This time, Kuramochi is under a lot of pressure, especially since he hadn't scored any points in the previous three- Center Batting Lineup, so this time is very important.
Moreover, after entering Koshien, apart from the previous game where he easily defeated weaker opponents, his batting average has been less than ideal, which means that his weakness in hitting has been exposed.
" Kuramochi!" At that moment, Coach Kataoka called Kuramochi over and began to give him some impromptu instruction.
This surprise attack is crucial; once the enemy realizes what's happening, it will be difficult to have such a good opportunity again.
No one knows what Coach Kataoka said to Kuramochi.
After walking to the left Batter's Box, Kuramochi received instructions from the coach and assumed a short-hitting stance.
"No outs, runners on first base!"
Here, Seidou chose a safe option: sending the base to the next base! The commentator began to explain, watching Seidou's actions.
Let's aim for a safe number of eliminations here!
Infield! Be on guard against Hit and Run!
The third baseman went up to make a quick, alert batter, but the batter was running very fast!
..." Nagumo glanced at Shirazu, who was poised to attack from first base, and began to give instructions through various hand gestures, Signals, and shouts.
"Very cautious, Kiryu!"
"Of course! Although it's only the middle game, the score difference is only one point."
If this game continues like this, the point difference might be very small.
Therefore, every point can potentially affect the outcome of the game.
Moreover, this is the top batting lineup in the third round, so they certainly don't want too many runners piled up on base.
And if another runner is brought on, it will be the fourth batter's turn in this inning!
How close was that elimination? You hit that bad ball so far!
Most importantly, if there are many runners on base, you can't easily throw bad pitches!
"Ah! I had completely forgotten about it if you hadn't mentioned it."
It really is true!
The hearts of the spectators on the sidelines also tightened.
Baseball games are always a mix of calm and tense moments.
"No matter what you want to do, I will not let you succeed so easily!"
It might involve Hit and Run, so you can't throw easy shots!
Kan!
Use this ball to test the waters!
The guy who had been grinning for so long without even feeling his mouth get sore nodded.
At the same time, Coach Kataoka also began to Shirazu Signals.
Shirazu touched the brim of his hat to indicate that he understood.
"Puff!"
"The runners have started!"
"Call out!"
"Should I really order it?" That was Nagumo's thought at that moment.
However, Nagumo, who was only testing the waters with the first goal, remained completely unfazed.
"Smack!"
"Bad ball!"
However, Kuramochi then put the bat back, and the moment Nagumo caught the ball, he looked up and prepared to throw it, just in time to see Shirazu heading back to first base.
"I've been tricked!" At this point, he finally understood that he had just been fooled.
Coach Kataoka Kataoka's Signals was, of course, to have Shirazu steal a base as cover.
As for what they were covering up, Shirazu didn't know either, since it was just something he and Kuramochi had passed down from word of mouth.
"Phew!" Kuramochi another deep breath in the Batter's Box, releasing the pressure.
As the tactician, the one under the most pressure is the one who executes the tactics.
"Listen up! He's poised for the first ball with a short-hitting stance, but that's just a feint!"
Observe the Ball Trajectory carefully. If it's an easy Ball Trajectory, don't hesitate to shoot, but that situation is unlikely to occur.
The opponent will definitely observe your movements on the first ball to determine whether to use a short shot or Hit and Run.
It won't be an easy Ball Trajectory, so you need to be patient. Your only goal is still the Outside Corner Ball.
However, the steps of this mat should not be too obvious.
Also, even if the first goal is Outside Corner Ball, there's no need to force a shot if it's difficult to take.
The first ball is when they are most alert; if they don't shoot at this time, it will only make their opponents more confused.
I will have Shirazu coordinate with you on the first ball. Before you are under pressure, don't easily shoot balls you're not confident about.
If I feel there's no chance, I'll let you drive to base with a short bunt!
Kuramochi recalled Coach Kataoka's instructions and glanced at the bench.
Seeing the coach nod at him and give the Signals by bringing his hands together and loosely gripping the bat, Kuramochi adopted a normal batting stance for the second pitch.
This is what makes a proper coach so formidable. If you let the players think for themselves, I'm afraid no one but Sendou could come up with so many intricate tactics. Even Miyuki wouldn't be able to think that far ahead right now.
Miyuki strategic vision is indeed good, but he hasn't yet reached the level of his teaching days in his third year in terms of such intricate tactics.
Before the third grade, Miyuki was a carefree and irresponsible person who didn't think things through deeply.
