"Call out!"
"Ping!"
"Outside the boundary!"
After scoring the first point and getting eliminated, the decisive move was a low shot to the outside corner.
"Call out!"
"Ping!"
"Another straight shot?"
"Smack!"
"Out!"
Inside and out!
There was no strategy involved; the simplest straight shot and the simplest angle combination were all it took to forcefully suppress Onisan.
"Third batter! Left outfielder, Isashiki-kun!"
"Fight back! Jun-san!!"
Just as Isashiki was heading towards the Batter's Box, Sendou was also preparing to leave the bench and head to the preparation area.
" Tetsu-san! What ball is it today?" Sendou suddenly turned around and asked.
"Straight ball! Let's get the first point!"
If I hit a double, I can send you home!
"OK!" Sendou gave an OK sign and walked out.
Unbeknownst to him, Coach Matsumoto had been keeping his eyes focused on the two men, and when he saw Sendou's gesture, his brow furrowed.
"Smack!"
"Nice shot!"
"The attacker is out!"
However, Isashiki-senpai mistook the Slider for an inside straight and missed completely.
"Well! Never mind!" Sendou was in the preparation area, admired Hirobi Tate's sly smile, muttered to himself, and got up to return to the bench.
"The first game of offense and defense between the two sides has come to an end, and thanks to the performance of their ace players, neither side managed to score first."
However, the situation could change at any moment. In the second inning, both sides will start batting from their fourth batter simultaneously!
"The top half of the second set! Kiryu High School's attack..."
Four sticks! Pitcher, Mr. Hall! "
"Hmph! Hmph! Hmph!" Hirobi Tate walked into the Batter's Box with three different nasal sounds.
"Kill him! Tanba!"
"Be cautious when placing bets!"
"The bases are still wide open, don't be afraid of getting hit!"
Don't forget to keep your attacking spirit!
"You can let him call!"
The enthusiastic cheers from the crowd filled Tanba with energy.
"I'm not the same as I was in the spring!" Tanba recalled the battle against the Ichidai San High in the spring.
My behavior makes me ashamed of myself!
"Things are different now!!!"
"Fushi!"
"Call out!"
"Smack!"
"Nice shot!"
"We... will win!"
"Smack!"
"Nice shot!"
"We'll win!"
"Smack!"
"Strike! Batter out!"
"Finally, a fastball to the outside corner! The batter swings and strikes out!!!"
"Ping!"
"Ku! ku! ku! ku!"
"Ah!!!"
"Oh!!!"
"Smack!"
"Out of the game!!!"
"Yoshia!!!"
"Three outs, time to play! The last pitch that should have been a hit was hit to the outfield!!!"
Amidst the gasps of the entire audience, the center forward, Sendou-kun, perfectly resolved this ball!
Seidou also won without conceding a single point in this round!
"Thank you, Sendou!" Tanba held out his glove to Sendou as he ran back.
"Don't worry about it! This is just my job!"
"Just pitch with peace of mind, Tanba-san! I'll take care of the center field! Let them hit us all they want!" After saying that, Sendou and Tanba touched gloves.
"Yoshi ah!"
Next up is us! Go! Sendou!
Get him out!
"Let Tanba-san have an easier time throwing!" Sawamura jumped out and shouted, pointing at the court.
Sendou always has this feeling of being treated like a dog by Sawamura, who throws him a frisbee and makes him fetch it.
then,
"What are you doing, Sendou!"
Let me go! I'm going to die!
Sendou delivered a single blow to his arm! A lock! A throat!
"You'd better stay put!"
Now Sawamura has no choice but to behave himself!
"Isn't this good?" Isashiki-senpai said with a smile, looking at the now quiet Sawamura.
"Hahahaha!" The others joined in the laughter.
It's as if there's no game going on right now. There's only one reason for this: they have absolute faith in their fourth and fifth batters.
Even Captain Tetsu laughed, then walked off the field.
"In the bottom of the second set, Seidou High School's attack..."
Fourth batter! Center forward, Sendou-kun!
"Fourth batter! Center forward, Sendou-kun!"
"Hey! They're finally out, the Cleanup Hitter from the first year of Seidou High School!"
Previously, Seidou's ace completely suppressed the Kiryu batting lineup led by their fourth batter. Now it's their turn to see if their fourth batter can respond to the ace's performance!
And, the recently struck-out Kan-kun! Can he suppress Seidou's powerful batting lineup?
