Relief Pitching

"What's wrong?" Owada Akiko asked when she saw that her senior, Mine, was silent.

No! It's nothing!

Sendou-kun could not be perfectly suppressed.

It could even be said that in both matches, Sendou-kun held an absolute advantage.

Especially that last at-bat, the pitch was completely predicted; I don't think anyone expected Rebound Ball to suddenly appear!

"You guessed right?"

"Um!

Sendou-kun's swing angle was clearly aimed at a spin ball!

And judging from the catcher's actions, he clearly hadn't expected the Rebound Ball!

"I see!" Owada Akiko understood.

"I think Coach Okamoto of Teitou is secretly relieved that he was able to suppress Sendou-kun in two at-bats!"

However, I always feel that the current Sendou-kun is a little different from the one in the summer!

"Is he still recovering because of his injury?" Mine Fujio explained to Owada Akiko, then began to mutter to himself again.

Sendou, who was standing in front of the bench, turned around and walked into the bench after seeing Miyuki reach base.

He was soaking wet and sticky, feeling awful, and needed to change into a tighter suit.

Head Manager Oota kept his eyes fixed on Sendou until he opened the door and entered the Changing Room.

This thoughtful elder's eyes revealed worry.

Just now, when Sendou swung his sword, he was covering his head and yelling "NO!"

This was completely different from the smug confidence that Head Manager Oota had on his face before Sendou went on stage.

"Supervisor! As expected, Sendou is suffering from a slump..." After seeing Sendou enter the Changing Room, Head Manager Oota said in a low voice with some concern.

"Although it can't be said that there's no connection at all!"

But the main problem was that the opponent missed a shot!

"For example, that catcher..." Coach Ochiai began to explain when Coach Kataoka did not answer.

The explanation and its basis are similar to what Mine Fujio told Owada Akiko.

"Six bats! Pitcher, Furuya-kun!"

At this point, the match had already restarted.

Upon hearing the broadcast, Furuya headed straight for the Batter's Box.

Coach Kataoka pondered for a moment before deciding to give the Signals for a short-hit game.

He discovered that it was still too difficult to conquer Mukai through Long Hit attacks.

So I want to get Miyuki to third base first.

The most important thing was that he was worried about Furuya's previous condition and didn't want to put his hopes on him for this precious opportunity.

Hopefully, he can focus all his energy on pitching.

With two outs, the runner is on third base, which is dangerous, but the opposing team is in the same boat.

No one can guarantee what kind of shot a hitter will make, when, or at what time.

A single is especially important because the chances of it happening unexpectedly are very high.

Baseball tactics also involve putting pressure on the opponent in this way.

To put it simply, it's a contest of skill, mental fortitude, and luck.

There was a problem with all three: with a runner on third base, the result was a situation of sky and ground.

Pressure is also a way to deplete an opponent's physical strength.

"Furuya!!!

"Knees! The key is in the flexion and extension of the knees!" Before Kanemaru could react, Sawamura ran out and assumed a short-range fighting stance, shouting a reminder.

"Sawamura! Don't step off the bench!!!" (shouting)

"You've exposed the Signals!" (Quietly speaking) "Kanemaru was shocked to hear the voice and quickly stopped this fool."

"Huh?" Sawamura and Coach Kataoka were both taken aback when they saw that Furuya hadn't turned around at all and had instead walked into the Batter's Box.

"Play!" The referee announced the start of the match as soon as he saw Furuya in position.

"Hey!" Someone couldn't help but call out.

"That guy didn't even look at the Signals!" Kuramochi thought to himself in surprise.

"Is this guy completely absorbed in the game... no, completely absorbed in what's in front of him?" Maezono in the preparation area looked completely stunned.

The crisis was caused by this guy's lack of focus and failure to Backup Position for him.

If it weren't for the divine intervention of the Sendou, it wouldn't be impossible for him to have been sent away by Teitou.

Now he's only thinking about himself and what's in front of him again, completely forgetting about his teammates and everyone else.

The other contestants also noticed Furuya's situation.

But the referee had already announced the start, and they didn't even have a chance to call out for Furuya.

At this moment, Mukai has already started throwing the ball!

"Puff!"

"Call out!"

"Ping!"

"Smack!"

"Out!"

"Ah! First ball attack!"

You can't shoot it too high!

"It went too high!" a Seidou supporter said helplessly.

"I thought they were going to use a short bat to send the runner to base!"

