Seido: 0.1.0.1.0.2
Sensen: 0.0.0.0.0.0
The match had been going on for over an hour, and the sixth inning of the Sensen vs. Seido game had just ended.
After six innings, Seido had scored 4 runs, while Sensen's offense had been completely suppressed.
In the top of the sixth inning, when Seido's core batting lineup came up—especially after Ushijima Wakatoshi entered the game…
Maki's curveball was struck cleanly, sending the ball flying toward right-center field. Isashiki from third base and Yuki from second base both rushed home, scoring successfully. After that, it was Masuko's turn at bat.
Although Ushijima Wakatoshi had managed to reach third base, he was ultimately stranded because the previous two batters had already been retired.
This meant that even if Ushijima advanced to third, it wouldn't be of much use.
If Masuko failed to get on base, Ushijima wouldn't be able to return home and would be left stranded there.
So, he decided not to attempt another steal and instead trusted Masuko to get on base.
In the end, Masuko did make contact—but the hit had a poor landing point and was easily caught for an out.
And just like that, the top of the sixth inning ended.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Ushijima Wakatoshi dominated the mound, steadily striking out the last three batters of Sensen's lineup in their second rotation.
"Wow~ 18 strikeouts in a row!"
"That's insane!"
"A new high school record—18 strikeouts in a single game!"
"Amazing! Ushijima has set another record!"
"Yes, 18 consecutive strikeouts across two rounds. That's unbelievable."
"When facing Sensen's lineup in the first round, he relied heavily on inside pitches—27 pitches for 9 strikeouts. In the second round, he switched things up, mixing inside and outside pitches, and still got another 9 strikeouts. After six innings, Seido's Ushijima Wakatoshi has already achieved 18 strikeouts in a row."
The audience buzzed with excitement.
Scouts from various schools quickly recorded the performance.
Inside Seido's dugout, Coach Kataoka asked calmly,
"How many pitches has Ushijima thrown?"
"Only 65," Chris replied.
"So few?" the manager exclaimed in surprise.
Only 65 pitches in six innings?
Logically, if all 18 strikeouts came from three pitches each, that would only be 54 pitches.
But Ushijima's 65 pitches meant that in Sensen's second rotation, he had thrown about 11 additional pitches—either balls or foul-offs by batters.
Three clean strikes result in a strikeout.
Even with two balls and three strikes, it's still a strikeout.
In the first round, when Ushijima overwhelmed Sensen's lineup with 9 strikeouts, he needed only 27 pitches.
But in the second round, he used 38 pitches—11 more than before.
That difference came from the batters adjusting after seeing him once. They were better able to react, forcing longer at-bats.
Even so, 65 pitches after six innings…
It showed just how efficient Ushijima was.
And this was with him actively aiming for strikeouts.
If he chose instead to pitch to contact and let the defense handle the plays, he could conserve even more pitches.
What made Sensen stand out compared to Yakushi wasn't their batting lineup—it was their pitcher, Maki.
Still, Sanada was actually slightly stronger than Maki.
However, Sanada had been dealing with a calf injury, which limited his performance. On top of that, he lacked the stamina to finish a full game, leading to a collapse in the later innings.
It was similar to Tanba—strong early on, but unable to maintain it through the second half.
Even so, Yakushi's batting lineup remained stronger than Sensen's.
In today's game, Seido's inability to finish things early was partly because of Maki.
Despite allowing 4 runs in 6 innings, he didn't collapse—in fact, he seemed to grow stronger as the game went on.
Bang!!
At the top of the seventh inning, Seido's seventh batter, Miyuki, stepped up to the plate.
With no runners on base and little success in his previous at-bats, he felt the pressure.
If I don't get a hit soon, I'll be too embarrassed to go back to the dugout.
Miyuki managed to get on first base. Then Shirasu executed a sacrifice bunt, advancing Miyuki Kazuya to second base.
Furuya, the ninth batter, followed with a long hit to left field.
However, the landing point wasn't ideal, so Miyuki didn't risk advancing further.
They were already in the lead—there was no need to take unnecessary risks.
"With one out and a runner in scoring position, Sensen is facing another crisis."
Maki took a deep breath, remaining composed.
Meanwhile, Kuramochi stepped up, clearly frustrated after failing to reach base in his previous at-bats.
"Damn it! Stop messing around!!!"
Bang!
He connected!
The ball dropped between first and second base.
Kuramochi immediately sprinted toward first, fully utilizing his speed.
Miyuki Kazuya smiled as he crossed home plate, scoring safely.
Furuya, however, was thrown out while attempting to advance.
Because the ball landed between first and second, the second baseman fielded it and relayed to second base, cutting off Furuya.
When the shortstop tried to complete a double play by throwing to first, he realized Kuramochi had already reached safely—too fast to stop.
"Nice!" Miyuki exclaimed, giving Shirasu a high five.
Once Kuramochi got on base, his base-stealing ability became a real threat.
After successfully stealing third base, Kominato recognized just how dangerous Kuramochi was in this role.
He aimed for an infield hit to bring Kuramochi home…
But things didn't go as planned.
Kuramochi was left stranded at third.
At the end of the top of the seventh inning, Seido had extended their lead to 5 runs.
In the bottom of the seventh, Sensen's lineup entered their third rotation.
Ushijima Wakatoshi continued his dominance, retiring batters one after another.
His pitching remained steady and precise.
Although Sensen managed to cycle through their lineup again, they still couldn't break through.
The game could not be ended early.
Seido: 0.1.0.1.0.2.1
Sensen: 0.0.0.0.0.0.0
After seven innings, Seido led by 5 runs—still short of the 7-run margin needed to call the game early.
That meant they would have to play through to the ninth inning.
Seido wasn't worried. There were only two innings left.
In the eighth inning, Seido's core batting lineup came up once more.
Isashiki led off and finally smashed a double into the outfield.
Next, Yuki stepped up—and didn't disappoint.
Bang!
He launched the first home run of the game.
The crowd erupted as Yuki's two-run shot soared into the stands.
That hit completely broke through Maki's defense.
And it set the stage for Ushijima Wakatoshi.
Having just given up two runs, Maki's mentality wavered.
Ushijima seized the moment, locking onto Maki's signature curveball.
Bang!!!
The crisp crack of the bat drew every eye to the sky.
"Ughhhh—!"
"Go! Go! That's a home run!!"
"Here it comes—Seido's signature Brother Home Run!"
In the eighth inning, Seido's core lineup delivered back-to-back home runs, scoring three runs in one explosive sequence.