"It has to be admitted that Seidou Batting Lineup is significantly more terrifying than Kiryu's!" the commentator exclaimed.
"That's right! Although some of our top hitters lack power, the explosiveness of our Center Batting Lineup is currently the best in the country, and the root of that is the presence of our fourth batter, Sendou, and fifth batter, Yuki!" Another invited commentator chimed in.
"Huh? Kiryu's third baseman has moved forward slightly, and the shortstop has moved slightly towards third base, but the outfielder hasn't made a move. What's going on?" The commentator suddenly seemed puzzled by Kiryu's arrangement.
Sendou narrowed his eyes as he looked at the arrangement and glanced at Kiryu's bench.
"Although he is a strong hitter, his technique is still very rough. He can't control the direction of the batter like the second and fifth batters. He can't even control the general direction of the batter's shot, such as left, center or right!"
This is the only way to prevent Safety Bunt!
"I hope our luck won't be too bad." Coach Matsumoto sat on the bench with a smile, like Maitreya Buddha, also staring at Sendou, thinking to himself.
"I don't know what to do in a year or two!" Coach Matsumoto muttered to himself again a few seconds later.
"What a troublesome old man!"
"I can only say, no wonder he single-handedly created the prestigious Kiryu School and its renowned generals," Sendou thought to himself.
No one would have thought that such a detailed matter could be discovered and targeted, which shows how terrifying Coach Matsumoto is.
However, no matter how well they prepare, if they don't have the idea of being recommended for admission, they will ultimately have to settle things through a direct confrontation.
However, Hirobi Tate is indeed a worthy opponent for Sendou, although her right-handed pitching is slightly countered by her left-handed batting.
"This day has finally come! Sendou!"
I've always remembered that I hit two Home Run in the Practice Match!
Let's compete on this grand stage!
"This is the best stage! Isn't it?" Looking at the fighter in front of her, Hirobi Tate's smile became even more terrifying.
"How terrifying!" Miyuki whispered.
Even his teammates were having a hard time getting used to that smile, let alone the audience.
Only Sendou found himself even more addicted to that smile.
but,
Sendou slightly raised his chin, and beneath his sword-like eyebrows, Kiryu's catcher sensed a chill in his narrowed phoenix eyes.
It's like, under your clothes, all the hairs on your body stand on end.
In reality, Sendou was merely in a preparatory stance, with his left foot positioned behind the Batter's Box, his hips open normally, and his right foot on the ball of his foot without any force.
This seemingly relaxed preparation, which didn't appear to be aiming for Long Hit, made all nine members of Kiryu High School feel like they were facing a formidable enemy.
Because of this monster's posture, it can unleash 100% of its power through explosive force and hit the ball out of bounds.
"Hey! Kan!"
Don't try to fight this guy too easily!
Let's shoot a little off target first and see how this guy is doing today!
Hirobi Tate saw her partner's Signals, but didn't lose herself, and nodded slightly.
It can be said that because she was thinking about having a chance to take revenge, Hirobi Tate valued Sendou no less than anyone else.
If luck is bad and the Sendou's condition is like the preliminary finals, then he is unstoppable and absolutely cannot be defeated.
"Come on!" With this thought in mind, Hirobi Tate took a big step forward!
"Puff!"
"Call out!"
"Pfft!" With a single step, Sendou used his reaction speed to judge the Ball Trajectory almost at the same time that Hirobi Tate released it.
" Outside Corner Ball?"
Through practice, Sendou's physical instincts have become faster than his thoughts!
"Ping!"
"Call out!"
"Puff!"
The ball traveled at high speed, arcing low and instantly passing the slightly forward third baseman, landing between the third baseman and the left fielder.
"Outside the boundary!"
As soon as the third baseman turned around, the left fielder had just taken two steps forward when the umpire made his call.
"What a pity! It was only a few dozen centimeters away from being in the penalty area!"
The ball hit half a meter behind the base, a few centimeters outside the foul line, and then bounced out and hit the wall.
However, outfield pitches are dangerous because they are judged by whether the ball lands in or out of bounds. If it lands in, it's a long hit.
"It's not a pity at all! There was no way that ball could have gone in!"
"The bat is being suppressed a bit by the ball's power!" Sendou muttered to himself as he listened to the shouts of Seidou's supporters.
Naturally, it was impossible to reveal this information to the other party.
If it weren't for the slight pressure from the ball's power, Sendou's shot wouldn't have "flown so close and low."
Next, Sendou loosened his grip on the baseball bat, repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fist to loosen his muscles.
