Bab 188: [188] Counterattack of the King
Chapter 188: Counterattack of the King
"Crack!"
"Strike! Batter out!!"
"Three outs! Change sides!!"
The missed swing and the overwhelming pressure radiating from the mound left Furano, Yokohama Kouhoku's cleanup hitter, wearing an unpleasant expression.
A fastball right down the middle?! This pitcher!!!
"The final pitch was a straight fastball right down the center, striking out Furano, the cleanup hitter, on three pitches!"
"Whoa, nice pitch, Sawamura!"
"You little rascal, that was brilliant!"
"Great pitch, Eijun-kun!"
"Haha, a flawless shutout!"
Standing on the mound, Eijun glanced at Furano, whose face was dark with frustration in the batter's box.
A faint, fleeting smile flashed in his eyes before he jogged down the mound, heading back to his dugout.
With unwavering pitching, a powerful battery, and flawless defensive support, Yokohama Kouhoku had their best scoring opportunity of the game in this inning, yet they were still shut down by Seidou High.
The spectators in the stands couldn't help but express their admiration.
"All three pitches were fastballs? Miyuki Kazuya's pitch-calling is even sharper than I imagined," thought Ochiai as he stroked his chin. "That being said, for the pitcher to deliver such precision to the catcher's requested spot, it takes more than just skill; mental strength is essential too."
Pitchers without strong nerves often show hesitation or fear in crucial moments—this is no surprise.
Eijun and Miyuki—a duo that can only be described as the perfect battery.
Ochiai watched as Eijun and Miyuki walked together, conversing in low voices, and this thought arose unbidden in his mind.
And at this moment, he wasn't alone—almost everyone in the stadium was looking at Miyuki and Eijun with admiration.
A battery that pushes a pitcher's abilities to the limit.
A pitcher who trusts his catcher and throws his best pitch.
Is there a better partnership in the world?
In the top of the fourth inning, Seidou High's dominant battery, combined with the impeccable defensive skills of their players, once again left Yokohama Kouhoku's cleanup hitters empty-handed.
Wearing jersey number 11, the first-year lefty Sawamura Eijun's performance at this moment made the audience fully realize who Seidou High's true ace really was.
"Bottom of the fourth inning, Seidou High's attack! Batting third, center fielder, Isashiki-kun!"
"Go, Isashiki-senpai!"
"Jun-san, blast one out!"
"Charge, Seidou!"
"Get a hit, Isashiki-kun!"
"Let's see a big one here, Jun!!!"
"Boom!!!"
With a dominating presence, a fierce expression, and the aura of a power hitter, Isashiki Jun stepped into the batter's box with a ferocious momentum.
Whoosh
Crack
Thud
"Foul ball!"
Whoosh
Pop
"Ball!"
Whoosh
Crack
Thud
"Foul ball!"
"Seidou's third batter, Isashiki, continues to fight off pitches, refusing to let Yokohama Kouhoku's battery have an easy time on the mound!"
"Hmph, our junior has been pitching so well. As a senior, if I don't step up to support him here, wouldn't that be a complete failure on my part?!"
Whoosh!
Crack!
"Then go to hell!!!"
With an inner roar and a full-powered swing of the bat.
Ping!
A blinding white light pierced through the infield, blazing its trail into the sky.
"Ohhhhhhhhhh!!!!"
"Right field!!!"
Whoosh!
BANG!
The ball slammed hard against the right field wall, producing a loud echo.
The ferocious figure sprinting towards second base drew gasps from the crowd.
"Right field! A direct hit to the wall! Third batter, Isashiki Jun, with a double!!! Seidou High retaliates in this inning with a runner on second. Coming to the batter's box is the team's core cleanup hitter, Yuuki-kun!!!"
"Cleanup batter, first baseman, Yuuki-kun!"
"Wow, great hit, Jun-san!"
"We're counting on you, Tetsuya!!!"
"Captain, this is your chance to deliver a clutch hit!!!"
"Let's go, Cleanup-kun!"
With no outs and a runner on second, Yokohama Kouhoku's ace now faced a similar situation to what Eijun just overcame—though, strictly speaking, this situation was even more dangerous.
Standing tall in the batter's box was a figure as steady as a mountain, exuding calm composure and an overwhelming aura.
Biting his lip, Yokohama Kouhoku's catcher, Shiraha, subtly signaled with his fingers.
Ino nodded, lifted his left leg, and swung his arm.
Whoosh!
Pop!
"Ball!!!"
Yuuki didn't even flinch.
His stance and expression remained completely unchanged.
Yet this very stillness brought immense pressure to Yokohama Kouhoku's defense.
"Damn, is he really not going to make any move? Those eyes are so infuriating!"
Shiraha couldn't help but groan internally as he glanced at Yuuki's calm, unshaken demeanor.
From the dugout, Eijun watched his captain at the plate and couldn't help but marvel internally.
"Captain Yuuki is undoubtedly one of the top three batters nationwide right now."
Even with the evolved version of himself and his strong partnership with Miyuki, facing off against Yuuki still felt like a 30-70 or, at best, 40-60 split in Yuuki's favor.
That speaks volumes about his strength.
For Yuuki, bad pitches were virtually meaningless.
Recalling the practice games where his pitches were blasted out of the park by Yuuki, Eijun's mouth involuntarily twitched.
Truly suppressing Yuuki? Not even Narumiya Mei could do that, let alone Eijun. And as for the ace currently on the mound...
Probably...
Whoosh!
Pop!
"Ball four, walk!!!"
The umpire's call echoed across the field, and Eijun's face revealed an expression of "as expected."
Against Yuuki, throwing bad pitches wouldn't shake him.
Certain pitching techniques simply couldn't be used against him.
A changeup, for example, was a risky gamble—if he caught it, it would undoubtedly end in a home run.
As for inside fastballs, in the last Kanto tournament, Yuuki was the only batter Yokohama Kouhoku couldn't handle.
The only two runs they allowed in the first seven innings were all thanks to Yuuki's timely hits.
Yokohama Kouhoku clearly didn't have an effective solution for Yuki.
In Yokohama Kouhoku's dugout, Coach Yamagake remained expressionless outwardly, but inside, he was growing anxious.
Originally, allowing one or two runs against a school like Seidou High wasn't a big deal.
But the problem now was that they couldn't break through against Seidou's first-year pitcher.
Four innings, only one hit.
In situations like this, even one run could prove fatal!
With this thought, a glint of resolve flashed through Yamagake's mind. "If we must take risks, so be it." He issued new instructions to his players on the field.
"Fifth batter, third baseman, Masuko-kun!"
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