<101> Match Results

Chapter 101: Match Results

"After an outside pitch comes an inside pitch! What's next? Inside or outside? It's still a strike. What will it be?"

Trying to calm himself down after hitting a foul ball, Ohno reminded himself, "Stay cool, Ohno. Don't overthink it. Sen-chan said thinking too much can slow your swing. If you miss because of that, it's over!"

The pitcher was already preparing to throw the third pitch.

Whoosh!

Pop!

"Ball!"

The pitch was an inside ball.

"Wow, they're really sharp with their observation!"

Whoosh!

"Outside!" Seeing the trajectory, Ohno took a step forward on his lead leg.

Crack!

"It's hit!"

"It got through!"

"Yosha!!!"

The moment Ohno made contact, everyone could only blurt out a few words, but there was no doubt it was a brilliant hit!

Ohno took advantage of the ground ball that passed through the infield and ended up on second base after the outfield retrieved it.

"Yosha! Runner in scoring position with no outs!" The Akagi Junior High team collectively raised their arms to cheer for Ohno, occasionally letting out a wolf howl—a habit they'd picked up ever since Sendo's grand slam.

"Keep it going, Aoki!"

"One more hit! Please, Aoki!"

Everyone cheered on the next batter as well.

"A left-handed batter, huh? I didn't notice earlier when there was no runner, but this guy's skill is really annoying with someone on base," Tokugawa's catcher muttered, clearly troubled by Aoki. It was obvious Aoki had left a strong impression on him.

After signaling for the pitch:

Pop!

"Ball!"

"Another outside ball to start? Is he really that scared?" Takada, a bit clueless, asked in confusion.

"No, their pitcher is at his limit. He's thrown a ton of pitches thanks to us this game."

"Then why don't they just switch him out?"

"They can't!"

"Why not?" Sawamura suddenly joined the conversation.

"Pressure."

"Huh?"

"With a one-run difference in the final inning, they feel the pressure and believe they might lose."

"That's why they should switch! Isn't the pitcher at his limit?" Wakana chimed in.

"Under this kind of pressure, can a substitute pitcher handle it and deliver their usual performance? If they can't, the game is over. In Japan, the culture of relying on aces means backup pitchers lack experience in crucial games. While middle school does have pitch count limits, it's rarely an issue unless there are doubleheaders.

"Most teams use backups in routine innings to manage pitch counts, but they rarely trust them with key moments that decide the game. In our prefecture's schedule, there are no doubleheaders, so teams can rely entirely on their ace."

"Ah, I see! So they're also being pushed to their limit? We're amazing!" Sawamura remarked, his thoughts taking an unusual turn.

"Baka! That's just the debt they owe for trying to study your pitches earlier," Sendo retorted, smacking Sawamura on the head.

As Sendo discussed the situation, he had already sent out a signal to the batter.

"They're targeting the inside corner, huh? That narrows the range of attack. Fastball, slider, or a ball—it's really just a choice between a fastball and a slider, isn't it?"

Aoki's observation was spot on.

At this point, the pitcher, nearing exhaustion, wouldn't dare throw many breaking balls aside from his deciding slider.

And with Akagi's sharp eyes, it would be hard to trick them with a bad pitch.

Crack!

Sure enough, Aoki read the inside pitch and sent it flying, advancing the runners to first and third.

"Yosha!" Aoki shouted from the base, raising his arm in celebration as his teammates joined in.

"This is the worst possible outcome. That number three batter is a real challenge in this condition. Do you have anything left in the tank?" Tokugawa's catcher gave the pitcher a signal, asking if he could keep going.

Tokugawa's ace gave a firm nod.

No way was he backing down now—it was his time to shine as Tokugawa's ace.

But despite his determination, he did some squats and relaxation exercises on the mound.

"Yo-sha!!!" he shouted, shaking out his arm.

"Bring it on!"

The showdown with the number three batter was about to begin.

Pop!

"Strike!"

"What just happened?" Kondou wondered as he watched the pitch hit the strike zone on the outside corner.

"As expected of Tokugawa's ace, even in this condition, he can pull himself together. That kind of spirit is worth learning," Sendo said with a small smile.

