<76> Game in Progress

Chapter 76: Game in Progress

"Make sure to get on base, Ohno! Ohno! Ohno! Ohno!" Sawamura, with his trademark loud mouth, began cheering intensely as soon as Ohno stepped up to bat.

"I got it!" Ohno responded, trying to stay focused. Of course, all the teammates supported Sawamura's enthusiasm—everyone except Sendo.

"Oh? You want to get on base? Then bring it on, kid!" thought Sakura Girls University's ace pitcher from the mound, overhearing Sawamura's shouting.

"Right down the middle?" Ohno saw a hittable pitch and decisively swung at it.

"Clink!"

"Pop!"

"Out!"

"You idiot! These are college players. It's not like they'd throw such easy pitches to hit!" Sendo grumbled, seeing Ohno get out on what looked like a cutter disguised as a fastball.

"Hmm?" Sawamura's ears suddenly perked up.

"You jerk, we're in the middle of a game! What are you talking about?" Eijun grabbed Sendo and started shaking him.

"I'm just stating the obvious!"

"Even if it's true, shouldn't you be giving some instructions as the coach?" Sawamura wasn't about to let Sendo off the hook easily.

"My bad! I was a bit caught off guard since I had to step in suddenly. I forgot!"

"Huh? … Don't apologize so easily, idiot!" Sawamura was surprised by Sendo's quick apology.

"Why not?"

"It feels weirdly unsettling!"

"What kind of person do you think I am, you idiot?" This time, it was Sendo's turn to snap. He effortlessly broke free from Sawamura's grip and put Sawamura in a headlock.

"Damn it, this hurts!"

"Pop!"

"Out!"

"Huh?!" Both Sendo and Sawamura turned their heads simultaneously, realizing that their second batter had also been caught out by an infield pop fly while they were arguing.

"Hahaha! They seem to be having a lot of fun as a team!" Coach Mitani from the opposing dugout chuckled at the sight of Sendo and Sawamura's antics, though they couldn't hear him.

"How did Omura get out?" Sendo released Sawamura and asked seriously.

"Inside pitch, then an outside breaking ball! But I'm not sure if that was a curveball," Wakana responded.

"A cutter and a breaking ball that curves? I see! This ace pitcher isn't ordinary at all."

"Don't swing carelessly. Before getting two strikes, ignore outside pitches. Watch carefully!" Sendo signaled to the batter. The third batter up was Kondou, known to be their strongest hitter besides Sendo himself. He couldn't afford to lose this chance easily.

"Pop!"

"Strike!"

The first pitch was an inside curveball.

"Was that the same pitch that struck out Omura just now?"

"Yeah, that's right!" Wakana nodded affirmatively.

"It was definitely a curveball! But it's not just the breaking ball. This pitcher's fastball is also tricky for everyone to time."

The second pitch was thrown.

"Ignore the outside! Ignore the outside!"

"Pop!"

"Strike! Oh!"

With two strikes, Kondou glanced at the dugout, but Sendo still gave no signals.

The third pitch came in.

"Outside corner?"

"Pop!"

"Ball!"

"That was close! I almost swung at that cutter!"

"Hmm? Did he read it? This kid has a sharp eye!" The catcher glanced at Kondou, surprised by his keen observation.

The catcher hadn't noticed that Kondou was actually ignoring the outside pitches rather than fully reading them.

"No need to avoid it; let's take him head-on!"

"Should've done that from the start," the pitcher and catcher seemed to exchange this unspoken thought as the fourth pitch was thrown.

"Inside pitch!"

Crack!

"Foul!"

"This is it!" Without giving Kondou much time to adjust, the pitcher immediately delivered the fifth pitch.

Thud!

"Strike! Batter out! Change sides!"

"That was a slow curveball. While the ball quality isn't great, the speed difference is significant. But for me, speed differences don't matter much. Still, I can't rule out other types of breaking pitches either," Sendo thought, analyzing the final pitch.

"It's our turn to attack now. Put pressure on them and score some runs! The second inning begins with both teams starting from the cleanup hitters. We can't let them take control!"

"Yes!"

"Even if you say that, I'm not letting them score!" Sakura Girls University's ace pitcher declared confidently from the bench.

"Maybe," Coach Mitani, watching from the dugout, thought.

He felt his team might not give up runs early on but was unsure how long his university players could hold off the opposing side, especially against Sendo, who Coach Nakani praised highly, albeit somewhat mindlessly.

"Every time I see this cleanup hitter, I want to ask, 'Is she really a girl?' Those legs, that build—she looks like a smaller version of Saki Uno! But this hitter does have power. Plus, she's standing at the very front of the batter's box, gripping the bat short," Sendo observed Sakura's cleanup hitter closely.

"Heh! We don't have many options anyway, do we? Even as a cleanup hitter, there's no way she can hit Eijun's pitch on the first try."

Thud!

"Strike!"

"As expected, she's observing the pitch! Let's not hold back then!"

"Wow, this pitch has such a strange movement!" Sakura's cleanup hitter was equally surprised by Sawamura's pitch.

Second pitch—

"Inside pitch?"

Crack!

Thud!

"Out!"

"Yes!" Eijun roared from the mound, having taken down the cleanup hitter in just two pitches.

"Sorry, I thought it was a hittable pitch and swung out of reflex."

"Do you think you can hit it next time?" Ace pitcher Ozawa asked with an annoyed look.

"Can I even hit it? This pitch is incredibly hard to connect with, and it's so fast too!"

"Hmph!"

Using a mix of varying pitch locations and inside-outside combinations, Sendo managed to get the 5th and 6th batters out as well, following the same fate as their cleanup hitter.

"Ozawa! Our cleanup hitter was taken down so easily!"

"I'll hold them off!"

"Good. But don't underestimate that kid! Although he's technically still inexperienced, he has a highly praised fan who acknowledges his talent. He's definitely not someone to be taken lightly. No need to hide your pitch arsenal for this at-bat; suppress him!"

"Is that so? I see," Ozawa's face remained sour.

"Sendo! Smash it!"

"Go, Sendo/Sen-chan!" The cheers from his teammates echoed as Sendo, with his usual calm expression, gripped the middle of his bat and walked slowly toward the batter's box.

"Heh? Another left-handed batter? Not cute at all. Who does he think he is?" Ozawa sneered at Sendo with a judgmental glare.

Seeing Sendo's indifferent expression only angered her more, and she started furiously kicking the dirt in front of the mound.

"What's her deal? Is she one of those types with a bad temper?" Sendo was puzzled by her behavior, trying to figure her out.

"It's a shame, though. She's got a great figure—long legs, a decent face. But if her personality is like this, that's a real pity," Sendo thought, continuing to scrutinize Ozawa. His stare only made her angrier.

"Bring it on!"

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