The overall score is 1:0, with the Seidou High School baseball team trailing by one point.
The entire field is stunned. It's clear that this result is hard to accept calmly.
On the pitcher's mound, the pitcher himself, Sawamura Eijun, performed reasonably well.
In the world of baseball, especially in baseball games, anything can happen.
It's like two evenly matched armies fighting a battle; each side will use its own tricks.
Sometimes these tricks work, and sometimes they don't. There are tricks that the enemy can counter, and others they can't counter…
These are all normal occurrences.
The tactics of the Inashiro Industrial High School baseball team, especially the tactics they used in this match, were unexpected by the Seidou High School players.
They had meticulously planned every step, which made Sawamura and Miyuki fall into their trap.
Inashiro Industrial High School's Coach, Kunitomo, didn't disgrace himself. He consistently demonstrated the caliber of the top Coach in all of Tokyo.
But that's all there is to it!
For a pitcher with mature mental fortitude, facing this kind of crisis is just about learning a lesson.
There's no need to worry about anything else.
"Our task now is to protect the score and prevent it from widening! As for the points we lost, we can just take them back later," Sawamura said with confidence.
If there's any difference between the current Sawamura and the past, the biggest change is his confidence in his batting ability.
In the past, Sawamura was very confident in his pitching.
But when it came to batting, even after entering professional baseball and significantly improving his hitting skills, he never regarded it as his killer move.
But now, Sawamura is different! Not only is he confident in his pitching, but he also has full confidence in his batting ability.
If Narumiya could score against him, he could do the same.
Of course, that's a story for later.
Right now, there's one important task he must solve.
'That's to deal with the batter!'
With Narumiya's Out, although Seidou High School lost a point, they also recorded two Outs.
Two Outs, no one on base.
Now it's the turn of Inashiro Industrial High School's fourth batter, Yamaoka Riku!
Yamaoka Riku is a typical quiet yet tough person.
Despite his usual silence, when it comes to his batting ability, he is undeniably terrifying.
When he steps up to the plate, he naturally exudes an aura of pressure.
It feels like no matter where the ball is pitched, he can hit a home run.
Facing such an opponent, no one would feel at ease.
Sawamura feels the same!
Yamaoka really puts a lot of pressure on Sawamura. This pressure doesn't even have much to do with skill.
It's more about the aura that the batter himself hones.
It's hard to explain, but they just don't have the aura of a powerful hitter.
It's like former Seidou captain Yuuki Tetsuya, Inashiro's former captain Harada, or the former captain of Sankou, Omae.
They all carried this aura.
Even before they started batting, just standing in the Batter's Box was enough to put immense pressure on their opponents.
This is the aura of a powerful hitter!
This kind of aura is truly intimidating! But that's all it does.
As the national Ace, Sawamura is naturally not intimidated by this kind of presence.
Losing a point didn't affect Sawamura's pitching rhythm. As soon as Yamaoka stepped up to bat, Sawamura immediately pitched the ball.
Whrroosh!
As for the aura that the batter was emanating, Sawamura seemed completely unaffected.
Facing the incoming baseball, Yamaoka dared not be careless.
He locked onto the approaching baseball and swung his bat.
Clearly, he was targeting the first pitch, thinking that after the recent loss of a point, the probability of a mistake on the first pitch was high.
Whrroosh!
As the bat swung, a low whistling sound mixed with the air.
From this, it's clear how powerful Yamaoka's swing was.
Just as the bat was about to connect with the ball, the baseball disappeared.
Cutter Ball Kai!
Inashiro Industrial High School's players might not know the name of this pitch, but they all have a very clear impression of it.
'It was this kind of ball that Carlos hit earlier.'
Yamaoka never expected that the pitch Sawamura threw would be the same pitch that was previously hit.
'How bold!'
'Doesn't Sawamura fear that his breaking ball has been completely figured out by Inashiro?'
If Yamaoka were to ask Sawamura this question directly, Sawamura would definitely give a confident answer.
"No fear!"
Sawamura's breaking ball only has a general direction of movement, but its specific break changes every day based on his state.
If he himself doesn't know exactly how it will change, how could others possibly figure it out?
That's just ridiculous.
His nickname as the Prince of breaking balls isn't for nothing.
"STRIKE!"
With the first Strike recorded, it felt as though a switch was flipped in Sawamura's mind.
His pitching became smoother and faster.
Before Yamaoka could adjust to his rhythm, Sawamura threw the second pitch.
Faced with this pitch, Yamaoka gritted his teeth and didn't swing.
From his observation, Sawamura's pitch had deviated from the strike zone by quite a distance.
Even though he knew that Sawamura rarely threw Balls, he found it hard to swing at this one.
Result!
The baseball slowly curved back toward the strike zone!
Back Door Cutter!
By the time it entered the strike zone, it had fully settled within the acceptable range.
SNAP!
"STRIKE!!"
This pitch left Yamaoka dumbfounded.
Not only the speed but also the movement of Sawamura's pitch was something he couldn't have expected.
How could the ball move so much?
Yamaoka simply couldn't comprehend it.
In just two pitches, Inashiro's fourth batter was now under pressure.
Sawamura, without missing a beat, immediately threw the third pitch.
This pitch seemed almost identical to the previous one.
Now being pressed hard, Yamaoka had no choice but to swing at it.
In the end, the bat passed right through the baseball, missing it completely.
Yamaoka stood there in shock, staring at Sawamura on the mound.
This was just an ordinary, straightforward fastball.
It missed the strike zone by quite a bit!
And yet, his bat didn't even touch the ball.
At this moment, Yamaoka was itching to ask Sawamura a question.
'Why did he use that kind of pitch?'
'Isn't the Demon King always about winning with Strikes in the strike zone?'
Sawamura, with a blank expression, returned to his team's dugout.
It seemed like solving Inashiro's fourth batter was no big deal in his eyes.
Three Outs, offense and defense exchange!
In the bottom of the inning, Seidou High School attacks.
…
T/N: As you can see, it won't be an easy game for Seidou!
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