A mid-inning pinch runner, and now they've changed their cleanup hitter too.
Seidou High School Baseball Club's series of moves clearly showed they were ready to go all in.
In fact, they had already succeeded in their first step.
That runner just now, the one named Kuramochi, had successfully stolen a base and reached scoring position.
On the pitcher's mound, Manaka studied Zhou Hao.
Among the Seidou players, Zhou Hao's height and build were slightly below average.
He didn't look strong at all — completely unlike the image people had of a "cleanup hitter."
And judging by his appearance, he was probably just a first-year rookie…
Of course, at this point, no one would look down on Seidou just for sending out a rookie, or dare to boast arrogantly anymore.
After all, they had already paid the price for underestimating them.
Zhou Hao didn't feel the pressure until he stepped into the batter's box.
What he saw from the dugout earlier was nothing compared to this.
Every player on the City University Third High team looked strong — especially the pitcher on the mound.
Manaka stood there like a lead actor on stage, and his teammates each stood firmly in their assigned positions.
To Zhou Hao, the whole team looked like a tightly woven net.
He couldn't spot a single weakness…
It felt like no matter where he hit the ball, someone on the opposing team would grab it instantly.
And that wasn't all.
City Third High's coach gave a signal to the players on the field.
"Move up!"
After receiving the command, all the players began shifting forward.
The infielders advanced two or three steps, and even the outfielders moved up to just three or four meters outside the infield dirt.
With the defense shrinking inward, their entire formation looked like a tightened fishing net.
In Seidou's dugout, some players were on the verge of exploding with frustration.
"These guys… they're too shameless!!!"
Previously, when Takashima Rei substituted their fourth batter for the rookie Zhou Hao, some players weren't thrilled either.
But considering how the game had gone so far, keeping their original cleanup hitter likely wouldn't have turned things around.
Instead, this unknown rookie might just pull off something unexpected.
So no one complained out loud.
But they never imagined that City Third High would be so ruthless.
With their defensive strength, shrinking the defense zone meant almost any ball hit into it would be instantly caught.
"Aren't they afraid he might hit it to the outfield?"
"Their cleanup hitter was just swapped out. Zhou Hao's hitting technique might be okay, but with that build, how far can he really hit the ball?"
Takashima Rei listened to the players muttering behind her, and she quietly nodded.
Even though emotionally she didn't want to admit it, the truth was clear.
City Third High's strategy was flawless.
They had instantly found Zhou Hao's biggest weakness...
"What will you do, Zhou-kun?"
Even though, in theory, Zhou Hao didn't stand a chance, Takashima Rei still held a sliver of hope.
Standing in the batter's box, Zhou Hao watched helplessly as City Third High's players formed a tight iron wall around him.
Forget about making contact with the ball — even if he did, he had no idea where he should hit it.
"Relying on my actual ability to hit the ball past them… clearly hopeless…"
But City Third High's aggressive stance helped him make up his mind faster.
In a normal power showdown, he had no shot.
So... he'd have to cheat.
"Sharingan, activate!"
As Manaka began his windup, Zhou Hao activated his Sharingan.
A countdown rang out in his mind.
"Thirty-nine!"
"Thirty-eight!!"
…
This wasn't Zhou Hao's first time using the Sharingan to observe Manaka's pitching.
He had already watched nine pitches from the dugout.
Even from a distance, with the Sharingan on, Zhou Hao could see very clearly.
So he understood Manaka far better than most.
For example, right now, when Zhou Hao saw Manaka's grip and the angle of his arm swing,
he already knew what kind of pitch was coming.
"Based on the previous nine pitches, when facing an unfamiliar batter, he always starts with a bad pitch to probe. And the location is always inside."
Even if it's a probing bad pitch, Manaka would throw it close to the batter's body — to intimidate them.
Logically, Zhou Hao should ignore a bad pitch like this.
But he didn't.
Zhou Hao knew that once Manaka started throwing seriously, his own skinny frame would never send the ball far.
This first probing pitch… was his only chance.
Even though it looked overwhelming, since Manaka had to control it — make it miss the strike zone without hitting the batter —
he couldn't throw it with full force.
From Manaka's perspective, no one would try to hit a bad pitch.
"Whoosh!"
The baseball screamed through the air, brushing right past Zhou Hao's body.
In the dugout, someone couldn't help but cry out in alarm.
But Zhou Hao, standing in the batter's box, remained calm.
Right before the pitch, he had stepped half a step back.
And that turned the original inside bad pitch into a perfect strike.
"What!?"
City Third High's catcher stared, wide-eyed.
"Why did he position himself there?"
No one could answer.
All they saw was Zhou Hao gripping the bat tightly, swinging decisively as the ball approached.
"Crack!"
The white ball was struck cleanly and soared into the sky.
Zhou Hao released the bat and felt the sting in his palms — like his tiger's mouth was about to split open.
Even though Manaka had held back, his power was still shocking.
"What is this guy, Popeye? Why is he so strong?!"
The moment the ball flew off, Zhou Hao sprinted.
But no one watched him — everyone's eyes were locked on the baseball as it flew past the infield.
City Third High's outfielders had moved up several meters…
But when the ball sailed over their heads, they didn't have time to run back.
They could only watch helplessly as the ball bounced and rolled into the unmanned outfield.
"It got through!"
"That kid actually did it — he sent it to the outfield!"
"Run for it!!"