"Although I'm playing in the lower tier, there are only two games left!"
Don't worry about stamina or the type of ball, just throw it with all your might!
Tanba- Tanba-san!
"Hmm! Whew!"
With his mouth closed and teeth clenched, Tanba began to pitch, his mind still aided by the buff given to him by Coach Kataoka.
"Puff!"
"Fushi!"
"Call out!"
"Smack!"
"Nice shot!"
" Seidou's ace, a high straight shot to the inside corner!"
The attacker watched them go!
"The second ball is synonymous with Tanba-san! A curveball!"
"Fushi!"
"Huh?" The change in the curveball surprised Ginshiro, the seventh batter of Yokogaku.
"Smack!"
"Nice shot!"
"The second ball was a curveball with a wide range of motion, and the batter missed!"
"Fushi!"
"Call out!"
"Smack!"
"Nice shot!"
"The attacker is out!"
"The third ball! Another curveball!"
The batter struck out!
Seidou's ace, a powerful pitch!!!
"Eight sticks! Catcher, Shirau!"
"Is there absolutely no chance? Damn it!" Shirau looked at Tanba's fierce expression on the Pitcher's Mound and felt somewhat helpless.
This pitcher is not someone they can defeat in just one round of batting!
It also seems to have completely lost the fragility it had in spring.
"Puff!"
"Fushi!"
"Call out!"
"Smack!"
"Nice shot!"
"This time it's a curveball on the first ball!"
"Ping!"
"Outside the boundary!"
"The second ball was a straight shot high inside the corner!"
The batter completely misjudged the timing of his swing!
"Damn it! I'll cling to you even if it kills me!"
"Fushi!"
"Call out!"
"Aaaaaah!!"
"Smack!"
"Nice shot!"
"The attacker is out!"
"A low, straight ball that Strike Zone the edge of the corner!"
The batter struck out!
Two consecutive strikeouts!
"Nine bats! Pitcher, Yamada- kun!"
" Yamada, please!" Although they knew they shouldn't shout that, and shouldn't put all their hopes on this second pitcher, Yokohama Gakuen was already at their wits' end.
They still have four eliminations left, but they are nine points behind!
but!
"Call out!"
"Smack!"
"Nice shot!"
"Puff!"
"Fushi!"
"Call out!"
"Smack!"
"Good shot! Two!"
"Woo! fushi!"
"Smack!"
"Nice shot!"
"The attacker is out!"
Two curveballs, one Forkball, and three Changeup mercilessly took down the nine-bat hitter, avenging the double loss he had just suffered.
Similarly, Miyuki also hoped that his opponent would pay more attention to Tanba's Changeup. After all, Tanba has now recovered and practiced for so long, and no longer has the occasional control crisis of particularly easy Ball Trajectory. His accurate Four-Quadrant is also a sharp weapon.
Sawamura's current style of play is so good that even Inside Corner Ball are easy to hit, not to mention the Four-Quadrant Ball Trajectory, he makes up for it entirely by his posture that makes it impossible to see where to place the ball.
Miyuki often outwardly encourages others, but inwardly complains that all his Ball Trajectory are easy to hit.
"Yoshia!!!"
"That quiet Tanba roared out!"
"Three strikeouts in a row!"
"Is this Tanba? This guy has finally grown into an ace!" The OBs who came to support Seidou almost cried when they saw the fierce Tanba today.
It's really not easy for Tanba, who used to have trouble even speaking, to grow into the villain he is today!
These OBs are all witnesses, and they've been incredibly concerned about it.
"Nice ball!"
"Nie ball! Tanba-san!" Miyuki shouted excitedly.
They finally have a reliable trump card.
"Nice ball! Tanba! Keep sweeping them all in the next round too!"
"Sendou, you better shout it out too!" Isashiki-senpai yelled fiercely at the end, not forgetting the guy next to her who was trying to run away silently.
"We have one last attack!"
"Let's get some more points to celebrate, Tanba-san!" Sendou said with a smile when he returned to the bench.
"Devil!" Isashiki muttered.
They've already beaten the guy so badly, yet they still want to score a few more points, but...
"Well said! It's settled then!"
Sendou doubted he had misheard, and the first person to respond was Isashiki, who had just called himself a devil.
"But Jun-san! You need to hit a nice single!"
Ryo-san isn't worried, but Jun-san, your performance is too inconsistent!
"If there aren't enough people on base, Tetsu-san and I will be sent off again!" Sendou said seriously.
That's complete nonsense. Isashiki-senpai is very reliable; after all, he can hit any ball to the right-hand batter.
