Chapter 209: The Kominato Brothers Take the Stage

The first inning ended with Ushijima Wakatoshi overpowering Sano Shuzo.

Three pitches.

Three strikes.

The cleanup hitter never had a chance.

That dominant strikeout completely shifted the momentum to Seido.

However, in the bottom of the first inning, Seido's offense was quickly retired in order.

Kuramochi.

Kominato Ryosuke.

Isashiki.

All three were sent back to the dugout empty-handed.

No one was particularly surprised.

After all, Seiho wasn't an ordinary opponent.

As one of the nation's powerhouse schools, their ace was naturally a pitcher of exceptional caliber.

Getting shut down in the opening inning wasn't unexpected.

The top of the second inning.

Ushijima's overwhelming pitching continued.

One batter after another fell before his blazing fastballs and razor-sharp breaking balls.

Seiho's lineup remained completely suppressed.

Bottom of the second.

Yuki Tetsuya stepped into the batter's box.

Crack!

He drove a deep line drive into the outfield and cruised safely into second with a stand-up double.

The next batter...

Ushijima Wakatoshi.

"Here he comes!"

"The player with the most home runs in this Summer Koshien!"

"The monster slugger, Ushijima Wakatoshi!"

The pressure on Seiho's ace instantly doubled.

This time, however, Ushijima wasn't using a wooden bat.

He had switched back to his familiar metal bat.

It wasn't because he looked down on his opponent.

Quite the opposite.

He respected Seiho's pitching staff enough not to take unnecessary risks.

Trying to crush every pitch with a wooden bat against a powerhouse wasn't realistic.

Whoosh!

The pitch came.

CRACK!

Ushijima met it perfectly.

The ball rocketed toward right field before slamming into the outfield wall.

Yuki had already broken toward home the instant the bat made contact.

The timing between the two of them had long since become second nature.

The moment Ushijima swung...

Yuki ran without hesitation.

"YES!!"

The Seido dugout erupted.

Every player leaped to their feet, fists raised high.

The tens of thousands of spectators inside Koshien roared with excitement as Ushijima pulled into second base with an RBI double.

On the opposite side...

Every Seiho player clenched their fists.

Their cleanup hitter had already been struck out in humiliating fashion.

Now Seido's fourth and fifth batters had produced back-to-back extra-base hits to score the game's first run.

Their morale took another heavy blow.

But Seido wasn't finished.

Ushijima stood on second with nobody out.

Another opportunity had arrived.

On the very first pitch to Masuko...

Ushijima broke for third.

The catcher fired the ball immediately.

Too late.

"Safe!"

The crowd erupted once again.

"The first-year ace continues to amaze us!"

"He dominates on the mound."

"He crushes the ball at the plate."

"He has blazing speed."

"And now he's stealing bases with perfect timing!"

"Ushijima Wakatoshi is leading Seido's offense almost single-handedly!"

"Now Seido has a runner on third with nobody out."

"What will Seiho do?"

The commentator had barely finished speaking before the next pitch arrived.

Masuko squared around.

Tap!

A perfectly executed sacrifice bunt rolled softly into fair territory.

By the time Seiho recorded the out...

Ushijima had already crossed the plate.

"Yeah!!"

"WOOO!!"

As he returned to the dugout, Ushijima exchanged a hard high-five with Masuko.

Although Masuko had given himself up, the sacrifice had successfully brought home another run.

With only three batters, Seido had taken a 2-0 lead, immediately putting Seiho under immense pressure.

The inning continued.

Miyuki stepped up next.

Crack!

He lined a clean single into the outfield.

Shirasu followed with another base hit.

Just like that, Seido had runners on first and second.

Now...

It was the ninth batter's turn.

Kominato Haruichi.

Unlike Ushijima, Haruichi still held a wooden bat.

The commentator smiled.

"Seido's young genius is stepping in."

"What kind of performance will Kominato Haruichi give us today?"

From second base, Miyuki looked toward home plate with a grin.

"Haruichi..."

"So far, you're still batting a perfect 1.000 at Koshien."

