Although Toujou hadn't been able to hit Tanpa's pitch out of the park, he hadn't revealed any obvious weaknesses.
This made Toujou seem more formidable to Chris.
Now that Chris had identified the opponent's weakness, dealing with him would be much easier.
Chris's eyes sparkled with a bright light as he signaled Tanpa.
He asked him to throw a tricky Straight ball.
When Toujou struggles with Curveballs, what will he think?
'He's bound to focus on hitting the Curveball, assuming he can overcome it.'
Understanding the opponent's mindset, Chris decided not to play along.
Even without much thought, it was clear that Toujou would be focusing on the curveball.
So, what would throwing a Straight ball do at this moment?
The effect was that Toujou was left stunned, unable to swing at the unexpected inside Straight ball.
Snap!
"STRIKE!"
With two Strikes in a row, the batter was chased.
Toujou could only accept the challenge of the third pitch with a wry smile.
The third pitch was another curveball!
Regardless of the previous fastball's interference, Chris decided to use a high-drop curveball to finish off Toujou.
Facing two strikes, Toujou could only react to the incoming baseball.
He anticipated the ball's descent.
But the curveball dropped too quickly. Even though Toujou lowered his bat, he couldn't make contact.
He could only watch as the white ball veered away from his bat.
Was he just going to accept this defeat?
'No, absolutely not!'
At this moment, a determined struggle shone in Toujou's eyes.
He had given up on his dreams of being a pitcher to join the main team, and he wasn't there just to be a minor player.
He was determined to hit the ball, no matter what.
This resolute mindset drove Toujou's action.
Switching from using both hands to just one, he swung his bat downward with a single hand, forcing the descending ball to connect with the bat.
Ping!
The white ball was struck and landed behind the third baseman.
Shortstop Kusunoki rushed forward in a panic to cover, but it was too late.
The white ball passed through the defense and reached the outfield.
Another long hit!!!
Taking advantage of this hit, Toujou made it to second base.
One Out, runner on second.
"Didn't expect this guy to have such a skill!"
In the dugout, Miyuki adjusted his glasses and said.
Beside him, Sawamura murmured with a sense of admiration, "Don't underestimate him. Toujou is also a very talented player."
He might seem quiet and gentle, but on the field, Toujou's presence is quite intimidating.
Without such skill, he wouldn't be a main player after the third year retire.
"Toujou!"
"Toujou!!"
Among the second-year players, Toujou was very popular, and in the first-year group, the most popular were Toujou and Kanemaru.
As for Sawamura, Furuya, and Haruichi.
Since they were promoted to the main team early on, they didn't interact much with the other players from their year and weren't as well-loved.
One Out, runner on second.
At this point, Kanemaru stepped up to the plate for the first time.
"Kanemaru!"
"Kanemaru!!!"
Seeing Kanemaru come up, the first-year players cheered initially.
Soon, all the freshmen of the Seidou High School baseball team joined in.
Emotion is contagious, and this synchronized cheering had an effect on the surrounding spectators.
They might not have known who Kanemaru was before, but that didn't stop them from cheering along.
"This scene feels so familiar!"
In the dugout, Miyuki said with a sense of nostalgia.
Previously, whenever Sawamura came on, such cheers were continuous.
Who would have thought Kanemaru also had this kind of appeal?
Sawamura also looked at Kanemaru Shinichi at the plate with interest.
He wasn't sure if Kanemaru had coordinated this with his surrounding friends, but it didn't matter.
As long as Kanemaru could perform well, that's what mattered.
Thinking this, Sawamura joined in, using his hands as a megaphone to cheer childishly, "Kanemaru! You can do it Kanemaru!!"
It was like a major player was stepping up.
After all, even the great Demon King had become a fan.
With one Out and a runner on second base, Kanemaru stepped up to the plate, raising his bat high.
The encouraging cheers from his teammates still echoed in his ears.
Kanemaru's enthusiasm was intense.
'I will do it!'
Even though his friend Sawamura had given the opportunity to Higasa-senpai, Kanemaru wasn't upset.
He knew that in order to stand out at Seidou High School, one or two chances weren't enough. To truly become a key player, he needed to prove his skills!
Now was the perfect opportunity to showcase his abilities.
'Bring it on—make this moment more dramatic!'
At second base, Toujou looked on with anticipation.
In high-stakes games like finals or national tournaments, Kanemaru often delivered unexpected performances. Similarly, when people had high expectations of him, Kanemaru shone brightly.
'Some people are born for the big stage.'
Kanemaru Shinji was likely one of those people!
'The stage is set, now it's time for you to perform.'
With this thought, Toujou's lips curled into a smile.
"Please take care of me!"
Kanemaru was polite as he bowed to Chris.
He and Chris were dorm mates, and Kanemaru held a lot of respect for him.
Chris simply nodded in response.
Over the past six months, Chris had been so focused on securing his spot and cooperating with Sawamura, as well as gathering information on opponents, that he hadn't paid much attention to his dorm mate.