They just got hit by the first ball. It's not like they're playing a game of cat and mouse with seasoned veterans. How could the opponent not be on guard?

Just to be on the safe side, they'll usually pair it with a difficult Ball Trajectory to test the waters!

Furuya a little dazed. After stepping on a base, he lowered his head and walked towards the bench.

At this moment, Furuya's mind was still blank; he wasn't thinking about anything and seemed to be acting on instinct.

Even their sense of bodily awareness has decreased to an extremely low level.

If I had to describe Furuya's current state in one sentence, it would be that his senses below the head are both present and absent, like sleepwalking.

Of course, this was Furuya's state at the time, and even he himself was unaware of it, let alone others.

Coach Kataoka's eyes were practically spitting fire!

"Furuya ...you... Signals!" Maezono asked, somewhat bewildered, as Furuya walked into the preparation area.

"Ah!" Hearing someone speak beside him, Furuya looked up as if suddenly realizing something and let out a small exclamation.

When Coach Kataoka's gaze, he knew he had made a mistake, so he lowered his Furuya and slowly walked to the bench, waiting for the coach's reprimand.

Are you planning to score with your own bat?

Or did he not think about anything at all, completely immersed in his own world thinking about what happened during his previous defensive duties, and then walk into the Batter's Box?

The match has been moved to another venue and has started again!

Now it's our turn to attack!

Did you know?!

"I'm so sorry!" Furuya bowed deeply.

"To attack, one must think about attacking; to defend, one must wholeheartedly defend!"

"When you first enrolled, Masuko, who wasn't here anymore, was demoted to the second army for reflection because she was thinking about the previous attack while on duty. Did you know that?"

Upon hearing Furuya, Furuya looked up and widened his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Just then, Sendou returned after changing his clothes.

"Go change your protective gear first, and prepare for the next defensive play!" Coach Kataoka was interrupted like this, and having said what he needed to say, he let the guy go.

Not to mention, the Maezono is still waiting, and we don't know if the coach has given any instructions!

So, he gave Maezono a Signals to reflect his own swing style.

"Try to wait for the ball to come in!!! And then..."

"Puff!"

"Call out!"

"Smash it with full force!"

"Ping!"

"Outside the boundary!"

"The first ball was shot low to the far corner!!"

"That's a great choice!"

Furuya just made a careless shot on the first ball; normally, the batter should observe...

Shoot when the pitching and catching are at their best to score points!

"Is the Maezono really that clever?"

"No, no, no! How could that be?"

"It was just a simple shot that went into the Strike Zone!"

He acted very late; he must have seen it very clearly!

"Not bad, a very thorough swing!"

"But we still hope to break through!"

This was clearly a great opportunity!

The spectators on the sidelines were making a lot of noise about Maezono's swing.

"Puff!"

"Call out!"

"Smack!"

"Bad ball!"

"Smack!"

"Bad ball!"

"Outside the boundary!"

"Try to wait for the ball to come in!!! And then..." Maezono began to silently recite the "mantra" personally taught by the coach when she was being chased.

"Puff!"

"Call out!"

"Smash it with full force!"

"Smack!"

"Nice shot!"

"The attacker is out!"

"Three outs, change of game!"

"What a powerful swing!!" Mukai thought to himself, feigning a sigh.

"But you have to be able to hit it!" The next sentence broke the silence, with a mischievous sticking out of her tongue, which made Maezono both angry and helpless.

"You missed your chance again!"

This pitcher is in really good form!

"This is already the fifth game!"

Just one hit!

"Change your mindset!"

Just keep going like this!

"Now that you've decided which ball to aim for, you have to be patient until then," Coach Kataoka comforted Maezono.

"Hi!"

"Furuya!"

"Uh! Hi!"

You should understand!

Be careful when placing your bets!

"Mmm!" Furuya, who had just been scolded, was unusually obedient.

"Sawamura! You need to keep warming up too. I'll call you whenever you need to." Although Furuya was still given a chance to overcome the difficulties in this round, he had already lost Coach Kataoka 'Furuya trust today.

"Hey!!" Sawamura quickly ran to the Bullpen, wanting to throw a few more balls to get a feel for it.

On the other side,

"First goal! Xian Gang!"

From the very first pitch, if the opponent wants to score good pitches, they should aim for easy Ball Trajectory!

It's time for Gabu! Gabu!!

"You can't possibly get back to your previous form in one go. When the opportunity comes, you must seize it!!" Coach Okamoto exaggeratedly described the situation to Kenken Ken and the subsequent batters, mimicking a tiger with both hands.

