Narumiya Mei stepped into the batter's box.
On the mound, Ushijima Wakatoshi showed no mercy.
The first pitch was a blazing 150 km/h Sinker.
Swing and miss!
Strike One!
The second pitch followed immediately.
A 150 km/h Cutter.
Narumiya swung again.
Whiff!
Strike Two!
The pressure instantly mounted.
Then came the third pitch.
A 150 km/h Two-Seam Fastball.
This time, Narumiya hesitated.
The previous two pitches had broken out of the strike zone. He instinctively thought this one would do the same.
But he was wrong.
The ball curved sharply back into the zone.
Strike Three!
Batter Out!
"Damn it!"
Narumiya gritted his teeth in frustration.
The previous Sinker and Cutter had both missed the zone despite looking hittable. Naturally, he expected the Two-Seamer to do the same.
Instead, it painted the corner perfectly.
Anyone would be furious after being fooled like that.
The sixth batter, Yamaoka, stepped up next.
Ushijima attacked relentlessly.
Two consecutive Two-Seamers set up the count before a sharp Sinker induced weak contact.
Crack!
The ball bounced harmlessly into the infield.
Out!
With ease, Seidou recorded the final out of the inning.
"The bottom of the seventh inning comes to an end!"
"Once again, Ushijima Wakatoshi retires Inashiro in order!"
Scoreboard:
Seidou: 2 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 2 - 0 - 0 ... 4
Inashiro: 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 ... 0
Seven innings had passed.
The game had already stretched beyond two and a half hours.
The first pitch had been thrown at one o'clock in the afternoon.
Now it was nearly three-thirty.
The summer sun blazed overhead mercilessly.
Every player on the field was drenched in sweat.
Meanwhile, Jingu Stadium had become completely packed.
Every seat was occupied.
The aisles were crowded with standing spectators.
Nearly forty thousand fans had gathered to witness the West Tokyo Regional Final.
Although Seidou still held a comfortable lead, the atmosphere inside the stadium continued to rise.
Every time Ushijima appeared, thunderous cheers erupted from all directions.
Top of the Eighth Inning
Seidou's fifth, sixth, and seventh batters were due up.
Masuko led off the inning.
He made solid contact and drove a sharp grounder into the infield.
Unfortunately, his heavy frame prevented him from beating the throw.
Out!
Next came Miyuki Kazuya.
This time, Miyuki abandoned any thoughts of heroics.
A clean hit was enough.
If he kept underperforming, Ushijima would definitely tease him after the game.
Crack!
Miyuki lined a single into the outfield.
The seventh batter, Shirasu, followed immediately.
Bang!
Another clean single.
After reaching first base, Shirasu couldn't contain his excitement.
"YAAAHHH!"
He mimicked drawing a bowstring, earning laughter from the Seidou dugout.
One out.
Runners on first and second.
On the mound, Narumiya Mei was visibly exhausted.
His uniform was soaked.
His breathing had become noticeably heavier.
Even so, he continued fighting.
He refused to surrender.
Kominato Haruichi stepped into the batter's box.
Narumiya immediately challenged him with a Cutter.
Crack!
The sudden movement jammed Haruichi completely.
The ball struck the thin part of the bat.
The wooden bat shattered instantly.
Even so, Haruichi forced the ball into play.
"Got it!"
Narumiya's eyes lit up.
The ball bounced directly toward second baseman Hirai Tsubasa.
Hirai fielded it cleanly.
He stepped on second for the force out.
Then fired to first.
Double Play!
Three outs.
The inning was over.
Miyuki had reached third base during the play, but it no longer mattered.
Seidou failed to score.
Narumiya had somehow escaped another dangerous situation.
As he returned to the dugout, he said nothing.
He simply sat down and caught his breath.
The Inashiro players looked at him silently.
Everyone knew how much he was carrying.
Only two offensive opportunities remained.
The bottom of the eighth.
And the bottom of the ninth.
Bottom of the Eighth Inning
Inashiro's seventh, eighth, and ninth batters were scheduled to hit.
Standing on the mound, Ushijima glanced at the lineup card.
A thought crossed his mind.
If he retired all three batters in order this inning, then Carlos would lead off the ninth.
Carlos was fast.
Terrifyingly fast.
Even at this stage of the game, his stamina remained excellent.
But the same could not be said for the fielders behind him.
After eight innings under the blazing sun, everyone was exhausted.
One defensive mistake could create a chain reaction.
If Carlos reached base, the pressure would immediately skyrocket.
On the other hand...
If one of these lower-order batters reached base this inning, then Carlos would come up with traffic already on the bases next inning.
That would limit his ability to steal and use his speed.
From a purely strategic perspective, allowing one runner wasn't necessarily a bad outcome.
Ushijima calmly analyzed every possibility.
But then—
A voice echoed from behind him.
"Two outs? No rush! Let them hit it!"
Kuramochi shouted from shortstop.
"Take your time, Ushijima!"
Haruichi called out as well.
"Stay steady."
Yuki Tetsuya's voice followed.
Hearing his teammates' encouragement, Ushijima suddenly paused.
He tightened his grip on the ball.
Then he smiled faintly.
That's right.
Why am I overthinking this?
His purpose had never changed.
He came here to help Seidou reach Koshien.
To prevent the regrets of the past from happening again.
If that was the case—
Why should he hold anything back?
The answer was obvious.
Hirai Tsubasa stepped into the batter's box.
Crack!
The first pitch was put into play.
But Yuki Tetsuya made a spectacular diving stop at first base.
Without hesitation, he tossed the ball to Haruichi, who had rushed over to cover first.
Out!
One down.
Next came Fushimi Katsumi.
Three pitches.
Three strikes.
Strikeout!
Two down.
Finally, Fujikawa entered the batter's box.
This time, Ushijima unleashed his full strength.
A 150 km/h Slider.
Then another.
And another.
The final pitch sliced through the zone like a blade.
Strike Three!
Out!
The crowd exploded.
"Seidou's ace, Ushijima Wakatoshi, retires Inashiro in order once again!"
"To maintain this level of dominance so late into the game is unbelievable!"
"WOOOOOOAHHHH!"
The entire stadium erupted.
Even Azuma Kiyokuni jumped to his feet and cheered.
The eighth inning ended.
Inashiro remained scoreless.
Scoreboard:
Seidou: 2 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 2 - 0 - 0 - 0 ... 4
Inashiro: 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 ... 0
The Ninth Inning.
The decisive inning.
The final battle had arrived.
"It's finally here!"
"Stay steady, Ushijima!"
"Let's go, Seidou!"
"Finish them off!"
The Seidou supporters filled the stadium with deafening cheers.
Only three outs remained.
Three more outs stood between Seidou and a ticket to Koshien.