The batter went back to his dugout and Rei smiled. He panicked slightly when the ball flew into the left field. There was power behind the ball, and he hoped Shiro would get under it. It relieved him when they got an out. This was not the perfect start but was still good enough.
The next batter came up into the box. Rei glanced at the buff player and exhaled. He asked the first pitch to go low to test the waters. The pitch came right into the mitt, and the batter only observed. The next pitch was the exact opposite. Rei asked for a high pitch and the batter swung but missed completely.
Getting the 2 strikes boosted the confidence of Rei and Suzaku. Rei smiled and asked for an in-course pitch for the last strike. Suzaku nodded and pitched the ball towards the glove. The batter swung his bat once again but couldn't connect and got the third strike. Rei threw the ball back as the batter was walking back.
