Chapter 107

Kataoka nodded in satisfaction; the hit against the opposing ace's extraordinary pitch was enough to suppress Inashiro's momentum to a certain extent.

Matsumoto Takuhai scratched his neck and gave a helpless, bitter smile toward Harada Masatoshi; in a head-on confrontation, they had lost, and still let this guy reach base.

Harada Masatoshi pursed his lips; he had nothing to say about that pitch, only able to blame the fact that that brat Huangqian Yangyi's batting was too formidable—there was nothing to be done about it.

Focus on dealing with the next batter, Harada Masatoshi signaled to Matsumoto Takuhai with his eyes.

At this moment, Zhitian Jiangtai had already stepped into the Batter's Box.

"Strike!"

"Bang!"

"Jianjie!"

"Bang!"

"It's through!"

After three pitches, Zhitian Jiangtai hit the baseball behind second base; the incoming Center Fielder, Carlos, relied on his super-fast foot speed to scoop up the ball and throw it to second base, putting Huangqian Yangyi out.

"Bad luck!"

Huangqian Yangyi cursed as he walked off the field; he had put in so much effort to reach base, only to be killed off immediately—that Carlos, really, couldn't he have run a little slower!

So annoying!

One out, runner on first.

Next it was Kominato Ryosuke's turn to bat; Inashiro's defense all moved in a bit closer, clearly because they all knew that Kominato Ryosuke did not possess the ability for an Extra-base Hit, especially when facing a top-tier Pitcher like Matsumoto Takuhai.

Kominato Ryosuke smiled and didn't take the opponent's actions to heart; he glanced at Zhitian Jiangtai on first base—his mission wasn't to reach base, but to advance the runner; as long as he could get Zhitian Jiangtai to second base, his mission would be considered complete.

Matsumoto Takuhai and Harada Masatoshi exchanged glances to confirm the pitch type; they dared not be careless against this pink-haired player who was very good at selecting pitches.

When Matsumoto Takuhai threw the ball, Kominato Ryosuke smiled and extended his bat; Bang! The baseball was deflected toward third base.

Bunt!

And at this moment, Zhitian Jiangtai had already run several meters out.

Inashiro Third Baseman Yoshizawa Hideaki quickly intercepted the ball and threw it to second base, but unfortunately, he was a step too late; Zhitian Jiangtai reached second base with a slide.

Yoshizawa Hideaki was very decisive, turning to throw the ball to first base with a very fluid motion; Snap! Kominato Ryosuke was still just a bit short of reaching base.

Kominato Ryosuke smiled helplessly and turned to walk off the field; although it was a pity he couldn't reach base, Zhitian Jiangtai reaching second base was enough; now it was up to see if Yuki Tetsuya could connect the offense.

At this moment, two outs, runner on second; Yuki Tetsuya stood in the Batter's Box; facing the current situation, Yuki Tetsuya's expression was very serious; Zhitian Jiangtai had finally made it to second base, and if he were to be retired here, this inning would also end, and Seido would return empty-handed once again.

"Jiecheng!!"

"Hit it out, come on!"

"We believe in you!"

"You must reach base!!"

In the stands, a burst of noise erupted after seeing Jiecheng stand in the Batter's Box; clearly, Seido's fans held high hopes for Yuki Tetsuya.

And on the Inashiro side, they were not to be outdone; so what if there was a runner on second, so what if it was the third batter; as long as they could retire Yuki Tetsuya here, they could not only crush Seido's scoring opportunity but also strike a blow to the opponent's arrogant spirit.

Harada Masatoshi and Matsumoto Takuhai exchanged glances; both knew they had to bring their best form at this moment—they had to know that behind Yuki Tetsuya was Dong Qingguo; retire him head-on!

"Strike!"

"Bang! Jianjie!"

As soon as the head-on confrontation began, Matsumoto Takuhai took two strikes with one High-speed Slider and one Fastball; Inashiro immediately gained the advantage, and they were only one strike away from successfully retiring Yuki Tetsuya.

In the Seido Dugout, the teammates couldn't help but worry for Yuki Tetsuya.

On the Inashiro side, everyone led by that little blond Narumiya Mei became excited.

"Just one more pitch!" Narumiya Mei shouted.

Just at this moment, Yuki Tetsuya swung his bat again on the field.

"Boom!!"

The sound of the bat swinging was like a thunderclap; Harada Masatoshi at the Catcher position felt his heart skip a beat.

Bang!

The bat in Yuki Tetsuya's hands heavily swept into the incoming baseball.

The little white ball flew out instantly, smashing into the wall like a cannonball.

"It's through!!"

"Jiecheng!"

"Seido!!"

"Oh oh!"

Seido's supporters stood up one after another to offer their blessings and applause to Jiecheng.

Facing a power hitter like Yuki Tetsuya, Inashiro's outfield defense had long since retreated to the back, yet they truly had no way to handle this ball.

Zhitian Jiangtai quickly returned to home plate, while Yuki Tetsuya reached second base.

The tense game finally saw a turning point; Seido was temporarily leading 1:0, while Inashiro had to continue facing a situation with a runner on second, and the next batter was still Dong Qingguo!

"Ehehe!!"

Dong Qingguo grinned, showing his big teeth like a villain, and pretentiously swung his bat twice; seeing this, Harada Masatoshi only felt a massive headache.

In Inashiro's Dugout, their Department Head with the balding hairstyle was also pacing back and forth anxiously; now they were not only down by one run with a runner on second, but they also had to face Dong Qingguo—how did their Inashiro suddenly fall into such a crisis.

If the opponent were another school, he wouldn't be this anxious, but Seido was different; this one run could very likely determine the outcome of the game.

"Manager?" The balding Department Head turned his head to look at Manager Kunitomo.

Unlike the anxious Department Head, Manager Kunitomo always kept a poker face; no one could tell anything from the expression on his face.

"What are you anxious about! It's only just begun." Manager Kunitomo said in a deep voice.

This Department Head was someone who had seen the world, so why was he so unsettled today; what if he passed this emotion on to the players?

Sensing the reproach in the tone of Manager Kunitomo, the Department Head silently stepped aside and said no more.

Seeing this, Manager Kunitomo looked toward the Pitcher's Mound again; the current situation was indeed dangerous, and one careless move could lead to more runs, but he believed in Matsumoto Takuhai, and he believed in his players.

On the Pitcher's Mound, Matsumoto Takuhai prepared to pitch after taking several deep breaths in a row, and Harada Masatoshi gave the signal at the right moment.

Soon, Matsumoto Takuhai threw the ball.

Dong Qingguo swung decisively this time, Bang!

Damn it!

Dong Qingguo cursed under his breath, dropped his bat, and began to sprint; the baseball bounced on the ground and rolled directly toward Matsumoto Takuhai, who, having just steadied himself after the pitch, quickly picked up the ball and threw it to First Base.

Pop!

Out!

The third inning ended.

Dong Qingguo and Yuki Tetsuya exchanged a helpless look and walked off the field.

Having retired Dong Qingguo with one pitch, Matsumoto Takuhai was immediately met with praise and cheers from the Inashiro spectators; amidst the continuous applause, Matsumoto Takuhai and Harada Masatoshi ran together and high-fived.

"Nice job!" said Harada Masatoshi.

"You too."

Although they had given up one run, being able to hold the situation in time and prevent Seido from further expanding their lead was already no small feat.