Chapter 33: First Signs of Ferocity
Komashiro number three batter was determined to show Seidou what he was capable of, particularly wanting to give Eijun, the freshman pitcher, an unforgettable moment. However, the ever-changing dynamics of the game soon left him and his team stunned.
"Whoosh!"
"Clang!"
"Haruichi!"
"Leave it to me!"
Kominato Haruichi swiftly lunged forward and intercepted the incoming ball.
"Smack!"
With agile steps, he quickly turned and tossed the ball toward first base.
"Whoosh!"
"Thud!"
"Out!"
"Three outs! Change sides!"
On the final pitch, Eijun and Ono synchronized their signals, opting for an outside fastball that led to Komahiro's number three batter getting out. Eijun's unique pitching motion threw off Komashiro's batters, making it difficult for them to time their swings, and the unusual movement on his pitches made it nearly impossible to connect solidly.
Not only did Eijun strike out the first batter, but the next two also hit grounders that were easily handled by Seidou's defense. The first inning ended in a perfect three up, three down.
The crowd around the field erupted into satisfied smiles, nodding in approval.
Especially those who had witnessed the red and white scrimmage before—they remembered Eijun well. Many of them were convinced that Eijun was destined for the first string. With consistent performances like this, whether he became the ace or not, it was highly likely that he would become an indispensable part of Seidou High's pitching staff.
After all, both a moving fastball and a left-handed pitcher were rare and valuable in high school baseball, particularly for a team like Seidou High, which was in need of strong pitchers.
And let's not forget, ever since his enrollment, Eijun had shown nothing but steady progress.
This naturally led Seidou supporters to place high expectations on him.
"Nice pitch, Sawamura."
As they returned to the bench, Ono lightly bumped his glove against Eijun's, smiling as he spoke.
"You pitched really well, Eijun-kun," Haruichi added with a gentle smile, following close behind.
"You've got some skills, kid. When you set your mind to something, you really pull it off." Kenta Maezono still wore his intimidating expression, but his wide, toothy grin revealed he was pleased—he was the perfect expression meme material.
"Yes," Eijun nodded.
While the atmosphere on Seidou's side was cheerful, the mood over at Komashiro High School was anything but.
"What the heck happened? How did you miss a fastball like that?"
"Exactly, the timing was spot on, wasn't it? Why couldn't you hit it out of the infield?"
"No, the timing was right, but that kid's pitch had something weird about it."
"Yeah, especially with that pitching motion—you can't even see the release point."
"Huh? What are you guys talking about?"
"Just wait, you'll see when you're up to bat."
In Komashiro's dugout, as soon as the sides changed, the coach furrowed his brow while the players displayed expressions of frustration and confusion. The players who hadn't yet batted were especially baffled—how could they fail to hit such straightforward fastballs that weren't even particularly tricky?
"Alright, that lefty from Seidou is probably throwing moving fastballs. In your next at-bats, widen your hitting zone. Don't aim for the sweet spot; just swing through with raw power," the Komashiro coach interrupted the internal debate. As expected of a seasoned baseball coach, he quickly identified the nature of Eijun's pitches and gave precise instructions.
"Yes, sir!"
With the coach speaking, the players naturally stopped arguing.
However, while the strategy was correct, its execution didn't go as smoothly as the Komashiro coach had hoped. After the first inning, where neither team recorded a hit, the top of the second inning saw Eijun's pitching once again leaving Komashiro's batters at a loss. His cutter, which had become increasingly stable and reliable, was used as a decisive pitch at critical moments by Ono and Eijun.
In the top of the second inning, except for Komashiro's cleanup hitter who managed a single through sheer brute force, Komashiro's offensive attempts were stifled. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runner along, the subsequent batters were completely shut down by Eijun, keeping the scoreless streak alive.
In the top of the third inning, facing the lower half of Komashiro's lineup, Eijun swiftly struck out two batters in quick succession. The last batter of the inning hit a fly ball to the outfield, securing yet another three up, three down inning.
Eijun's impressive pitching performance drew cheers from the crowd, who seemed to be witnessing the growth of Seidou's future ace.
On the other hand, despite Seidou's second-string lineup, their strength was unmatched by most other schools. While they, like Komashiro, hadn't scored in the first two innings, they were different in that Seidou had more hits than Komashiro, which allowed their batting order to cycle through faster.
After two scoreless innings, Seidou's top lineup came to bat again in the bottom of the third inning.
"Crack!"
"Whoosh!"
A flash of white streaked from the batter's box, quickly soaring over the infield and landing just in front of the charging left fielder.
In the batter's box, Eijun swiftly discarded his bat and dashed toward first base amid the cheers from his dugout.
In this inning, Eijun Sawamura, leading off, didn't disappoint and delivered a solid hit.
"Nice hit, Sawamura!"
"Haha, pitching and hitting, you've got it all, kid."
"Damn it, Sawamura, you're stealing all the spotlight!"
Standing on first base, Eijun took off his protective gear and handed it to the base coach beside him, exhaling slightly.
"Good thing the pitcher's fastball wasn't too overpowering, or I would've had trouble getting it past him," Eijun thought to himself.
Once on base, Eijun immediately assumed a stealing posture, further unnerving Komashiro's ace pitcher, who was already overly focused on Eijun. Seidou's lineup seized the opportunity, stringing together consecutive hits.
In the bottom of the third inning, Seidou successfully broke the scoreless tie, taking a two-run lead.
In the second round of Komashiro's batting lineup, Eijun's control became a bit shaky, allowing Komashiro High to seize the opportunity and score a run, narrowing the gap. Realizing the situation, Rei Takashima, who was directing the team from the dugout, decided to pull Eijun out of the game in the sixth inning.
Eijun's final stats for his debut performance were five and a half innings pitched, one walk, three hits allowed, and one earned run. It was an impressive outing for his first appearance.
The crowd around the field, as well as his teammates in the dugout, didn't hold back their applause, showing their admiration for the freshman pitcher as he left the mound.
As the game progressed, Seidou continued to extend their lead, eventually widening the gap to seven runs.
Even after Eijun was substituted, Komashiro High didn't give up. They launched a strong counterattack against Seidou's middle relievers, scoring two runs in the top of the ninth inning. However, it wasn't enough to change the outcome.
In the end, Seidou's second string secured a 7-3 victory over Komashiro High in this practice game.
Eijun also earned his first victory in high school baseball!
It was the first win where he began to show his true potential!
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