Chapter 89: Triple Play!

Damn it!

Zhitian Jiangtai threw his bat and rushed toward first base; he had clearly chosen the right pitch, yet he still couldn't hit it well. The speed and movement of this guy's forkball as it dove were simply absurd.

The third baseman caught the baseball and immediately threw it in the direction Zhitian Jiangtai was running. The baseball flew past his side and, with a *pop*, entered the first baseman's glove. Zhitian Jiangtai failed to reach base.

As he left the field, Zhitian Jiangtai brushed past Kominato Ryosuke. "Sorry, I couldn't probe out much."

"It's fine, I'll hit it." Kominato Ryosuke walked to the batter's box with squinted eyes. They were all vertical-breaking balls; one could call the opponent persistent or perhaps dim-witted, but in any case, it made pitch selection easier for him.

Soon, Kominato Ryosuke stood in the batter's box. Two pitches passed, and he hadn't swung once.

On the third pitch, the corners of Kominato Ryosuke's mouth curled up. He lowered his center of gravity and swung, hitting the vertical slider thrown by Suzuki Yu out of bounds.

Then, the fourth pitch, the fifth pitch—three consecutive foul balls began to stir feelings of irritation in Suzuki Yu. What was up with this short, pink-haired guy? Was it intentional? Or just a coincidence?

Even though he had looked over the data on Seido's batters before the game, Kominato Ryosuke hadn't played much before, so there was no accurate definition of his batting style or habits. Now, having been hit for three consecutive foul balls, Suzuki Yu began to doubt himself.

Looking at Kominato Ryosuke in the batter's box, a devilish smile gradually emerged. The mentality of tormenting his opponent brought him great satisfaction.

It's time!

The next pitch, a vertical curveball, flew in. Kominato Ryosuke, feeling better and better with each swing, whipped his bat and hit the baseball between second and third base. The ball passed through the infield defense and slammed into the ground. Kominato Ryosuke seized this opportunity and successfully reached first base.

Standing on the base, Kominato Ryosuke felt a bit regretful. If he had used a bit more power on that last pitch, he probably could have hit an extra-base hit.

"Bastard!" Suzuki Yu cursed under his breath. This pink-haired guy was too annoying; he was messing with his head.

Calm down!

At home plate, the catcher gave Suzuki Yu a look. The latter immediately calmed down and looked at his next opponent: Seido's third batter, Yuki Tetsuya.

One could not afford the slightest carelessness against this one.

"Strike!"

"Strike!"

"Bang!"

He wasn't careless, but on the third pitch, Yuki Tetsuya still made contact. Although the placement wasn't great and it hit the infield, the power was sufficient. After the baseball hit the ground and bounced, it remained very fast. The Kenda Takasaki second baseman couldn't intercept the ball, letting it fly behind him.

Because the third batter was Yuki Tetsuya, the outfielders were positioned relatively deep to guard against extra-base hits, and no one was there to cover the spot. The ball eventually landed in no-man's-land.

However, Yuki Tetsuya and Kominato Ryosuke each advanced one base and then stopped, not risking a bid for more.

"Senior Dong! Hit it out!"

"Let's have one!"

Just as he stood in the batter's box, Dong Qingguo heard the cheering from the stands.

He turned his head with a ferocious grin, looking toward the Kenda Takasaki dugout and locking eyes with Ishii Yohei.

"Ha!"

Dong Qingguo let out a violent shout, his beast-like aura surging toward Suzuki Yu on the pitcher's mound. With runners on first and second, as the fourth batter, Dong Qingguo's most important task wasn't to reach base, but to bring his teammates on the bases home.

Now the opportunity had arrived; it all depended on whether Dong Qingguo could seize it.

The catcher bit his lip. Dong Qingguo was a monster batter just like their captain, Ishii Yohei. If one only looked at the record, Dong Qingguo was even above his own captain.

The current situation was by no means good for them. The catcher extended his palm and pressed down.

The pitch path had to be even lower!

Otherwise, once there was the slightest opening and it was seized, Dong Qingguo would swing without hesitation.

Suzuki Yu nodded. The first pitch: an outside forkball.

From catcher to pitcher, both were extremely cautious.

Dong Qingguo sneered. In his view, this kind of weak pitching posed absolutely no threat. Although the pitch path was low enough, the speed of this ball had slowed down.

He swung his bat directly. Bang!

Although he didn't hit it dead center, Dong Qingguo relied on his immense power to pull the ball, forming a line drive that shot straight toward first base.

Slap!

Having run only two steps, the baseball was actually intercepted by the first baseman directly in mid-air.

Oh no!

Everyone on Seido felt a jolt in their hearts.

The baseball was thrown by the first baseman to second base, then to third base. Yuki Tetsuya and Kominato Ryosuke, forced to advance, were both called out. Added to Dong Qingguo, this was actually a triple play!

Seido's second, third, and fourth batters were all out at once! Kenda Takasaki had completed a beautiful triple play!

The whole stadium erupted!

No one expected such a scene to occur in such a tense situation. It was originally a situation extremely unfavorable to Kenda Takasaki, but because of the first baseman's god-like play, the entire situation on the field was rewritten in an instant.

Dong Qingguo clenched his fists, grinding his teeth as he glared at the Kenda Takasaki first baseman. Which deity did this guy pray to before leaving the house this morning? He could even catch that!

"What a pity."

"Pure luck!"

"What do you know? Luck is also a part of strength."

"Bullshit, the game relies on strength. No one can be lucky forever."

The spectators whispered and debated. The Seido team walked off the field, each with a depressed look on their face, especially Dong Qingguo at the lead, whose face was so dark it was almost dripping ink.

"Well, Senior, this is just how it is sometimes," Huangqian Yangyi said.

"Just wait, today I'm definitely going to reward him with a big one!" Dong Qingguo looked back toward the Kenda Takasaki side.

After the players returned, Manager Kataoka didn't give any instructions. Situations like this were a matter of luck; the team members had performed quite well, so there was nothing to say.

Next, it was Seido's turn to defend. Nanjo Taishi was firing on all cylinders. Although one person reached base in the middle, he quickly secured three outs, easily holding the inning.

Afterward, in the bottom of the second, Tanaka Wataru was struck out. The sixth batter, Isashiki Jun, got a single, but before he could be excited for long, the 7th batter, Nanjo Taishi, hit a ground ball and was forced out. The 8th batter, Shinoki Keita, after tangling with Suzuki Yu to a two-strike, two-ball count, was fooled by a ball and was also out.

The game reached the third inning, and so far the score was still 0:0. This result was somewhat unexpected.

At the start, both Kenda Takasaki and Seido had opportunities to score, but in the end, due to unexpected circumstances, they didn't get their wish. It was a development full of drama.

In the top of the third inning, Nanjo Taishi's pitching was even more aggressive than before; after retiring the ninth batter of Kenda Takasaki, he faced the leadoff hitter Kundijiarka once again, and this time, Nanjo Taishi gave Kundijiarka absolutely no chance to utilize his speed, cleanly and decisively sending him out with a Strikeout.