Just as the baseball approached home plate, Miyuki Kazuya locked onto the inside corner and swung decisively, fully confident in his read.
—but the pitch didn't break.
It continued straight.
Ping!
…What?! A straight fastball?!
There was no time to dwell on the mistake.
Miyuki instantly dropped the bat and sprinted toward first base at full speed.
Even though he knew the odds were slim—
What if…?
The ball had only grazed the top edge of the bat, bouncing weakly in front of home plate before rolling toward the mound.
Sanada reacted immediately.
He charged forward, scooped it cleanly, and fired to first.
"Out! Three outs! Side retired!"
Even the umpire's voice rose in excitement.
"Sanada Shunpei is on fire! Two full innings pitched, not a single hit or runner allowed!"
"After shutting down Ichidaisan, he's now dominating Seido as well!"
"It seems Yakushi High School doesn't just have a powerful batting lineup—their pitching is just as formidable!"
The commentator's voice echoed across the stadium.
Back in Seido's dugout, Miyuki returned with a grim expression—
only to be immediately surrounded.
"Don't worry about it. With no runners on base, this is your normal level." Tetsuya Yuki, completely serious.
"Hahaha, you got completely outplayed." Kuramochi Yoichi, grinning.
"Serves you right for always scheming against others." Ryosuke Kominato, smiling slyly.
"Ugh…" Masuko Toru, incomprehensible as always.
Even Coach Kataoka let out a rare chuckle.
"Such a basic mistake… Don't let it affect your game-calling."
For a moment, the dugout burst into laughter.
Seeing Miyuki in such a rare, defeated state was simply too amusing.
On the Yakushi side, the mood was completely different.
"You're incredible, Sanada-senpai!"
"You shut down Seido completely!"
"Keep it going!"
Kitamura Kou stepped forward with a grin.
"Looks like I won't need to pitch today after all."
Sanada froze for a second, recalling Kitamura's earlier suggestion:
"Sometimes, just throw a straight fastball unexpectedly at Miyuki… it works."
Looking at the cheerful first-year—
Sanada shivered slightly.
This kid… terrifying. And way too devious.
The crowd buzzed with excitement.
"Is Seido in trouble?"
"Yakushi is amazing!"
"No way Seido loses, right?"
"But that pitcher, Sawamura, is doing well…"
"Yeah, but next up is Todoroki Raichi…"
The stadium split into two camps, neither willing to back down.
In the stands—
"Yakushi has completely seized momentum," Akiko Owada said.
Fujio Mine nodded, expression serious.
"That's true. But Sanada hasn't pitched a full game before. Even against Ichidaisan, he only lasted three innings."
"If he were capable of going the distance, Yakushi wouldn't have struggled that much."
Akiko blinked. "So you mean…?"
Mine continued:
"There must be a limitation."
Then his tone sharpened.
"And Seido… is a late-game team."
"They score more as the game progresses."
"Whether Yakushi can withstand that surge that will decide this match."
Akiko paused, then nodded in admiration.
"As expected of you, Mine-san…"
"Top of the third inning! Yakushi High School—ninth batter, pitcher, Sanada!"
"Sanada-senpai, bring it home!"
From the dugout, Todoroki Raizo called out casually:
"Don't waste energy. Just take a few swings—you're our ace."
Behind the plate, Miyuki watched closely.
Solid build… decent hitting ability too. He even got a hit off Manaka last game.
He glanced at Sawamura.
"Don't underestimate him just because he's ninth in the order."
Then, with a faint grin:
"We just got taught a lesson… we should return the favor."
He set his glove—
right at the batter's chest.
"Trust me. First pitch—here."
On the mound, Sawamura clenched his fist.
Facing a pitcher with a similar style—but stronger—
he felt a surge of competitiveness.
I won't lose.
He fired the pitch with full intensity.
"Strike!"
Sanada watched carefully.
Interesting…
This delivery hides the release point completely.
And that catcher… doesn't back down at all.
His interest deepened.
Second pitch—
"Strike!"
Again, inside.
Sanada didn't swing.
He was still observing.
Fast rhythm… tricky release… inside pressure…
His eyes sharpened.
Alright… I see.