Chapter 111

In just an instant, Harada Masatoshi understood the intentions of Manager Kunitomo.

Although giving Dong Qingguo a Base on Balls at this moment would load the bases, the next Batter is Tanaka Wataru; while his batting ability is decent, he is still easier to deal with compared to Dong Qingguo.

Moreover, one could tell by Dong Qingguo's current appearance that he was very excited; if he were accidentally hit a Home Run, they would lose three runs at once, a price Inashiro could not afford.

Having figured this out, Harada Masatoshi immediately signaled to Matsumoto Takuhai.

A Base on Balls?

Matsumoto Takuhai frowned, then relaxed his expression; perhaps this was indeed a good method.

Soon, one ball after another was thrown, and Dong Qingguo's expression grew increasingly ugly.

"Coward!!"

Dong Qingguo cursed under his breath and ran angrily toward First Base.

"To actually choose a Base on Balls at a time like this, it seems Inashiro is out of options."

In the Seido Dugout, Shinoki Keita said in a low voice.

"Haha, they are afraid of Senior Dong!"

As a loyal fanboy of Dong Qingguo, Isashiki Jun laughed proudly.

"Now it depends on Senior Tanaka."

"He can do it!"

"Inashiro doesn't think they can be safe just by giving Senior Dong a Base on Balls, do they? That's looking down on Tanaka too much."

"Exactly, if it were me, I'd have to hit a Home Run off him."

Hearing this, everyone looked at Kusunoki Fumiya who had spoken; as a backup Shortstop for Seido, his chances to play were pitifully few, and his presence on the field was not high, but thanks to having a face that ranked in the top three of the team, this guy had quite a few fangirls at school. Seeing him bragging at this moment, everyone simultaneously expressed their disdain with a "heh."

On the field, Tanaka Wataru felt a bit unconvinced; the bastards from Inashiro were actually looking down on him. Although his batting was indeed not as good as Dong Qingguo's, he was, after all, Seido's fifth batter, the heart of the lineup!

He had to show them a thing or two!

Whoosh!

The baseball flew in, and Tanaka Wataru swung his bat with all his might.

Thwack!

"Strike!"

Damn it, the swing was slow.

Tanaka Wataru gritted his teeth and set his stance again.

"Thwack!"

"Strike!"

It was another Forkball, and Tanaka Wataru had swung and missed twice; the Inashiro fans were sweating in their palms now.

"Let's go! Matsumoto!"

"Strike him out!"

On the Pitcher's Mound, Matsumoto Takuhai's pressure eased significantly after getting two Strikes.

"Can't relax yet," Matsumoto Takuhai muttered to remind himself.

The third pitch was thrown quickly; it was a High-speed Slider.

Bang!

Tanaka Wataru swung hard, and the bat hit the baseball.

"Foul Ball!"

"Bang!"

"Jianjie!"

With two consecutive balls hit as fouls, Tanaka Wataru seemed to be locked in a standoff with Matsumoto Takuhai.

Bang!

Finally, on the fifth pitch, Tanaka Wataru hit the baseball, but unfortunately, it hit the ground; it was a ground ball.

The Inashiro Shortstop picked up the ball and threw it directly to Home Plate to force out Kominato Ryosuke, then threw it to Second Base to force out Dong Qingguo.

Compared to killing Yuki Tetsuya who was rushing to Third Base, it was clearly easier to kill Dong Qingguo who was running slower.

They succeeded; after Kominato Ryosuke and Dong Qingguo were out, Inashiro secured three outs. The Inashiro fans in the stands went completely crazy; such a dangerous situation had actually been resolved by their players. Twice with the bases loaded, they only gave up one run against Seido's heart of the lineup. Whether looking at pitching ability or psychological endurance, Matsumoto Takuhai was truly outstanding.

On the Pitcher's Mound, Matsumoto Takuhai felt as if he had been liberated at this moment, and his whole person felt a bit dazed.

After 5 innings, Seido led Inashiro Industrial 2:1.

Returning to the Dugout, Matsumoto Takuhai stopped in front of Manager Kunitomo.

Manager Kunitomo had a serious expression, and the Inashiro players all looked at him nervously, fearing that the manager would criticize Matsumoto Takuhai.

After a long while, Manager Kunitomo spoke.

"Good work."

Matsumoto Takuhai looked up abruptly, tears seemingly shimmering in his eyes.

"Go rest well after you finish batting, leave the rest to your teammates," Manager Kunitomo said.

"Yes!" After saying this, Matsumoto Takuhai immediately began changing his glove. Manager Kunitomo did not immediately put in Narumiya Mei; compared to this immature kid, Matsumoto Takuhai's batting was still better.

At this moment, Narumiya Mei walked up, hands on his hips, and said with a face full of smiles: "Senior, watch how I teach those guys from Seido a lesson in a bit."

Matsumoto Takuhai smiled; he was not repulsed by Narumiya Mei's arrogance. On the contrary, he liked this kind of personality. He patted Narumiya Mei on the shoulder and said: "I will watch carefully, looking forward to your performance."

"Hahaha!" Narumiya Mei, like a child who had received praise from an elder, was full of triumphant spirit on his face.

On the Seido side, after Dong Qingguo and Kominato Ryosuke returned to the Dugout having been put out by a Double Play, everyone expressed their regret; they had only managed to score one run despite the great situation of having the bases loaded twice.

"A one-run lead is still a lead, no need to be so unwilling," Isashiki Jun said.

Everyone nodded one after another. At this time, Manager Kataoka had already submitted the substitution request to the umpire. Huangqian Yangyi and Miyuki Kazuya walked out of the Dugout, then turned back and said: "One run is enough."

Upon hearing this, the companions immediately understood the meaning behind Huangqian Yangyi's words.

"Kid, it's up to you," Dong Qingguo said.

"Suppress them hard for me," Isashiki Jun said.

"Don't be careless, oh," Kominato Ryosuke said.

Huangqian Yangyi nodded, then turned and walked onto the field, followed by his Seido teammates.

"Seido! Seido!"

"Huangqian!!"

As soon as they stepped onto the field, the uniform cheering sounded like waves, one after another, and the brass band also played passionate music at this moment; Seido's momentum swelled to the extreme.

Standing on the Pitcher's Mound, Huangqian Yangyi opened his arms to feel the atmosphere of the scene; unlike the Batter's Box, the Pitcher's Mound was the position that truly belonged to him.

"As expected, I still like it here better."

Huangqian Yangyi looked at the azure sky, breathing in the air that belonged to the Pitcher's Mound.

Then, he raised his fist, and the cheering of the whole stadium reached its peak at this moment; his teammates behind him couldn't help but smile as they looked at Huangqian Yangyi's back.

A few seconds later, his fist dropped sharply, and the whole stadium fell silent.

Top of the sixth inning, begin!

The first Batter, Inashiro's ninth hitter, Matsumoto Takuhai, stepped into the Batter's Box.

Miyuki Kazuya shifted his position, moving a little closer to the Batter.

Come on, Inside Fastball! Miyuki gave the signal.

Huangqian Yangyi nodded and threw the baseball out with a whoosh.

In the Batter's Box, the baseball looked like a bullet in Matsumoto Takuhai's eyes; the bat in his hand swung instinctively, and then missed.

"Strike!"

Everyone exclaimed, then looked at the speed gun, 153 km/h!

It got faster again! This freak!

At the Catcher's position, the corners of Miyuki's mouth curled up; this feeling was too wonderful.

"Nice ball!"