Chapter 77: Crafty Underdogs

"Seidou High School is about to change pitchers."

In the rest area of Seidou High School, Coach Kataoka called the current pitcher, Kawakami, aside.

The Coach of Kasugaichi made this judgment as he, too, is a Coach and has studied psychology.

While he may not excel in his role as a baseball Superintendent, he applies some psychological tricks very flexibly.

Just like now, with Coach Kataoka's gentle demeanor and the corners of his mouth curved, it was easy to gauge his plan.

This is the last encouragement for the players; the most likely scenario is that they will substitute him right after this inning.

He glanced at the two pitchers in Seidou High School's rest area.

'Sawamura Eijun looked unfazed, appearing to lack spirit.'

'Beside him, Furuya Satoru wore an eager expression.'

In fact, if one only looked at Furuya's face, it would be hard to see any change. However, just by observing him, it's easy to understand what he wants to do.

Furuya is quite remarkable.

The Coach of Kasugaichi easily deciphered Seidou High School's intentions.

Of course, he wasn't entirely correct. He believed that the next pitcher to take the mound would definitely be Furuya.

'That absolutely cannot happen.'

Seidou High School is known as the 'Kingdom of Pitchers' and even their weakest, Kawakami, had already made them struggle.

If Seidou replaced him with the monster pitcher Furuya, their chances of scoring could very well become a distant dream.

Even if they lose this game, not scoring is simply unacceptable.

With this plan in mind, the Kasugaichi's Coach immediately made arrangements.

"This is our last chance to attack; we absolutely cannot give up easily."

The players from Kasugaichi, having received their Coach's instructions, also rallied their spirits.

They have complete faith in their Coach's judgment; if they don't act now, that pitcher of Seidou will escape.

They had pent-up frustration, waiting to unleash it, and under no circumstances could they let Kawakami slip away.

With such thoughts, they were particularly aggressive in their attack.

The ninth batter stood right at the edge of the strike zone.

This somewhat blocked Kawakami's inside pitches.

"The opponent is finally starting to act!"

In the rest area, Miyuki said seriously.

So far, Kawakami had faced the opposing batters for nearly two rounds.

The players of Kasugaichi were gradually picking up on Kawakami's weaknesses.

It wouldn't be accurate to say he has weaknesses; rather, they've come up with a strategy to deal with him.

"Ono, you should know exactly what you need to do as a catcher right?"

Miyuki looked at Ono seriously, as if trying to convey his thoughts.

"Don't worry; they've trained for two years at Seidou High School." Sawamura chuckled.

Kasugaichi is indeed strong, but that doesn't mean they are better than Seidou's substitutes.

One must remember that the substitutes on the first team receive the same training as the starters.

How much hardship, how much fatigue, how much sweat, and how many tears have they shed?

It's no exaggeration to say that over the past two years, their sweat could fill a swimming pool.

'Sweat does not lie.'

Sawamura has always been clear in his mind: even if the first-string players don't make it, the substitutes from Seidou High School possess the strength of a top-eight team in Tokyo.

If they were paired with a strong pitcher, like himself.

Sawamura even has the confidence to lead them to Koshien in a non-intense region.

Certainly not in a place like West Tokyo.

There are too many formidable teams entrenched there; even if placed in Koshien, they could become winning teams.

Such things cannot be measured by regional standards.

As expected by Sawamura, even when the opponent stood close to the strike zone, Ono and Kawakami's response was very straightforward.

They unceremoniously delivered the ball into the inside corner.

The opponent was consciously trying to block Kawakami's inside pitches, but Kawakami's control of the ball was not intimidating at all.

And the opponent's positioning, facing those continuous inside pitches, was utterly helpless.

Snap!

"STRIKE!!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"

In the end, Kawakami struck out a very strong opponent.

Cheers erupted in the rest area of Seidou High School.

Everyone was naturally delighted to see such a scene.

The audience was also dazzled.

Although this match featured all substitutes from Seidou High School, their strength was undeniable.

Even the substitutes displayed exceptionally strong skills.

Watching their team dominate the opponent with substitutes, leaving them completely lost, was a refreshing experience for the supporters of Seidou High School.

Overall, it felt good.

In the rest area of Kasugaichi.

