Chapter 38: Eijun's Dominance in the Battle Against Kokushikan
"Crack!"
"Thud!"
It must be said, Kokushikan lives up to its reputation. As the cleanup hitter for one of East Tokyo's strong teams, while Matsumoto may not have the power of a cleanup hitter from a truly dominant team, he still displayed his strength against the emerging Eijun.
After being pressured by Eijun's fastball, Matsumoto capitalized on the momentary lapse in Eijun's control as he became eager to dominate. Even though he couldn't perfectly time the pitch due to its slight movement, Eijun's fastball wasn't overwhelmingly powerful.
Matsumoto used his strength to send it flying.
The ball landed in front of the right fielder, allowing Matsumoto to safely reach first base.
"Beautiful, Matsumoto!"
"That's it, show that Seidou kid what a powerhouse from the East is all about."
"Keep it up, keep it up, the next hitter needs to bring in some runs."
Matsumoto's successful hit sparked enthusiastic cheers from the Kokushikan dugout. Despite it being only the second inning, being outplayed by Seidou's second string and a first-year pitcher in the first inning naturally riled up the Kokushikan players.
Naturally, they expressed a hint of excitement when the opportunity for a counterattack presented itself.
"Batting fifth, first baseman, Tanaka-kun."
Standing on the mound, Eijun furrowed his brow slightly as he watched Matsumoto on first base. Were the pitches still too high?
No, even if they weren't high, considering his current pitches lack precision, control, and speed, getting overpowered like that was normal.
It seemed the recent thoughts stirring in his mind needed to be suppressed. A weak foundation leads to instability.
He needed to reinforce the basics.
Eijun thought quietly to himself.
"Sawamura," Ono called out from home plate, gesturing and shouting instructions.
"I understand, Ono-senpai." Eijun adjusted his cap and responded loudly.
Seeing Eijun maintain his composure, Ono relaxed a bit. He thought to himself, Eijun is a pitcher who has started several games, after all.
He wouldn't be shaken by just one hit; he was worrying unnecessarily.
Now, let's regroup and reclaim control of the game.
A sharp determination flashed in Ono's eyes.
Even as the second string, they were still known as a formidable and respected squad!
"First pitch, inside corner, show your best pitch and stabilize the situation."
Ono signaled this to Eijun who nodded slightly. Currently, Eijun's mastery of pitching to the corners was most developed for inside pitches.
His natural pitching quirks made his inside pitches somewhat effective even without overwhelming velocity.
Seeing Kokushikan's fifth batter ready in the batter's box,
Eijun's eyes shifted slightly as he quickly lifted his right leg, then his left arm swung forward.
"Whoosh"
A bright light left Eijun's fingertips, racing towards the plate.
As the white ball streaked through the air, Kokushikan's fifth batter's pupils shrank suddenly.
Despite being fully focused, in that second, the appearance of the ball was sudden.
That bright light entered his vision.
The fifth batter for Kokushikan, with a determined expression, stepped with a firm stance; his lower body anchored while his upper body twisted powerfully, swinging the metal bat with all his might. The swing, accompanied by a fierce whooshing sound, clearly showcased that this batter was no lightweight in terms of strength.
"Whoosh"
Despite the intimidating swing, it was noticeably a fraction of a second too slow.
The white ball zipped straight over the plate, perfectly evading the intercepting bat.
It landed securely in Ono's glove, producing a crisp, clear sound.
"Pop!"
"Strike!!!"
The fifth batter's eyes flickered slightly, a trace of surprise crossing his brow.
He couldn't even graze the ball?
From the sidelines, watching and standing in the batter's box felt completely different. Besides the tricky pitch, Eijun's pitching form made his fastball feel as though it was traveling five kilometers per hour faster than its actual speed.
The fifth batter contemplated this silently.
You couldn't rely solely on sight to judge this guy's pitches; you needed to swing half a beat earlier.
Meanwhile, on the mound, a subtle smile appeared on Eijun's lips.
His steps flowed smoothly, and his arm swung,
All executed seamlessly.
Giving the batter nearly no time to react.
"Whoosh"
In an instant, another flash shot forward.
Another inside pitch?
Looking down on me like this!?
The fifth batter quickly judged the incoming pitch's general path; although he hadn't fully grasped the trajectory, anger flared in his eyes. He took it as a sign of arrogance from the first-year pitcher opposing him.
"Well then, let me properly teach you that first-years should act like first-years!!!"
"Boom"
The fifth batter stepped out forcefully.
His bat moved swiftly.
In that moment, the white ball flashed, and the bat swung.
As the white ball approached home plate, a gleam of joy momentarily appeared in the eyes of Kokushikan's fifth batter. But just as quickly, the ball sharply veered further inside, taking him by surprise.
"Ping!"
Caught off guard, the unexpected collision stopped the grin on the batter's face.
A cutter!?
"Whoosh"
The ball ricocheted backward.
"Thud"
It smacked hard into the ground between second and third base.
Third baseman Ken Yamaguchi made a diving leap, snaring the ball securely in his glove. With a quick glance, he saw the Kokushikan runner close to reaching second base and swiftly tossed the ball towards second.
"Whoosh"
"Pop"
"Out!!!!!"
The Kokushikan runner's face fell.
Haruichi caught the ball securely, stepping on the base. In the next second, the ball was again a blur of white light.
"Whoosh"
"Pop"
"Out!"
"Double play!!!"
Damn, we got played!!!!!!
The fifth batter from Kokushikan stopped midway to first base, gritting his teeth, glaring fiercely towards Eijun on the mound.
"Nice pitch, Sawamura!"
"Well done!"
"Haha, you've got it, kid."
"Keep it up, Sawamura!"
"One more out!"
"Two outs, two outs."
Eijun adjusted his cap, his head tilting slightly upward, a calm smile hinting in his eyes.
This only deepened the scowl on the face of the Kokushikan fifth batter.
His fingertips began to feel increasingly familiar with the movements, craving sharper breaks and changes. Eijun's eyes shone with a subtle anticipation, marking this summer's secret weapon to be honed to the next level.
Future opponents will be far more formidable and challenging than Kokushikan!
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