In the bottom of the ninth inning, after just two pitches, Sansong's pitcher could still hit a velocity of 139; he was truly formidable.

But then,

"Bang!"

"Hit!" the commentator shouted.

The ball flew between the third baseman and second baseman.

Kunii Shuichi let go of everything, dropped the bat, and dashed toward first base.

"Sansong's shortstop catches it! He's throwing the ball!"

"Will Goda's leadoff hitter make it in time?"

"Ah!" Sansong's shortstop threw the ball toward first base.

"Ah!" Kunii Shuichi roared as he dove for first base.

"Safe!"

"He made it on base!"

Kunii Shuichi picked himself up off the ground and immediately got ready, his gaze fixed on second base.

His heart was beating fast; he was so close, nearly too late. If he had missed just one day of his regular running, he might have been out.

The spectators couldn't stay seated; they stood up one by one.

"Goda's second hitter! The left fielder, Xiaoye!"

Sansong's pitcher twisted his neck.

Xiaoye swung his bat forcefully, trying to get the feel.

When he set his bat on his left shoulder, the game resumed.

The pitcher lifted his foot and threw the ball.

"Bang!"

At the sound, Kunii Shuichi dashed off, but after a few steps, he stopped and returned to first base.

"Foul ball!"

The second pitch.

The fingers of Sansong's pitcher positioned behind the ball, a Carter Ball that would veer away from the hitter at the last moment!

Xiaoye swung at the pitch.

"Bang!"

"Hit again!"

"It's a high fly ball! Can Sansong's outfielder catch it? He got it! One out for Goda, and a man on first!"

Xiaoye watched the ball for a long while before walking back to the dugout.

"…Sorry."

"Xiaoye did his best!" Despite her numbing nerves and her heart beating so fast it was hard to breathe, Kobayashi Yuuzuki still encouraged him.

"The opposing pitcher is always strong; he won't become easier to hit in the final inning," the coach said solemnly, "Whether we can win, whether we can advance to Koshien, now it's up to you! Hang in there till the fifth hitter! Yamamoto!"

"Yes!"

Yamamoto, as Goda's third hitter, took up his bat and entered the field.

"Third baseman Yamamoto, Goda's third hitter!"

"Fight on!"

"Goda! Goda!"

"Sansong! Sansong!"

Cheerleaders waved their pompoms, clearly exhausted yet unwilling to stop.

With hoarse voices, classmates continued to cheer for their respective baseball teams.

Yamamoto gripped his bat and watched as the fatigued Sansong pitcher in front of him loosened his arms to relieve his tiredness.

His opponent was strong, and in the first eight innings, Yamamoto had only managed to get two hits off him.

He was a senior; it was his last chance, and he absolutely could not lose!

"Missing the pitcher's ball is either due to lack of practice or lack of talent!" he recalled his coach's scolding from his first year.

That day, they had lost in the penultimate round of the qualifiers.

"Am I untalented? I was scouted from Kochi Prefecture!"

"Is my practice insufficient? After training ends, I'm the only one left on the field swinging a bat!"

"So, hit it out!"

Yamamoto swung.

"Bang!"

"Hit!"

"Run!" He couldn't hear his teammate's voice behind him.

In front of him, Kunii Shuichi was charging toward second base, and he himself was sprinting toward first base.

"Ah—" It was Kunii Shuichi's roar.

This fool, who had been doing this since his first year, always shouted when he ran, which only made him slower.

Shouting too much depleted his oxygen, reducing his sprinting efficiency!

Did he even regard his senior with any respect?

How could he comfortably leave the baseball team to such an unreliable guy after he left!

But still, but still...

It was Goda's final chance; everyone tried in their own way!

Yamamoto ran with a tense expression and perfect form, almost like a machine except for the sound of his footsteps and the quivering muscles on his face.

"Safe!" the umpire bellowed.

"Men on first and second! Goda's about to turn the game around!"

"Can a miracle happen again?!"

"Great!" the coach waved his hand fiercely, "Fourth and fifth hitters! One of you just needs to get on base, keep the order moving, and Dubian can finish it! We'll win! We'll go to Koshien! Got it?"

"Yes!"

The fourth hitter picked up his bat, took a deep breath, and entered the field.

With one man already out, if he got out too, Goda would be left with only one more out before disaster.

And that was assuming both Yamamoto and Kunii didn't get out.

"A good pitch!"

His mind went blank, as if about to be swallowed by a heatwave; the tension of the game cut into his skin like a blade.

"A second good pitch!"

Damn it, it was clearly a bad pitch, why did he swing at it!

In the stands, the cheers of the whole school... He just wanted to run away! He couldn't hit it!

He struggled to swallow his saliva in an attempt to suppress his nerves.

Calm down, calm down...

As long as he stayed calm, the pitcher would undoubtedly...

"Strike three! You're out!" came the umpire's voice.

How he returned to the dugout, he wasn't sure; he just sat there blankly as Kobayashi Yuuzuki seemed to be saying something to him.

In the distance, Dubian Che appeared to be talking to the fifth hitter.

He couldn't hear anything... They were going to lose... All their efforts wasted...

"Goda has eliminated two players! Only one elimination left!"

"There's no turning back now! Goda!"

"The fifth hitter must withstand the pressure! The two players already on base also absolutely must not get out!"

"Can there be a miracle?!"

In the stands, some of the girls from Goda High School had started crying.

Advantages, heatstroke, disadvantages, struggling back, but in the end, were they still going to lose?

"Come on—!" Their cries were tinged with sobs.

"Sansong! Sansong!" The chant from Sansong High School was coordinated and powerful.

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