In the bottom of the fifth inning, Coach Sasaki realized that keeping Kitamura Kou off the bases was nearly impossible. With the lead now more valuable than ever, he decisively sent out Hakuryu High School's ace pitcher, Inoue Mamoru.
Inoue's pitching ability was slightly superior to Ono Shintaro's and fit Hakuryu's overall style perfectly.
Yakushi's first batter of the inning was the ninth batter, Kobayashi Keisuke.
Inoue immediately demonstrated why he was Hakuryu's ace.
He first used two fastballs on opposite corners, both grazing the edges of the strike zone, before finishing Kobayashi with a fastball in the 135–140 km/h range.
Then came the final pitch.
A curveball traveling at less than 90 km/h.
The baseball rose high into the air before dropping sharply in a huge arc.
Kobayashi had faced famous curveball pitchers before, such as Seido's Tanba Koichiro and Sensen Academy's Maki Yosuke.
But this was the first time he had seen a curveball this slow with such an exaggerated break.
Completely unable to judge the timing, he could only rely on instinct.
Swing!
Miss!
"Strike three!"
Kobayashi was retired.
Next came Akiba Kazuma.
This time, Inoue didn't even bother throwing a fastball.
Three consecutive slow curveballs.
Akiba watched the first one pass into Ito's mitt.
He swung at the second and missed entirely.
On the third, he barely managed to make contact.
Ping!
The ball trickled weakly toward the mound.
Inoue charged forward, fielded it cleanly, and fired to first.
Smack!
"Out!"
Mishima Yuta fared even worse.
Inoue needed only a single slow curveball to disrupt his timing completely and secure another easy out.
Just like that, Hakuryu's ace retired three batters in order.
Although he lacked Kitamura Kou's overwhelming dominance, his efficiency was every bit as impressive.
In fact, he had used even fewer pitches.
The game soon evolved into a pure pitchers' duel.
At the start of the sixth inning, Kou's rhythm improved noticeably.
His fastball consistently sat around 150 km/h, and his control became increasingly stable.
Hakuryu's third, fourth, and fifth batters all fell victim to consecutive strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Inoue Mamoru continued to pitch with remarkable composure.
Nakanishi Daiki and Kitamura Kou both reached base.
When Akaishi Osamu stepped into the batter's box, he watched the first pitch without swinging.
Immediately afterward, both runners stole bases successfully.
No outs.
Runners on second and third.
A golden scoring opportunity for Yakushi.
Hakuryu immediately recognized Akaishi's intentions.
The entire defense shifted forward, prepared for a squeeze bunt.
As expected, when Inoue delivered his second pitch, Akaishi squared around and attempted to force a run home.
The idea was correct.
The execution was not.
This time, Inoue did not throw his slow curveball.
Instead, he used a sharply breaking vertical curve.
Akaishi failed to square it up cleanly.
The ball rolled toward the gap between first and second base.
The second baseman reacted immediately.
Smack!
"Out!"
He fielded the ball cleanly and threw to first.
Akaishi was retired.
But Hakuryu wasn't finished.
Without waiting for the umpire's call, Kitaoji immediately fired the ball home.
Ito had already anticipated the play.
Instead of waiting at the plate, he charged forward to meet Nakanishi.
Smack!
"Out!"
Nakanishi Daiki was tagged out before he could score.
A beautifully executed double play.
The only problem for Hakuryu was that they couldn't stop Kitamura Kou.
His speed was simply too great.
By the time Nakanishi was tagged out, Kou had already advanced safely to third base.
Two outs.
Runner on third.
Hakuryu needed just one more out to escape.
The next batter was Ota Isao.
Inoue showed no mercy.
Combining his precise fastball with the devastating slow curveball, he quickly overwhelmed Ota.
Strike three!
Side retired.
Hakuryu successfully escaped the inning without allowing a run.
The team's morale surged once more.
The seventh inning passed quickly.
Neither team managed to score.
Each side put runners on base, only to see their opportunities disappear.
The tension in Koshien Stadium continued to build.
Top of the eighth inning.
Kitamura Kou struck out Hakuryu's ninth batter.
Then came the matchup everyone had been waiting for.
Mima Soichiro.
For what was likely the final time in this game, the two stars faced each other once more.
"Just once..."
Mima stared directly at Kou.
"I want a fair duel on the bases."
His intentions couldn't have been clearer.
Kou actually wanted that duel as well.
A showdown of speed versus pitching.
A battle between two of the tournament's greatest talents.
But now wasn't the time.
Yakushi was trailing.
Only two innings remained.
He couldn't afford to let anyone reach base.
Not even Mima.
Silently apologizing to his rival, Kou began his delivery.
BOOM!!!
The baseball exploded toward the plate.
After their previous encounter, Mima already understood something.
Against Yakushi's improved defense, a bunt was no longer a reliable way to reach base.
If he wanted to get on, he would have to do it with his bat.
The moment the ball left Kou's hand, Mima swung with everything he had.
THUMP!!!
"Strike!"
Even though he had started his swing early, the pitch was still too fast.
The ball slammed into Akaishi's mitt before the bat could arrive.
Am I still too slow?
The fastball alone was enough to overwhelm him.
The fact that Kou also possessed several high-level breaking pitches was almost absurd.
Where did this monster come from?
Mima had always believed he could handle any pitcher.
Even if he couldn't get a hit immediately, his speed would eventually allow him to reach base.
But against Kitamura Kou?
For the first time, he felt completely helpless.
Not a single opportunity had appeared.
Before he could find an answer, Kou delivered the second pitch.
BOOM!!!
The ball seemed just as fast as the first.
From Kou's fingertips to Akaishi's glove, less than half a second passed.
Mima had even less time to react.
THUMP!!!
"Strike two!"
Lost in thought for only a brief moment, Mima found himself swinging at empty air.
The baseball had already disappeared into Akaishi's glove.
A sense of powerlessness crept into Mima's heart.
Kitamura Kou's pitching inspired despair.
But he couldn't allow himself to hesitate.
He couldn't retreat.
He was one of Hakuryu's pillars.
The player entrusted with the leadoff spot.
If even he lost confidence, what would happen to the rest of the team?
How could they possibly win?
For himself.
For Hakuryu High School.
And for Tanaka-senpai, who had bloodied himself chasing a foul ball.
No matter what—
He could not back down.