Kasuga's second batter stepped into the batter's box, fueled by the loud cheers from the crowd in the stands. Shun calmly assessed the situation as he took a deep breath, feeling the mounting pressure on him. Instead of being intimidated, he used it as fuel.
Daigo also did his best not to succumb to the pressure and to stick to the plan. He knew how important it was for Shun that he called the right pitches, so he quickly signaled the first pitch of the duel.
PAH
"Ball!" - The umpire announced as Kasuga's second batter watched Shun's horizontal slider dip below the zone.
For the second pitch, Daigo called for another horizontal slider, this time within the zone. However, Shun's slider unpredictably broke too much.
PAH