To put it bluntly, during this period of resting under the big tree, he only needs to focus on the present, and his main energy is devoted to defense.
Sendou... that old schemer, it's not that Sendou isn't frivolous, it's just that these things are his personal hobbies.
In addition, he has a quick mind, so sometimes he thinks even more deeply than Coach Kataoka.
If Sendou were in the Batter's Box, Coach Kataoka wouldn't even bother with him; he could just let him play by himself.
If it weren't for Sendou's interest in outmaneuvering his opponents, would he have used such a boring style of play as short-range attacks in the match?
Miyuki is someone who can also lure batters, but it's not his interest. His interest ultimately lies in pitch selection, pitchers, and strategy, rather than exploring other people's ideas.
When Kuramochi missed the first Low Ball to the outside corner and raised his bat again, Nagumo was even more confused.
Although the posture has changed, there is still no room for less vigilance in all aspects, especially since the pressure is even greater because the purpose of Seidou is even more incomprehensible.
Realizing that the current situation was beyond his control, Nagumo turned his attention to the bench.
They can only rely on their own father to fight against the opposing coach.
"It's okay! Head-on Showdown!" Coach Matsumoto gave the Signals without the slightest hesitation.
Thinking too much will make you lose yourself; just focus on your baseball game.
Coach Matsumoto, as a coach, is perfectly aware of this.
This is similar to Coach Kataoka's decision to abandon Changeup in Inajitsu, allowing the players to focus on their baseball.
With the coach's guidance, Nagumo was no longer confused. He had done all the necessary precautions, and all that was left was to focus on the fight against the batter.
Hirobi Tate was overjoyed to see Signals coded Ball Trajectory used in Nagumo's Head-on Showdown.
Almost no pitcher likes this kind of hitter-and-run style.
Only Teitou, the first-year Taiyou who was eliminated in the round of 16, would have such a peculiar hobby.
It is said that Little Taiyou's hobbies are somewhat similar to those of Sendou.
The difference is that Taiyou likes to guide batters to hit bad balls, enjoying the thrill of swatting the ball in that instant.
Sendou, however, is obsessed with the pleasure of analyzing the other party's thoughts through various means, details, and intelligence, and then toying with them.
Sendou's interest lies in mind reading. When he sees through his opponent, that's when Sendou's happiest. And when he plays tricks on his opponent afterward, it's to prove that his mind reading is correct.
The pleasure one experiences when their judgment is completely correct is what the Sendou enjoys.
"Call out!"
"Smack!"
"Nice shot!"
Knowing she was about to Head-on Showdown, Hirobi Tate immediately went all out, throwing a wide- Diagonal Fastball.
Kuramochi, who was about to make a shot but hadn't even taken a step, saw the Inside Corner Ball ball and immediately pulled back his bat to dodge it.
Despite the order to aim at the outer corner, Kuramochi was intimidated and found that all he could do was grit his teeth in resentment.
They were unwilling to accept their weak striking ability.
Hirobi Tate wouldn't dare to throw such a shot at Sendou so easily without any preparation, even if the angle of the shot was so tricky and so wide.
It's a bit less effective against players like Onisan who have excellent hitting skills. After all, they can use the power of the ball to suppress the opponent. Even if they have good skills, it's difficult for them to get a hit if the angle is wide, and they are more likely to be hit.
When faced with this, Onii-san either doesn't make a move or the ball goes out of bounds.
This blatant discrimination, and the fact that I was scared off, makes me even more resentful, even if it was a wise choice.
"Good shot! Kan!" Nagumo happily passed the ball.
"That's right! Don't overthink it. No matter what, he's not a great hitter."
"If you want to play short game, then come on!" This shot gave Nagumo a lot of confidence and completely resolved his previous mental block.
"Take another shot into the inside corner, then finish him off with Outside Corner Ball!"
"Call out!"
"Smack!"
"Nice shot!"
Seeing the continuous Inside Corner Ball, Kuramochi became even more unwilling. The opponent's underestimation made his eyes look like he wanted to devour someone, but he was powerless to do anything about it.
Both the orders from supervisors and my own reason were stopping me.
"We're after him!"
"Nice ballroom Tachi-senpai!"
"Fight back, Kuramochi!"
"Keep them occupied!"
"You have to be ambitious!!! Senior Kuramochi!!" Sawamura was saying something incomprehensible again.
"Finish him off! We don't need a good shot! He'll definitely take the shot when he's being chased."
"Call out!"
