<55> Rebirth – Practice Match (7)

Chapter 55: Rebirth – Practice Match (7)

"Forget it! Let him observe a few more pitches first. There's still a lot of game left!" In the end, Coach Takei abandoned the idea of a bunt.

"Don't swing at anything yet. Just observe a few pitches!" Coach Takei commanded from the sidelines.

"Even though I don't know the reason, I have to follow the coach's orders!" Morishita, holding the bat, had no choice but to obey.

"Phew! That was close! It scared me for a second there! His pitches aren't as hard to hit as I thought! Sen-chan also said to use my head more, so let's see if he throws an inside pitch first to test the waters."

Pop!

"Strike!"

"He didn't swing? What's he observing?" Shin looked confused as he noticed the batter just watching the pitch, so he glanced at the bench.

But Sendo gave him a signal to stick to his own pace, so Shin gritted his teeth and focused.

"Did he just shift a little to the left? Did I imagine that?" Morishita noticed something slightly off, but he wasn't entirely sure.

The second pitch—

Pop!

"Ball!"

The second pitch was also aimed inside, but missed by a little.

"It did move a bit, didn't it? But the movement is so small, I can't be certain."

"Wait! Hold on!" Before Morishita could finish processing his thought, the pitcher was already winding up for the next pitch.

"Middle!"

Crack!

"The pitch was too easy to hit, and it just slipped off my bat! But it still feels off somehow!"

Unfortunately for the batter, the ball rolled straight to the first baseman, who quickly threw it to second base for a double play.

"Coach, I think the ball shifted slightly as it entered the strike zone. The movement was minimal, though, so I couldn't be sure." Morishita reported back to Coach Takei. Normally, such a minor shift would be tough for a batter to detect, but a sharp-eyed pitcher might pick up on it after observing closely.

"Ah, I see! It's a 'quirk' effect, then! But if the deviation is subtle enough that batters barely notice, it shouldn't affect them much. It's just that our swings aren't refined enough."

"All we have to do is position ourselves at the front of the batter's box. This pitcher's speed may be fast—around 120 to the high 120s, which is quick for a novice softball level—but it's not un-hittable. No need to aim for a home run; just take it slow, and we'll get runs. Don't let it get to you, and focus on defense this inning."

"Yes, Coach!"

At this point, the game had truly begun. With Coach Takei in charge of the pitch selection, Sendo temporarily gave up on decoding the opponent's strategy. The game had turned into a battle of pitchers.

Although Akagi's defense had occasional lapses, allowing some runners on base, they held on with determined defense.

By the fifth inning, they had given up two runs, leaving them with a two-run lead and only two innings left to play.

The early mistakes had been costly, and the opponents were starting to feel the pressure.

Meanwhile, Akagi's defense was visibly improving, with fewer errors and quicker reactions.

No amount of simulation could replicate the true tension of an actual game. Now that they were used to the intensity, their practice was finally paying off.

In the top of the sixth inning, Akagi had another chance to score. With one out and runners on second and third, the batter was Omura, the sixth in the lineup, facing a full count.

"Omura, you can see it! Hit it out!"

"Let's go, Morishita! Shut them down!"

Both teams were neck and neck now. The pitcher readied himself for the next pitch.

Crack!

"Foul!"

Omura took a deep breath. He had almost been tricked twice, swinging at a slider, and one of those times he was lucky the ball had just barely entered the strike zone. He was at risk of striking out at any moment.

"Just one more run! Let's get another!"

"Only a two-run difference! Shut them down. No more runs!" The teams were going head-to-head.

Omura hadn't expected this at-bat to be so crucial, and similarly, Morishita felt that this was just supposed to be a regular club activity. He never imagined it would turn into such an exciting, tense, and fun game.

Eighth pitch—

"Fastball? No, slider!" Omura initially thought it was a fastball and was about to swing, but realizing it was a slider, he stopped just in time.

Pop!

"Strike! Batter out! Change sides!"

But the pitch landed squarely in the strike zone, and Omura was called out.

"Yes!!!" Morishita threw his arms up and roared in triumph.

"Yes!!!" The players on the Seiwa dugout joined in, yelling with all their might.

"We can catch up! Just two runs down. We haven't lost yet!" Their voices rang out, filled with determination.

"Heh! These kids... But this is what baseball's all about!"

Baseball never lacks passion and excitement. That's the beauty of the game.

"Dammit," Omura muttered as he turned away, disappointed.

"It's okay! We're still leading!" His teammates tried to comfort him.

"Shake it off! The game's still on!"

"Haha! You're right! This is baseball! I wish we could play forever!" Sawamura said, his eyes shining as he looked out at the mound.

"Last two innings! Infield and outfield, everyone play up!"

"Are you serious?" Everyone laughed at Sendo's bold strategy—it was a thrill right from the start.

"They're not hitting far. If they suddenly manage to break through our defense, fine, we'll give up the run. Otherwise, we won't let them score at all. Sound intense enough?" Sendo smirked.

"Intense? It feels like we're fighting with bayonets here!"

"Exactly! More than anything, it's about presence. Right now, this is a battle of wills. Baseball is a mental game! Let's make them surrender! Let's go!"

"Yeah!!!"

In such a high-stakes situation, whichever side succumbed to pressure first would lose.

Sendo's aggressive approach fired up his teammates' fighting spirit.

Even if it didn't break the opponent's resolve, it was enough if it kept his own teammates in peak condition.

When players are in that kind of heightened mental state, it's almost like being on adrenaline; they play at their best.

Unless something, like a cold shower of bad luck, extinguishes that momentum.

Even Seiwa's team, unsure of the exact reason, felt Akagi's resolve through the resounding cheers.

At this point in the scrimmage, neither side wanted to lose. And with Coach Takei's guidance, Seiwa wasn't affected by Akagi's intense energy—instead, it only sharpened their focus. The intensity of the game had reached a new level.

With only a two-run difference and two and a half innings left, both teams were in top form. Until the final moments, anything could happen.

The result would only be known when the umpire called the game.

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