"That's even better than us upperclassmen."

Haruichi smiled shyly.

Then he stepped into the batter's box.

Before settling into his stance...

He glanced toward Miyuki standing on second base.

As soon as Kominato Haruichi made eye contact with Miyuki on second and Shirasu on first...

The two runners immediately understood.

No words were needed.

The moment Seiho's pitcher began his delivery—

Both runners broke at the same time.

"The runners are going!"

The first baseman shouted toward the catcher.

"Double steal!"

The second baseman yelled as well.

"What?!"

"A double steal?!"

The entire stadium buzzed with surprise.

No one had expected Seido to attempt such a bold play.

"Damn it!"

Startled, Seiho's pitcher reacted instantly.

Mid-delivery, he deliberately altered his release, throwing the ball outside the strike zone.

It was a common response.

A pitch outside would be easier for the catcher to receive cleanly, giving him a better chance to throw out the runners.

Unfortunately...

He had overlooked one crucial detail.

The batter standing in the box wasn't someone who could be ignored.

Kominato Haruichi might not possess overwhelming power, but his bat control ranked among the very best in Koshien.

In fact, his batting average was second only to Ushijima Wakatoshi.

"What double steal?"

"You idiot..."

"This is a hit-and-run."

Kuramochi and the rest of Seido's bench couldn't help laughing.

At the plate, Haruichi quietly opened his eyes.

Then—

Crack!

The wooden bat met the baseball perfectly.

"What?!"

Every Seiho player stared in disbelief.

The ball soared high into center field.

Miyuki had already rounded third.

"Fall!"

While sprinting toward first, Haruichi couldn't help shouting.

Almost as if answering his wish...

The ball dropped safely beyond the second baseman's reach.

"A nice hit!"

After crossing home plate, Miyuki raised a fist toward Haruichi in celebration.

At the same time, Shirasu advanced all the way to third.

He held there instead of trying to score.

"What a terrifying first-year..."

Shirasu couldn't help smiling.

Meanwhile...

Kuramochi stepped into the batter's box.

"Hah..."

"Miyuki and Shirasu have already done their jobs."

"I can't let the underclassmen steal all the spotlight."

Otherwise, how could he face them?

Kuramochi wasn't greedy.

He only needed one job.

The squeeze play.

Tap!

A perfectly placed bunt rolled into fair territory.

By the time Seiho recorded the out...

Shirasu had already crossed the plate.

Earlier in the inning, Masuko had laid down a sacrifice bunt to bring home Ushijima.

Now Kuramochi repeated the exact same play to score Shirasu.

Twice in one inning.

And both times...

Seiho had been completely powerless to stop it.

While the defense focused on recording the out, Haruichi calmly advanced to second base.

The scoreboard changed once again.

Bottom of the Second

Seido 4 - Seiho 0

Two Outs

Runner on Second

Standing on second, Haruichi looked toward the batter's box.

"Big Brother."

Ryosuke smiled as he met his younger brother's eyes.

The players in Seido's dugout couldn't help smiling as well.

The Kominato brothers didn't need words.

One glance was enough.

They already understood exactly what the other was thinking.

High in the Koshien stands...

Their parents watched with shining eyes.

"Haruichi's on second..."

"Ryosuke..."

"You have to bring your little brother home."

Their mother gripped her husband's hand tightly, unable to hide her excitement.

Their father smiled proudly.

"Haruichi."

"Trust your brother."

"Go."

"Go fulfill the dream you two have always shared."

Back on the mound, Seiho's pitcher watched the silent exchange between the brothers.

They're planning another steal...

That was the only conclusion he could reach.

Whoosh!

He delivered the pitch.

But this time...

Haruichi never moved.

"Ball!"

The umpire's call left both the catcher and pitcher stunned.

"...He didn't run?"

Behind the plate, confusion spread across Seiho's battery.

Meanwhile, Ryosuke simply smiled.

"Hehe..."

Now the pressure shifted entirely onto Seiho.

Neither the pitcher nor the catcher could figure out what the Kominato brothers were planning next.