Aside from that pitcher wearing number 18, Yakushi's ace wearing number 1 was completely underwhelming—it was actually pretty easy to hit off him.
Kuramochi swung once and immediately got a double.
Ryousuke laid down a sacrifice bunt, sending Kuramochi to third.
Isashiki Jun followed with a double as well, bringing Kuramochi home for the first run.
Then, Yuuki Tetsuya hit the ball toward third, but it was caught by Raichi, resulting in an out.
Next came Masuko, who delivered big—he hit a home run, bringing in two more runs. That made three runs total.
With the bases cleared, Miyuki stepped up to bat… and on the very first pitch, he hit it straight into the pitcher's glove. Out.
Someone muttered sarcastically.
End of the first inning: Yakushi 0, Seidou 3.
The second inning began.
Rinichi picked up his glove and headed straight to the mound.
He gripped the ball with his left hand, turned sideways, upper body tilting slightly right, and made a powerful step with his right leg.
The batter instinctively flinched.
Damn it, that inside pitch looked like it was flying straight for his ribs.
Just barely grazed the edge of the strike zone on the outside.
With this pitcher, you had to swing at everything—he always pitched to the strike zone.
But this speed… it was seriously hard to hit.
"Strike three! Batter out!"
The batter didn't even swing.
Raizou tilted his head slightly, his eyes sharp under the brim of his cap.
That catcher's pitch selection, combined with that pitcher's control—it was flawless.
Their entire lineup was getting shut down.
Another three-pitch strikeout…
They had to break this rhythm somehow.
A blazing fastball with movement… a terrifyingly dropping forkball… and now a new change-up too…
Seidou's ace had solid control as well…
He clicked his tongue in frustration. This was going to be tough to crack.
Next up, the fifth batter.
Another outside pitch, just like earlier, but at least he got a piece of it.
Targeting outside pitches?
So far, Rinichi's form was still incredibly steady.
And, surprisingly, he hadn't carried over the edge from that pre-game tension into his actual performance.
Miyuki thought to himself.
And then—another forkball.
"Strike three! Batter out!"
The sixth batter? Same result—struck out in three pitches.
Yakushi still hadn't broken the pattern.
Back in the dugout, Rinichi swapped into his batting helmet, grabbed his bat, and headed to the plate.
That's right. He'd been moved up to seventh in the batting order.
But there's no way he'd stop at just seventh—he wanted to climb even higher.
So he stepped into the right-handed batter's box, gripped the bat with only his right hand, and took a deep breath.
What the heck… one-handed?
Yakushi's catcher was stunned.
"What's Kamishiro thinking? He's a lefty—throws left, bats left."
But it didn't matter. This pitcher didn't have much velocity. Maybe some tricky angles, but nothing too crazy. His control was average. As long as it wasn't a super low pitch, Rinichi could hit it.
Against this kind of pitcher, that was enough.
He tightened his grip on the bat. His eyes tracked the ball's path—and when it reached the right spot, he didn't hesitate.
The crack of the bat echoed. From the sound alone, you could tell it was going far.
Yakushi's right fielder kept retreating—until the ball sailed over the fence.
A one-handed home run!
Even the crowd froze in disbelief before erupting into thunderous cheers.
But that one run by Rinichi was all Seidou got in the second inning.
Score now: Seidou 4, Yakushi 0.
And then—onto the third inning.
If Yakushi could hold out just a little longer, Raichi would get to bat this inning. But if they couldn't, they'd have to wait until the next one.
No matter what, someone from the 7th, 8th, or 9th spot in the lineup had to get on base. Only then would Raichi get a turn.
So the pressure on the 7-8-9 batters was enormous—especially since they were facing such a dominant pitcher.
Rinichi gripped the ball firmly.
The 8th and 9th batters had previously been the core hitters…
He had to shut them down in the batter's box. Otherwise, that terrifying Raichi would be up again.
If they couldn't avoid facing Raichi, then the best strategy was to limit his plate appearances as much as possible.
"Strike! Batter out!"
"Strike! Batter out!"
And now it was down to the final batter.
Rinichi took a deep breath.
But then, on the third pitch, the ninth batter connected, sending it bouncing down the third base line.
It was hard to say whether it was caution or luck, but the batter only went for first base.
If he had tried for second, he definitely would've been out.
As a result… Raichi stepped up.
"Batter #1, third baseman, Todoroki-kun."
The Yakushi bench lit up with excitement—the opportunity had arrived!
Rinichi stood motionless, seemingly ignoring the call to resume play, his cap brim shadowing his eyes.
He was silently analyzing his previous pitches and the catcher's signs, running everything back through his mind at high speed.
Technically speaking, nothing had gone wrong…
He recalled the look on the previous batter's face.
Miyuki frowned and was about to call time to check on Rinichi—but just then, the pitcher made his move.
He stepped forward with his right foot.
His eyes were sharp and icy.
Raichi… had made contact.
Even though Rinichi had struck him out with three pitches in the first inning.
Raichi laughed gleefully, a spark of excitement in his eyes.
That pitch was awesome!
It dropped so hard from such a high release!
The fourth pitch—a tricky high fastball inside.
Raichi connected again, but this time there was no laughter on his face.
Everyone's eyes followed the high fly ball. It didn't travel far—it rose straight up above Rinichi's head. He raised his glove and caught it cleanly.
The entire Yakushi side looked grim.
It was already the third inning… and they still hadn't scored a single run.
"He got Raichi out again!"
"Nice one, Kamishiro!"
The Seidou cheering squad erupted in celebration.
A spectator let out a sigh: "Three innings and not a single run. I really thought Yakushi's batting lineup would explode, but they've been completely shut down by Seidou's ace…"
"So far, this game is entirely under Seidou's control."
"But there's no way Yakushi's going down that easily. They destroyed Ichidaisan's ace Manaka."
"Yeah, that game was unforgettable."
"Seidou's ace is scary strong… To think he's kept Raichi from even scoring a run."
"Just watching from the stands, his pitches already look impossible to hit. I can't even imagine how they must look from inside the batter's box…"
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