Chapter 46 Quater-Final (4)

The second inning began with a quiet, tense atmosphere settling over the stadium. Both teams had felt the intensity of the first inning—Nehimon Seimei conceding an early run and Suma Tomogaoka capitalizing on it. Now, the pressure was mounting. The game was far from decided, but both teams knew the importance of controlling the momentum early on.

Noboru stood tall on the mound, his demeanor focused as he adjusted his cap. His shaky first inning had left him rattled, but the adrenaline had taken over, steadying his nerves. He took a deep breath, his mind clearing as he prepared for the first batter of the second inning, Shunichi, Seimei's second baseman.

Shunichi dug into the batter's box, settling into his stance. He was a patient hitter, known for his eye at the plate. As he twirled the bat in his hands, he focused on Noboru's windup, his eyes narrowing as he anticipated the pitch.

Noboru wound up, his motion smooth, and sent a fastball hurtling toward the plate at 144km/h. Shunichi watched it closely, but didn't flinch, letting it sail by.

"Ball one," the umpire announced, his voice cutting through the noise of the crowd.

Masato, Suma's catcher, grimaced slightly behind his mask. He quickly threw the ball back to Noboru, shaking his head.

Noboru adjusted his grip on the ball, his brow furrowed in concentration. He wound up again, this time sending a slider toward the outside corner of the plate. Shunichi twitched, but held back, watching it zip by.

"Ball two!" the umpire called.

Shunichi felt his confidence growing. Good, keep missing like that, I'll get a free pass to first.

Masato crouched behind the plate, signaling for a fastball low and inside. He needed to challenge Shunichi early, get him swinging, or at least keep him guessing. Noboru nodded, wound up, and threw with everything he had.

The fastball came in low and fast, exactly where Masato had called for it. Shunichi, feeling confident, swung—but he was a fraction too late. The ball zipped into Masato's glove with a loud thunk.

"Strike one!" the umpire barked.

Shunichi cursed under his breath, readjusting his grip on the bat. He had to focus—Noboru wasn't going to make it easy. The count was 2-1, still in his favor.

Noboru nodded at Masato's next signal—a power curveball, this time up in the zone. He wound up and released the ball with precision. Shunichi swung again, but the ball sailed just over the top of his bat.

"Strike two!"

The Suma crowd erupted with cheers, their excitement building as Noboru's confidence returned. Shunichi, feeling the pressure now, stepped out of the box briefly to clear his mind. He's got me cornered! Damn it.

Masato signaled for another power curveball, determined to end the at-bat and throw Shunichi off again. Noboru nodded, wound up, and with a snap of his wrist, unleashed the power curveball. The ball came out hot, its velocity faster than a typical breaking pitch, barreling toward the plate before suddenly losing speed. With a sharp, late break, it dove toward the outside corner, its deceptive drop happening just as Shunichi started his swing. Shunichi swung, but the ball dipped under his bat, and Masato caught it cleanly.

"Strike three! Batter out!"

Shunichi cursed again as he walked back to the dugout. Noboru had outdueled him, plain and simple.

The next batter, Shota, Seimei's left fielder stepped up to the plate. He was a contact hitter, but he had a tendency to swing at pitches out of the zone.

Noboru could feel the momentum shifting in his favor. He nodded confidently at Masato's signal for a first-pitch fastball, wanting to challenge Shota early. He wound up and delivered the pitch with authority.

Shota swung hard, but the ball flew past his bat, hitting Masato's glove with a resounding pop.

"Strike one!"

Shota gritted his teeth, annoyed with himself for missing the pitch. He readjusted his stance, digging in more firmly.

Masato signaled for a changeup. Noboru complied, winding up and throwing a pitch that came in much slower than his fastball. Shota saw the pitch coming, but his timing was off. He swung too early, and the ball sailed harmlessly into Masato's glove.

"Strike two!"

Shota, now visibly frustrated, stepped out of the box and took a deep breath. I need to calm down. He stepped back in, determined to make contact.

Noboru wound up for the third pitch, this time delivering a slider low and away. Shota swung again, but the ball barely grazed the tip of his bat, sending a weak grounder toward the third baseman.

Endo charged in, scooping up the ball and firing it to first base in one fluid motion.

"Out!" the umpire called as the ball landed cleanly in Akira's glove.

Two outs now, and Noboru could feel his rhythm settling in. Koji, a first year, was the next batter.

Masato signaled for a high fastball, aiming for the outside corner. Noboru wound up and delivered, the ball cutting through the air with speed and precision.

Koji took a defensive swing, fouling the ball off. "Foul!"

Noboru nodded, feeling the control coming back to him. Masato signaled for a curveball and Noboru obliged, throwing the pitch with a sharp break. Koji swung, but the ball dipped out of reach, landing squarely in Masato's glove.

"Strike two!"

Koji took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. He couldn't let Noboru finish him off too easily. The count was 0-2, and Noboru was in full control. Masato signaled for a splitter, looking to get Koji to chase.