'Didn't expect you to make it this far.'
The once inexperienced freshman had become a key player on the new team.
Taking a deep breath, Chris became serious for once.
'Let's have a showdown between dorm mates.'
Here comes the first pitch: a forkball!
Starting with a forkball against Kanemaru, who is at the bottom of the batting lineup, shows Chris's determination to get Outs.
With the rotation of the lineup, they still needed to face Sawamura and Miyuki. Chris didn't want any surprises before that.
Whoosh!
The white ball shot out and, after entering the strike zone, suddenly dropped.
Snap!
"STRIKE!"
Such a pitch was bound to draw attention.
Kanemaru, in the batter's box, swallowed hard and looked at Chris's Mitt.
'So this is Tanpa-senpai's forkball?'
Seeing the pitch, Kanemaru felt embarrassed.
He was no match for it!
Just like when first entered Seidou, Tanpa's pitch was beyond his ability to hit.
As a catcher, Chris smiled inwardly.
'The intimidation effect had probably been achieved.' Now he needed to think about how to handle this Kohai of his.
The second pitch: a straight fastball!
Chris's Game calling became bolder.
He aimed to completely disrupt Kanemaru's focus!
Whoosh!
The white ball zoomed in, right down the middle.
To avoid being cornered, Kanemaru swung decisively.
"Uge…!"
Unfortunately, his bat missed the ball.
'I was expecting a forkball, but it was a Straight ball.'
The ball sailed over the top of his bat and into Chris's Mitt.
Snap!
"STRIKE!"
Two Strikes in a row and Kanemaru seemed to be led by the nose.
As the catcher, Chris nodded.
'Both pitches were effective; Kanemaru should be thoroughly confused now.'
'Time to go for the final strike!'
Last pitch: a Forkball!
'With only two innings left and few breaking balls used, the strength in the fingers should still be there.'
'Let's end it with a forkball!'
Seeing Chris's signal, Tanpa nodded slightly.
Although he thought it wasn't necessary to use a forkball against Kanemaru, Chris's decision must have its reasons.
Tanpa took his stance and threw his decisive pitch.
'A Forkball, a Straight ball!'
In the batter's box, Kanemaru's eyes gleamed with determined spirit.
'The pitch was clearly not suited for a high-drop curveball, which meant it was either a Straight ball or a Forkball.'
'So, it had to be a Forkball!'
Kanemaru's judgment was based solely on his instincts.
He believed it would be a Forkball, so he aimed and swung for it without hesitation.
Buzz!
The sound of the swing echoed in the batter's box.
Kanemaru's face was resolute as he swung his bat like an extension of his arm.
Ping!
He connected with the sinking Forkball.
The ball was hit solidly and was sent soaring to the outfield.
A long hit to the outfield!
"Yoshaaa!"
Having hit Tanpa's winning shot, Kanemaru ran to first base.
The fast Toujou on second base, sprinted past third and headed for home plate.
The outfield throw arrived but was slightly slower compared to Toujou's speed.
"SAFE!"
With that, the freshman Seidou High School scored their fourth run.
Toujou led off with a hit, and Kanemaru, making his debut at-bat today, followed up with a timely hit.
The freshman Seidou High School team had now scored their fourth Run!
In the dugout.
Sawamura glanced at Higasa with a wry smile.
'Higasa-senpai also needs to work hard.'
He felt sorry for this Senpai, who had managed to fend off Masuko only to face Kanemaru now.
'Although he got the main player number, the starting role would likely end up with Kanemaru.'
Seidou had always valued skill above all.
Those who performed well would get more opportunities.
But there was no denying that the new Seidou team was performing impressively.
'Even Tanpa-senpai's Forkball was being hit.'
Sawamura wasn't even sure he could hit Tanpa's forkball if he guessed right. Yet Kanemaru had done it!
Glancing at his teammates, Sawamura felt a surge of pride.
These guys were indeed the best partners.
The score was 4-4, and the game was back to square one.
The match felt like it had restarted, and Seidou High School's offense was far from over.
As a catcher, Chris looked at Kanemaru with surprise.
He hadn't expected his dorm mate to have such talent.
'Indeed, not to be underestimated!'
'Seidou's first-year was considered the best in decades, and it seemed that this generation included more than just Sawamura, Furuya, and Kominato.'
'Others like Kanemaru and Toujou were also starting to shine.'
"Ninth batter, outfielder, Asou."
While Chris didn't know much about Toujou and Kanemaru since they weren't first-string, he was well-acquainted with Asou and the others.
Chris was clear on their stats.
Under his careful strategy, Asou hit into a double play.
"OUT!"
"OUT!"
Three Outs, Offence and defense exchange.
With the seventh inning over, the game was back to square one.
What's more interesting is that both lineups were starting anew, returning to the top of the batting order.
The most critical inning of the game had arrived.
The eighth inning!
The fate of the game would be decided here.
Before taking the field, both teams were preparing intensively for this final battle.
…