<92> Akagi's Fall Tournament Concludes

Chapter 92: Akagi's Fall Tournament Concludes

After their victory, the team met up with Fumino, who had come to watch the game. They all went out for a meal together, and Sendo personally escorted Fumino to the train station afterward.

...

Sunday

"We're off, everyone!" Sawamura shouted enthusiastically.

"Yeah!!!"

"Get on the bus already!" Sendo grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him onto the bus like a sack of vegetables.

"Hahaha!" The others laughed at the sight, reassured by the familiar antics of their two core players.

It was a sign that Akagi Junior High School was ready to keep fighting.

Truthfully, everyone was nervous and curious—facing a powerhouse team wasn't something they'd truly experienced before.

...

Crack!

"So fast!"

"That's just a warm-up pitch, right? The real thing must be even faster!"

"How fast is that fastball? How many kilometers per hour?"

"This is what a powerhouse team looks like?"

"Look at all the spectators!"

"Well, it is a prestigious team!"

Though their tone was tinged with awe and anxiety, the players seemed to grow more optimistic with each comment.

Having grown up with Sawamura, the team was used to his carefree attitude. They, too, shared that energy, though with a slightly more delicate edge.

...

A few minutes later, the game officially began, with Akagi taking the first at-bat.

Smack!

"Strike!"

"That's so fast! It's even faster than the pitches Sen-chan throws to us in practice!"

"It's probably around 135 kilometers per hour. Considering he's just a second-year, he'll likely reach 140 next year! But his control is terrible—it's mostly fastballs, breaking balls, and wild pitches."

Sendo, speaking as if analyzing both for himself and his team, sounded very much like a coach.

However, given his own position as a player, his authority felt a bit misplaced.

"For the first rotation, let's focus on observation and see what their approach is like." With that in mind, Sendo stood up and signaled to the batter to adopt a cautious stance.

Smack!

"Ball!"

"As expected, this pitcher's control is bad. There's a clear difference between strikes and balls. But this is their key game, so their ace must be on the mound. Why is he their ace, though? It's probably because his breaking ball complements his fastball so well." Sendo continued his analysis silently.

"Strike! Two!"

"Strike! Three! Batter out!"

"This is tough! Just adapting to his fastball will take time. He's not throwing breaking balls?"

"Strike! Batter out!"

"Strike! Batter out!"

"Switch sides!" The umpire declared, pausing dramatically for effect.

"Alright! He's in top form!"

"Let's crush their batting lineup in one go!"

"Let's end this early! Tokugawa!"

The consecutive strikeouts ignited the crowd's enthusiasm.

Most of the audience, aside from the parents and Tokugawa students, were neutral.

Neutral spectators often supported the stronger side, but they'd quickly switch allegiance if the underdog showed potential—after all, nothing beats the thrill of an upset.

"This crowd is so annoying! I'll go shut them up!" Sawamura started to step forward, but Sendo grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back.

"Don't cause trouble, baka!"

"What do you think? It's mostly fastballs, but they're still hard to hit, right?"

"Yeah, it's tough just to connect with that fastball. And I doubt he relies solely on fastballs," Aoki chimed in.

"Exactly. Just do your best. His lack of control means hittable pitches will come, and when they do, seize the opportunity!" Sendo advised.

"Alright, it's our turn to field now. Forget about the batting and focus on defense. Enjoy the game, and don't let nerves lead to regrets!"

"Got it!"

...

Crack!

Smack!

"Out!"

While Akagi found their opponent's pitching challenging, Tokugawa felt the same.

Their coach likely hadn't prepared for Sawamura's moving fastball, which wasn't something easily anticipated.

Unlike teams like Sakura Girls' University, who might counter it effectively with metal bats and adjustments to Sawamura's reduced power, Tokugawa's players were left puzzled by their strange sensations at contact, unaware of the ball's movement.

This mutual struggle led to a bizarre game where both sides had three up, three down innings.

...

Top of the Second Inning

"Yosha!"

"Yosha!!"

"Ah! …Yosha!!!"

"Strike! Batter out!"

Sawamura cheerfully struck out three batters in a row, reveling in the moment.

The game, however, showed no sign of momentum shifting.

It became clear that Akagi's lineup wouldn't go down in just three pitches.

Even the lower-order batters managed to make some contact, thanks to their experience against a similarly fast but more accurate pitcher like Sendo.

...

Bottom of the Second Inning

Defensive gaps and hardware limitations allowed a runner to reach second base, but Akagi managed to escape the inning without conceding any runs. They were holding on, step by step.

The game continued, tense but uneventful, for three innings. In the top of the fourth, Akagi's leadoff batter, Ohno, reached base thanks to an irregular bounce.

Though subsequent batters showcased excellent sacrifice plays and well-practiced baserunning to push him to third, they couldn't deliver the critical hit needed to score, leaving them disappointed as the sides switched.

In the bottom of the fourth, Tokugawa capitalized on their advantage with metal bats, using their larger hitting surface and superior power to force balls into play.

Akagi's defensive shortcomings and slower reactions resulted in them conceding two runs.

If they're not throwing with full force and the breaking pitches aren't sharp, there's no need to stand so far forward, Sendo thought, frustrated.

Even though Tokugawa hadn't yet identified the unique movement on Sawamura's pitches, the stalemate was finally broken.

Tokugawa's team wasn't foolish—they were sure to swing aggressively in the next inning, aiming for big hits regardless of the situation.

Akagi, however, had no answer to this.

Although they had mentally prepared for a blowout, this was the first time in months they'd fallen behind in a game.

The unfamiliar situation rattled them, leading to hurried swings and three consecutive strikeouts.

As predicted, in the following inning, Tokugawa's coach shouted instructions for his players to swing without hesitation, aiming to smash Akagi's inexperienced defense with hard-hit balls.

Hearing this, Akagi's players grew increasingly anxious.

Some became hesitant, while others overcompensated in an attempt to make a play, resulting in a rising number of errors.

While these weren't the glaring mistakes of their summer games, their weaknesses were fully exposed against a team skilled enough to exploit them.

But Sendo wasn't one to give up easily.

Using a different approach, he helped his team recalibrate their mindset.

He encouraged them to shift their focus to learning, observing, and enjoying the game.

By abandoning the idea of winning and adjusting to the fastballs, Akagi's players gradually started making contact, and hits began to appear.

In response, Tokugawa's pitcher introduced breaking balls, particularly a forkball, which was deceptive due to its identical trajectory to his fastball until the last moment.

Without extraordinary dynamic vision, identifying the pitch was nearly impossible.

At this critical juncture, Sendo cracked Tokugawa's catcher's pitch-calling strategy.

In the final inning, Akagi managed to score two runs against Tokugawa, but by then, the score had already widened to 8-2.

The game concluded with Akagi's final batter being retired, and Tokugawa secured their victory.

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