"Don't worry, just focus on the ball!" he quickly instructed Kondou to stay patient.

"Even though I'm aiming for the inside pitch, I won't let a good one go by!" Kondou thought to himself, tapping his helmet in understanding while preparing his own plan—perhaps to feint.

"Crack!"

"Foul ball!"

Kondou hit an outside pitch into foul territory.

"That's it, Kondou. Aim for the right pitch, but make sure to mask your true intentions," Sendo thought to himself, silently praising Kondou. Other than Aoki, Kondou was the most diligent when it came to batting.

One of the advantages Sendo felt during the match with Tokugawa was that their coach knew nothing about him.

Unlike teams like Seiwa, Sakura Girls, or Tokumei, who had been cautious because of Coach Nakani's loose tongue, Tokugawa seemed to underestimate Akagi, believing they wouldn't employ any tactics.

Sendo's deliberate concealment of strategies, even after using them, ensured that Tokugawa remained in the dark.

On the field, the players felt as if time had slowed to a crawl.

Kondou, watching the pitcher shake his head repeatedly, felt each second stretch endlessly.

Finally, the pitcher and catcher agreed on a signal.

Kondou tensed up but wasn't nervous.

Yesterday, he was the only one who managed to hit Sendo's pitch, even though it was a dead-center fastball that would have been easily caught with proper fielding.

Compared to Sendo's pitches, the current pitcher's fastball was several levels inferior.

There was no reason for Kondou to feel intimidated, which was precisely why Sendo had drilled them yesterday.

That preparation was now paying off for his teammates, as seen in the hits by Ohno and Aoki.

Whoosh!

The third pitch came flying toward home plate.

"Inside pitch! Hmm?"

Pop!

"Ball!"

"That was close! I almost swung at the slider," Kondou thought, relieved.

The pitcher and catcher had attempted to deceive Kondou with a slider that moved from the strike zone to outside it, hoping for a swing.

However, Akagi's batting style—where players kept their feet grounded and eyes on the ball until the last moment—along with Kondou's keen observation skills, helped him avoid the trap.

"Tch! Did he see through it? This guy is really sharp. But now he probably won't want to swing at an inside pitch. Let's finish this in one throw!"

However—

Crack!

"Left field!" The catcher instinctively called out to the left fielder without thinking further.

"Yosha!" Akagi's bench erupted.

"Yosha!"

"Yeah!"

"Ah!"

The runners on base shouted in different tones as they sprinted.

Despite Tokugawa's smooth fielding, Ohno easily made it home, while Aoki and Kondou advanced to second and third base.

Ohno, after reaching home plate, raised his right arm high and shouted toward the bench. In the on-deck circle, Sawamura enthusiastically ran up to give him a high five.

"Tie game!" Akagi's bench exploded in celebration.

After the high five, Sawamura turned back, gave a thumbs-up with his left hand, and raised his chin.

"Watch me hit a big one! A home run!"

"Don't get reckless, baka!" Sendo cursed internally, though his body moved to furiously signal instructions.

"Nani? A bunt?" Sawamura was stunned by the signal.

Even though he executed a beautiful bunt along the first-base line, and despite being asked to bunt in every similar situation, Sawamura remained as incredulous as ever, as if his brain reset every time.

"First base!" The catcher could only call for a play at first, conceding a run to Akagi.

Although they had been prepared for it, Sawamura's bunt was exceptional, hugging the first-base line perfectly.

The first baseman had to sprint forward to field it, leaving no time for any play other than the out at first base.

By the time he retrieved the ball, the runner on third had already scored.

"Yosha! We've taken the lead! And it's still one out with a runner on third!"

"Awooooo!!!"

"Awoooo!!!"

The bench howled like wolves, overwhelmed with excitement—except for Sendo and Wakana, who found it too embarrassing.

…

The umpire had to intervene to calm the exuberant celebration and resume the game.

Tokugawa's defense remained on high alert for a squeeze play. Though they had executed well on the previous play, Sawamura's incredible bunt left them helpless.

Now it was Takada's turn to bat.

He stepped into the box as the fifth batter, and Tokugawa's infield tensed up.

