"Waooooh!!"
The Yakushi High School dugout instantly erupted.
"Great job, Raichi!"
"As expected of you, Raichi!"
"Kahahaha!"
On the other hand, everyone in the Hiyori High School dugout was stunned speechless by Todoroki Raichi's terrifying swing.
"You've got to be kidding me, that swing just now was too terrifying!"
"Aaaah! Is that really a swing a high school freshman should have? That's way too scary!"
"How is Yakushi High School still hiding such a monster Batter?!"
Amid the crowd's gasps and cheers, Kitamura Kou twirled his bat and slowly stepped into the batter's box.
After giving up two consecutive Home Runs, the Hiyori High School players gathered on the Pitcher's Mound once again.
"It seems we really underestimated Yakushi High School. It's going to be hard to suppress their lineup with just fastballs and half-baked Breaking Balls. Ishida, it looks like you'll have to use that finishing pitch you've been honing for nearly a year," the Hiyori catcher said.
"Yeah, I originally planned to save it as a Trump Card for the Summer Tournament, but if I don't use it now, I'm afraid it'll be hard to suppress Yakushi High School's lineup," Ishida Daisuke said in a low voice.
His expression was no longer as relaxed as it had been at the beginning. The terrifying strength of Yakushi High School's lineup put immense pressure on him.
"The next Batter is also a first-year freshman. Although not every first-year is as freakish as that cleanup hitter just now, since he's in Yakushi High School's Heart of the Order, we'd better not be careless."
"Alright, everyone, back to your defensive positions."
Kitamura Kou looked at Ishida Daisuke on the Pitcher's Mound. His momentum was no longer as strong as it had been at the start. Although he stubbornly wanted to continue pitching, it was clear that his confidence was on the verge of collapse.
After all, as a third-year high school student who had undergone three years of relentless training, having two Home Runs blasted off him by three freshmen who had only been in high school for two months would be hard for anyone to swallow.
"Let me put you out of your misery, Senior," Kitamura Kou thought to himself.
Under the gaze of the entire audience, Ishida Daisuke threw the first pitch.
Whiz!
The white baseball flew rapidly toward Kitamura Kou's inside corner. Having been hit for two consecutive homers, Ishida Daisuke was still unwilling to back down and wanted to go head-to-head.
The pitch speed had already exceeded 140 km/h, nearly reaching 145 km/h.
Kitamura Kou watched the baseball, which was even faster than before, and chose not to swing, opting to observe the pitch instead.
His choice was correct because the moment the baseball entered the Strike zone, it shifted rapidly toward his knees. According to the nine-grid division, this ball was originally aimed at the number six position, but it ultimately ended up to the right of the number nine position.
Pop!
"Ball!"
If Kitamura Kou had swung forcefully just now, he would have only given the opponent a Strike.
"Oh, a pitch type he hasn't thrown before. The break on this ball is quite sharp. Is it meant to be a secret weapon? But if it's only at this level, then I won't hold back," Kitamura Kou thought to himself.
In fact, the speed of this pitch was similar to a fastball, and the break was quite tricky. It wasn't easy to hit well.
However, it wouldn't be enough to suppress Kitamura Kou with just this pitch. Besides, Kitamura Kou had already seen it once.
Ishida Daisuke on the Pitcher's Mound seemed to have regained some confidence, and his momentum returned to what it had been at the beginning.
"Come on, whatever secret weapons you have left, bring them on." Kitamura Kou released his own aura, pressing down on Ishida Daisuke on the Pitcher's Mound.
"Don't be too arrogant, you first-year brat!!" Ishida Daisuke shouted angrily in his heart. Then he threw the same pitch again, though the location was slightly off.
Whiz!
Without the slightest hesitation, Kitamura Kou aimed at the predicted landing spot and swung his bat with all his might.
As if it had been calculated in advance, the baseball broke and slammed directly into the thickest part of the bat, right on the sweet spot.
Clang!!!
A crisp impact sound rang out as the baseball was blasted away. It crossed the entire field and disappeared from everyone's sight.
A perfect Home Run.
"I win this time, Hiyori High School senior." Amid the cheers of the crowd, Kitamura Kou unhurriedly rounded the bases, returned to Home Plate, and then went back to the dugout to celebrate with his teammates.
Yakushi High School 5, Hiyori High School 5.
Yakushi High School had tied the score.
"Impossible, this can't be real. Someone tell me where on earth Yakushi High School found so many first-year monsters. Why didn't they come to our Hiyori High School?!" Coach Takeuchi screamed inwardly.
Ishida Daisuke had been dazed by the three consecutive Home Runs, completely losing his confidence on the mound, and was subbed out to rest.
Yakushi High School, having gone completely wild, scored a full seven runs in this inning and directly took the lead. Their attack finally ended when the lineup came back around to leadoff hitter Fukuda Daiki, who was put out.
Hiyori High School's lineup was still quite strong. Despite being rattled by Yakushi High School's explosive batting, they quickly adjusted and still scored two runs in the second inning, stubbornly tying the score again.
But they still couldn't withstand the brutality of the Yakushi High School Baseball Team's lineup. Akiba Kazuma and Mishima Yuta both reached base with hits, Todoroki Raichi mercilessly blasted another three-run Home Run, and Kitamura Kou followed with another Home Run, making things even worse for Hiyori High School. Yakushi scored another six runs in the second inning, changing the score to 11–7.
After the second inning, Todoroki Raizo directly subbed out Todoroki Raichi and Kitamura Kou, putting in Nakanishi Daiki and Ota Isao.
Hiyori High School also rotated in its bench players.
At the end of nine innings, the final score was 28–21. Yakushi High School won this practice match with a seven-run lead.
"Game over, line up!"
"28 to 21, Yakushi High School wins. Salute!"
"Thank you for the game!"
Todoroki Raizo and Coach Takeuchi stepped forward to shake hands.
"Your school really taught us a lesson today. Your lineup is just too terrifying; it doesn't fall behind even compared to the Three Great Powers of West Tokyo. This year's West Tokyo is truly something to look forward to," Coach Takeuchi remarked with emotion.
"Not at all, your school's strength is also very formidable. To be honest, the sweat on my palms hasn't dried once; your lineup really gives people goosebumps," Todoroki Raizo said, the smile on his face impossible to hide.
"I hope we have the chance to play another practice match in the future," Coach Takeuchi said.
"Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to play this practice match with us. We'll take our leave now," Todoroki Raizo said, then shouted to his players.
"Is everyone packed up? We're leaving!"