After throwing the ball back to Nanjo Taishi, Tanaka Wataru quickly signaled for the second pitch. Nanjo Taishi was in good form now, but it was uncertain how long he could maintain it. Seizing this opportunity, they had to get the outs as soon as possible.
The second pitch was a high-speed slider flying toward the outside corner. Shinkawa Kenichi swung his bat, and with a bang, the baseball flew out of bounds to the right.
"Niceball!"
Having secured another Niceball, the pitcher and catcher exchanged glances. The more critical the moment, the less they could relax. Shinkawa Kenichi, being cornered, would definitely swing at the next pitch unless it was an obvious bad ball. At this point, it was better to use the old trick and throw a ball to the edges of the strike zone.
At the batting box, Shinkawa Kenichi also realized this, but he wasn't bothered. Two strikes were a normal occurrence in baseball. Since he had no choice but to swing, he might as well be decisive. Whatever came his way, he would swing. No matter what tricks the opposing team used, he just needed to hit the ball out!
"Shinkawa, hit it!"
"Go for it!"
"You can do it!"
"Blast it out!"
The cheers from the stands filled him with determination. In the Inajitsu team, he had always been entrusted with great confidence. Whenever the game was in a deadlock, his teammates and fans always believed he could break the stalemate and create opportunities.
Nanjo Taishi moved on the mound. The small white ball flew out instantly. Shinkawa Kenichi stepped out powerfully with his left foot, swinging with all his strength.
Bang!
The bat and ball connected with a dull thud, and the baseball flew high toward left field.
Shinkawa Kenichi tossed aside his bat and dashed toward First Base.
In left field, Yoshikawa Junpei judged the ball quickly. It didn't fly far. After bouncing, he scooped it up and threw it back—but he was one step too late. Shinkawa Kenichi safely reached First Base.
"He still managed to get a piece of it."
Nanjo Taishi tugged the brim of his cap. His pitch had been accurate—low and outside—but Shinkawa still managed to hit a solid ball. This only confirmed how strong his batting was.
Still, with only one runner on, it wasn't enough pressure to faze him. He refocused on the next batter: Inajitsu's tough 5th hitter, second-year catcher Harada Masatoshi.
"Harada-senpai, go for it!"
Narumiya Mei shouted energetically like an excited puppy.
Harada Masatoshi, meanwhile, was fully focused on what Tanaka Wataru would call next.
Nanjo Taishi's cutter and high-speed slider were both horizontal movement pitches. They weren't the toughest to hit, and their trajectories were easy to distinguish. The real challenge was timing. Nanjo's slider had fast speed and sharp movement. His control wasn't as precise as Kanzaki Ryou's, but he rarely made major mistakes—especially early in the game. Unlike Tanba Koichiro, Nanjo seldom struggled with a shaky start.
Watching carefully, Harada Masatoshi swung the moment the ball left Nanjo's hand—but the bat grazed only the top of the baseball.
"Strike!"
The second pitch came. Mid-air, the baseball suddenly shifted. Harada Masatoshi swung again, but it was another foul.
"Kanzaki Ryou-senpai is right. Nanjo-senpai is really in good form today," Kuramochi said.
"Zone mode?" Kuramochi turned to him, confused.
Kanzaki Ryou rolled his eyes, ready to say that things like "zone" didn't exist—until he remembered the blue aura that Yuuki emitted.
Well… maybe some mystical things did exist in this world.
As they spoke, Nanjo Taishi threw the third pitch.
It came straight toward Harada Masatoshi's chest. Harada narrowed his eyes and swung fiercely, expecting a cutter.
Thud!
It was a straight ball.
He had guessed wrong.
Shaking his head in frustration, Harada Masatoshi walked off and fist-bumped the 6th batter, Yoshizawa Hideaki.
One out, runner on First.
Nanjo Taishi now faced Yoshizawa Hideaki. His hitting was good—worthy of the center lineup. It would take some work to retire him.
"Pop!"
"Strike!"
"Pop!"
"Strike!"
"Thud!"
"Foul ball!"
After quickly gaining two strikes, his cutter was hit foul. But the fourth pitch—a high-speed slider—successfully struck him out.
Next, the 7th batter, Hirai Tsubasa, stepped up.
Nanjo struck him out in quick succession.
At First Base, Shinkawa Kenichi sighed. He had finally gotten on base, but advancing was impossible. That was Inajitsu's problem—they needed runners on First and Second to threaten. Only then could their core lineup do damage.
Back in the dugout, Matsumoto Takumi patted Shinkawa's shoulder.
"Next, watch me."
"Okay, I'm counting on you," Shinkawa replied.
It wouldn't be easy to score against Seido today. Their pitcher now had to step up and return the favor.
"Why don't I pitch now?" Narumiya Mei suggested eagerly.
Matsumoto Takumi laughed. "Relax. You'll get your turn. And if you don't perform well, we won't let you off."
"Hmph! They won't even get on base when I pitch," Mei boasted.
"I'm looking forward to it," Takumi said with a grin.
Bottom of the Second Inning – Seido's Offense
Azuma Kiyokuni walked to the batter's box, swinging and stretching his arms.
"Ha!!"
As soon as he stepped into the box, he let out a fierce roar.
Catcher Harada Masatoshi shook his head helplessly. Maybe Narumiya Mei was right—Azuma really was like a gorilla.
Still, complaints aside, Harada didn't dare relax. This was Azuma Kiyokuni. A single mistake could easily turn into a home run.