Chapter 495: The Seikou Match: Strategy in Play
"Tsunematsu, for the sake of the team's victory, sometimes… you have to learn when to endure and when to let go."
Just before the bottom of the eighth inning began, Masu Shinichirou looked squarely at Tsunematsu with a deeply serious expression. His voice was calm but firm, his tone heavy with importance.
Tsunematsu was taken aback, a puzzled look crossing his face.
He didn't quite understand what his senior, Masu, was trying to say.
Just as he was about to ask for clarification, something clicked in his mind—a flash of understanding passed through him. And then, he got it.
His expression froze for a moment.
His left hand curled into a tight fist.
"I don't… No—yes. I understand, Masu-senpai."
The words he had nearly blurted out were forced back down his throat. After a moment of internal struggle, his expression hardened with resolve. Taking a deep breath, Tsunematsu nodded fiercely, his eyes gleaming with fierce determination.
Masu Shinichirou allowed a faint, approving smile to cross his lips.
"We're going to win this—no matter what."
"Yeahhhh!!!"
"Bottom of the eighth inning, Seidou High School's offense begins. Batting third—pitcher, Sawamura-kun."
Eijun walked steadily toward the batter's box, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Just one more inning. Three more outs.
And the game would be over.
But he had no intention of letting his guard down—not against that fat punk on the mound.
This inning…
He was going to make that guy feel the full power of Seidou's lineup again.
"Whoosh!"
"Pop!"
"Ball!"
"Whoosh!"
"Clang!"
"Thud!"
"Foul ball!"
"Whoosh!"
"Pop!"
"Ball!"
....
Just as expected, Eijun's smile slowly faded with each pitch from Tsunematsu. Before long, even a frown crept onto his face.
"Whoosh."
"Smack!"
"Ball four, batter walks!"
"Oh? A walk at this moment?"
"Is his control starting to slip?"
"Well, it is the eighth inning… not too surprising."
"Walking a batter before facing the cleanup hitter… that's not a good sign."
"We're down to the final stretch. Now's not the time to start giving up runs."
Up in the stands, most of the neutral fans showed disappointed expressions. From their perspective, walking Eijun here looked like a potentially costly mistake.
But a few sharp-eyed individuals—like Coach Kataoka, Ochiai, and others—were already furrowing their brows, just like Eijun.
"If this guy is planning...!!!"
Eijun tossed his bat aside and jogged toward first base, staring at Tsunematsu on the mound. There was something in that pitcher's dark expression that triggered a very bad hunch.
And sure enough—
"Whoosh."
"Smack!"
"Ball four, batter walks!"
Another walk.
Tsunematsu had just walked Miyuki after five pitches.
No outs. Runners on first and second.
At this point, it was obvious even to the slowest observers what Seikou's battery was up to: intentionally walking the two most dangerous batters—Eijun and Miyuki—to go all-in against the rest of the lineup. Minimize risk, take the safest approach, and make a high-stakes gamble for the win.
Eijun advanced to second base, his eyes shadowed with unease.
Miyuki, by contrast, wore a look of amused interest.
From his point of view, Seikou's battery had guts. This strategy reeked of a do-or-die determination. After all, there hadn't even been anyone on base—yet they deliberately put two men on?
Tch. That kind of call... what do you even say?
In the stands, the crowd buzzed.
From a basic perspective, Seikou's strategy looked outright foolish. But when judged by the current game situation and tactical merit… it just might be the best option available.
Because the next batter was…
Well, let's just say—there was one person on that field clearly not pleased right now.
"Batting fifth, first baseman—Maezono!"
Up until now, Maezono had been completely hitless.
He stood slowly from the dugout. His expression had darkened. A fiery red gleam flickered in his eyes.
You walked Sawamura and Miyuki… because you think you can take out the rest of us without breaking a sweat!?
Maezono was filled with righteous fury.
The blatant disrespect lit a fire in him.
"I'll make you regret looking down on me!!"
Grinding his teeth, Maezono marched into the batter's box.
His intent was fierce.
But reality… was harsh.
Perhaps due to Eijun's presence and the altered course of destiny, Maezono—who, in the original timeline, often came through in key autumn tournament moments—hadn't been able to perform this time around.
And in this semifinal match, his slump continued.
Even this final at-bat… yielded nothing.
"Whoosh!"
"Ping!"
"Thud!"
"Smack!"
"Out!!"
Though Maezono fully utilized his physical strengths—not just relying on brute-force swings, but also employing a power-focused yet technically sound approach to hitting—he still couldn't shake off Tsunematsu.
The third pitch: an outside fastball.
Maezono connected—but the ball went straight toward the pitcher, and Tsunematsu cleanly fielded it before throwing to first for the out.
From the dugout, Coach Kataoka's eyes flickered with a complicated expression.
Ochiai even shook his head and sighed silently.
It wasn't that Maezono was bad.
He just wasn't good enough.
Against a pitcher of this caliber, Maezono still came up short.
He stood in the batter's box for two or three seconds,
then walked off with a heavy look and unwillingness etched across his face.
He was angry at his own powerlessness.
Ashamed of his inability to deliver.
His jersey number, his position in the batting order—
at this moment, it all felt unbearably heavy, like he could barely breathe beneath the weight of expectation.
In the stands, many spectators wore disappointed expressions.
Runners were on first and second—and as the fifth batter, Maezono had failed to seize the opportunity.
He had let down the responsibility his position carried.
But the blame didn't fall on Maezono alone.
The following batters, too, were completely shut down by Tsunematsu, who now pitched with even more fire—perhaps channeling all his frustration from walking Eijun and Miyuki into overpowering the rest of Seidou's lineup.
#6 Shirasu – struck out.
#7 Asou – high flyout to the outfield.
In this inning—Seikou's seemingly irrational intentional walks turned out to be a tactical masterstroke.
Tsunematsu cleanly dealt with the next three batters one after another.
Bottom of the 8th: Seikou gave up no runs.
Seidou was left with two runners stranded and nothing to show for it.
Now, with just a one-run difference—the game entered its final, all-or-nothing battle.
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