I'm guessing this is where the misunderstanding is rooted; from my opening move. 

[quote=@Wayward]
Provided that his move created the opening he sought from it, he would follow up on his parrying motion with a swing towards Seifer's chest. 
[/quote]

The swing that Seifer is countering didn't actually happen. Rather, it was framed in terms of an if-then; the "if" being Seifer committing to the thrust, and Zack parrying it, neither of which ended up resolving. All that my first move amounted to was Zack getting his baton up to prepare himself to parry the thrust if need be (and also putting it into a somewhat better position to react if the conditions changed), and a small reorientation of his stance.