<11> Furuya Takes the Mound!

Chapter 11: Furuya Takes the Mound!

This feeling wasn't about Furuya overestimating others and underestimating himself; it was a candid self-assessment.

It's not to say that neither he nor Tojo had the capability to face these second and third-year seniors.

As a national top-four ace and Hokkaido's top star, even against Seidou's second string, they could hold their own if adequately prepared.

The real issue lay with the rest of the team.

With no coach to provide real-time guidance, the new players gradually lost their bearings.

They each attempted to make a strong impression on the coach with their performance but quickly realized that compared to the second and third-year seniors, they were outmatched.

The confidence they had painstakingly built during junior high was utterly dismantled.

Director Oota's concerns were realized.

For Furuya to engage these upperclassmen while restraining his pitch speed, he would need significant support from his team.

But clearly, his current teammates could not provide the necessary support.

Consequently, even if Furuya took the mound, he might not fare much better than Tojo.

"Do I have to rely on my pitch speed to make an impact?" Furuya wondered.

He glanced at the second and third-year team, which included the ace pitcher Tanba, mainstay reliever Kawakami, and backup catcher.

All of them were first-string players for Seidou.

For the purpose of testing the newcomers, these key players were included in the second and third-year lineup.

Moreover, there was the particularly strong Masuko Toru, often considered the muscle of the team.

Nearly half of the team consisted of first-string players.

Besides increasing the challenge for the newcomers, Coach Kataoka was also significantly testing them.

From Kataoka's perspective, this was a win-win situation.

However, for the first-year players, it was quite a harsh scenario.

By the end of the second inning, Tojo performed a bit better, and the other players started to regain some composure.

Still, the newcomers conceded four more runs.

In just two innings, the rookie team had given up a total of 12 runs.

The disparity in performance between the two teams was glaring.

Fans who specifically came to watch the welcome match were thoroughly disappointed.

"The newcomers this year really don't measure up."

"A national top-four pitcher, turns out to be just a Show Pony."

"You can't completely blame the kid; their opponents are Seidou's second string after all!"

Amid the murmurs from the audience, Tojo covered his face with a towel, his previous bravado nowhere to be seen.

"Furuya Satoru!"

Coach Kataoka called out Furuya's name once more.

Furuya immediately stood up.

While Furuya was eager to engage with the second and third-year seniors to gauge their skills, his simulations had already shown him the likely outcome.

He couldn't accept this prospective result.

His primary goal was to move up to the first string.

With that in mind, he realized he would have to pitch with all his might.

The upperclassmen, especially Tanba, had a gleam in their eyes, clearly anticipating a good match against Furuya.

"You'll play left field," Coach Kataoka continued.

Though Furuya was put on the field, he wasn't placed as a pitcher initially. Instead, he was assigned to the outfield.

This decision puzzled not only the newcomers but also the second and third-year players, as well as the onlookers.

Why was Furuya being put in as an outfielder? He was clearly a pitcher!

Coach Kataoka offered no answers to the crowd's questions and ignored the eager Sawamura.

He chose another rookie pitcher to continue the game.

In a corner, a boy with glasses smirked as he watched.

"The coach is quite ruthless, using this method."

"If you have something to say, just say it," a senior prompted him.

Miyuki, smiling, replied, "Our dorm's underclassman is something else. During the freshman test, he threw over 130 meters. If he pitches now, both the second and third-year players and the newcomers will have different expectations. That would render the 12 runs scored by the upperclassmen less meaningful."

Placing Furuya in the outfield negated his ability to make a significant impact on the game.

Consequently, the newcomers missed out on a chance to boost their morale.

Besides this, Coach Kataoka also wanted to see if Furuya could hold his own in other positions. This would be crucial if he were to be promoted to the first string.

"Isn't this a bit unfair to the kid?" a third-year senior commented, feeling a bit of sympathy for Furuya.

Miyuki gave him a thumbs up, "You're being generous, senpai!"

Though he praised the senior, Miyuki didn't quite agree with his sentiment.

Unfair to Furuya? Miyuki didn't think so.

On the contrary, the fact that Furuya hadn't yet pitched probably meant he was already on the coach's radar.

As long as Furuya's performance wasn't too poor, he would likely be on the first string after this match.

It was precisely this special consideration that led Coach Kataoka to make such an arrangement.

Furuya's performance could almost be described as idle.

Although the freshman team was giving up a lot of runs, since the balls weren't hitting to left field, no matter how many hits or runs they conceded, Furuya couldn't do anything about it.

He could only watch helplessly as the freshmen's score deficit widened.

Just when Furuya thought he might be idle for two innings, an unexpected opportunity arose.

In the top of the fourth inning, the rookie team was up to bat.

With two outs and no one on base, it was Furuya's turn to hit!

He hadn't yet had the chance to pitch or challenge Tanba on the mound, but now he would face Tanba in a pitcher-versus-batter duel.

Seeing Furuya step up to bat, the second and third-year seniors craned their necks.

They had been eagerly anticipating this moment for a long time.

"Tanba, show this cocky kid a lesson!"

"Who does he think he is?"

"Make him shake in his boots!"

As the crowd rallied, a group of first-string players who had just finished training walked over, including a figure with a noticeable small mustache who frowned at the scene.

"What are you lot doing? You've played three innings and only scored in double digits! Get me 200 runs! Tanba..."

It was clear these were freshly returned first-string players.

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Power Stone (⊙ω⊙)