With Shun safely on third base after his daring run, all eyes turned to the young samurai, Ren, as he stepped into the batter's box. Ren gripped the bat tightly, his expression one of pure determination. He knew that his role here was much more than just scoring a run. Shun's leadership and encouragement had given him a new responsibility, to keep Shoto's confidence high and bring Shun home to close the gap on the scoreboard.
The Tenshi ace took a deep breath on the mound, analyzing the stance of the new batter. Determined to avoid a mistake, he decided to start with a low slider, throwing the ball outside the strike zone. The idea was to deceive Ren, making the batter swing too early. But Ren was prepared.
He watched the ball's trajectory closely and let it pass, his expression remaining steady.
PAH
"Ball!" - The umpire announced, and a soft murmur of approval spread through Shoto's dugout. Ren was focused.
