Baseball: A Two-Way Player-Chapter 232 - 112: Hold the Line! (Double-Length)

Before his teammates entered the field to go to their defensive positions, Kenshu Yasuda called everyone into a circle at the edge of the dugout for a final pep talk.

"The bottom of the ninth inning, I think we all know what those words mean—I dare bet, if our defense shows even a hint of distraction, our opponents will tear us to shreds immediately!"

"Trust me, they absolutely have the ability! A 2-point advantage in the bottom of the ninth doesn’t assure us a victory—this next half inning, I want to see the fighting spirit from each of you! Play this game as if it’s our last game of the summer!"

"Hold the line! Did you all hear me?!"

The response came from his teammates’ heartfelt shouts:

"Heard you!!!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, the players from Showa High School also gathered in a circle, standing shoulder to shoulder; at the center was their coach, Mori Yuji.

Mori Yuji first looked around at the players surrounding him, then clapped his hands repeatedly, shouting passionately:

"Today’s game, we played well—I could even say this is the most splendid game you’ve played in the past three years!"

"But—yes, even when playing this well, I have to say ’but.’"

"Even though we’ve performed excellently in this game, we’re still the trailing side, and I want to ask you, are you willing to accept this? Are you content to lose your last game of your high school career just like this?"

Faced with such questioning from their coach, the Showa High School players looked at each other and then firmly replied in unison, "Coach, we are not willing! We want to win!"

"Good! Very spirited!"

"Since you want to win, then in the next game, hit the ball hard for me—recall all the sweat, tears, joy, and pain of the past three years, then swing the bat with all your might."

"I’m proud of you, and I also believe you absolutely have the ability to overturn your opponents—so what if they’re Senbatsu champions? On this stage now, the dreams of us little guys are as great as theirs!"

As he said these words, Mori Yuji’s face turned red, and his expression became increasingly fierce; but he could feel his players’ emotions rising infinitely.

Seeing his words were effective, Mori Yuji decided to add one last spark: he stepped back a few steps from the circle and stood among the crowd, letting all the players place their hands together.

The overlapping hands first swung downwards a few times before suddenly shooting upwards; simultaneously, there rose a shout loud enough to overturn Shengong Stadium, the heartfelt voices of the young players:

"Showa! Victory!!!"

Kenshu Yasuda entered the field from the third base side of the players’ area and then jogged all the way to his Central Field defense zone; beside him were his partners on the left and right.

Noticing that Yagaki, in charge of Right Field, seemed a bit out of sorts, Kenshu Yasuda elbowed him and said:

"Don’t think about that last at-bat, Kenta."

"Senior, but I..."

"There’s no ’but.’ What’s past is past, and the rest is for post-game review—after playing baseball for so many years, haven’t you learned that yet?"

"If you’re still torn about not contributing to the team, then you should defend even better—if your error causes us to lose this game, I can’t forgive you, Kenta."

Saying that, Kenshu Yasuda heavily patted Yagaki’s back, urging him to his defense zone.

With Showa High School’s batter ready, the exciting bottom of the ninth inning began.

Showa High School had a bit of bad luck as their rotation this crucial final inning would start from the fifth batter, using the lower lineup to face Uchida Saint.

Uchida Saint started the game today with an outstanding performance, possibly his best pitching performance in three years:

He pitched eight innings, striking out seven batters, completely suppressing Showa’s lineup, and currently having given up only one run;

If the fifth batter, Yuzawa Shigeki, cannot secure a lead hit for the team, they might struggle to win this game.

At the pitcher’s mound, Uchida Saint took a deep breath, gently stretching his tired muscles, and exchanged signals with his catcher—this last half inning, with a 2-point advantage, he, as the starting pitcher, must defend it no matter what!

His arm swung, and the baseball shot from his fingertips—a fierce trajectory aimed directly at the inside of the batter, the tricky angles completely suppressed Yuzawa Shigeki’s hitting angles, leaving him no room to swing.

"Strike."

Getting a precious strike at the start, Uchida Saint decided to keep pressing, sticking to attacking the batter’s inside if they didn’t back off.

The second ball, with a similar strategy, also worked effectively; playing on Yuzawa Shigeki’s eagerness to open an inning for the team, he used a slightly outside fastball compared to the first ball, enticing the batter to swing and miss.

strikes! One more count needed!

Uchida Saint clenched his right fist and raised it high, shouting out loud, using this method to boost his morale; Yuzawa Shigeki lowered his head slightly, eyes fixed on the home plate on the ground, bat lightly swaying, lost in thoughts.

Moments later, the third pitch was released—the white ball shot out like a cannonball from the pitcher’s mound, its target was the strike zone.

When at the brink of despair, a person often bursts out with unimaginable strength—and right at the bottom of the ninth, 0 strikes 2 on a cliff edge, Yuzawa Shigeki exploded!

Uchida Saint was a bit eager in handling this pitch: the baseball’s speed was good, but control was slightly lacking, its overly straight trajectory was precisely picked up by Yuzawa Shigeki.

The bat swung out, the sound "clang" instantly awakening Shengong Stadium from its slumber.

The ball flew up, soaring high and far, sticking close to the third base line, flying to the field’s far left position.

Sato Ken, from Left Field, was rapidly chasing it, but the ball’s spot was at the borderline inside and outside, no outfielder would choose to stand in such extreme locations—which meant, if the ball landed inside, it would start as a double hit; if met by a quick-footed runner, a triple or even an inside-the-park home run wasn’t impossible.

The ball landed.

The location was—

Inside!!!

Arriving late, Sato Ken saw the ball land inside, and his heart sank, but he couldn’t afford to regret not running faster; he quickly bent down to pick up the ball and then stepped back and swung his arm to throw the ball back toward the infield.

Inside the field, Yuzawa Shigeki also sprinted fiercely, exhausting every part of his body for more advancement.

Ultimately, he stopped at the third base bag, breathing heavily.

The stadium erupted!

At the crisis moment of 0 strikes 2 for Showa Academy, Yuzawa Shigeki from the fifth batter’s order timely hit a triple, bringing back the suspense of the game.

Seeing his teammates’ faces showing anxiousness, Lin Guanglai, in the third base players’ area, leaned on the railing, trying to calm their emotions with his loudest shout; Kenshu Yasuda, standing in Central Field, also continuously used his body language to encourage his teammates.

After a brief pause, despite the Waseda Jitsugyo players’ emotions slightly calming down, they still couldn’t stop Showa High School players from narrowing the gap through sacrifice bunts.

A score of 2:1 made many spectators think Showa Academy might defeat Waseda Industries in the bottom of the ninth inning and realize an underdog miracle.

But this score ultimately held until the end: Uchida Saint didn’t falter, and the triple hit by opponents did not make him play conservatively; instead, he actively attacked the batters, ending the exhausting game with two consecutive strikeouts.

When the umpire announced the game’s end, many players from both sides collapsed on the field—this game was a tough battle for both the winners and losers.

Upon finishing the post-game ceremony, the Waseda players excitedly hugged and jumped together—even during winning the Senbatsu championship, they hadn’t seemed happier.