"Hi!"

Let's observe the first goal first!

You don't need to throw good pitches, you need to disrupt his swing rhythm!

It doesn't matter if this batter gets him to base, don't worry about it!

Upon seeing the Signals, Furuya nodded.

Kenken Ken saw Furuya preparing to pitch, he recalled the coach's words and imagined himself as the Tiger...

"Puff!"

"Piu!"

"Again?!"

"Ping!!"

Although this shot wasn't a good one, the angle wasn't particularly tricky either.

The key point is that this is a high outside corner, which is the most comfortable Ball Trajectory for the batter. The angle isn't tricky either, and the batter is... the fourth batter!!

The ball traveled through the infield at extremely high speed and landed quickly deep in the outfield.

"Yoshi! A single to center right outfield!!"

"Double!"

"Nice strike!!"

"Our attack isn't over yet!"

"There's no way to stop it now!"

Coach Kataoka has already sent someone to call Sawamura.

"Puff!"

"Piu!"

"Thump!!!"

"Bad ball!"

"After being knocked out, they started relying entirely on brute force!" Seto Takuma said helplessly.

This kind of pitching battle is summarized like this, which is very boring for the audience.

"If we continue to lose points on top of this, things will get very difficult!"

"Sigh! Only Mukai is in such good condition!" Seidou's supporters were now extremely serious.

"This is a vicious cycle!"

The stronger the desire to perk up, the stiffer and more forceful the movements will become, and the ball will gradually lose its power!

"Right now, Furuya's shot won't work!" Miyuki's eyes secretly drifted towards the bench and noticed that Sawamura had already moved to Coach Kataoka's side.

really,

"Miyuki!!" Coach Kataoka called out to him, placing his left fingertips into his right palm—a perfectly clear timeout Signals.

Furuya's expression gradually stiffened, as if he were facing a life-or-death separation.

"They're changing the pitcher?"

Wow, that was fast!

"There's nothing we can do about it!"

In a situation where they can't afford to lose any more points, this is exactly what happens Furuya!

"Back Number 11? Sawamura!"

"Let's take stock of the current situation!"

No outs, runner on second base, Ball Trajectory hits a ball!

The first good shot after entering the game will definitely be headed in!

Be careful when you throw!

"Yes!" Sawamura nodded, slightly nervously.

It was tense, but it was also a combination of various complex emotions!

"However, you don't need to worry, the opponent probably doesn't know that they've already learned how to take Outside Corner Ball!"

You won't get hit easily!

Even though the game situation is not favorable for us, you just need to stick to your pitching!

Looking forward to your performance!

"Huh?" Sawamura was quite surprised that Coach Kataoka directly expressed his expectations for his performance.

However, not only is the game tense now, but Furuya's pitching earlier has also greatly stimulated him.

This made Sawamura keep everything to himself, instead of making actions that even he himself found exaggerated.

"Yoshi ya!!!" Sawamura shouted to himself as he ran off the bench.

"Sawamura Eijun!"

"That guy is also a freshman!" said a player in charge of intelligence on the Teitou bench.

However, his information was limited to the summer. After all, not everyone can be as resourceful as Rei-chan, able to obtain videos of the Autumn Tournament Qualifier from opponents in different districts.

"In the Inajitsu match, the guy who kept attacking with Inside Corner Ball kicks, he was completely fearless!"

I remember him!

He changed the course of the game as soon as he stepped onto the court.

Finally, they completely suppressed Inajitsu's desperate counterattack, laying the foundation for victory!

It left a very deep impression on me!

However, replacing the ace player like that is really a strict arrangement!

"Kataoka-kun!" Coach Okamoto said gravely.

Even so, he knew that if the pitcher was in good form, their desire to capitalize on their victory would be difficult to achieve.

"Please guide me!!!" Before entering the court, he bowed deeply to the court in a polite but exaggerated manner.

This left Teitou's third baseman completely bewildered.

"Interesting!

This is Sawamura's first time on the pitch since he mastered the Outside Corner Ball kick!

Indeed, in this situation where we can't afford to lose any more points, only this guy is the most suitable. Miyuki smiled as he looked at Sawamura running onto the court.

Furuya previous condition had put him under a lot of pressure and caused him great mental strain.

However, Sawamura's appearance put him at ease.

Just seeing this guy makes you curious about what kind of performance he will make.

Requesting votes...