Chapter 24: In the Middle!

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!"

Ping!

"FOUL!"

"BALL!"

The count, two Strike, two Ball.

The second batter of Akikawa Academy, Hashimoto, had tangled up with Sawamura for four balls!

The first one Ninomiya took six balls, and the second one Hashimoto took four balls.

Now, anyone familiar with Sawamura's pitching would notice that something was wrong.

Sawamura's pitching count has increased significantly.

In Seidou's rest area.

Coach Ochiai caressed his goatee and glanced at Kataoka.

Right now, as a coach, you should give signs to the players.

However, seeing Kataoka like this, he didn't remind him at all.

'Could it be that you want to wait for Chris and Sawamura to come back and talk to them?'

'This is not impossible, after all, this is the first inning, even if Sawamura throws a few more Pitches, it won't affect the overall situation.'

Thinking of this, Ochiai stopped thinking.

On the field, Chris and Sawamura were relatively calm.

When they should be pitching, they are still pitching.

Whoosh!

A small white ball, like a stream, flew at a low position in the outer corner.

Hashimoto gritted his teeth and did not swing his bat.

'This ball is too far.'

SNAP!

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!"

This Pitch is a Strike not a Ball like the batter thought.

Through experiments, Chris has roughly estimated Akikawa's strategy for distinguishing between Strikes and Balls.

'It's very clever, but it's not without loopholes.'

'If it follows this rhythm, even if Sawamura keeps throwing straight balls, it is not hard for him to persevere.'

After all, for Akikawa's strategy to succeed, the game must be dragged on long enough.

Otherwise, Akikawa will have no hope if it comes to the fifth or seventh inning and the gap between the two sides is too large.

'Just Pitch like this, and the result may not be bad to us.'

With a plan in mind, Chris motioned for Sawamura to continue.

"Third Batter, shortstop, Onishi-kun."

After two Outs, it was the turn of Onishi, who was Akikawa's third batter.

This batter's performance at the beginning was no different from the previous Ninomiya and Hashimoto.

It looked like he was going to let go of the first two balls, wait for two Strikes, and then tangle with Sawamura.

'That's not much to say, let's score two Strikes first.'

Chris and Sawamura both thought so, but they didn't expect an accident at a time like this.

Just after they made up their minds, Akikawa's third batter suddenly swung.

Ping!

The similar rhythm before made Sawamura and Chris subconsciously think that the third player Onishi, like Ninomiya and Hashimoto, would consume Sawamura's balls as the main purpose.

Unexpectedly, he suddenly attacked.

This rhythm caught Sawamura and Chris by surprise.

Fortunately, Sawamura's own pitching is more difficult to hit. Although Onishi hit the ball, he did not hit the ball forward.

PAK!

The baseball falls off the sideline.

"FOUL!"

This sudden attack made Sawamura's face turn hideous.

'Are you kidding me?'

Akikawa is not playing cards according to the routine. He has cooperated with the Akikawa act, but Akikawa is not playing their cards straight.

Akikawa's rest area.

Coach Ogata smiled still very modestly.

"Our tactic is called defensive counterattack, of course, we have to counterattack when there is a chance."

'Since it is a long-acting poison, it will naturally be effective a little late.'

If they don't put pressure now and then, Sawamura probably won't throw the ball at full strength before the two Strikes.

In this way, when they took a swing at random times, Sawamura naturally didn't dare to be careless with every Pitch.

Moreover, if they hit the ball and meet Sawamura's relaxation, then they will make a breakthrough. Akikawa can take the opportunity to get a hit!

Akikawa's plan was good, but they didn't know that their actions had officially angered a terrifying creature.

Sawamura is pissed!

A straightforward guy like Sawamura, of course, likes straightforward confrontation.

Akikawa's slyness obviously angered Sawamura.

He's getting irritated!

'Shisho!'

Seeing Sawamura with a clear offensive intention, Chris is also helpless.

'Although it feels a little early, it is now the fourth round of the competition, and it is time to use up some cards.'

Unlock, Moving ball!

Seeing Chris's code, Sawamura smiled on the pitcher's mound.

He had already had enough of this uncomfortable feeling.

Come on, since Akikawa wants it, he will give it to them.

The count is two Strikes and zero Balls.

The batter is chased!

Sawamura throws the ball.

Whoosh!

The white ball whistled.

There is no need to judge whether this ball is a Strike or a Ball.

The ball is in the middle!

Neither high nor low, perfectly in the middle!

'A meatball!'

When seeing this ball, Onishi was a little surprised.

'This Pitcher, he has a good control, right?'

'Although it is an easy ball in the middle, he will not pitch such an easy meatball.'

'Could Sawamura have thrown it on purpose?'

'However, now is not the time to think about that, the most important thing is to hit the ball out of bounds.'

As soon as this idea came up, Onishi rejected it.

Like the sharp corner ball that Sawamura pitched before because after hitting it, it flew to the side by itself. After a little adjustment, it was not difficult to hit out of bounds.

It is easy to hit such a meatball out of bounds.

While it looks long, but Onishi's mind only thought for a moment.

Swing!

In the end, he decided to swing, no matter what, he had no reason to miss a ball in the middle.

"Fly out!"

As soon as he grits his teeth, Onishi decisively swung his Batter.

Ping!

After the small white ball was hit, it flew right in front of Sawamura and was caught by Sawamura.

SNAP!

"OUT!"

Solved by the pitcher!

Three Outs, offense and defense exchange.

The first Ninomiya had six balls, the second Hashimoto had five balls, and the third Onishi, had three balls.

In the first inning alone, Sawamura threw a full 14 pitches.

This is actually a relatively normal number for other players.

It is very difficult to win an inning with three Outs without fifteen balls or twenty balls.

However, for Sawamura, this number of pitches is almost enough for him to throw two innings.

In general, Akikawa's strategy has been successful.

However, no one knows if they, who completely angered Sawamura, will be able to keep it up in the attack next inning.

"Nice Pitch!"

"Good job!"

The Seidou players also knew that Sawamura was being targeted.

After being targeted, Sawamura can still pitch and keep his calm, which is not easy.

Sure enough, with him on the mound, everyone felt at ease.

"We won't put all the pressure on you."

Kuramochi assuredly pats Sawamura on the shoulder and said to Sawamura.

Sawamura quietly avoided this dangerous creature: "I hope!"

"Huh?"

Hearing Sawamura's words, Kuramochi glared at him with a fierce look.

"The attack has begun!"

Before Kuramochi could trouble Sawamura, the second half of the game began.

Kuramochi, as Seidou's first starter, must play immediately.

"I will come back and settle this with you."

Kuramochi gave Sawamura a small warning look and then walked into the strike zone.

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