Chapter 83: Gaining the Upper Hand Against Akikawa.
"Top of the first inning, Akikawa High School is up to bat. Center fielder, Ninomiya."
The plan was to thoroughly target inside pitches, letting the outside pitches go unless they were right in the sweet spot.
From the dugout, Coach Ozaka subtly gestured instructions.
Ninomiya stepped into the batter's box, nodding slightly. He lifted his gaze, locking eyes with Eijun on the pitcher's mound, attempting to apply pressure.
Trying to gain an advantage through sheer presence?
Eijun stood on the mound and chuckled to himself. Was this just another tactic from the team's strategist?
Eijun glanced amusedly toward the dugout, where he could just make out the shadowy figure.
Even though he didn't have the nerves of steel of other pitchers, he wasn't easily intimidated. Moreover, when it came to sheer presence, could Akikawa's compare to the overwhelming aura of Kiryu High School?
In Eijun's view, such intimidation felt like a mere joke.
Without the skills to back it up, presence was just for show!
Eijun's eyes sparkled with determination. His high leg kick, caught in the bright sunlight, looked striking.
"Swoosh"
With a swing of his left arm, a flash of light shot forth.
Here it comes!?
In the batter's box, Ninomiya's expression tensed. The blinding white streak had already flown toward him.
Instinctively, Ninomiya swung his bat.
"Crack"
His delayed swing collided with the white blur.
The ball ricocheted away.
"Thud"
"Foul!!!"
On the first pitch, Ninomiya completely missed the timing.
Just as Shunshin said, this pitch, along with that throwing motion... Even knowing it well, it seemed impossible to time just right on the first try.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Ninomiya intensely watched Eijun, contemplating his strategy.
However, as expected, for the first at-bat, focusing on the inside pitches was enough. As long as the pitch speed wasn't too fast, he could adjust his response, and then it would just require feeling out the adjustments.
Behind the plate, Miyuki frowned slightly.
On that last pitch, did the batter seem to catch on a bit?
You couldn't deny Miyuki's keen intuition. Even from just one pitch, he could sense emerging patterns, an extraordinary talent for a high school catcher.
It was no wonder that when Chris got injured, despite having more experienced upperclassman catchers, Miyuki stepped in as the starting catcher as a freshman.
With such sharpness and skill, it was only natural.
For the second pitch, aim for a high inside corner, Sawamura, controlled carefully between the strike zone and ball zone—you can do this, right?
Miyuki subtly signaled with his fingers.
Eijun nodded slightly on the mound.
For the second pitch!!!!
Eijun raised his arm, and as he released, another white flash burst from his fingertips.
"Swoosh"
It's coming—an inside pitch—perfect!!!
In the batter's box, Ninomiya's eyes lit up with anticipation. Just as he moved to swing, the white ball appeared to drift high, causing a moment of hesitation.
"Whoosh"
The bat paused in mid-air as the white blur pierced home plate.
Ninomiya's pupils narrowed sharply at that instant.
The white ball grazed past his body, skimming the edge of the strike zone to land snugly in Miyuki's mitt.
"Snap"
"Strike!!!!"
Such fine control... This pitcher has a very delicate touch on inside pitches.
In the dugout, You Shunshin frowned slightly after seeing that pitch, an unusual thought crossing his mind.
Third pitch, low outside corner ball, use this pitch to retire the batter.
"Swoosh"
Without any hesitation, the perfect harmony between pitcher and catcher was on full display.
As the white flash appeared, it gave Ninomiya little time to react.
The white blur zipped across the short distance to home plate, sliding into the mitt with a crisp sound, immediately followed by the umpire's call.
"Pop"
"Strike, batter out!!!!"
"Nice one, Sawamura."
"One out, one out."
"Keep up this form, Sawamura."
"Haha, you're really getting it together lately."
Clean and efficient, without wasting pitches, Eijun easily retired Akikawa High School's first batter.
Darn, Ninomiya frowned, biting his lip. That outside pitch was really on the borderline. Was focusing solely on inside pitches really the best approach? What if the opponent focuses on throwing outside pitches?
Not just Ninomiya, but You Shunshin and Coach Ozaka in the dugout were also beginning to notice the issue.
"It seems this first-year pitcher from Seidou is more troublesome than we expected."
"Swoosh"
"Crack"
Even with an early swing, it still felt a bit late?
In the batter's box, Hashimoto looked surprised.
"Thud"
"Shortstop!"
The ball bounced towards a direction beyond Eijun's reach; catching sight of the ball's trajectory out of the corner of his eye, Eijun immediately shouted.
"I've got it."
Kuramochi made a graceful, sliding step, positioning himself easily in front of the ball. He extended his glove on his left side, securing the ball firmly.
He quickly threw it to first base.
"Snap"
"Out!"
A groundout to first base, achieved with just two pitches, Eijun secured the second out.
"Wow, they already have two outs that quickly."
"This first-year has excellent control, from high inside pitches to low outside ones, and even low inside pitches, each one precisely landing in Miyuki's mitt."
"Just five pitches and two outs, that's impressive."
"Akikawa must be racking their brains on how to deal with this pitcher now."
"Heh, quite possibly."
"He also pitched really well in the first game, maybe Seidou High School is finally overcoming that one weakness this year?"
It wasn't just the fans who were impressed with Eijun's performance. On the other side of the stands, a few players from another school were watching Eijun pitch with their arms crossed.
Their expressions were slightly solemn.
"Third batter, shortstop Onishi."
Surprise? None. Pressure? Instead, Eijun was the one exerting pressure on Akikawa High School.
Head-on confrontation? An overwhelming dominance, at least for now. In the first inning, Akikawa High School simply couldn't hinder Eijun's pitching.
Onishi, the third batter, under pressure after falling behind with two strikes, was forced to swing at the third ball, even though it was out of the strike zone.
Caught making the wrong judgment, he hit a pop fly to the infield.
Masuko easily caught it at third base.
Securing the third out of the first inning, Eijun retired the side in order, paving the way with a dominant performance, setting the tone by seizing the initiative with his first strikeout!
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