Chapter 146: The Pitchers' Duel Against Inashiro
The cheers from Inashiro Industrial's dugout echoed through the stadium, blending with the gasps and murmurs of the crowd, filling Jingu Stadium with a powerful intensity.
This was the skill of a top-tier team—a team that had already adapted to Eijun's pitching by the second round and devised a strategy to counter him.
Eijun glanced at home plate, where Carlos celebrated with a victorious leap, before letting out a deep breath to regain his composure.
He knew from the start that completely shutting down Inashiro's lineup would be impossible. He just hadn't expected the moment to come this quickly.
A single lapse was all it took for the opposition to capitalize, but Eijun found a thrill in that challenge.
Defeating a team of this caliber would be the true reward.
With a determined gaze toward home plate, he adjusted his cap, his unwavering resolve evident in his expression.
Sensing Eijun's shift in attitude on the mound, Coach Kataoka allowed himself a slight smile, while Coach Kunitomo from Inashiro raised an eyebrow, his wariness deepening.
This pitcher was proving more difficult to handle than anticipated, a sentiment Coach Kunitomo couldn't ignore.
At home plate, Miyuki saw Eijun's calm, focused demeanor and nodded approvingly. "That's right, Sawamura. We're still in control, with a one-run lead and an out to work with. Shut down their lineup; don't let them string together any hits."
"Yes," Eijun whispered to himself.
"Next batter, third baseman, Yoshizawa-kun!"
Eijun steadied himself, determined to remain composed. Losing his cool here would spell disaster. His job was to hit Miyuki's target with absolute precision, staying cautious, disciplined, and without the slightest error.
"Let's go, Sawamura," Miyuki signaled, pounding his mitt with a strong, clear message.
Eijun nodded, his eyes narrowing to sharp slits of focus as he drew a breath. His chest rose, his foot lifted, and his arm sliced forward.
Wham!
A sharp flash of light shot across the field, carrying a fierce energy as it approached the batter's box.
Yoshizawa braced himself, his eyes widening as the low outside pitch zipped past his bat and into Miyuki's glove, brushing the edge of the strike zone with precision.
"Strike!"
The accuracy was remarkable, so precisely placed. Yoshizawa's eyes narrowed, his mind racing.
Could he catch up to this kind of pitch movement?
He'd adjusted to Eijun's timing, yet the last pitch's break still eluded him.
Miyuki and Eijun weren't about to let up, though. With a successful first strike on the outside corner, Miyuki signaled for another low outside breaking ball.
Against a right-handed batter, a breaking ball veering toward the outer corner was a killer move.
Eijun lifted his arm, and the ball flashed out.
Whoosh!
The ball rocketed forward with a fierce hiss, streaking toward home plate on a direct line for the outer edge.
Outside corner?
After a brief moment of hesitation, Yoshizawa quickly made a decision.
He leveled his stance, channeling all the power from his torso into his arms, and swung the bat with a powerful "boom" that echoed through the stadium.
But in just a fraction of a second, his eyes narrowed sharply. The elusive white blur hadn't reached him as expected.
A changeup!
Pop.
The ball slipped into Miyuki's mitt with a crisp sound.
"Strike!"
With just two pitches, Eijun had successfully cornered Inashiro's third batter.
Next came a sharp inside pitch, catching Yoshizawa off guard and inducing a delayed swing. A whiff, and Eijun secured the out.
"Out!"
"Three outs! Switch sides!"
The inning ended with Seidou limiting Inashiro to a single run, keeping their slim lead alive.
"Nice pitch," Coach Kataoka remarked quietly upon Eijun's return to the dugout. Eijun's eyes lit up, surprised by his coach's rare praise. A grin spread across his face, a sign of his pride in earning Kataoka's acknowledgment.
Meanwhile, sitting on the bench, both Tanba and Furuya watched Eijun with a mix of admiration and determination, their hands unconsciously clenching into fists.
Over on Inashiro's side, Narumiya grimaced, putting on his cap as he stepped out of the dugout. Watching Eijun jog back to the bench, he muttered, "He's a stubborn guy."
"He's a fine pitcher, I'll give him that," added Harada with a hint of respect, making Narumiya scoff.
"But no matter how good he is, he's standing in our way, and it's our job to crush him," Harada continued, his tone laced with an unmistakable chill.
"Yeah, I get it," Narumiya replied with a smirk.
Both teams were now fully engaged, leaving no room for holding back. Offense and defense were in a relentless clash.
In the top of the fourth inning, Seidou's batting began with Yuuki. Narumiya showed his true prowess as an ace, displaying pinpoint control, late-breaking movement, and the perfect blend of fastballs and breaking pitches. Yuuki was struck out in five pitches.
Then, a single pitch forced Masuko into a fly ball to left field, where he was swiftly put out.
Against Miyuki, Narumiya threw three consecutive breaking balls with no fastballs, inducing three swings and misses. Narumiya's dominance on the mound was undeniable.
This display also seemed to ignite something in Eijun, tapping into his potential.
In the bottom of the fourth, Inashiro's cleanup batter Harada was the first up, but Miyuki's carefully chosen pitch sequence led Harada to misjudge a cutter, resulting in a grounder to first base.
Next was Narumiya himself. Miyuki and Eijun seemed to throw Narumiya's own tactics back at him, quickly retiring him with two changeups and a cutter. Narumiya's frustrated expression betrayed his dissatisfaction.
However, a slight lapse allowed Inashiro's sixth batter, Yamaoka, to muscle out a hit to the left-center field, advancing to second base.
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