"Play steadily, get a point first, and then we'll see!"
Sawamura immediately signaled to the players on the field.
The Senpais on the field understood the message.
They quickly executed a bunt.
Ping!
The ball was hit and Kawashima at second base dashed to third base.
The situation changed to one Out, with a runner on third.
"Very good!"
"Next up was the Senpais' top lineup!"
"This could deliver a powerful blow to the opponent."
'Quick reaction!'
Okumura, the catcher, glanced at Sawamura in the Senpai's dugout with some apprehension.
It had to be said that the reaction from the Senpais was much faster than he had expected. Especially Sawamura—his ability to sense a crisis was far beyond that of ordinary players.
Okumura had once studied Sawamura in private.
He realized that Sawamura was a genius, capable of everything. When he was on the Akagi Middle School baseball team, he developed many tactics.
'These tactics seemed simple, but were actually incredibly effective...'
When Okumura chose Seidou High School, he hoped to see if there would be any sparks between him and Sawamura.
Now it seemed that before they could form a partnership, they had to face another battle.
A battle of tactics.
'Bring it on!'
The boy named Okumura was filled with fierce determination. Even if his opponent was the 'Demon King' of high school baseball, Okumura showed no intention of backing down.
Standing in the Batter's Box was Oka Kenichi.
He was Takatsu's friend, and the two of them practiced together in private. He was also a good player...
He represented the dignity of the second- and third-year Senpais. Of course, he wanted to deal a heavy blow to the opponent.
Sawamura wasn't idle either. He signaled to his teammates.
'There was no need to hold back—if the runner at third base saw an opportunity, he would steal the base. The batter would face the pitcher directly.'
'If you could hit the ball well, that would be ideal. But if not, you need to make sure to secure that run first.'
' 'Okay!' '
Sawamura's prestige among the Senpai team was still very high, and they accepted his suggestion without any hesitation.
Oka calmly observed the pitcher on the mound.
Although he thought the tactics arranged by Sawamura were a bit excessive, today's pitcher wasn't someone worth going all out for.
Still, Oka had to admit that Sawamura's approach was the safest.
What mattered most right now was showing their unique traits and highlighting the freshmen's immaturity.
They had to use their actions to show Coach Kataoka who was capable and who wasn't.
With this determination, Oka Kenichi remained calm.
'His eyes were locked on the mound, and his bat was raised high.'
'Although the bat was raised high, his grip on it wasn't very long.'
'This indicated that he intended to hit solidly, not caring for a long ball.'
Okumura naturally noticed this. When he saw Oka's grip on the bat, he immediately realized that a straight ball should be avoided.
Facing such an opponent, they couldn't afford to be careless. One mistake could lead to disaster.
To avoid that, they had to take precautions.
'The next pitch: Curveball!'
Seeing Okumura's sign, Asada felt a surge of confidence. He genuinely wanted to use his actions to live up to Okumura's expectations.
Before he pitched, he glanced at third base.
Kawashima, the runner at third, was startled.
Because of the pressure from the freshmen, some had become careless in such situations. It was actually difficult to distract a runner with a glance.
The reason Kuki Youhei allowed so many runs was partly due to the outstanding ability of the Senpais, but also because the freshmen were often too lax.
Asada, who didn't seem to have any standout skills, managed to hold the runner with just a glance.
In this respect, he performed better than Kuki Youhei.
"I didn't expect him to be so calm with a runner on base!"
The fans and alumni of Seidou High School were actually quite objective.
If you performed poorly, they'd ridicule you mercilessly. But if you did well, they wouldn't hesitate to praise you.
***
Okumura Koushuu had a plan.
Since Asada was valued by Seidou's admissions department, it meant that he must have hidden, outstanding qualities that even he himself hadn't realized.
As long as these qualities could be uncovered, Okumura believed that competing with the older students wasn't impossible.
'Come on!'
'Throw your best pitch into this Mitt.'
Though he didn't say anything, Okumura's meaning was very clear.
Asada, like someone tricked by a pyramid scheme, dazed and full of passion, tossed the ball from his hand.
Whoosh!
The ball soared very high. Asada's pitching form was very unique.
First, his stride was very short—just a tiny step.
The reason he did this wasn't due to any other plan but simply to prevent runners from stealing bases.
In theory, the larger a pitcher's motion and stride, the more time the pitch takes, allowing runners to steal bases more easily.
Similarly, if a pitcher shortens his stride, the time it takes for the pitch is reduced, making it harder for runners to steal bases.
It was with this thought in mind that Asada adopted a new pitching form. But it was precisely this form that made his pitching extraordinary.
When Oka saw the pitch coming, he was stunned for a moment.
From his line of sight, the ball seemed to be coming straight for his head.
'Was this a control error?'
With that thought in mind, Oka instinctively stepped back. Even though the freshman's pitch was only 120 km/h, and even if it hit him, it might not cause any issues...
But why wait to be hit by the ball? That made no sense.
So the batter gave up.
Then Oka saw something incredibly surprising.
The ball, which seemed like it was going to hit him, suddenly dropped as it neared him.
The drop was so sudden and significant that it caught everyone off guard.
'How could this be?'
Oka immediately thought that he must have seen it wrong, but with the ball right in front of him, how could he possibly be mistaken?
The ball did indeed fall, just outside the strike zone.
