Tatsuya who was on 3rd base couldn’t help but laugh out loud, feeling his sides hurt.
“N-Nice one Captain!” He called out with a thumbs up between laughs.
Jun who had to move up to 2nd base also let out a chuckle seeing Makoto’s reaction. He could guess exactly what was going through the guys head after what had happened last game.
It wasn’t just the two on the field, the dugout was full of laughter from the ordeal.
Ken however, was focused on Hiroki who was next up to bat. They couldn’t have asked for a better set up in the first innings. If he hit big then they were guaranteed at least 1 run.
“Batting 4th, 1st base, Hiroki”
As the beautiful voice descended upon the arena, the calm and collected Hiroki stepped up to the plate. His eyes were sharp as he surveyed the pitcher in front of him.
There was a cool confidence instilled in his body as he waited for the pitch to come. It was as if he knew for a fact that he would hit the next ball, no matter what it was.
And he was not wrong.
The fastball left the fingertips of the pitcher and took an inside course, looking to jam Hiroki and force a bad shot. However, the pure technique he used caused the bat to accelerate at the last moment and hit it dead center.
DOOOONG
An almighty sound assaulted everyone’s ears as the ball was struck heavily with the center of the barrel. The vibration of the metal bat echoed out into the arena, accompanied by loud cheers.
“W-What a hit!”
“YOKOHAMA!”
The crowd followed the ball all the way past the left outfielder and into the stands where a lucky spectator was able to catch it cleanly with his glove.
“ORYAAAAH!”
“Grand slam!”
Hiroki had managed to smash the inside ball that was meant to jam him, sending it into the crowd for a 4-run home run, or better known as a grand slam.
Tatsuya, Jun and Makoto made their way around the bases before stepping onto home plate. There they awaited Hiroki who was making his own victory lap.
The moment he stepped on the plate, they assaulted him with slaps to his helmet, their ritual every time he hit a home run.
Yokohama’s bench was ecstatic as the home run hero returned to them, eliciting a cheer.
The Koryu players on the field seemed to be at a loss. Their pitcher was someone who took a while to warm up, so this was generally the most dangerous time of the match for them.
Yokohama was the only team who had punished them so thoroughly at the beginning of the game.
However, after this, the pitcher seemed to switch gears. He did not let another person on base for the next 6 innings.
Akira on the other hand, was not able to keep a clean sheet.
By the end of the 7th innings, he had given up 3 runs and multiple base hits, Yet this was no just a fault of his own. In fact, Akira had been pitching the best game of his career so far.
The problem with pitching to contact was that it relied heavily on the fielders. So while this was good in short spurts, sometimes there would be oversights or mistakes that could lead to some runs incidentally.
Since they were still High School kids, it was understandable for a few mistakes here and there.
Thankfully though, at the top of the 7th, Yokohama once again broke through the defenses of Koryu.
Tatsuya had managed to get onto first base once more, only for Jun to be caught in the infield after getting jammed. Makoto who was next up to bat left nothing to chance as he sent a compact swing towards an inside ball and sent it flying towards the outfield.
The center outfielder barely missed the catch near the fence, allowing Tatsuya to run all the way to home plate while Makoto stood securely on 2nd base.
This brought the score to 5-3 in favor of Yokohama, taking them one step closer to winning the championship.
Hiroki came up to bat next, his determination evident. They were in another good position to score some runs which could be their last opportunity this game.
‘Akira is starting to look fatigued already. We need to strengthen our lead.’ He thought inwardly, sending a glance to the dugout.
He could see Ken was in Akira’s ear, likely giving him a pep talk or some pointers. Either way, the guy looked exhausted.
Hiroki shook his head and turned his attention back to the pitcher.
Makoto was on 2nd base with a gaze that was telling him to hit big.
‘Don’t need to tell me twice Captain.’ He said inwardly, gripping his bat tightly.
The ball came roaring to life as it veered away from him. It was a cutter, yet it lacked the same impact as the ones that he had faced 2 days ago.
WHOOOOSH
DONG!
The bat connected squarely with the ball, sending it thundering towards the outfield at high speeds. After checking the angle, a wide grin appeared on Hiroki’s face as he proceeded to drop his bat and begin his jog.
“WHOA!”
“Nice work Hiroki!”
“ORYAAHHH!”
Makoto screamed his regular catchphrase as he saw the ball sail over the fence for another home run. His body was filled with jubilation as he was once again sent home by Hiroki.
Once the two completed their lap and returned to the dugout, they were given the royal treatment. Hiroki once again received the ritualistic slaps on the helmet as congratulations.
Coach Hanada smiled with pride as he watched his players succeed on the field. Now that the score was 7-3, he could see that Koryu had begun to lose heart.
The last two innings saw Akira give up another 2 runs, however at the top of the 9th with 2 outs and 1 on base, Koryu were on their last legs.
With the game at 7-5, they needed to either get a home run or the game would end in Yokohama’s favor.