"Strike out!"
Inoue Mamoru had successfully delivered the slow curveball Nakanishi Daiki and the others had been waiting for.
This time, Nakanishi stayed true to his decision. He did not swing.
He simply watched as the pitch dropped neatly into Ito's mitt.
Smack!
All eyes immediately shifted to the home plate umpire, waiting for the final ruling.
The umpire hesitated for a brief moment, carefully considering the pitch. Then he raised his hand and called out firmly:
"Three strikes! Batter is out!"
"Nice, Inoue-senpai! Two outs!"
"Don't relax yet! The danger isn't over!"
"Three more outs to go! Inoue, bring Hakuryu High School to victory!"
Hakuryu High School's morale surged once again.
On the other side, Yakushi High School's players did not waver either. They continued cheering loudly, refusing to let the momentum break their spirit.
"Wrong call, huh…"
Kitamura Kou stepped into the batter's box.
From where he stood, he had seen it clearly. The pitch had been extremely close, but it was slightly outside the strike zone.
It was a bad call.
But there was no frustration on his face.
"That's just part of the game."
"Ball! Four balls! Walk!"
As expected, Hakuryu High School once again chose to walk Kitamura Kou.
With two outs, runners were now on first and second.
Hakuryu had survived the immediate danger.
Hakuryu High School had narrowly escaped the crisis.
Despite Akaishi Osamu's effort to interfere with Inoue Mamoru, he was ultimately tagged out just before Mishima Yuta could reach home plate.
"Three outs! Switching sides!"
Hakuryu's dugout was now filled with confidence. The momentum had fully shifted in their favor, and players were eager to attack again and push the lead further.
"Bottom of the ninth inning."
The commentator's voice rose with excitement.
"On the mound now is Yakushi High School's ace—Kitamura Kou!"
"Although they are currently trailing by just one run, this is their final chance!"
"If they want to keep their hopes alive, they must shut down Hakuryu's momentum here!"
"And up next is Hakuryu's cleanup hitter…"
"Will Yakushi survive this final test, or will Hakuryu crush their comeback hopes right here?"
The stadium erupted in anticipation.
The third batter of Hakuryu stepped into the box, locking eyes with Kitamura Kou.
His intent was obvious.
He wasn't satisfied with a one-run lead—he wanted to break the game open.
"Trying to hit off me…?"
Kitamura Kou's gaze turned cold.
"No chance."
For the first time, he stopped holding back.
In that instant, the batter felt it.
A pressure like a beast locking onto its prey.
A chill ran down his spine.
BOOM!!!
The ball exploded out of Kitamura's hand.
It screamed toward the plate like a cannon shot.
The batter froze.
He didn't even have time to react.
Thud!!!
The catcher's mitt swallowed the pitch with a heavy impact.
"Wh-what a pitch…!!"
Even the home plate umpire, who had earlier made a questionable call, stiffened in shock before announcing the result.
"Strike…!"
"First pitch—155 km/h fastball! The batter didn't even flinch!" the commentator shouted.
A reporter nearby was equally stunned.
"He went full power right away? And this is already his fifth inning!"
"His velocity hasn't dropped at all!"
The analyst beside her nodded.
"Their earlier missed opportunity clearly shifted the momentum. Hakuryu needed a statement pitch—and Kitamura delivered it instantly."
By the time they finished speaking—
BOOM!!!
Thud!!!
"Strikeout!"
The second batter went down without making contact.
The fourth batter stepped in next, unfazed. His expression was firm, determined to challenge the ace head-on.
But Kitamura Kou did not budge.
He had already studied him.
Good hitter—but not a monster.
No need for tricks.
Just power.
BOOM!!!
Thud!!!
"Strikeout!"
Three pitches. Three swings. Three misses.
The fifth batter, Kitaoji, came up next.
He swung with everything he had.
But the result was the same.
BOOM!!!
Thud!!!
"Strikeout!"
"Strikeout! Change of sides!"
The final pitch hit 156 km/h—tying his personal best.
The stadium erupted into chaos.
Yakushi High School Dugout
The players stood in a semicircle around Todoroki Raizo, waiting for his words.
Down by one run.
A situation they rarely faced since Kitamura Kou became their ace.
Todoroki Raizo smiled instead of panicking.
"So… we're down by one, huh."
"This is new."
Then his grin widened.
"Perfect."
"Let's put on a comeback show."
"The kind that gets the whole stadium on its feet!"
"We're not stopping here."
"Win this game."
"Then the next two."
"And we'll stand at the top of Japanese high school baseball."
His eyes burned with excitement.
"That view from the top… don't you want to see it?"
The dugout erupted.
Ota Isao, Fukuda Daiki, Yamauchi Yutaka—all of them burned with fighting spirit.
They stared at Inoue Mamoru on the mound like prey refusing to bow.
This was Yakushi High School's final chance.
Whether they advanced toward the national championship—or were eliminated here in the quarterfinals—
Everything depended on the next few batters.