Chapter 269: Tanba's Revenge, For the Sake of Zhenzhong Yao

Bottom of the third inning, Seido attacks.

Huangqian Yangyi put on his batting gloves and arrived at the Batter's Box.

Facing this batter, Sanada Shunpei on the Pitcher's Mound suddenly felt an urge to face him head-on, but this was no time for self-indulgence; the score was already 7-0, and he did not want to let Seido score easily again.

Hmm, decided, Base on Balls.

"Ball!"

"Ball!"

"Ball!"

"Ball!"

Four outrageous balls; Huangqian Yangyi had no way to swing even if he wanted to, so he glared at Sanada Shunpei in frustration before jogging to First Base.

After Huangqian Yangyi, the 6th Batter Chris tangled with Sanada Shunpei until a full count of two strikes and three balls, finally hitting a Jet Ball, but unfortunately, the quality was poor; although Huangqian Yangyi reached Second Base, Chris was put out.

Next, the 7th Batter Masuko Toru and 8th Batter Shirasu both failed to advance the runners, and both were put out in succession.

Huangqian Yangyi at Second Base ultimately had to return empty-handed.

"If this guy's pitching is so amazing, why didn't he play in the first inning?" Furuya Satoru asked, looking at Sanada Shunpei's figure on the other side.

"Yeah, he's actually number 18, why isn't he number 1?" Sawamura also asked.

Miyuki, standing to the side, smiled, "What's so strange about that? There are only two possibilities for someone with talent who can't play and didn't get the ace number."

"Which two?" Arima Kazusa asked.

"One, being ostracized by the team. Clearly, that's not the case for Sanada Shunpei, so that leaves only the last possibility: there's something wrong with his body, he's been injured, or his stamina isn't up to par," Miyuki said.

Hearing this, Takashima Rei behind them nodded and said, "According to the information collected, Sanada Shunpei did indeed suffer a leg injury in the past. Didn't we talk about this in the meeting earlier? Were you not listening carefully?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Coach Kataoka turned his head sharply, "You lot, run 5 kilometers when we get back after the game."

"Eh?!!"

Kominato Haruichi, who had been quiet and escaped disaster, laughed from the side, "I'll supervise you guys."

"I'll leave it to you, Haruichi," Coach Kataoka said.

At this moment, Huangqian Yangyi finished a drink of water, put his glove back on, and prepared to take the field again.

"Huangqian, take a rest," Coach Kataoka suddenly spoke up.

Huangqian Yangyi was stunned for a moment, then smiled, "Alright."

"Tanba! It's your turn!" Coach Kataoka shouted.

Hearing his name, Tanba first stood up excitedly, then looked at Huangqian Yangyi. It was clearly agreed that Huangqian Yangyi would pitch 4 innings, so was it appropriate for him to go up now?

"Tanba-san, if you don't go up now, in case the score gap gets too big and the game ends early, you won't have a chance," Huangqian Yangyi smiled.

Tanba nodded. Since he had the chance to play, he wouldn't be coy. Zhenzhong Yao must be watching right now; he had to get revenge for him.

Top of the fourth inning, Seido changed pitchers, and third-year Tanba Koichiro stood on the Pitcher's Mound.

At the same time, at the very top of the stands, the injured Zhenzhong Yao stood in a shadow with one arm in a cast hanging across his chest, watching the game on the field.

"Koichiro..."

Seeing Tanba take the field, Zhenzhong Yao felt a mix of emotions.

On the field, the coordination between Tanba and Chris was very strong. Sensing Tanba's will, Chris's pitch calling was highly aggressive. After Yakushi's 2nd Batter Akiha Kazuma swung and missed twice, he hit a Fastball aimed at his chest on the third pitch.

Bang!

Because he was jammed, Akiha Kazuma's batting stance was distorted, and the baseball flew high into the air, where it was caught directly by Kominato Ryosuke at Second Base for a Flyout.

Afterward, the 3rd Batter Mishima Yuta stood in the Batter's Box. If Huangqian Yangyi's pitching had made him feel despair, then seeing the pitcher changed to Tanba now, his confidence returned.

However, reality is always cruel. Tanba's current pitching ability was absolutely top-tier, especially after two trips to Koshien; Tanba's mentality seemed to have been tempered, and with Huangqian Yangyi as a safety net, Tanba could maintain a great pitching state in games as long as he wasn't the starter.

A Curveball, a Vertical Curveball, he quickly secured two strikes. After two breaking balls on the outside corner, Chris immediately called for a low inside Forkball. With both vertical and horizontal movement, plus the drop in ball speed, although Mishima Yuta's bat barely made contact, it resulted in a soft ground ball.

Tanba took three steps, picked up the ball, and threw it to First Base with a 'whoosh'. Yuki Tetsuya caught the ball, and Mishima Yuta was put out.

"Tanba! Two outs!"

"Great! Just like that, slowly take them out!"

"Nice one, Tanba-san!"

The cheers of his teammates behind him reached his ears, and Tanba became even more energized. Facing the Yakushi 4th Batter, he actually struck him out cleanly and efficiently; his performance was nothing short of outstanding.

Returning to the Dugout, Tanba's face was slightly flushed, not just from the heat, but because he had personally retired the Yakushi side in order, giving him the thrill of having his revenge.

Yao, you must have seen it, right? Tanba's gaze searched the spectator stands.

The game reached the bottom of the fourth inning, and Seido's 9th Batter Sakai Ichiro connected with an outside Fastball from Sanada Shunpei and blasted it to the outfield.

"Heh, this guy is actually still holding back on purpose. Is he worried about not being able to hold on until the second half of the game?" Huangqian Yangyi smiled after seeing this ball.

Sakai Ichiro's hit was beautiful, but it was also partly because Sanada Shunpei was holding back. Perhaps thinking Sakai Ichiro was the 9th Batter, he wanted to conserve some stamina, but it resulted in a runner on base.

On the Pitcher's Mound, Sanada Shunpei smiled bitterly. He didn't truly underestimate Sakai Ichiro; he wouldn't have such thoughts about any player in the Seido lineup. The fact was that he really needed to conserve his stamina.

Next, Kuramochi Yoichi came up and bunted, the baseball rolling steadily onto the ground toward Third Base.

"Yaha!"

The speedster let out a wild laugh and successfully reached base, but Sakai Ichiro failed to reach Second Base.

One out.

Sanada Shunpei frowned. Although Sakai Ichiro was put out, the speedster at First Base was a bigger threat.

And the next batter, Kominato Ryosuke, was the type he least wanted to face.

Sure enough, this time, Kominato Ryosuke tangled for 5 pitches, and on the sixth pitch, he coordinated with Kuramochi Yoichi to execute a Hit and Run; Kuramochi reached Second Base, and Kominato Ryosuke was put out.

"Hahaha, my turn!"

Isashiki Jun stood in the Batter's Box. After swinging and missing twice, he seemed angry and impatient, and when a Jet Ball flew in, he swung his bat high and hacked at it.

Bang!

The baseball hit the ground and bounced toward Third Base; seeing this, Kuramochi did not dare to run and stayed at Second Base, while Isashiki Jun took this opportunity to reach First Base.

Two outs, runners on First and Second, and the next to step up to the plate is the cleanup hitter, Yuki Tetsuya.