With one out and no runners on base, Takeya, Shoto's ninth batter, stepped into the batter's box as Kasuga's crowd continued cheering loudly. Knowing that the top of the order would bat after Takeya, Imai was determined not to let Shoto's ninth batter reach base.
And that's exactly what he did. Imai started the duel with a low and outside four-seam fastball in the zone. Takeya misread the pitch and let it pass, starting the count with a strike.
For the second pitch, Imai threw his curveball at the top of the zone, inducing a swing and miss from Takeya, taking the count to two strikes and no balls. Cornered in the count, Takeya found himself forced to swing at anything close to the zone, and that's what he did.
WOOSH
DING
PAH
"Out!" - Takeya made weak contact with Imai's cutter, sending the ball straight into the first baseman's glove. With two outs and no one on base, Shun stepped into the batter's box for the third time in the game.
