PAAAAAKKKKKK!!!!!!
The bat hit the baseball, and the power from Sawamura's two arms exploded completely.
The baseball that was struck flew straight into the sky.
Seeing this scene, everyone couldn't help but focus on the baseball that had been hit out.
Hosho, who was in the catcher's position, was no exception.
His eyes closely followed the ball as it flew out.
His peripheral vision noticed Sawamura, who had already thrown away his bat and was quickly running to first base.
At this moment, Hosho was distracted.
He thought that Sawamura's actions were entirely meaningless.
The ball had already left the field; why was Sawamura still running like this?
He looked like a big fool!
At this point, Sawamura could have returned to home plate in a more leisurely manner.
No matter what Hosho thought, the moment the ball was hit, Sawamura started running.
This had already become a part of the soul of every player on the Seidou High School baseball team.
While running, they might observe where the ball they hit went, but they would never stop running.
That guy, Furuya, used to be criticized by Coach Kataoka and Coach Ochiai for always staring at the ball after his hit.
But now, that bad habit of his had improved a lot.
Unless he was completely sure that he hit a home run, he would always abandon his bat and run immediately.
As for Sawamura...
Even if he was sure that the ball he hit would leave the field, he would still run.
He wanted to make this habit a part of his bones and soul.
If he couldn't hold himself to this standard during practice or in games...
How could he be sure that when he faced the pressure of a real game, against the monsters in the big leagues, he could make the right decision and action?
When he chose to join the Seidou High School baseball team, part of it was to repay a debt of gratitude.
But the style of the Seidou High School baseball team was something he greatly admired, and that was also an important reason.
Coach Kataoka had specifically mentioned his thoughts, or perhaps his demands, on this matter when teaching them.
"Your body must act before your brain. Especially in defense and subconscious movements, you must do this."
Only by doing this could a player become an elite.
If you wait for your brain to process everything before acting, you will never become a top-tier player!
Athletes and their coaches were different in this regard.
Of course, acting without thinking wouldn't work either.
Both the brain and the body had to complement each other to become an elite athlete.
However, the brain was something innate, while natural physical reflexes, could be developed through training.
Seidou High School's baseball team became so strong in defense because they trained these aspects of their players' abilities.
This became Seidou High School's main asset in defeating powerful opponents.
Without this weapon, relying purely on the few talented players they got every year, Seidou High School's baseball team might have found it very difficult to get to this point.
The game continued.
But the stands remained in an uproar.
In just one game, three home runs were hit.
The Seidou High School baseball team had taken a 6-point lead, with a score of 8-2.
After Sawamura's latest home run, the last shred of suspense in the game was completely gone.
In this situation, no one could imagine how Hoshiryu High School's baseball team could turn the game around.
If that were to happen, Seidou High School's players would probably find something to hang themselves with out of shame.
The King Seidou High School Baseball Team could never lose like that.
And so, the teams that had specifically come to watch the game were all shocked.
For this game, the performance of Hoshiryu High School's baseball team couldn't be called bad.
They didn't perform excellently, of course.
But to say they performed poorly would also be unfair.
In fact, the players of Hoshiryu High School's baseball team demonstrated great individual strength and teamwork.
Even their Ace, Nanami, had broken his own limits twice during this game.
In this game, Nanami showcased pitching abilities that rivaled top-tier pitchers.
Putting themselves in the shoes of the other teams in the stands, if they had to face Hoshiryu High School's baseball team in this game, they truly couldn't guarantee the result.
It was a question mark—something no one could answer.
Several players in other teams began to feel lost.
Could they win?
To be honest, if they replaced themselves with Hoshiryu High School's team, they might not win easily.
Their chances of winning were slim, and they definitely didn't think they could win with such a big margin.
8-2.
Though it wasn't a complete slaughter, the score was still very one-sided.
Seidou High School's baseball team versus Hoshiryu High School's team—this was turning into a brutal match.
Despite Hoshiryu's good performance, when facing the mighty Seidou High School baseball team, they were no match at all.
Most importantly, of course, was Sawamura.
In today's game, he hit three home runs in front of everyone.
