In the second half of the sixth inning, Shirun attacked.
Before Shirun's batters hit the field, Coach Ishikawa mobilized them.
"First of all, I want to apologize to you!"
Such opening remarks directly confused Shirun's players.
Why did the coach apologize?
"At first, I thought that I had attached great importance to Akagi Middle School. Only now did I realize that I still despised my opponent. Akagi is far stronger than we thought."
Saying that, Ishikawa glanced at Akagi's team.
In addition to Sawamura, there are Aoi Ren and Oda Kazuto. Akagi is not Sawamura's one-man team!
This alone is enough to kill.
With an annoyed sigh in his heart, Coach Ishikawa regained his energy and said, "Either unwilling or careless, the situation of the game is already like this. If we want to reverse, we must score points."
Ishikawa's words turned too fast, making Shirun's players unable to catch up. Fortunately, what he said is what everyone cares about.
"Akagi's defense was not suddenly strengthened, and it was not Akagi's defense that was really powerful, but their pitchers."
on the stand.
Fatty looked at his partner in disbelief, the pretty boy with braided braids: "What the hell is a pitcher? Although there are also two pitches caught by the pitcher, isn't it more dependent on the first baseman and the catcher?"
The pretty boy classmate shook his head: "What you see is only the surface. There are actually only three people in Akagi who have real experience and strength."
In the bullpen of Shirun Middle School.
Coach Ishikawa's voice was a little low: "The catcher Aoi Ren, the first baseman Oda Kazuto and the pitcher Sawamura Eijun. Akagi is the only three who have the strength to participate in the field. The reason why their field looks so strong is because that Pitchers deliberately focus the ball on the outside corners and in the center. This way, after the ball is hit, it usually falls between the first base and the pitcher. That is the area where pitcher Sawamura and first baseman Oda guard the core..."
After the coach finished speaking, Shirun's players looked at each other with shock in their eyes.
As a pitcher for middle school students, it is good to throw the ball into the strike zone. Precise control of the ball to the outside corners and the center is not something ordinary people can do.
Eijun Sawamura, what is the holy place?
"Faced with this situation, my suggestion is for everyone to hold a big stick, swing the stick with all their strength, and try to hit the ball to the outfield."
Coach Ishikawa said firmly.
"Yes!"
on the stand.
"Shirun's coach should have noticed it too. Next, if I guess right, Shirun should greet Akagi's pitcher with a big stick."
The little white-faced classmate with a braided braid said with great interest.
Fatty hesitantly said: "Then Akagi is not very dangerous."
"Danger?"
The Pretty boy sneered, noncommittal.
In the first half of the six innings, the first hit was Shirun Middle School's first bat.
He held the handle of the bat with both hands, and his preparation for hitting was wide open.
In the position of the catcher, Ren's eyes flashed, and he decisively gave Sawamura a signal.
On the pitcher's mound, Sawamura nodded lightly.
The opponent had obviously noticed his strategy. Since Sawamura can throw like this, of course he knows how to break such a throw.
There are three ways to crack this pitch. The first is to brute force through the field, the second is to hit the ball into the outfield, and the third is to pull the ball to the side of third base.
The skill of pulling and fighting is not a skill that Shirun's players can master. Brute force to penetrate his and Oda's defense, it is impossible. For Shirun, the most likely measure is to use a big stick and try to hit the ball into the outfield.
It has to be said that this is also a good strategy.
It's just that Shirun found out a little late. Now it's not the beginning or the middle of the game, but the later stage of the game.
It is also possible to hit Sawamura's pitch with a big stick.
"What's your probability? Twenty percent, thirty, or fifty?"
Before the end of the game, can Shirun really get a chance?
"Strike, strike, strike, strikeout!"
"Clang!"
After using the big stick for the first bat, he couldn't aim at Sawamura's ball for a while and was struck out. Although the second ball hit the ball, the ball didn't fly as he had hoped.
Oda Kazuto took the ball into his hands effortlessly.
"Out!"
Two outs, no one on base.
Akagi seemed to be getting closer and closer to victory.
"Clang!"
Just when Shirun was about to fall into despair, their core third bat swept the ball to the outfield.
"Yamazaki!"
Sawamura frowned, reminding his teammates to guard.
Yamazaki didn't judge where the quasi-baseball would land, so he missed the catch.
"Oh ooh ooh!!!!"
Shirun's contestant roared wildly.
Their batter went to second base in one go.
Two outs, there is someone at second base.
Returning to life, Shirun once again created a good opportunity to score.
Yamazaki was ashamed, wishing he could find a hole to crawl in.
"it's okay no problem!!!"
Sawamura first comforted Koyamazaki, and then shouted: "Two out!"
"Two outs!"
Two outs have already been played, and if they have one more out, they will be able to hold on to this round As long as they hold on to this round, Akagi will have at least an 80% chance of winning.
"Let him fight, we will stop it."
"Two are out!"
At first, when Akagi's little friend shouted like this, it was still very bluffing. It seems that Akagi's team is very cohesive. But hearing them say that now feels weird.
At this time, it was Shirun's fourth hit.
After all, this is also the third time that Sawamura has fought against him.
Facing his old opponent, Sawamura kept throwing the ball to the outside corner.
"Clang!"
"Foul!"
"Foul!"
With two consecutive Fouls, the batter's momentum became stronger and stronger. Sawamura even had a hunch that if he threw the ball into the outside corner again, it was likely to be hit.
Since that's the case, then...
"Whoosh!"
On the last ball, Sawamura threw the ball into the inside corner. Shirun's fourth batter, who had been aiming at the outer corners and the center, missed the natural swing.
"Strike, strike out!"
Three outs, offense and defense exchange.
In the first half of the seventh inning, Ren and Sawamura hit consecutive hits and scored another point.
In the preliminaries of the Nagano Division of the National Competition, Shirun Middle School VS Akagi Middle School.
In the end, Akagi defeated his opponent 3:0 and advanced to the top sixteen in Nagano Prefecture.
After the game, both sides saluted.
Tanaka's eyes were red with tears, he grabbed Sawamura's hand and said, "Don't lose!"
Sawamura nodded solemnly.
"We won't."
No matter what the final result is, Sawamura never fails to do his best in a game.
Going all out to fight for victory has been engraved into his soul along with the experience of his previous life.