Top of the fifth inning, and Seidō was up to bat.
Kusunoki Fumiya, the leadoff hitter, stepped up for his third time.
The Seidō players knew this was their chance to score.
First couple of times through the order were usually for sizing up the pitcher.
By the third time around, they'd usually figured him out enough to start scoring.
This was it.
The fans knew the drill.
They were already cheering them on. Kusunoki got into his stance at the plate, ready to hit.
Whoosh!
The pitch came whistling in, but he held back, letting it pass.
Pop!
"Strike!"
Hachiya Oji weren't exactly thrilled, even with the strike.
The first time they played Seidō, their offense had been pretty aggressive.
They'd been able to get outs pretty easily back then.
Hachiya Oji figured they could keep Seidō in check after that first run.
Turns out, not so much.
Seidō wasn't about to play their game.
They had their own game plan.
Like now, their leadoff hitter was just trying to find a good pitch to hit.
And maybe, just maybe, tire out the pitcher a little bit.
It wasn't anything intentional, but...
That might have seemed like nothing, but it was a big deal for them.
Their ace, Natsume, was starting to look tired.
He usually had plenty of stamina when playing other teams.
But against Seidō, he was already feeling the heat.
"I can't keep letting them wear me down like this. If I do, I'll be completely spent even if I get the out." Natsume frowned, the situation weighing on him.
If even the others could tell, he was definitely feeling it.
He just had to suck it up and challenge the batter. Whoosh!
The next pitch came, and Kusunoki reacted instantly.
Clang!
He connected, sending the ball into play.
The Hachiya Oji players tried to get to it, but it was just out of their reach.
They could only watch as it bounced past them.
Kusunoki took off, flying past first. And slid into second.
The Hachiya Oji players were powerless to stop him.
"Safe!"
No outs, runner on second.
Next, Yoshida, Seidō's second batter and ace, came up to the plate and hit a fly ball.
Pop!
"Out!"
One out, runner on second.
Next up was the team's third batter, first baseman Yūki Tetsuya.
Natsume, who'd decided to go right at him, hesitated for a second when he saw Yūki step up.
He thought about changing his plan, but quickly shook his head.
Yūki wasn't the only one to worry about in Seidō's lineup.
Every one of those guys was a threat.
Which one was he supposed to take it easy on?
If he backed down now, they were done for.
He gritted his teeth, ready to go all the way.
Whoosh!
He threw the ball with everything he had, but it still wasn't enough.
Even with all his strength, Yūki saw the ball coming and swung without a second thought.
Boom!
The ball exploded off the bat, a white blur flashing past the Hachiya Oji players.
One guy blinked, and before he realized what happened, the ball was gone.
"What was that?!" one of the Hachiya Oji players exclaimed in disbelief.
The Seidō fans went wild.
"Awesome!" one cheered enthusiastically.
"It went right through!" another fan cried out in amazement.
As the ball sailed through, Kusunoki, who was already on second, took off for home plate.
"He's on base!"
"Congratulations to Seidō for scoring their second run of the game!"
Seidō, who hadn't scored for three innings, finally broke the ice.
The score was now 2-0.
But they weren't stopping there...
Azuma Kiyokuni, who was up next, also ripped one into the outfield.
Boom!
Clang!
The players from other teams watching in the stands were blown away by his performance.
"As expected of Azuma-san!" one player declared admiringly.
"So cool!" another exclaimed in awe.
This series of hits had left everyone impressed.
"This is Seidō's strongest lineup; if they didn't have this much skill, it would be pretty sad," one player remarked wryly.
Azuma crossed home plate, making it 3-0.
One out, runner on first.
Next up was Seidō's fifth batter, Kadota Masaaki.
Just when everyone thought Seidō's offense would keep rolling, Natsume threw an outside-corner slider.
Clang!
The ball bounced off the bat, and Hachiya Oji's shortstop ran in, grabbed it, and quickly threw to second.
Their second baseman was ready, caught the ball, and fired it back to home.
Pop!
"Out!"
Pop!
"Out!!!"
The smiles were still on the faces of the Seidō fans when they saw the shocking play unfold.
"A double play?" one fan asked in disbelief.
Hachiya Oji, a school known for its academics, had just pulled off a perfect double play?
How could the fans not be stunned?
"Looks like this team's been practicing hard," one fan observed thoughtfully.
"Of course. Not just any team can play Seidō this close," another fan added knowingly.
"Now Seidō's in trouble. Not only is their opponent tough, but their ace is starting to tire," a third fan remarked with concern.
"I wonder if Seidō will make a substitution soon? Or..." a fourth fan pondered aloud.
Three outs, inning over.
The game went to the bottom of the fifth, with Hachiya Oji on offense.
Yoshida, who'd been pitching great earlier, had been a little shaky in his last few pitches.
Even though nothing bad happened, Coach Kataoka Tesshin was starting to lose his patience.