With such a move and Sendou's blissful expression, Kiryu's players wouldn't believe that the monster in front of them was being suppressed by the ball's power.
"His condition... is pretty good?" Kiryu's catcher looked at Sendou and muttered to himself.
"It's... the same as usual!" Hirobi Tate made a precise judgment in her mind, as if she had heard her partner muttering to himself.
So, his smile deepened even more!
Since the Sendou's state is the same as usual, it means that a decisive battle is possible!
Coach Nakanishi is right: the purer a person's heart, the easier it is for them to enter the zone!
Hirobi Tate had a feeling about it; he noticed that the noise from the audience on the sidelines was starting to get quieter.
Of course, he didn't know his exact condition; he only knew he was in excellent form!
"What should we do? Monitor them?" The catcher looked towards the bench.
Because the landing point was exactly one of the weaknesses of their defensive formation.
"It's alright!" Coach Matsumoto responded with Signals, showing no intention of changing the formation.
"Even if the defensive formation is restored, they still can't react to that speed. Although there is a way, but... facing Sendou-kun, which idiot would dare to send the outfield forward?"
"That was just good luck!" Coach Matsumoto thought to himself, though it seemed like he was trying to convince himself.
Sendou glanced at Kiryu's overall defensive lineup again. Apart from the third baseman and shortstop moving, the others were still in the middle.
In other words, while second basemen and shortstops are responsible for the defensive zone between first and third bases, they are also responsible for the boundary between the infield and the outfield, so their positions are further back than those of first and third basemen.
" Kan!
The point of this game is for the batter to get back to home plate!
I'll try to disrupt your plans a little!
And so, the two sides were about to begin their second encounter.
The entire audience watched the duel with wide eyes.
Baseball games are usually long and boring, but strong hits versus strong pitches are an exception!
"No need for good pitches!" the catcher emphasized in Signals!
"Call out!"
" Inside Corner Ball!" Sendou muttered silently as he saw the ball being placed.
"This..."
" Safety Bunt!!!" However, Kiryu shouted in unison, and they were unusually panicked!
"Bite!"
"Although the shot was a bit too powerful, the direction was..."
What no one had time to say was the direction, between the pitcher and the shortstop.
The shortstop's rightward movement created more space, and the distance from the pitcher was greater. Although the distance was wider, the direction was perfect!
"Ku! ku! ku! ku! ku!"
The shortstop frantically moved to his left front, and Hirobi Tate also began to move towards the ball.
However, he still has the problem of ignoring his surroundings when he focuses on his Practice Match.
and,
"Puff!"
"Safety!"
"Smack!"
The fact that the ball was only passed to the referee when his hands were outstretched is enough to prove how late the ball was.
"Yoshi!"
"Nice shorts! You bastard!"
Although many people are puzzled as to why the support seats and bench seats are selected, it does not diminish their trust.
"Hmph!" Coach Kataoka was quite satisfied with Sendou's choice.
In this way, the next session of the Sendou might really shake the resolve to consider such an extreme approach.
The opponent probably never dreamed that Sendou's close-range fighting skills, while not exactly amazing, were much better than during the Summer Preliminaries.
"What? That's it!"
"That's way too fast!"
"That was a foul! That speed!!!"
How are we supposed to defend this place?!
No one in the audience complained that Sendou's short sword was too big; in their eyes, they were only filled with endless astonishment at the speed of that speeding boy!
"Beautiful!" Coach Matsumoto exclaimed.
He hadn't expected that Sendou would figure out the weakness of this plan so quickly!
That is, while it is difficult to control the direction of a strike, it is relatively easier to strike with short-range weapons.
In particular, he threw Changeup!
When Sendou used a short hit on that curveball, Coach Matsumoto knew that his plan had been half-ruined.
The shortstop can't move to the right, but as a precaution, the third baseman's position becomes even more vulnerable. We can only hope that Sendou's next at-bat doesn't send the ball that way.
"Fifth batter! First baseman, Yuuki-kun!"
Seeing Sendou running the bases in the stands, Hakuryu's coach's eyes lit up, and he subconsciously glanced at the stopwatch in his hand.
He hadn't expected the fourth batter to Safety Bunt, so he didn't press it.
This time he was prepared. He didn't believe that a guy who ran so fast wouldn't steal a base!
Moreover, the attacker is Yuki, who prevents the defensive lineup from being distracted.
Requesting votes...
Being late is contagious, I need to go to sleep quickly...