After a quick exchange of signals, the pitcher and catcher settled on their pitch selection. Tokugawa's ace threw his first pitch with unwavering determination.

Crack!

"Foul ball!"

"Huh? Not a squeeze play? What's this team even thinking?" The catcher and Tokugawa's coach were utterly baffled, unable to comprehend Akagi's psychological tactics.

The second pitch came.

Pop!

"Ball!"

"As expected, they're wary of a squeeze play and are putting all their effort into every pitch. This will ruin their control again," Sendo remarked with a knowing expression. To him, the opposing catcher was far too predictable.

Pop!

"Ball!"

Pop!

"Strike!"

Pop!

"Ball!"

"The count is full!" flashed through Sawamura's mind.

"Huff! Huff! Huff!" Tokugawa's ace was breathing heavily.

"One pitch to decide it all!" The pitcher and catcher reached an agreement on the final pitch. The ball screamed toward the plate.

Ping!

Takada swung decisively. With two strikes, a foul bunt would mean an out, so the infield had stepped back, mindful of Takada's size and strength as a power hitter.

"First base!" the catcher yelled, almost in frustration.

Pop!

"Out!"

"Safe!"

Kondou, the runner on third, slid into home plate safely. Akagi had scored three runs in the final inning, stunning everyone on Tokugawa's side.

Tokugawa's coach, Kunimi, quickly called a timeout and sent a messenger to the mound.

With Akagi's lineup still posing a threat and their ace clearly fatigued, Tokugawa was in a precarious situation.

"I shouldn't have let him pitch so much yesterday!"

Unbeknownst to Akagi, Tokugawa had played a practice game the day before, with their ace throwing most of the innings.

His fatigue wasn't entirely due to Akagi's persistence; Tokugawa had underestimated Akagi, assuming they were an ordinary team, not realizing how much they had improved.

Whatever the messenger said seemed to bolster the ace's determination, as his eyes regained focus.

"What do we do, Sendo?" Sawamura asked nervously.

"I don't know," Sendo replied bluntly.

"…!"

...

"I didn't think we'd be in such a tough battle today, but we won't give up!" thought the Tokugawa ace as he wound up for his pitch.

"Strike!"

"What? His slider can still hit the strike zone?" Kondou exclaimed from the bench.

Pop!

"Ball!"

"One bad pitch and he's already losing control?"

Pop!

"Ball!"

Crack!

"Foul ball!"

Both teams felt the tension rise as the count reached two strikes.

"This is it!"

Pop!

"Strike! Batter out! Side retired!"

The final pitch showcased the ace's pride and fighting spirit, leaving no room for doubt.

"That's an ace!" Sawamura's eyes sparkled with admiration.

"Alright, stop gawking at him! This is it. The outcome of today's game depends entirely on you! Go for it, ace!" Sendo encouraged.

"Ace!" It was a heartwarming scene.

However—

"Hahaha! Sendo, you finally acknowledged me! I knew it!" Sawamura gloated, basking in the moment.

"Get out there already!" Unable to endure Sawamura's antics, Sendo delivered a firm kick to his backside, sending him onto the field.

...

As the game approached noon, the tension of the match still lingered in their minds.

"That was nerve-wracking! The final inning attack was insane! As expected from Nagano's strongest team. If we hadn't read your pitching patterns early, we wouldn't have won today. We were lucky!"

"Hmph! As if we'd let the game end like that. We're Tokugawa!" Players from both teams exchanged words excitedly after the match, though the excitement seemed one-sided from Akagi.

"Next time, we'll win it back!" Tokugawa's ace declared firmly, offering no further explanation.

"Yeah! Let's play again!" Sawamura responded enthusiastically.

Yes, Akagi had won. Tokugawa, hindered by fatigue from the previous day, Akagi's sharp observation of pitch patterns, and their own overconfidence, lost by a single run.

In the final inning, Tokugawa showed their mettle, adapting to Sawamura's pitching by standing closer to the plate and shortening their swings for precision.

Despite their efforts, they couldn't secure solid contact.

Even when they managed to pull one run back and get a runner into scoring position through a stolen base, the game ended on a high fly ball that was easily caught.

Victory belonged to Akagi.

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