Chapter 457: The End of the Red vs. White Match
Setting aside the shock Haruno felt at Coach Sakaki's arrival—
back on the field, after Nakata and Shoji teamed up for a double play,
on the mound, Eijun let out a long breath.
He had originally thought that getting Tojo out would be enough.
He hadn't expected they'd actually manage a double play.
His teammates behind him—
they were just as reliable.
"Second inning, and the starting team also failed to score."
"Sawamura's pitching is solid, and the defense is airtight."
"Yeah, even with a substitute lineup like this, they'd be a strong opponent for most schools."
"Now it's time for Team B to take control of the game."
After Team A missed their best scoring opportunity in the top of the second—
just as the crowd had predicted, momentum shifted completely in Team B's favor.
Especially on offense—
Even though they didn't score every inning, they consistently produced hits.
That rhythm in defense was fueling their energy in offense.
Team B had found their groove.
Bottom of the second—
Team B's attack began with their sixth batter, Nakata.
Furuya now found himself under siege by the substitute lineup.
And to make matters more difficult—
Miyuki wasn't even calling the game seriously.
In fact, he was deliberately calling for some riskier pitches at times.
It wasn't just random recklessness—
Miyuki was using this Red vs. White game as an opportunity to sharpen Furuya's edges.
Whether it was fastball command, or the consistency of his slider—
these were all things that could only improve through live-game experience.
This Red vs. White match was the perfect setting.
Miyuki had made up his mind.
Furuya was going to suffer a little today—
but after the struggle, growth would come.
After walking Nakata on four balls, the next few batters kept Furuya tangled in long, frustrating battles.
With Miyuki guiding the tempo—
Furuya wasn't allowed to go all out.
He was forced to walk a tightrope, keeping a delicate balance.
"Whiz!"
"Pop!"
"Out! That's three outs! Change sides!"
He barely shut down the rest of the inning and escaped without giving up a run—
but even so, Furuya couldn't help feeling stifled.
"Furuya, you have to understand,"
"The goal of this Red vs. White match isn't just to win."
"What really matters—
is your pitching."
Miyuki spoke as he removed his catcher's gear.
Furuya looked a bit surprised at first—
then gave a small nod, as if something clicked.
Just as Miyuki smiled, thinking he got through to him.
"But, Miyuki-senpai..."
"I still want to win. No matter what kind of game it is a pitcher must never accept defeat."
Furuya lifted his head.
His eyes burned with an intense fire as he met Miyuki's gaze.
Miyuki was left momentarily speechless.
This kid... seriously.
As he watched Furuya grab his bat and head back out onto the field, Miyuki let out a half-resigned, half-amused sigh.
These guys—every one of them is more competitive than the last.
Miyuki glanced back—
toward the dugout.
Whether it was Maezono, Kominato, Shirasu, or Tojo each of them had a different fire ignited in their eyes.
All because of that one line from Furuya.
It had stirred something inside them.
"Top of the third inning. Team A at bat. Batting seventh—pitcher, Furuya-kun."
The gap—
I know it well.
The growth I still need—
I understand that too.
The road ahead of me is still long. Compared to the person standing on that mound, I'm still far behind.
But I can still see his back. He hasn't disappeared from view yet.
So I can't let myself fall behind now. Even if I have to grit my teeth and crawl—
I'll keep chasing him.
That's why—
I absolutely won't lose here.
At the very least, when it comes to determination and willpower—
I refuse to lose to him!
Gripping his bat tightly, Furuya stepped forward with firm strides, his sharp eyes locked onto Eijun standing on the mound.
Where they stood—
this was their battlefield.
And in that sense—
Furuya and Eijun were cut from the same cloth.
"Whoosh!"
A sweeping arm motion.
Eijun's body surged into motion.
In a flash—
a dazzling streak of white light exploded forward.
A pitch, fast and direct—
And from the batter's box, Furuya's bat whipped through the air to meet it.
"PING!!!!"
....
"Whoosh!"
"Pop!"
"Out! Three outs! Game over!"
With Kawakami's final pitch—a sharp slider—
Yamaguchi sent a high fly ball toward left field, where Asou cleanly caught it for the final out.
And with that, the Red vs. White match finally came to an end.
Final score: 4–3.
After nine grueling innings, Team A emerged victorious.
However, what left a tinge of regret for Team A was that, despite winning the game, they were never able to score a single run off Eijun.
From the 1st through the 5th innings—
they had five opportunities on offense.
In the 2nd and 4th innings, they managed to get runners into scoring position—
with the 4th inning even seeing a runner reach third base.
But the starting lineup just couldn't produce that one decisive hit to bring in a run.
Not only was Eijun's pitching powerful and consistent—
firmly shutting down Kuramochi, Tojo, Kanemaru, and others—
but the substitute team's defense, while perhaps not as strong offensively, was absolutely on par defensively.
With that strong support behind him, Eijun closed out his five innings without allowing a single run.
Furuya, on the other hand, despite being placed under constant pressure from the scheming captain Miyuki from the 2nd inning onward—
endured it all with sheer determination and strength.
He pitched four scoreless innings as well.
The only run he gave up was the home run to Eijun in the 1st inning.
Later on, Eijun did blast a double in another at-bat, but sadly, Team B's offensive lineup just couldn't follow through—
still trailing behind the main roster in batting power.
After five innings—
both Eijun and Furuya stepped down from the mound.
It was, after all, just an internal Red vs. White game,
and they were in the middle of the actual tournament season.
Even if they played the match with full intensity,
there was still a need to manage player fatigue wisely.
Eijun and Furuya stepping down was a logical and necessary decision.
Their successors were Kawakami for Team A and Kaneda for Team B.
From the 6th inning onward, momentum swung completely in favor of Team A.
Second-year Kaneda, while talented enough to be a team ace elsewhere, struggled against Seidou's main lineup.
Pitching four innings, he finally cracked in the top of the 8th, unable to hold off Seidou's offense.
Led by Miyuki, the lineup erupted for three runs in that inning.
Adding in the one run from the 6th, Team A reached four runs in total.
Meanwhile, in the bottom of the 9th—
Kawakami faced a fierce push from Team B's offense, and gave up one final run.
4–3.
Team A managed to preserve the lead, saving the starters' pride and officially securing the win in this Red vs. White match.
Though close—
a win was still a win.
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