Takumi, who just scored that run, was definitely the center of attention out there.
The other guys on the team played great too.
He wouldn't have been able to score those two runs without their help.
It wasn't just him doing all the work.
But the fans weren't really thinking about that.
They were just looking at the guy who stood out the most, the one who caught their eye.
Just looking at him, he didn't really look like a baseball player, especially compared to guys like Azuma Kiyokuni, Takigawa, or Kusunoki.
He was pretty skinny.
Of course, he was probably a normal weight for his height.
He looked like any other kid his age.
It's just that baseball players are usually built pretty solid, so he looked kind of small next to them.
But this skinny kid made an amazing catch when he first came out.
That's when people started paying attention.
Then he got up to bat and hit a clean double.
And now his teammates brought him home.
The score also instantly widened to four runs.
Everyone could see it, even the fans: he was something special.
Plus, he was a good-looking freshman on the first string.
That made him even more impressive.
Who wouldn't be a fan of a guy like that?
Too bad there weren't more people watching the game today.
He would've had a ton of fans for sure.
Back in the dugout, you could tell his teammates were looking at him differently.
His performance during regular practice was actually relatively average.
He made a splash when he first joined the team, but everyone got used to it after a while.
In the eyes of many upperclassmen knew he was talented, but they probably didn't think he'd do anything special in the Summer Tournament.
They just saw him as someone to bring in when they needed a surprise.
Even Coach Kataoka Tesshin had him planned that way.
But now it seemed like they were wrong.
He was a completely different player on the field than he was in practice.
He always managed to surprise them out there.
And they were big surprises.
The game was still going on, and Seidō's offense had not stopped.
Kusunoki got on base, and then the whole lineup just went off.
The next four batters all got hits.
They scored three more runs for the team in one go.
So, with the two runs Takumi and his teammates scored, they got 5 runs in the second inning alone.
And it wasn't over yet.
There were two outs, with runners on second and third base.
If they could just keep hitting, they could keep scoring.
And up next for Seidō was Takigawa, who already got a hit earlier.
"Oh my God!" they exclaimed in disbelief.
"They've gone through the whole lineup!" someone cried out, aghast.
"Is this what a top team is like?" another wondered aloud, with hint of despair.
The Akikawa players were already feeling down after giving up that fourth run.
They probably had big plans before the game, thinking they could compete with Seidō.
They only lost 7-3 to Inashiro Industrial, who's supposed to be the best in West Tokyo.
They were mostly getting beat, but the score showed they could at least put up a fight against Inashiro.
Seidō's a great team too, but they couldn't be better than Inashiro, right?
They lost 7-3 to Inashiro.
So, playing against Seidō, who's not supposed to be as good as Inashiro, they should be able to score a few more runs, right?
They only lost by four to Inashiro, so they should be able to do better against Seidō, right?
They only lost by four to Inashiro, so they should be able to do better against Seidō, right?
Did that mean they had a chance to win?
Before the game, the Akikawa players really thought so.
The Summer Tournament is held once a year.
They knew they probably couldn't make it to Koshien, and that they weren't as good as the top teams, but they still wanted to go as far as they could.
Even if they couldn't get to Koshien, making it to the top sixteen or eight would be great.
But now, the Akikawa players were just going through the motions.
It's not like they weren't trying, though.
They were still going through the motions, doing what they were supposed to do out there.
But without any real drive, they were just a little bit off.
It didn't seem like much, but that little bit meant they couldn't quite reach baseballs they normally would've gotten to.
Nothing was going right for them.
They actually had a decent team, and if they'd played their best, Seidō would've had to be careful.
But they just fell apart… Giving up runs left and right.
Seidō already had a bunch of good hitters, so playing against a team like this, their morals were high every time they came up to bat.
When Takigawa hit the ball, it went straight into the pitcher's glove.
Thwack!
"Out!"
Takigawa got out, and the fourth inning finally ended.
The Akikawa players were relieved.
That inning was finally over.
But the score was already 7-0!
Seidō didn't score in the third.
But they got three more in the fourth.
Now it was 10-0.
Everyone was looking at the scoreboard, seeing how far apart the teams were.
Even though they saw it happen, they still couldn't believe it.
"It's only the fourth inning, how's the score so lopsided already?" one of them bemoaned, utterly dejected.
They couldn't understand, but the result was as such.
Bottom of the fourth inning, Akikawa's up to bat.