Chapter 88: Akikawa's Relentless Determination in Battle
"Shun, wouldn't it be better to slightly adjust the pitch selection here?"
From home plate, Sekiguchi could clearly see Miyuki's actions. His eyes flickered with a hint of seriousness as his fingers subtly gestured below.
"No need. We need to overpower this batter directly to regain control of the game. As long as my control remains solid and the batter can't guess the pitch, there's no way they'll hit a clean shot."
You Shunshin, standing on the pitcher's mound, shook his head resolutely. He was a proud ace pitcher, with no room for doubt.
Second pitch!!!
Whoosh
A gust of dust swirled as his arm swung forcefully.
A cold gleam surged forward.
Outside pitch.
Miyuki's eyes caught a faint glint of surprise. He stepped out firmly, gripping the bat and swinging with force.
Crack
Whoosh
Thud
"Foul ball!!!"
A breaking ball. To think You Shunshin would dare use a weaker curveball here so decisively—it was enough to make anyone's blood boil.
Miyuki squinted slightly.
You Shunshin smirked faintly, raising his leg and whipping his arm once again.
Whoosh
Crack
"Foul!"
Whoosh
Pop
"Ball!"
Whoosh
Crack
Thud
"Foul ball!!!"
Miyuki was now locked in a stalemate with You Shunshin. After a miscalculation on the second pitch, Miyuki had decisively adjusted his approach, choking up on the bat to increase precision. He seemed in no hurry to win.
He was determined to wear down You Shunshin, draining his stamina bit by bit.
Troublesome. You Shunshin frowned slightly. This batter's persistence exceeded his expectations. If this continued, he'd waste more pitches, and more importantly, his energy would be needlessly drained.
It was only the second inning, and You Shunshin wasn't willing to expend too much energy here, as it would hinder his strategy later in the game.
With this realization, You Shunshin made a decision.
Huff...
To win, necessary risks must be taken. He lightly tapped his left arm twice. From home plate, Sekiguchi's pupils shrank sharply. After a brief moment, he gave a slight nod.
Meanwhile, Miyuki in the batter's box seemed calm and composed. Although he hadn't found a good way to land a hit, he was relentlessly locking down You Shunshin, much like how Kominato Ryosuke did. He wasn't just draining the pitcher's energy but also aiming to frustrate him mentally.
If he could manage that, the chances of a mistake would greatly increase.
This is...
As Miyuki contemplated his strategy, You Shunshin's eyes suddenly gleamed with a cold light from the mound. That chilling gaze made Miyuki's spine tingle.
A faint sense of foreboding welled up in his heart.
Whoosh
At the same time, a white streak shot from the pitcher's mound.
Miyuki, momentarily stunned, quickly changed his expression.
A straight fastball down the middle!?
A mixture of shock and anger flashed across Miyuki's face. This guy—is he playing with fire!?
Boom!
The air rippled as Miyuki's feet stepped out forcefully, the swirling dust rising.
It framed Miyuki's stern expression.
Swish
With all his might, he swung the bat upward.
What surprised Miyuki was that the ball didn't fly straight down the middle as expected. Mid-flight, it changed trajectory, sliding towards the outside corner. Miyuki's pupils contracted instantly.
Watching the ball narrowly miss the bat, Miyuki's eyes filled with frustration.
Pop
"Strike! Batter out!!!"
A perfect pitch. Miyuki was struck out!!!
A cutter—this guy actually used a pitch with such a small break in this situation. What nerve!!!
Miyuki gave You Shunshin a deep glance from the pitcher's mound, then strode out of the batter's box and walked back to the dugout.
After striking out Miyuki, the next batter, the seventh in the lineup, left fielder Furuya Satoru, also couldn't gain any advantage against You Shunshin.
It only took four pitches for You Shunshin to retire Furuya.
Three up, three down. You Shunshin continued to completely suppress Seido's batting lineup, not allowing a single hit.
"His control is very precise, and his approach is clear. There's no hesitation in what he does at any given moment," Chris remarked solemnly from the bench while taking notes.
"Yeah, but even the most finely tuned machine can break down," Coach Kataoka nodded before replying in a low tone.
"Sawamura."
"Yes, Coach!" Eijun responded loudly and quickly.
"Don't be overly cautious with your pitching. Attack boldly. The defense behind you is solid," Coach Kataoka said calmly, turning his head.
"Yes, sir!!!"
"Top of the third inning, Akikawa High School's offense, seventh in the lineup, first baseman Kunimi."
Gods fall when blocked by gods, and Buddhas fall when blocked by Buddhas. That phrase perfectly described Eijun's current state.
In the previous inning, Eijun had perfectly shut down Akikawa's clean-up hitters, and after the motivating words from Coach Kataoka before the start of the game, Eijun's pitching became even more fierce.
In the top of the third inning, Eijun struck out three consecutive batters, greatly boosting his momentum. In the fourth inning, when facing the top of the lineup again, Eijun showed no signs of backing down.
To put it bluntly, he was thoroughly dominating Akikawa's lineup.
Eijun continued his shutout against the top three hitters, and in the second round of the lineup during the fifth inning, You Shunshin's second at-bat also yielded no success against Eijun, who was in top form.
For the second time, You Shunshin was defeated by Eijun's pitching.
With pitches that effortlessly moved in and out of the strike zone, combined with a sharp cutter, Akikawa High School was completely at Eijun's mercy.
Even the typically strict Miyuki had to marvel at Eijun's performance. Not once had Eijun made a control error, and although there were minor deviations, overall, he delivered the ball precisely where Miyuki had called for it.
This consistency was truly remarkable.
Miyuki was quite satisfied with Eijun's performance, as he had dominated Akikawa High School from the first inning through the fifth.
In the stands, while spectators marveled at the game, the players from Ichidaisan wore solemn expressions. Although they had to leave midway to warm up for their upcoming match, Captain Omae had specifically arranged for their scouting team to focus on observing Eijun, even suggesting they record footage if possible.
They were already familiar with Tanba and Kawakami. Furuya's strengths and weaknesses were also well known, especially after his appearance in the Kanto Tournament, and had been scouted thoroughly.
But now, this suddenly outstanding pitcher, Sawamura Eijun, who had appeared during the summer tournament, had attracted Ichidaisan's full attention.
As a powerhouse of West Tokyo, Ichidaisan knew they had to be fully prepared for any threat.
Of course, they were unaware that all this preparation would eventually go to waste.
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