Chapter 40: Heavier Than Anticipated

In the bottom of the second inning, the New Seidou team went on the offensive.

"Sixth batter, right fielder, Shiratsu."

Shiratsu was behind Maezono in the lineup.

Regarding the lower lineup, due to insufficient training time, coordination was not yet possible, and it all depended on individual skill.

The more skilled players were placed earlier, and those with less skill were placed later.

Seeing Shiratsu step into the batter's box, Chris subtly frowned.

With the departure of the third-year players, Seidou High School's batting lineup seemed significantly weakened.

But it is not like they became useless. Although the new Seidou High School baseball team's batting strength had weakened after the third year left, it didn't mean they were without skill.

Previously, Sawamura and Miyuki's combination was impressive.

Now, the sixth batter was Shiratsu.

He was also someone not to be underestimated.

Even in the middle and lower parts of the lineup, he brought significant pressure.

The new Seidou's batting strength was evident.

'Be careful!'

Chris signaled pitcher Tanpa with a subtle gesture.

'Don't worry. They're still too green.'

Tanpa's spirit was high. It seemed he didn't take the upcoming opponents seriously.

Ping!

The first batter, Shiratsu, was tricked into hitting an infield grounder.

'Damn, I was tricked.'

Shiratsu was very frustrated but helpless.

Chris-senpai's game calling became scarier as the game went on.

With his cooperation with Tanpa, Tanpa Koichiro's pitching skills also improved significantly.

As the game progressed, the first and second-year players at Seidou High School increasingly felt the terror of the third-year Senpais.

The gap was all-encompassing; it wasn't just in one aspect, but overall the difference was immense.

"Seventh batter, center fielder, Toujou."

After one Out, the new Seidou High School baseball team's batter was Toujou.

"Toujou! Toujou!"

"Good luck!"

Kanemaru and Sawamura, being the closest friends to Toujou on the team, naturally cheered for their friend.

Facing Toujou, Chris asked Tanpa for a pitch to the outside corners twice in a row and finally used a high drop curveball to force Toujou into a Pop-fly.

Snap!

"OUT!!"

Sawamura, who saw, could only wry smile at this.

'As expected of Chris-senpai, he is exceptional. Not only did he study Toujou, but he also did it thoroughly.'

Toujou was a typical power hitter who could hit any pitch within the strike zone with his good contact skills, and he was using this to his advantage.

Because of this, his stance was usually balanced, not too close to the zone or too far away.

Facing him, Tanpa continuously threw pitches to the outside corner. Making Toujou instinctively shift his weight for an outside corner swing.

As his weight shifted, his stance also moved closer to the strike zone.

At this point, suddenly throwing a high drop curveball to the inside corner easily solved the problem.

This principle sounds very simple, but executing it requires high precision from the pitcher. They must consistently pitch accurately to the outside corner and ensure that Toujou does not get easy pitches to hit. And a good Winning shot to end the duel.

This sets up the stage for the final strikeout.

"Amazing!"

Sawamura absolutely did not believe that Tanpa could study Toujou this thoroughly. Only Chris could achieve this.

Even if the opponent was a first or second-year kohai, he could still go all out. Not only targeted the main players but even the backup and second-string juniors, he studied them thoroughly.

'Perhaps it is this meticulousness that will make him an excellent coach in the future.'

Sawamura shook his neck and focused his gaze.

The game was tougher than he had imagined.

'A one-run difference might be bigger than expected!'

With Toujou Out, Seidou High School's New team had two Outs, and the batter was now the eighth batter, Furuya.

Although Furuya was in this position, it did not mean his batting skills were limited to this.

The reason for this arrangement was merely considering that he was now a pitcher and had only pitched two innings.

His successors, Kawakami and the outfielder Asou were more suitable for the eighth position compared to the earlier batters.

Standing in the batter's box, Furuya still maintained his terrifying aura from the mound.

Facing Tanpa, his gaze was fiercely intense.

'Such a terrifying Kohai!'

Facing such a Furuya, Tanpa wasn't annoyed but rather in a good mood.

Against the monstrous junior, Tanpa pitched with full effort.

The first pitch was simply a Ball. The reason Furuya missed it was due to his own judgment error. He thought it was a ball on the edge of the strike zone, but it was actually off the zone.

"STRIKE!"

Thus, missing the first pitch was expected.

The second pitch was Tanpa's signature high-drop curveball.

Furuya was confident about this pitch too.

But with such a high drop, to hit the ball, the bat must intersect the ball's path.

"STRIKE!"

Furuya miscalculated this intersection, which was related to his failure to hit the first pitch.

Or rather, because Furuya missed the first pitch, it led to his failure on the second pitch.

For a batter who relies on intuition, once their instinct is off, it's hard to hit the ball well.

Furuya was clearly thrown off by Chris and Tanpa, unsure of what he should do.

He missed the second pitch!

Furuya had guessed right for the third pitch.

After two strikes, Furuya had a premonition that Tanpa and Chris wouldn't avoid confrontation in the third pitch but would use an even sharper pitch to get him out.

Sure enough!

The third pitch came in, and it was Tanpa's Winning shot,

The Splitter!

The white ball suddenly dropped sharply as it reached the batter.

Prepared for this, Furuya deliberately lowered his swing height.

His plan was correct, but he didn't expect Tanpa's pitch to be much lower than he anticipated.

The white ball fell less than twenty centimeters from the ground and was caught in Chris's Mitt.

Snap!

"STRIKE BATTER OUT!!!"

Swinging and missing again and again.

The first and second-year players at Seidou High School watched in shock as Furuya repeatedly swung his bat but failed to connect with Tanpa's pitches. This scene was incredibly striking to them.

After Striking Out Furuya, Tanpa raised his arm and cheered.

"Whaaa!!!!"

The third-year seniors cheered loudly for their ace, visibly excited.

"Great job, Tanpa!"

"Just as expected. It was about time these brats learned the power of us Senpais."

"You are our Ace, the Ace!"

Not only were the third-year seniors excited, but the alumni watching were also stirred, reflecting on their own pasts.

"I didn't expect Tanpa's pitching to be so sharp!"

"If he had shown such skill before leaving the team, even if Sawamura's skill was better, Coach Kataoka might have given him the Ace's number, right?"

"That's right. If he had shown such skill back then, even Coach Kataoka wouldn't have been able to resist that thought."

When Tanpa and Sawamura were competing for the Ace position, Tanpa had his own advantages. His biggest edge was training with the third-year seniors for three years.

If he had been in his current state back then, even if Sawamura was still the Ace, Tanpa might have been given the number one jersey.

But unfortunately, that was only hypothetical.

It was only after the Koshien that Tanpa reached his current level. Whether he could have attained his current skill otherwise remains unknown.

With two innings completed, the score remained 2:1, with the freshman Seidou High School baseball team trailing the third-year seniors by one run.

With that score, the game moved into the third inning.

…