Snap!
"BALL!!"
Although it was called a Ball, the shock it caused was unparalleled.
The spectators and the old alumni of Seidou all widened their eyes in stunned silence.
Okumura, who was in the catcher's position, smiled slightly.
He knew that Seidou's baseball team wouldn't recruit useless rookies. Asada's pitching was indeed unique.
Only someone of his height could throw a pitch like that.
Asada stood nearly 1.9 meters tall. Standing next to Sawamura Eijun, who was almost 1.8 meters, Asada was half a head taller than Sawamura.
His body was thin, like a bamboo pole, with long arms and legs.
Because of this, when he shortened his stride, it raised his pitching point even higher.
A Curveball thrown from that height would drop with greater speed and a more dramatic curve.
This kind of pitch isn't something anyone can just throw casually.
Without sufficient height and a flexible feel for the ball, it's simply impossible to master this kind of pitch.
To put it bluntly, Asada was definitely a very distinctive pitcher.
His style was no worse than the previous Tanba Koichiro.
Okumura even admired the admissions officer at Seidou High School. Without a keen eye, it would have been difficult to pick Asada out from the crowd.
Of course, this didn't mean Asada had no flaws.
There was still a gap between him and Kuki Youhei, with the biggest difference being their personal awareness.
Although Asada had an excellent pitching style, how effective it could be depended on his personal understanding of it.
What would come next was no longer something Okumura, as a catcher, could guide him on. It required the pitcher to realize it himself.
These thoughts passed through Okumura's mind in an instant.
After that pitch, he quickly signaled for the second pitch.
Asada nodded and threw the ball.
Whoosh!
It was almost the same as before, first using his eyes to hold the runner at third base, then executing the short stride pitch.
Though Asada's pitch speed was extremely slow, his entire pitching movement and rhythm were very fast, leaving no room for the runner to steal a base.
Kawashima, at third base, ground his teeth in frustration but was helpless.
Whoosh!
The ball dropped in like a shooting star falling from the sky.
Oka watched as the ball approached him, gritted his teeth, and decisively swung his bat.
Buzz!
His swing was quick, but the baseball fell faster. By the time he swung, the ball had already dropped. The bat zipped past it.
Snap!
The batter missed the ball, and the ball dropped cleanly into the catcher's Mitt.
The loud sound echoed.
Asada, standing on the pitcher's mound, had a rare smile of satisfaction.
The ball felt great, and the mitt gave a satisfying sound.
Could it be because he had followed through so thoroughly?
The changes on the field caught everyone off guard.
Especially for the veteran team, they found themselves suddenly in a crisis. Scoring, which had been easy before, now seemed nearly impossible.
Sawamura Eijun in the dugout was the quickest to react. He knew that if the players continued to battle like this, step by step...
It would be very hard to score.
'If that's the case... then...'
'A hit and run!'
Sawamura was resolute in his decision. He had already started to use the conventional tactics of the giants.
The Senpai team no longer saw their opponents as just ordinary juniors, but as equals.
In fact, this approach was quite easy for the freshmen to handle. By sacrificing a point to get an Out, they could allow just one point to score this inning.
This was definitely an acceptable situation for the freshmen.
If the freshmen just wanted to show off without expecting too much, this would be enough.
But obviously, they didn't plan it that way. Or rather, Okumura didn't plan it that way.
'Losing less is winning' was never Okumura's thought.
Whenever Okumura was on the field, his goal had never changed.
That was to win.
Even now, when the gap between the freshmen and the older students seemed as wide as a gulf, he had never given up on his ambition to win.
To change the current situation on the field, they couldn't afford to lose a single point in this game. Or rather, only by not losing any points this inning would the freshmen find a chance to turn the game around.
So, in response to Sawamura's aggressiveness, Okumura Koushuu didn't choose to appreciate it. Instead, he took other actions.
'Press up!'
'Press up!!!'
Seeing Okumura's signal, his old sidekick, Seto Takuma, immediately understood and instructed the team to press forward.
It wasn't just that the freshmen were united. One by one, they pressed forward and adopted a front-line defense.
"Let them try!"
"We'll stop them for sure!"
"Don't worry about the outfield!"
"We'll catch the ball!"
Unknowingly, the entire freshman team seemed to be on fire, and their fighting spirit surged.
In the freshmen's dugout.
Watching the team's momentum change, the eyes of two freshmen became full of determination.
One was Kuki Youhei.
Every pitcher has a favorite partner. Kuki Youhei hadn't participated directly in the freshmen selection due to an injury. Luckily, as a special student, Takashima Rei had reserved a spot for him.
Otherwise, he might not even have a place to stay in the dormitory.
After joining the team, he had his eye on Okumura, thinking Okumura would be a good partner.
Now it seemed his judgment wasn't wrong. Though Okumura appeared cold on the surface, his passion during the game was the opposite.
Through the performances just now, Okumura had shown the talent of a top-tier catcher.
The other freshman who was shaken was Yui Kaoru.
Originally, the young man had thought he was the number one freshman catcher in Seidou.
When Miyuki retired, he believed it was only natural that he would take over as the starting catcher.
But now it seemed, things weren't so simple.
Okumura Koushuu!
This young man brought a tremendous sense of threat to him.
…
T/N: Feel free to leave a Comment guys!
And Powerstones are much much welcomed!