章 194: [194] The Tough Battle Against Yokohama Kouhoku Academy
Chapter 194: The Tough Battle Against Yokohama Kouhoku Academy
Miyuki's home run was just that—a catalyst that caused Yokohama Kouhoku Academy's ace, Ino, who was already mentally shaken, to completely collapse. From the moment of that home run, Seidou High School launched another fierce offensive.
The 7th batter, Sakai Ichirou, hit a single to right field.
When it was Eijun's turn to bat, he capitalized on Ino's fastball.
Whether it was due to Ino's shaken mental state, physical exhaustion, or having reached his limit, Eijun was no longer overpowered by the pitch.
He managed to pull the ball and sent it flying to the gap between left and center field.
With no outs and runners on second and third base, Shirasu Kenjirou followed up with a timely hit.
Even though it was just an infield single, it still allowed Seidou to add another run to the scoreboard.
At this point, Ino's collapse as the ace was complete.
Unable to continue against Seidou, Ino was reluctantly replaced by Yokohama Kouhoku's coach, Yamagake, who sighed as he made the call.
A second-string pitcher was brought in, attempting to exploit the unfamiliarity of his pitches. Although one more run was surrendered,
Yokohama Kouhoku barely managed to halt Seidou's onslaught in that inning.
However, Yokohama Kouhoku still conceded three runs in that inning, widening the score gap to an intimidating six runs.
At this point, it was safe to say that the game had lost its suspense.
In the top of the seventh inning, over 70% of Yokohama Kouhoku's players were on the field as if clinging to their last breath.
Only a handful still gritted their teeth, their eyes showing unwavering determination.
These core players of the team, mostly third-years, understood that this was their final national tournament.
Until the last moment, until the game truly ended, they refused to give up even the slightest hope.
Unfortunately, against the outstanding Eijun, Yokohama Kouhoku struggled to find a breakthrough, let alone score.
The second batter of the inning, Shinagawa, barely managed to hold his ground against Eijun's fastballs, repeatedly hitting fouls.
On the surface, it seemed like an evenly matched battle.
However, both Shinagawa himself and the discerning spectators could tell the truth.
Shinagawa was barely holding on. Just keeping up with the ball was a challenge, let alone making a solid hit.
This was largely due to his familiarity with Eijun's pitching from his previous at-bats. Still, Shinagawa lacked the decisive power or keen judgment to truly capture Eijun's pitches.
He couldn't read Eijun's pitch trajectory accurately.
"Whoosh!"
"Pop!"
"Strike! Batter out!"
In the end, Eijun eliminated him with a five-seam fastball—a pitch he personally developed (gripped with five fingers along the seams, subtly adjusted for trajectory). Let's call it that for now.
The ball had a perfect upward curve, resembling an inside rising pitch, with a momentary deceleration effect.
Even though this pitch hadn't yet reached perfection, it was already a highly troublesome weapon.
At least for now, Yokohama Kouhoku's batters couldn't track the trajectory of this pitch.
Even their cleanup hitters could only make weak contact, resulting in grounders or pop-ups due to their inability to find the perfect timing and angle—either swinging too early or hitting at an awkward trajectory.
Of course, Eijun himself was very cautious about using this pitch, as his control wasn't fully refined.
His tendency to mispitch was still a concern.
Currently, Eijun didn't dare to use this pitch recklessly.
With his existing control, it was best deployed as a surprise weapon.
And as a surprise weapon, it was deadly.
After striking out Shinagawa, Eijun forced Kajiyama to swing at a low outside fastball in just two pitches, resulting in a routine infield fly ball that Kominato Ryousuke easily caught.
With two quick outs, Seidou High School once again pushed Yokohama Kouhoku Academy to the brink.
In his previous at-bats, Yokohama Kouhoku's cleanup hitter, Furano, had struggled against Eijun's changeup.
However, this time, he had adapted to it, managing to time the changeup perfectly after a fastball.
He sent a deep drive to right-center field, securing a double.
This marked the first true breakthrough for Yokohama Kouhoku's cleanup hitter against Eijun.
Furano reached second base successfully, and the next batter, Tsumura, capitalized on a fastball, hitting a clean single to right field.
Although Shirasu's quick reaction prevented the runner from advancing home, Yokohama Kouhoku had runners on first and third with no outs.
For the first time, Yokohama Kouhoku's batting lineup showed signs of an offensive surge, giving their fans a glimmer of hope.
Unfortunately, this resurgence came a bit too late.
Having allowed two hits in a row, Eijun refused to give Yokohama Kouhoku any further chances.
With three precise pitches, he struck out their sixth batter, swiftly and cleanly, claiming the third out of the inning.
Yokohama Kouhoku could only watch in frustration as two runners were left stranded, missing their best—and final—opportunity to score.
Eijun once again shut out Yokohama Kouhoku's lineup, delivering another scoreless inning.
"Great pitch, Sawamura!"
"Haha, another zero! Well done, Sawamura!"
"You're amazing, Sawamura-kun!"
"Eijun-kun, that was a solid performance."
As Eijun returned to the dugout, he was greeted by cheers from his teammates, their admiration evident.
This recognition had been building since the start of the summer tournament, peaking during the game against Inashiro Industrial.
While no one explicitly said it, the majority of the team had already acknowledged Eijun, the first-year southpaw, as Seidou High's ace pitcher—both in the present and for the future.
With such strength and performance, the title of "ace" was well-deserved.
As Eijun walked back to the dugout, he smiled and glanced toward the stands where Seidou's supporters were.
The feeling of being recognized and trusted was truly rewarding.
"How many pitches has Sawamura thrown so far?" Coach Kataoka asked softly.
"87," answered Chris, who was keeping track. Coach Kataoka nodded and spoke to Eijun as he entered the dugout.
"Sawamura, you're coming off after the next inning."
Eijun paused for a moment, then quickly understood the reasoning. Without hesitation, he nodded and replied, "Yes, Coach!"
Eijun knew how tightly packed the summer schedule was. Since the outcome of the game was already decided, preserving the players' stamina and energy was the best course of action.
Eijun also realized that his pitch count was nearing 90, making it the right time to rest his shoulder and recover.
"Tanba, you're pitching next," Coach Kataoka said, turning to Tanba. "Finish the last two innings cleanly. You can handle that, right?"
Tanba felt a mix of emotions welling up inside but quickly responded with a firm nod. "Yes, I understand, Coach!"
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