Fifth Round (3)

"Jirooo! One out!" - Shun shouted as he forcefully threw the ball back to the mound.

PAH

Jiro caught the ball in his glove, looking at Shun gratefully. He began to feel his calm return gradually, as if Shun's impressive catch had absorbed part of the pressure he was feeling. If it weren't for Shun, he would have given up another home run.

Jiro then took a deep breath as he watched the fifth batter step into the box. The nerdy kid adjusted himself on the mound, preparing to pitch. He knew very well that he needed to finish this inning without allowing more runs.

The fifth batter from Tenshi stepped into the box with a focused expression, clearly planning to take advantage of any mistake Jiro might make. Daigo, noticing the confident stance of the opponent, signaled for a low splitter outside the strike zone, hoping to induce a defensive swing resulting in an easy ground ball.

Jiro nodded and pitched, focusing on keeping the throw controlled.