Noboru wound up, the ball spinning tightly in his grip. He released it with a flick of his wrist. Koji swung, barely making contact as the ball dribbled toward the pitcher's mound.

Noboru charged in, fielding the ball cleanly and tossing it to first base for the final out of the inning.

"Out!" the umpire declared, and the top of the second inning was over.

----

Ryoichi took the mound for the bottom of the second inning, his mind sharp as he prepared to face Suma's next round of batters. The first batter up was Riku Tanaka, Suma's left fielder, known for his ability to get on base with singles and walks.

Ryoichi wiped the sweat from his brow, nodding at Daiki's signal for a first-pitch fastball. He wound up, his motion smooth and controlled, and delivered a pitch right down the middle.

Riku didn't hesitate, swinging hard and making solid contact. The ball shot off his bat, heading straight for right field. Kazuki Yamashita, Seimei's right fielder, tracked the ball, sprinting toward the foul line. He stretched out his glove and made a leaping catch just before the ball could drop in for a hit.

"Out!" the umpire called, and the Seimei fans erupted in cheers.

Ryoichi let out a small sigh of relief. He hadn't expected Riku to make contact that early, but Kazuki's quick reflexes had saved him.

The next batter, Hiroshi Nakagawa, Suma's center fielder, stepped up to the plate. .

Daiki signaled for a cutter, and Ryoichi nodded, winding up and releasing the pitch with precision.

Hiroshi swung, but the ball dropped out of reach, landing in Daiki's glove.

"Strike one!"

Hiroshi stepped out of the box, taking a moment to compose himself.

Ryoichi wound up again, this time throwing a fastball high and inside. Hiroshi swung, fouling the ball off toward the stands.

"Foul!"

The count was 0-2, and Ryoichi could feel the momentum building. Daiki signaled for a changeup, and Ryoichi complied, throwing a pitch that came in slower than expected.

Hiroshi swung, but his timing was off. The ball sailed past his bat and into Daiki's glove.

"Strike three! Batter out!"

Two outs now, and Ryoichi's confidence was growing with every pitch. The next batter, Shinji Matsumoto, Suma's right fielder, was known for his power, especially when batting from the bottom of the order.

Daiki signaled for a fastball low and away, wanting to keep the

ball out of Shinji's power zone. Ryoichi nodded, wiping his brow before settling into his windup. He released a sharp fastball that veered low, barely grazing the outside corner of the plate.

Shinji watched it all the way but held his swing. The umpire, however, saw it differently.

"Strike one!" the umpire declared.

Shinji narrowed his eyes but said nothing, before resuming his stance. His teammates, watching closely from the dugout, knew that Shinji had a tendency to swing for the fences when he got angry. Ryoichi could see it too, and Daiki picked up on the tension, signaling for another fastball, this time inside.

Ryoichi wound up, his form smooth as he unleashed the pitch. It barreled inside, right near Shinji's hands. He flinched but held back, and the ball sailed just inside the zone.

"Ball one!" the umpire called, evening the count to 1-1.

Ryoichi grimaced slightly, knowing he'd almost lost control of that pitch. In the dugout, Coach Nakamura clenched his jaw, eyes flicking toward Yamato, his assistant coach, who was nervously tapping his clipboard.

"He's still not entirely settled in, is he?" Yamato muttered, his gaze never leaving the field.

Nakamura shook his head. "Just watch."

Ryoichi refocused on Daiki's next signal, he nodded and wound up.

The ball left Ryoichi's hand, spinning wildly to the outside of the plate. Shinji, growing impatient, swung hard—but the ball broke too far out, and his bat cut through the air with a loud whoosh.

"Strike two!" the umpire shouted.

Shinji gritted his teeth, tightening his grip on the bat. "Fuck..." he muttered under his breath. Now he was behind in the count, and Ryoichi had the upper hand.

Daiki, sensing the tension, called for a fastball high and away, hoping to get Shinji to chase. Ryoichi nodded, wound up, and delivered the pitch with precision.

The ball zipped toward the upper outside corner of the strike zone, but Shinji held his swing, his eyes locked on the ball as it sailed just out of reach.

"Ball two!" the umpire called, evening the count at 2-2.

Shinji exhaled slowly, knowing this at-bat could set the tone for the rest of the game. Ryoichi, now locked into a rhythm, wasn't about to back down. He wound up again, this time delivering a sharp sinker, hoping to fool Shinji with the late break.

Shinji swung, but the ball broke sharply out of the zone, and once again, his bat missed by a fraction of a second.

"Strike three! Batter out!" the umpire called.

Cheers erupted from the Seimei fans, a wave of sound echoing through the stands as they celebrated the strikeout. They chanted, their energy pulsating like a heartbeat in the vibrant atmosphere.

"And he strikes out swinging! Both teams are scoreless in the second inning, the pitchers are on a roll." the commentator added, his excitement infectious as he shifted to the next inning. The crowd buzzed with anticipation, ready for the next play.