Chapter 162: Lost Runs

Regarding Tanba's choice, Manager Kataoka gave no instructions, but that stern, unsmiling face already spoke volumes about his current mood.

On the field, after Maya Yamato reached first base, Honghai Daixiangliang once again gained a scoring opportunity.

Moreover, the one standing in the batter's box was the opponent's fourth batter; even now, Miyuki still did not understand why Tanba insisted on a base on balls for the third batter, Maya Yamato—could it be he was confident he could retire Furukawa Shunsuke?

Don't be ridiculous; even for Huangqian Yangyi, Miyuki wouldn't dare make such a guarantee.

At this moment, on the pitcher's mound, Tanba only realized it after Furukawa Shunsuke stepped into the batter's box; previously, he had been too nervous, focused entirely on walking the strong batter before him, and had completely forgotten who the next batter would be.

How foolish!

Tanba's hands were trembling; this, had his brain turned to mush? How could this happen?

No, absolutely no giving up runs!

Maya Yamato was someone he chose to walk, and the situation with a runner on third was also of his own making.

Forcing himself to calm down, Tanba then looked at the sign given by Miyuki: a curveball to the outside corner.

Haa~!

Exhaling forcefully, Tanba knew that at this point he had no room to retreat; there was no longer the option of a base on balls, and regardless of whether the opponent was a strong batter, he had to bite the bullet.

As a second-year pitcher for Seido, he actually didn't have much high school game experience, not even as much as the first-year Huangqian Yangyi.

Last year, he hadn't played at all; once the third-year seniors retired from high school and Nanjo Taishi became the team's ace, he was promoted to the first string as a backup, but because he failed to perform well in his occasional appearances, the Inashiro manager didn't give him more opportunities.

This year, after advancing to his second year, his opportunities to play were even fewer, as the team not only had Nanjo Taishi but also an additional monster.

A scene like the Koshien quarterfinals was something Tanba had never even imagined; clearly, his condition had been fine in the fifth inning, but as soon as someone got on base and he faced Honghai Daixiangliang's third batter, he inexplicably began to get nervous, afraid of giving up runs, afraid of pitching poorly, and the more he thought this way, the less he dared to pitch, especially after digging into the dirt following Miyuki's aggressive pitch calling, leaving his mind completely blank.

Unlike Tanba's difficult situation, after Furukawa Shunsuke stepped into the batter's box, he curiously sized up this Tanba; the opponent actually walked Maya Yamato to face him instead—should one say the opponent was bold, or that his brain had short-circuited?

Soon, with no room to retreat, Tanba had no choice but to bite the bullet and throw the baseball, a curveball flying toward the outside corner.

Too high!

The moment the baseball left his hand, Miyuki's heart sank.

Bang!

The bat swept heavily across, and the little white ball was hit toward right field.

The runner on third took the opportunity to return to home plate, scoring the first run of the game for Honghai Daixiangliang.

And on the pitcher's mound, Tanba looked back at the spot where the baseball landed, his whole person in a daze; he had given up a run, how could this happen?

His blank appearance made his Seido teammates very worried, and Manager Kataoka walked straight out of the dugout to request a substitution from the umpire.

"Nanjo, get ready to go in!"

"Yes!" Nanjo Taishi's gaze was firm.

As Tanba walked off the field, dejected and soul-lost, Nanjo Taishi gently patted his shoulder.

"Don't think too much, work hard, there will still be opportunities."

Upon hearing this, Tanba only gave a faint 'mm'; he knew he had messed up, and a great situation had been ruined because of his sudden 'nervous breakdown,' giving the opponent a chance to counterattack.

"Tanba!"

Manager Kataoka suddenly spoke up, startling Tanba into a shiver.

"Ma, Manager." Tanba kept his head low, not daring to look at Manager Kataoka at all.

"What are you afraid of? A strong batter? Haven't you encountered them before? Ichidai Sanko, Inashiro Industrial, don't they have strong batters?" Manager Kataoka questioned.

Tanba clenched his fists tightly, feeling immense self-reproach; he didn't know what to say—should he say it was because this was Koshien, the quarterfinals? Or some other reason?

He didn't know himself; this wasn't the first time he had ended up in such a state, otherwise, he wouldn't be called a 'nervous breakdown' player.

Seeing Tanba silent, Manager Kataoka said no more.

"Go down and rest, and think carefully about what you have actually learned over this past year and a half." Manager Kataoka still held expectations for Tanba.

After all, among Seido's current second-years, Tanba was the only pitcher worth mentioning.

Manager Kataoka still hoped Tanba could overcome this inexplicable 'nervous breakdown' habit and become a helper for Huangqian Yangyi next year.

On the field, after Nanjo Taishi threw a few warm-up pitches, he had to face a situation with two outs and runners on first and second.

In coordination with Miyuki, Nanjo Taishi was also in excellent form; after making the batter swing and miss on two consecutive pitches, the third pitch jammed the batter's swing, causing him to hit a flyout.

With this, the sixth inning ended, with the score 4:1, Seido leading.

The game reached the seventh inning, and Honghai Daixiangliang also changed pitchers; Hinata Hayato left the mound, and their second-year pitcher, Kokune Mirai, stepped onto the pitcher's mound.

As soon as he took the mound, Kokune Mirai faced Yuki Tetsuya.

Whoosh!

Bang!

An extra-base hit to left field, and Yuki Tetsuya successfully reached first base.

The situation was unfavorable, and the Honghai Daixiangliang players were nervous again.

On the pitcher's mound, having been hit for an extra-base hit after only one pitch, Kokune Mirai felt somewhat uncomfortable; such a comparison made it seem like he was much worse than Hinata Hayato.

With a runner on first and the batter being Dong Qingguo, if he could retire Dong Qingguo directly here, even if it didn't make the fans think he was stronger than Hinata Hayato, at least they wouldn't think he was weak.

Kokune Mirai wanted a head-on confrontation, but the catcher turned his head to look at the dugout; Manager Yamamoto gave instructions that he could walk him, as the next fifth batter was no longer Huangqian Yangyi, but Nanjo Taishi, and he believed that with Kokune Mirai's level, retiring Nanjo Taishi would not be difficult.

The catcher nodded and gave the sign for a base on balls. Although unhappy, Kokune Mirai could only comply, and thus, Dong Qingguo was walked again.

Such treatment made Dong Qingguo extremely annoyed; if it was going to be like this from now on, how was he supposed to break his own batting record at Koshien?!

Especially the home run record!

Just thinking about it was infuriating; standing on the first base bag, Dong Qingguo stared fixedly at Kokune Mirai—this cowardly guy!

The subsequent turn of events was just as Manager Yamamoto had hoped; although Nanjo Taishi's batting was not weak, he still failed to help Seido further expand the score—one swing and miss, one foul ball, and on the third pitch, he hit an infield grounder, and Honghai Daixiangliang chose to throw directly to second base to force out Dong Qingguo, securing the second out.