The moment Sanada Shunpei and Watanabe Tatsuya left the Yakushi High School dugout, everyone's attention was immediately drawn toward them.
Confusion appeared on the faces of the spectators.
Whispers quickly spread throughout the stands.
"What's happening?"
"Is Yakushi High School changing Pitchers?"
"That doesn't make sense!"
"Kitamura Kou's performance today has been beyond incredible. He completely suppressed Kaidou High School's batting lineup and forced them into a desperate situation!"
"Why would they replace him now?"
"Is Yakushi's coach too confident that they've already secured the victory?"
The spectators discussed among themselves, unable to understand the decision.
Even the Kaidou High School coach frowned deeply.
He stared toward the Yakushi dugout, his expression full of doubt.
"What exactly are they planning?"
"Is this just a trick to confuse us?"
"Are they deliberately creating uncertainty?"
"Or has some unexpected problem actually occurred?"
His eyes narrowed.
"If it's simply a tactical adjustment, why make this change at this exact moment?"
"After all... the next Batter is one of our core hitters."
Countless possibilities flashed through his mind.
Yet even with his years of coaching experience, he could not immediately determine the reason behind Yakushi's decision.
After the brief interruption, the game continued.
Although Naoki Enomoto's pitching was no longer as overwhelming as before, he still managed to hold the line.
With Sato Toshiya's excellent pitch calling and Kaidou High School's extremely stable defense behind him, they quickly handled Yakushi's second Batter, Akiba Kazuma.
The fifth inning came to an end.
Now...
The eyes of the entire stadium once again focused on the Yakushi High School dugout.
Todoroki Raizo slowly walked out.
His steps were steady.
His expression was firm.
Soon, the tournament announcer's voice echoed throughout the stadium.
"Yakushi High School announces a defensive position change!"
"Pitcher Kitamura Kou will move to center field!"
"Sanada Shunpei will take over as Pitcher!"
The announcement immediately caused a huge commotion.
Everyone began discussing what this unexpected change meant.
However...
The reaction from Kaidou High School was completely different.
The moment they saw Kitamura Kou leave the Pitcher's Mound, the fighting spirit deep within the Kaidou players instantly ignited.
Their eyes sharpened.
Their fists clenched.
Their muscles tightened.
It was as if an enormous amount of power was waiting to explode.
Their gazes locked onto Sanada Shunpei, who was walking toward the mound.
Those fierce eyes seemed to say:
Now is our chance.
The atmosphere instantly became extremely tense.
It felt as if a completely new battle was about to begin.
"Bottom of the fifth inning."
"Kaidou High School's offense."
"The cleanup hitter, first baseman, Sengoku Masato."
The announcer's voice echoed.
Sengoku Masato slowly stepped toward the Batter's Box.
Every step he took was steady and powerful.
His determination and confidence were obvious.
After entering the Batter's Box, he calmly adjusted his stance.
Both hands firmly gripped the bat.
His body lowered slightly.
His sharp eyes locked onto the Pitcher's Mound.
Sanada Shunpei.
At this moment, Sengoku Masato resembled a predator waiting for the perfect opportunity.
The instant a weakness appeared...
He would deliver the decisive blow.
Meanwhile, Sanada Shunpei stood on the mound.
His heart was filled with complicated emotions.
He never expected to be suddenly called into the game.
And even more unexpectedly...
His first opponent would be Kaidou High School's cleanup hitter.
Sengoku Masato.
A powerful Batter who carried the team's hopes on his shoulders.
However, instead of making him afraid...
This pressure only made his fighting spirit burn hotter.
The nervousness that made his body tense and his instincts sharpen actually excited him.
"Come on."
"Let me use this battle to see exactly how big the gap between me and Kitamura really is!"
Sanada Shunpei gritted his teeth.
Then he took a deep breath.
And threw.
Whoosh!
A sharp sound of air being torn apart echoed.
Because he had entered the game suddenly, Sanada Shunpei's condition was obviously not perfect.
However...
His pitch speed still approached 145 km/h.
The baseball fiercely attacked the high inside corner.
"Just as the data showed..."
"He's a Pitcher who likes to aggressively attack the inside corner."
"In that case..."
"I'll take this pitch without hesitation!"
In an instant, Sengoku Masato had already decided.
The baseball entered his hitting zone.
His eyes narrowed.
His grip tightened.
The muscles throughout his body instantly exploded with power.
Then—
He swung.
CLANG!!!
The sound of impact exploded.
The baseball changed direction instantly.
Like a cannon shell, it shot violently toward the gap between first base and second base.
Sengoku Masato immediately threw away the bat.
Then he sprinted toward first base.
Fukuda Daiki reacted quickly.
However, even he could not stop the sharply hit ball.
The baseball passed through the defensive gap and continued rolling toward right field.
"It went through!"
The Kaidou players shouted excitedly.
"Keep going, Sengoku-senpai!"
Sengoku Masato quickly reached first base.
Seeing the first-base coach signaling aggressively, he stepped on the bag without slowing down.
Then he immediately turned toward second base.
No hesitation.
No hesitation at all.
He continued forward.
Yamauchi Yutaka finally reached the baseball.
He picked it up and threw toward second base with all his strength.
Kitamura Kou had already moved over to cover the base.
The ball flew.
Whoosh!
Snap!
The baseball entered Kitamura Kou's glove.
But it was already too late.
Sengoku Masato was standing firmly on second base.
"Safe!"
Sengoku Masato looked directly at Kitamura Kou.
His sharp eyes carried an intense fighting spirit.
His entire body released a terrifying aura.
Like a volcano waiting to erupt.
Quiet.
But dangerous.
"Although I don't know why you changed Pitchers at this point..."
"But since you made this choice..."
"Don't blame me for being merciless."
"The winner of this game will definitely be Kaidou."
His voice was cold.
Every word carried absolute confidence.
However...
Kitamura Kou did not retreat.
He did not show even the slightest fear.
Instead, he calmly met Sengoku Masato's gaze.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
A confident smile appeared.
"If you can do it..."
"Then come."
After saying that, Kitamura Kou turned around.
Without waiting for Sengoku Masato's response, he calmly returned to his position in center field.