"What are you saying? That your performance is inconsistent! You bastard!" Jun-san delivered a Rear Naked Choke to Sendou.
"Looks like they haven't let their big lead make them complacent at all!" Coach Kataoka thought to himself as he watched this heartwarming scene, and then a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"That's right! Don't forget the idea of attacking until the very end!"
"Let's crush their Fighting Spirit completely!" However, Coach Kataoka rarely meant what he said, so he added fuel to the fire.
"Hi!!!"
"Yoshia!!!"
" Bottom of the Eighth Inning! Seidou High School's attack!"
Second baseman, Kominato Ryosuke-kun!
"Go! Ryosuke!"
"Onii-san!!!"
"Go for it, Ryo-san!"
"One hit! Please!"
"Let them experience the power of Seidou's batting lineup!"
"Keep the explosion, Seidou Batting Lineup!!!"
"Smack!"
"Bad ball!"
"Ping!"
"Outside the boundary!"
"Bad ball!"
Oni-san would never hit a bad pitch; he would hit all the difficult Ball Trajectory out of bounds, which put the pitchers and catchers in an awkward position once again.
If you can't get out of the game, tricky Ball Trajectory will only waste your energy.
"Call out!"
"Smack!"
Ultimately, Yamada, who wasn't very good at ball control, was still chosen for the Four Balls.
For a pitcher like him who isn't particularly good at controlling the ball, Onisan is his natural counter.
Sometimes, even if he wants to throw a good pitch, he doesn't have the skill. He just needs to wait patiently. Unless there's a particularly strange Changeup that makes Oni-san miss, or Oni-san makes a bad hit or is unlucky and the ball lands poorly, a walk is only a matter of time.
Although they didn't get a hit, they put a lot of extra pressure on the pitcher.
"Third batter! Right field, Isashiki!"
"Roar! Isashiki!"
"Send it out!"
" Seidou's..." One of the observers got a little carried away and almost pulled out the silky dog.
"Get out of there, you silky-haired dog!!!"
"Pfft!" Sendou, who had just stepped off the bench, burst out laughing when he saw Sawamura shout out the content that the OB had finally managed to stop.
"Who's the silky dog?! You bastard!!!"
You just wait, Sawamura!
"Baka yarou! Our attack isn't over yet!" After venting his anger on Sawamura, he turned to Yokogaku Toubu and said fiercely.
"Let's settle this here!" Shirau glanced at Sendou in the preparation area and Captain Tetsu, who was " Taiyou " off the bench, swallowed hard, and knew he had to fight this battle.
"As expected, this team is still planning to guarantee Sendou and Yuuki's advancement!" Senior Chris guessed.
"Ah!
"But when there are no outs on first and second base, and the bases are piled up, they'll hesitate!" Coach Kataoka said, glancing sideways at Chris.
Coach Kataoka's other meaning was also clear: if Isashiki gets outs, or even a double play, Yokogaku will not hesitate to fill the bases and Masuko to the death.
After all, the one standing on the Pitcher's Mound isn't an ace.
With one runner on base, it goes without saying that in a two-out situation, they generally wouldn't walk. Facing Sendou, a batter with a one-shot ability, they wouldn't want to take the risk. If they only walk one runner, it would be a matchup between Sendou and Yuki on base.
This level of batter has the ability to break the pitcher's spirit, especially a batter like Sendou who could hit at any moment.
However, this is unlikely. They would give away points even if it meant giving away points, as that would be devastating to the team's morale.
"Then let's pray that Isashiki can..." Senior Chris was interrupted by the sudden situation in the arena before he could finish speaking.
"The runners have started!"
"Ping!"
"Hit! The Seidou High School player Hit and Run without Signals!"
The ball went through the infield!
All runners have reached base! No outs on first or third!
And the next hitter is...!
"...!"
"Oh!!!"
"Ah!!!"
"Fight them out!!!"
Before the commentator could finish speaking, the Seidou drum band started playing, and tens of thousands of spectators in the stadium erupted in a breathtaking cheer.
Everyone could see that this time, Yokogaku would probably have to fight Seidou's two Main Gun to the death.
"Fourth batter!!! Center forward, Sendou-kun!"
As the announcement came on, the cheers grew even louder.
The audience joined in the chants along with the Seidou supporters, chanting in unison to the rhythm of the support song.
This time, there's no escaping it; what's coming will come!
The outfielders started to retreat, and the defense began to shift to the left.
Don't be fooled by Sendou's seemingly unpredictable hitting direction; if he throws the ball with a specific purpose, it will fly in the direction he wants.
