Chapter 45: Seidou vs. Sensen (3)
Cheers erupted all around—Rinichi had just hit a grand slam.
Maki stood frozen, staring blankly at Rinichi, who was now being mobbed by his upperclassmen.
Everyone on Seidou was smiling, in stark contrast to the stunned faces on Sensen's side. In that moment, it felt as if the game was already over.
Maki had long known how strong Rinichi was—he'd seen it back when they were both in Kanagawa.
Ace pitcher, cleanup slugger, and captain wearing jersey number 1…
He'd always been dazzling, and now in high school, that radiance hadn't dimmed at all. It was as if nothing in the world could suppress his brilliance.
That was probably why Seidou had recruited him.
Maki pulled his cap down and stepped off the mound.
Coach Ugai rubbed his chin and said, "Why did you pitch to that batter? You knew full well he's a power hitter. Or did you actually think you could strike him out?"
Maki clenched his jaw. "I'm sorry."
This inning had cost them four runs in one go.
The rest of the Sensen team forced awkward smiles.
"Don't worry, we'll get those runs back!"
"Yeah."
…
Maki remained silent.
"Enough. If you pitch like that again, I'm pulling you," Coach Ugai said coldly.
The only reason Maki was still on the mound was because this had been his best condition all season. Ugai wasn't about to yank him without giving him another shot.
In the stands, the Inashiro Industrial players watching the game looked grim.
"Whoa, they pulled four runs just like that. That little Rin's batting is terrifying," murmured Narumiya Mei, resting his chin in his hand.
Harada glanced over at him. "Kamishiro hits a home run in every single game."
The others were stunned, their faces showing disbelief.
They hadn't noticed that pattern.
A home run every game?
Bottom of the 4th inning.
Though Furuya had a bit of a rough time on the mound, he still held them scoreless. It just made things tough on his fielders.
Top of the 5th.
Seidou went down 1-2-3, the inning ending with Ryousuke.
Bottom of the 5th, they nearly gave up a run.
6th inning.
"Third batter, center field—Isashiki!"
Maki seemed to have regained his rhythm. His windup was just as fierce as ever.
"Strike!"
From the first pitch, Rinichi could tell Maki's condition had actually improved a bit since earlier.
So that grand slam didn't rattle him at all?
A mentally tough pitcher… not exactly easy to like.
But winning a game isn't about mental toughness alone.
There was still one fatal flaw in Maki's pitching—he kept throwing the same type of pitch.
Rinichi thought to himself.
At the plate, Isashiki Jun was his usual loud self, yelling even as he swung. On the second pitch, he hit a line drive to left field, but it was caught.
Rinichi closed one eye.
This inning would likely link up with his seniors again.
If they kept up this batting order rhythm, they'd blow Sensen wide open.
"Kominato, go warm up with some practice swings," Coach Kataoka said suddenly. "If the chance comes up, you'll be pinch-hitting."
"Yes, sir!" Haruichi was visibly excited.
Rinichi dipped his head, pulling his cap low enough to shade half his face, a smirk tugging at his lips.
Our coach really doesn't like giving the opponent a chance to breathe.
Yuuki Tetsuya stepped up and swung with serious intent—his ball pierced the defense for a clean double.
"That's it, connect the lineup! Let's go, Masuko!" Isashiki shouted dramatically, almost tearful.
After signaling with Coach Kataoka, Masuko grounded a ball to third base.
Now there were runners on first and third.
Rinichi stood up, put on his helmet and glove, and walked toward the on-deck circle, bat in hand.
And once again, Miyuki was intentionally walked.
Rinichi: "..."
Coach Ugai stroked his chin.
Rather than risk facing this batter and giving up a run, it was better to just walk him.
As long as they handled the next two batters, they'd escape this inning without allowing another run.
Just then, the announcement echoed through the stadium:
"Batting eighth, pinch hitter—Haruichi Kominato."
One out, bases loaded... Sensen was in deep trouble.
In the Sensen dugout, voices called out to shut Kominato down.
They probably didn't know how strong Haruichi really was. After all, he was just a first-year, and they underestimated him. On top of that, he had only pinch-hit once before in this summer tournament—there was barely any data on him.
Well, they were already backed into a corner.
Rinichi thought to himself.
"Strike!"
"Ball!"
Two pitches—no swing.
"Foul!"
Just one more strike and he'd be out.
"Nice! You're right on time with your swings!"
"Don't overthink it! Just hit it when it comes!"
On base, Yuuki and Miyuki called out encouragement.
Rinichi: "…"
He felt strange not saying anything himself.
"…You've got this, Haruichi!"
That was all he could bring himself to say.
On the fourth pitch—crack!
Kominato connected.
Rinichi immediately took off running.
The ball soared high to left field, flying just over the fielder's glove and crashing into the grass.
A bases-clearing double.
Seidou instantly pulled in three runs.
Their lead over Sensen stretched to seven runs.
Bottom of the sixth inning.
"Ball four!"
The first batter walked.
"Ball four!"
No outs, runners on first and second.
The next batter laid down a sacrifice bunt to force a score.
The ball rolled toward first.
Although they got the out at first, there was now a runner on third.
This inning was shaping up to be even worse than the last.
Still, they managed to make contact.
The next batter also squared for a bunt.
Not only that, whenever Furuya went into his pitching motion, the runners on base twitched aggressively—adding more pressure.
A bunt again—ball to first.
Sensen scored one run.
Two outs, runner on third.
"Ball four!"
The third walk of the inning.
Runners on first and third.
Too many walks.
Logically, you'd expect a batter to start swinging, even at a borderline pitch, to avoid being walked again. And even though Furuya occasionally threw a hittable pitch, the velocity made it hard to connect, which was probably why they kept opting for bunts…
Or maybe, Rinichi thought, Sensen had figured out Furuya's weakness.
Thankfully, Furuya struck out the next batter, ending the inning before more damage was done.
Still, Coach Kataoka announced that the next inning, Kawakami would take the mound.
Furuya didn't look happy about it.
Understandably so. It had taken a lot just to get this chance to pitch, and he probably wanted to stay out there longer.
Rinichi sat down.
The batting order continued as usual—Seidou added two more runs in the 8th and one in the 9th.
Kawakami, who took over in the 7th, gave up one run.
In the end, Seidou closed out the game with a commanding 10–2 victory.
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A/N: Guys, I might continue uploading DNA: Echoes of the Ace next week. Also, let me tell you—this fanfic Under the Sun is much more fast-paced compared to my other book. I want to try that kind of pacing too, so I plan to move them up to 2nd grade as soon as possible, lol. I also understand why some of you didn't like the MC's attitude, but there's actually a reason behind it.
If you want to read 20 chapters advanced.
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