing to give an inch!"
Heh, that fastball has some heat. With his height, the ball comes in steep, creating speed, power, and late movement.
Avoiding a curveball matchup, huh?
Isashiki Jun twirled his bat slightly, thinking to himself.
But even your fastball—I can still crush it!
Whoosh!
As the ball glimmered in the sky, a fierce glint flashed in Isashiki Jun's eyes.
With a powerful swing—
Crack!
What!?
At home plate, Yagi's expression was one of shock as Isashiki's bat perfectly connected with the pitch.
A sharp, ear-piercing crack resounded.
The blinding white ball shot up into the sky. As Seidou's side erupted with deafening cheers, the faces of Sensen's players turned pale.
The ball soared past the infield and into the outfield, gripping everyone's attention.
"Go through!"
"Catch it!"
Without needing to shout, the expressions on both teams' benches conveyed those thoughts clearly.
Thud!
In the end, neither Sensen's center fielder nor the right fielder had any chance to stop it.
The ball had been hit too hard and too fast.
Isashiki Jun's power was fully displayed, sending the ball deep into right-center field.
As the ball landed and the runners returned to home plate, Maki's face grew deathly pale.
At that moment, he finally realized just how fragile his pride as an ace was against Seidou's powerful lineup.
"A precision hit! Seidou's third batter, Isashiki, pulls the ball to right-center field, bringing both runners from second and third home to score!"
"Top of the fifth inning, Seidou has taken the lead! And with only one out, they still have runners on second and third. Up next is Seidou's cleanup hitter!"
"Cleanup hitter, first baseman, Yuuki-kun!"
Boom!
A wave of power surged through the field as Yuuki stepped up to the plate, exuding calm confidence.
As Yuuki Tetsuya stepped into the batter's box, you could visibly see the slight tremble in Maki's body on the mound.
Sensen High was now teetering on the edge of a cliff!
In the top of the fifth inning, Seidou's batting lineup had completely exploded. They had perfectly timed their swings on both curveballs and fastballs, leading to the utter collapse of Sensen High's ace, Maki.
Timely hits by Isashiki Jun and Captain Yuuki secured three runs for Seidou High.
Then, Masuko Tooru, the fifth batter, hit an extraordinary home run deep into right field, landing it in the stands behind the right outfield.
The score gap had now widened to five runs.
This effectively signaled the complete downfall of Maki.
Coach Ugai moved his lips as if to speak but remained silent.
After a solid performance in the early innings, Sensen High had completely unraveled in the middle of the game.
At this point, Coach Ugai had clearly identified the main issue, but it was not something easily solved.
"Is this where it ends again this year...?"
Coach Ugai muttered to himself.
Sensen High made a pitching change after that, bringing in their third-year relief pitcher, Hino.
However, it only temporarily slowed Seidou's momentum.
Sensen High's defeat was now inevitable.
Even Haruichi Kominato, pinch-hitting for ace Koichiro Tanba, crushed a deep hit to left field, contributing to the onslaught.
Seidou High racked up seven runs in this inning as their batting lineup fully erupted.
Even though Sensen fought valiantly in the bottom of the fifth inning, managing to squeeze out one more run from Tanba, and with four innings still left to play, the outcome was clear to all in attendance.
This game was now firmly in Seidou High's grasp!
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