Kasugaichi's Coach frowned slightly, his eyes deep as if he could see through everything.

He secretly signaled the first batter on the field.

'Do it again!'

Few noticed this action, but one person in the rest area of Seidou did.

Miyuki's expression became serious.

He didn't fully relax after Sawamura's reassurance; his eyes were still keenly observing the changes on the field.

This could stem from his intuition; he always felt that the opponent wouldn't simply give up. Even if they lost this game, they wouldn't allow themselves to be blanked by the substitutes of Seidou High School.

'For a strong team, this would be a significant blemish in their record.'

The first batter from Kasugaichi High took the same approach as their ninth batter before.

He stood close to the strike zone.

It felt as though he'd be hit by the ball and still would insist on reaching base.

Ono's eyes flashed with cold light several times.

His strategy as a catcher isn't as complicated as Miyuki's. In summary, he follows two principles.

One is to target the opponent's weaknesses and keep attacking until the opponent is thoroughly defeated!

The other is to timely change the calling after provoking the opponent's vigilance.

'The opponent clearly didn't grasp Nori's control yet, believing that a simple scare would suffice to throw him off.'

'What a joke.'

'Nori is not that kind of spineless man.'

'Come on, let the opponent recognize you; you are our third-grade Ace.'

Seeing the sign that Ono gave him, Kawakami nodded and threw the ball cleanly.

He's a typical side thrower; when he throws inside pitches, it feels like the ball is coming from behind the batter.

'The batter's close stance can indeed block his pitching route to some extent.'

'However, similarly!'

'From this perspective, how could they see my inside pitch?'

With that thought, Kawakami pitched with confidence.

Whoosh!

The white ball shot like a dazzling beam, instantly reaching the batter's hand.

The batter, who had been tightly positioned at the strike zone, suddenly took two steps back after Kawakami threw the ball.

Thus, the inside pitch, which was originally very tricky for him, became a perfectly easy pitch.

From the catcher's position, Ono's eyes widened.

He understood very well that he had been tricked.

The opponent deliberately used the same routine to numb him, causing him to overlook the second option the opponent might have.

Just like now.

'To prevent that inside pitch from actually hitting the batter, the opponent must not dare to throw a breaking ball. So it has to be a straight ball coming in.'

'Almost equivalent to a straight ball right down the middle.'

Ping!

After the white ball was hit, it soared high.

Although the outfielders from Seidou High School kept retreating, they ultimately couldn't catch it.

They could only watch the ball fly into the stands.

No one expected that Kawakami would give up a home run at this moment.

The entire field fell silent.

It took several seconds for the players and supporters of Kasugaichi High to react first.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Their cheers echoed throughout Jingu Stadium.

However, their numbers were too few, so the sensation caused was not very significant.

The score changed to 2:1.

Kawakami on the mound looked annoyed.

"Never mind, that was my responsibility. Your pitching was flawless."

Ono willingly took all the responsibility onto himself.

"Keep pitching!"

"Let them hit it!"

"We'll block it with our bodies."

"One Out!"

"One Out!"

Before the players in the rest area could activate their taunting mode, the fielders had already started to relieve the pressure on Kawakami.

Now the score on the field has become 2:1, with Seidou High School's lead reduced to just one point.

In the rest area, Coach Kataoka, wearing sunglasses, remained silent.

"Since you haven't been substituted, keep pitching well!" Sawamura growled impatiently.

The previous home run was not a sophisticated trick from the opponent. Yet even Sawamura hadn't anticipated it.

'It seemed as if the opponent had seen through the thoughts of Kawakami and Ono.'

'Terrifying.'

'Such opponents cannot be allowed to linger; they must be defeated decisively.'

They must demonstrate their overwhelming strength to show who the real King is.

Perhaps Sawamura's encouragement had an effect, or maybe the support from the fielders behind him gave Kawakami courage.

In the following pitches, Kawakami completely regained his form, using his tricky breaking balls to successfully handle the opponent.

Snap!

After the last ball was hit, a figure sprang from the shortstop position like a flying fish.

He steadied himself and caught the baseball that was about to fly away.

That person was Kanemaru.

When it comes to batting ability, he isn't particularly outstanding among his peers.

But in terms of defensive skills, among the infielders of Seidou High School, Kanemaru ranks among the top three.

…