Three home runs, five points!
This was Sawamura Eijun's performance in today's game.
They said he was the best in the country, but privately, many people still didn't agree.
Players like Hongou Masamune and Akashi were clearly not convinced by such a judgment.
They had been waiting for the opportunity to face Sawamura in a real match to show him what it felt like to lose.
But after watching today's game, even though they still refused to admit it verbally, deep down, they were beginning to soften.
If they were in Sawamura's shoes, facing today's Nanami, none of them could confidently say they would perform better than him.
Even though they didn't want to admit it, the performance Sawamura displayed in this game was flawless.
Even without Sawamura, Seidou had plenty of tough players.
Take their speedster Kuramochi!
Their new powerhouse, Kominato Haruichi, had just awakened his brother's talent.
And the catcher, Miyuki, known as the best catcher in the country, whose batting average was even higher than Sawamura's when there were runners on base.
These players were all formidable opponents.
Others like Furuya, Shiratsu, and Toujou, though not as flashy as the former players, were all top-tier athletes.
If their momentum weakened, the other teams watching the game couldn't even imagine how to beat Seidou.
Could they really consider Seidou's players as weaklings?
So, whether they liked it or not, they would have to face Sawamura head-on.
Maybe they wouldn't have to do it every time, but in some situations, they couldn't back down.
For example, when there were no runners on base.
If they chose to walk Sawamura in such a case, their entire team would appear too cowardly.
How much fear would it take to avoid a showdown?
That would have a huge blow to their morale.
It was like playing a strategy game.
If you're always running away and not facing challenges head-on, even if you hold on to your defenses, your economy will suffer.
It's okay to be cautious, but when it's time to be aggressive, you have to go for it.
In that case, regardless of their identity, they would have no choice but to face Sawamura directly.
But after watching Sawamura's performance today, they realized this approach might not be wise.
One man hit three home runs!
What was Sawamura's limit?
They couldn't even fathom it now.
Previously, they had heard that Seidou High School's baseball team went on an expedition to North America to face the so-called "Dream Team."
Though most of Seidou's players didn't perform exceptionally well in that game, Sawamura's performance was so strong that it helped their overall performance.
At that time, many had predicted that Sawamura's strength had reached a terrifying level.
But exactly how terrifying?
No one could say for sure.
They had only seen hints of Sawamura's power.
Even after watching the game video, they couldn't visualize how powerful his pitching and hitting truly were.
They could tell Sawamura was strong, but beyond that, they couldn't figure it out.
His pitching and hitting must have hidden aspects that others and the camera couldn't capture.
Otherwise, the American Dream Team wouldn't have looked so helpless in that match.
Watching today's game, the players in the stands were even more intimidated.
They couldn't even figure out where Sawamura's batting strength lay.
His swing didn't look particularly shocking.
But strangely, he could still hit the ball out of the park.
And more incredibly, he could easily hit home runs.
Meanwhile, some players quietly kept track of statistics.
After Sawamura broke the strikeout record, his other records seemed to be approaching the limit as well.
In this year's Koshien, despite missing one game...
Sawamura had already hit six home runs.
If all goes well, and Seidou High School advances further...
He could very well break records and hit even more home runs.
The Demon King was truly a demon king.
For others, keeping a century-old record in Koshien was an insurmountable mountain.
But for Sawamura, breaking various records had become routine.
For him, it was normal. In fact, if one day he stopped breaking records, people might actually be more surprised.
The game continued.
Even though Miyuki had successfully reached base, the rest of Seidou's players seemed to have lost their enthusiasm for the offense.
Though Coach Kataoka had spoken to the players privately...
They all seemed fired up and eager to battle.
But after Sawamura hit his third home run, their enthusiasm quickly diminished.
With a 6-point lead, they didn't feel it was necessary to score more.
It seemed too cruel to do so against their opponents.
After all, this team came from Nagano, Sawamura's hometown.
In a game where victory was already secured, there was no need to continue dominating.
…
T/N: This game will be completed Tomorrow!
As always, Thank you all for reading!!
And I hope you all have a good day!
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