Chapter 303: Go Rest

Bottom of the fourth, Inashiro on the attack.

Standing on the Pitcher's Mound, Huangqian Yangyi glanced at Narumiya Mei in the Inashiro Dugout. Little blondie, just you wait; I have a big gift for you next inning too.

Clap, clap!

Miyuki clapped his mitt to signal Huangqian Yangyi to focus on the Batter.

Kicking the dirt under his feet, Huangqian Yangyi lifted his leg, swung his arm, and threw the ball, aiming for the spot in Miyuki's mitt.

Whoosh!

The little white ball left a white trail in the air; before Carlos could react, the baseball had already entered home plate and was firmly caught by Miyuki.

Hey, hey, that was too much force!

Feeling the power transmitted from the baseball in his mitt, Miyuki secretly gritted his teeth. So heavy!

Turning his head to look, 162 km/h!!

This guy, is he pissed off after being struck out?

As expected, that calmness just now was just an act.

In the Batter's Box, Carlos had an ugly expression. The suddenly soaring pitch speed caught him off guard. With sweat in his palms dampening the bat, Carlos shifted his feet to get as close to the Pitcher's Mound as possible.

Need to swing early!

Preparing himself mentally, Carlos shook his shoulders to relax.

At this moment, on the sidelines and in the stands, everyone was boiling over because of this record-breaking Light Speed Ball from Huangqian Yangyi. The cheers of the Seido fans almost drowned out the entire stadium.

After receiving the return throw, Huangqian Yangyi smiled at Miyuki. Don't worry, I haven't lost my head.

Hm? Miyuki was stunned for a moment, then squatted down and gave a wry smile. He had been worried this guy was upset about being struck out; as expected, this guy didn't need him to worry at all.

Next, the second pitch, a low inside Two-seam Fastball, successfully forced Carlos to hit a grounder. The latter used his terrifying speed to dash toward First Base, but in the end, he still failed to reach base because this ball was hit toward the First Base direction and didn't roll very far. Miyuki chased it down in a few steps, picked it up, and threw it to First Base, tagging Carlos out.

After successfully securing one out, Huangqian Yangyi quickly got two Strikes on Shirakawa Katsuyuki. This guy's stance was further forward than anyone else on Inashiro, as if he wasn't afraid at all of being hit by Huangqian Yangyi.

This guy is a lunatic!

Feeling Shirakawa Katsuyuki's determination to reach base even at the cost of being hit by the ball, Huangqian Yangyi felt some admiration.

Whoosh!!

Admiration is one thing, but Huangqian Yangyi's pitching remained ruthless and unsparing. A Forkball made him swing at air again—Strikeout!

Next was the third Batter, Yoshizawa Hideaki. He was a Batter with solid fundamentals, power, and technique. However, in the end, he still failed to reach base. The ball he hit flew toward the left side at a moderate speed and was firmly intercepted by Third Baseman Masuko Toru. The latter's throw was also very swift, tagging Yoshizawa Hideaki out before the base.

Another three-up, three-down. Four innings passed, and Inashiro still couldn't launch an offensive, which caused their momentum to wane somewhat.

"Kazuya, it's up to you."

Top of the fifth, Miyuki was the first to stand in the Batter's Box. Surprisingly, Miyuki swung at the very first pitch, connecting with an outside cutter and hitting it to the Left Fielder position.

"Nice one, Miyuki!"

"You're actually capable, aren't you."

"Reach base!"

"So cool!"

Amidst various shouts, Miyuki triumphantly raised his fist.

"Baka!"

Narumiya Mei was furious. Did this bastard guess the pitch sequence? How was he so accurate?

Dumb luck!

Narumiya Mei was one hundred percent certain that Miyuki must have stepped in dog shit when he went out this morning.

Mei! Focus on the Batter!

Harada Masatoshi lightly patted his mitt to remind Narumiya Mei.

Ya-san, I know. Narumiya Mei glared at Miyuki before turning back to look at Masuko Toru in the Batter's Box.

Perhaps the Goddess of Luck had descended, but Masuko Toru also smashed a Two-seam Fastball on the first pitch—again to Left Fielder.

In just two pitches, with runners on First and Second, Inashiro suddenly fell into a crisis of conceding runs.

The Inashiro fans in the stands suddenly felt their emotions tighten. In a game against Seido, once a run is conceded, even if it's just one run, it becomes a key run for the entire game, or even the deciding run.

No! Absolutely not!

There was a trace of anger in Narumiya Mei's eyes. Even Yuki Tetsuya and Huangqian Yangyi couldn't score on him; he absolutely could not accept being scored on by others.

Haa!

Come on! It's just reaching base; scoring won't be that easy.

Adjusting his state, Narumiya Mei focused on pitching with no distractions and soon struck out the Eighth Batter, Shirasu Kenjiro.

Afterward, the Ninth Batter, Sakai Ichiro, attempted a bunt for a sacrifice play. In the end, Miyuki did successfully reach Third Base, but Masuko Toru and Sakai Ichiro himself were caught in a Double Play.

With three outs secured, Narumiya Mei survived this crisis without danger.

"Why did you bunt?"

Returning to the sidelines, Sakai Ichiro heard the questioning voice of Manager Kataoka.

With one out and runners on First and Second, choosing to bunt at this time is very risky. If the ball isn't placed well, it's highly likely to result in a Double Play.

"I..."

Sakai Ichiro couldn't say a word for a long time.

"Afraid of Narumiya Mei's pitching, thinking you couldn't hit it?" Manager Kataoka continued.

Sakai Ichiro lowered his head in shame. He hadn't performed well in his previous at-bat, leading to a Double Play, and this time he had thought to bunt, only for it to result in a Double Play again.

"Go rest." Manager Kataoka said mercilessly.

Sakai Ichiro shuddered, whispered "Yes," and then walked back in low spirits to sit on the chair in the last row.

"Kadota, you're up next inning." Manager Kataoka turned his head and said to one of the substitutes.

Mentian Jiangming was very excited; the summer preliminaries had reached the finals, and he finally had a chance to take the field.

"Yes!!" Mentian Jiangming shouted loudly.

Seeing this scene, the second and third-year students like Huangqian Yangyi didn't think much of it; it was normal for Sakai Ichiro to be substituted after shrinking back at a critical moment and causing the team to miss a precious scoring opportunity.

But the few First Year kids were trembling at this moment, looking at Manager Kataoka with a hint of fear in their eyes.

Gulp!

Sawamura swallowed hard; he must, he absolutely must not make a mistake when it was his turn to take the field!

It wasn't just him; Arima Kazusa, Xiaomin Shunshi, and Furuya Satoru were likewise warning themselves in their hearts.

Noticing the nervous mood of the kids, Huangqian Yangyi, who had finished putting on his pitcher's glove, smiled.

On the field, mistakes were acceptable, and errors were no problem; no one could guarantee they wouldn't make mistakes, and Manager Kataoka wasn't such an unreasonable person.

But errors caused by one's own issues were unforgivable, such as losing focus during the game and missing a catch.

Or like Sakai Ichiro, choosing a foolish bunt due to momentary cowardice at a critical moment, resulting in a Double Play; such mistakes were something the manager could not tolerate.

Especially in Seido, a lineup famous nationwide for its powerful offense, this kind of bunt that carried a sense of active retreat was absolutely not allowed.