By defending to the left, they clearly intend to decide the outcome entirely with the outside corner. If it's off-center enough, even Sendou wouldn't be able to hit the right field, which is in the same direction as his own.
Not to mention, when the ball Push Hit the right field, it didn't go as far as when it was pulled to the left field.
"This guy is a good pitcher! He'll get even better next year!"
"Even though they might not make it to Koshien next year." Standing in the Batter's Box, Sendou still had the mind to think about next year.
Moreover, he seemed completely oblivious to the possibility of being blocked in the Regional Preliminaries; he had no idea what West Tokyo would be like next year.
Of course, it depends on the fact that the king of Inajitsu, who is currently in a state of self-isolation, recovers.
"No matter what, I'll keep something in reserve for now!" Sendou said to himself, something no one else could understand.
After stopping his random thoughts, Sendou's expression became serious.
Of course, this seriousness is only relative.
Pitcher's Mound...
"Do not be afraid!
No hitter can guarantee they'll hit the ball!
"If we throw a tricky enough shot, we'll have a better chance of taking him down. No matter how good he is, he's still a first-year student and he's bound to make mistakes." Shirau comforted his junior after calling a pause in the throwing and catching process.
"Hi!"
Be careful!
Even if you miss the shot, you absolutely cannot shoot him an easy Ball Trajectory!
That's suicide! Seeing that his junior was mentally sound, Shirau returned to home plate with a little relief.
"For the first ball, you can Strike Zone a little further!"
"Let's observe the attacker's movements!" Shirau couldn't help but lick his lips.
"I understand!" Yamada mentally agreed.
"Puff!"
"Whoosh!" Yamada threw his first pitch of the day with a ferocious expression.
The ferocious expression on their faces is a testament to their all-out effort. Few pitchers who throw with all their might have a pleasant expression at the moment of releasing the ball.
"Smack!"
"Bad ball!"
"No movement at all!"
"However, the ball speed is already out!" Shirau glanced at Sendou, then at the scoreboard showing a ball speed of 142 kilometers per hour, and felt somewhat relieved.
A barely perceptible smile appeared on Sendou's lips.
"We had complete control over the first bad shot!"
This catcher is very cautious, so his pitches are not unpredictable.
If it's this catcher, the next pitch won't be an easy Ball Trajectory either, but..."
"Puff!"
As Yamada took his second step, Sendou also took a slight step.
This is completely different from when I usually see the ball and decide to put my weight on the outside foot.
However, at this moment, no one noticed that the Sendou's steps were different from usual.
This thing usually keeps both feet on the ground, and you can't tell from the outside that its right foot is just touching the ground without putting any force on it. It can't even kill an ant, so even if the Sendou takes a step in advance, it's hard to tell the difference.
However, it is precisely because of these details that no one notices that no one can understand the Sendou's choice of actions.
"Ping!"
"Although it's not an easy Ball Trajectory to hit, it's not an impossible Ball Trajectory either!"
Moreover, the type of ball had already been revealed!
In Sendou's view, this cautious catcher would not throw Slider to the left batter's inside corner for the second pitch; even after the changeover, it would still be the same as throwing an outside ball.
I have a history of hitting balls out of the corner using my superior bat and arm strength.
So it's either a relatively off-target ball like the first one, but even Sendou wouldn't shoot that; it would only worsen the ball count. It's a fastball that's already in the Strike Zone, and he definitely wouldn't shoot it that early, so it's a pass.
The remaining balls are the more tricky ones. The only one that meets the standard is the curveball with a slight downward drop, which can also create a speed difference with the straight ball.
So, despite seemingly having many choices and seeing through the catcher's thoughts, Sendou actually only has one option.
"I told you! Regardless of whether I make it to Koshien, I'm going to keep something in reserve!"
"I need to make this pitcher traumatized!" Sendou glanced at Yamada, who was facing away from home plate and staring anxiously at Yamada white ball in the sky.
"Smack!"
"Left field grandstand!"
The fourth batter from Seidou High School! Sendou Akira Home Run in his second consecutive at-bat!
This was his third home run of the game, his 24th home run in high school, and his second Home Run in Koshien!
The score became 12-0 with that Three-Run Home Run!!! The commentator could no longer contain his excitement after seeing the ball land in the glove of a spectator in left field, and roared with all his might.
"Yoshia!!!" Even though he had run like this twice, Isashiki still running excitedly.
The stadium was already in a frenzy. Seidou's Koshien debut had shocked all the spectators and the nation's top clubs.
I need your votes! When I saw ten recommendation votes today, I was devastated.