Shirazu, batting eighth, was as steady as ever. Because of his introverted personality, everyone on the team had been slow to recognize his ability. It was only after many games that Kōshū had suddenly realized one day, Huh, this senior seems to have gotten another hit.
The reason he never scored was also because he batted near the bottom of the order, with no one there to bring him home, so he did not stand out.
"Senior Shirazu is so reliable." Kōshū set down his bat. "Senior Miyuki, they'll be starting from the leadoff hitter next inning."
That meant they could not give the other side pitches they had already seen. But honestly, it was a blessing from heaven that they had not allowed a run in the first inning. From here on, it would be a knife fight. Keeping them scoreless was probably impossible; it would depend on how many runs their lineup could produce.
"I know. I'll definitely get a hit." As a co-conspirator in this plan, Miyuki did not want the other side thinking he was all talk and no action.
This guy really has connections everywhere. He actually found footage of Kiryu's previous practice games.
The clock turned back to the fourth day of Training Camp. That evening, the manager gathered all the catchers and asked about the condition of the First String pitchers.
"How are Furuya and Sawamura?"
After becoming a manager from a player, Chris had begun overseeing the training of the First String's two first-year pitchers. Perhaps because the last game with the Second String had eased something in him, his formerly gloomy demeanor had noticeably lifted afterward. When discussing the two pitchers, his tone was highly objective.
"They haven't touched a ball in two weeks. During this period, they've been following the