"Here it comes! Outside Corner Ball!"
This time, we took a proper first step.
"Yoshi! He's made his move!" Nagumo knew that the opponent had no choice but to make a move on the bad ball.
However, what he didn't know was that being forced to shoot a bad ball in the outer corner was completely different from always aiming for the Outside Corner Ball.
Furthermore, with Coach Kataoka's special instructions regarding the details of footwork, the aiming Ball Trajectory was not revealed at all.
Judging by appearance alone, there is no difference at all.
"Ping!"
So at this point, you can only assume you were unlucky and got hit.
"Puff!"
"We've landed!!!"
"Run! Run! Kuramochi!" In an instant, Seidou's supporters erupted in cheers, shouting wildly.
"Yoshi!! Yoshi yoshi!"
"Yoshi!! Yoshi yoshi!" The first to rush out was Head Manager Oota, who had been clutching his heart.
"Ah!!! My lines!" Sawamura thought that stealing his lines was just too much.
"Yoshi!! Yoshi yoshi!"
Yoshi!! Yoshi yoshi!
Yo!! Shi!!
"Are you trying to snatch it back?" Xiaochun, standing next to her, muttered speechlessly.
" Kuramochi's determined strike gave Seidou High School another excellent scoring opportunity with no outs on first and second base, thanks to their first two consecutive hits."
Conversely, Kiryu High School is once again in crisis!
If we can't get outs quickly, then we'll have to face Seidou's third, fourth, and fifth -Center Batting Lineup lineup again, with a lot of runners on base!
"Yoshia!!!" Kuramochi, venting his frustration.
Although the ball was suppressed by the ball's power and didn't roll very far, precisely because it didn't roll very far, combined with his own speed, he easily reached base.
If they are not pinned, they may reach base, but there is a risk of being out.
However, since it was a crucial hit, no one dared to criticize him.
In this respect, he was much happier than Maezono was in his previous life.
"Second baseman, Kominato Ryosuke-kun!"
"Keep going, Ryosuke!!!"
" Ryo-san!!!"
"Fight back!"
"Onii-san!!!"
"Next up is the tough guy, Kominato... huh?" Nagumo tried to calm himself down.
After that, none of the hitters were easy to deal with. During Practice Match, Kominato had three hits in his hand!
Although they were stronger now due to a lack of intelligence back then, that's no reason to underestimate their opponent.
After all, in a match lasting less than a second, any kind of shot a hitter can make is possible, especially for hitters with good accuracy and technique, who are more prone to various problems.
As Kominato entered the Batter's Box, Nagumo couldn't help but glance at the edge of the bench, at Sendoh, who was wearing a helmet and Sendou into a bucket full of bats.
With no outs and runners on first and second, the batter was the second batter, a tough opponent in himself, but the pressure from Sendou Yuki was equally terrifying.
Nobody wants to face a fourth batter when there are a lot of people on the bases!
As Nagumo looked towards Seidou's bench, Onii-san also looked towards the bench.
This is a rule that hitters must follow, even if the supervisor doesn't give instructions, they still have to take a look.
Especially at such critical moments, it is very common to supervise and direct the entire process.
Sure enough, Coach Kataoka gave a series of Signals.
Both runners and hitters touched the brim of their hats at the same time.
Touching the brim of a hat signifies receiving a coded Signals that requires almost no deciphering. Therefore, regardless of whether it relates to them or not, runners and hitters must touch it to confuse their opponents.
So nobody would do something as stupid as trying to analyze an opponent's tactics by touching their hat brim.
Let's settle this once and for all!
"The runners have started!"
"Puff!"
"Call out!"
" Hit and Run? No! This is..." Onisan didn't move at the moment the runner stole base, but after the drop ball was placed...
"Bite!"
"Bunt!"
"First base!" Nagumo shouted unwillingly.
"Smack!"
"Out!"
Instead of pursuing mindless, aggressive attacks, Seidou's attacking baseball uses various methods to put pressure on the opponent and launch efficient attacks.
Although it was Outside Corner Ball, and Seidou was aiming for Outside Corner Ball, a steady offensive was more important at this moment than taking the shot.
After all, even if you aim carefully, it only increases the chances of hitting the target.
But after sending the bases to the first base, it's one out, second or third base.
This avoids the situation where a runner on first base prevents a forced base run from being blocked by a Force Out, and also expands the chances.
This means there are two players in the scoring circle, and it's the Center Batting Lineup.
Kiryu has brought about a huge crisis!
Requesting votes...