Shun faced the bottom of Aoba Junior High's batting order in the top of the third inning. However, unlike the first two innings, the number of pitches was significantly higher.
It seemed that all of Aoba's batters had been instructed not to swing until the count reached two strikes. Unfortunately for Shun, his luck from the previous innings seemed to diminish as well, as his unpredictable sliders ended up much further outside the zone this inning.
Still, Aoba's bottom of the lineup couldn't get on base, as even with full counts, it was nearly impossible for them to hit Shun's slider.
"Strikeout! 3 outs, changeover!"
Shun heard the umpire's call and quickly returned to the dugout. He had managed to get through the inning without any issues, but he knew that the real challenge would come in the next inning when he would face the top of Aoba's lineup for the second time.
