When Sawamura Eijun awkwardly shuffled off the batter's box, looking embarrassed.
Good-natured laughter echoed around the field, everyone discussing Sawamura's comical performance just now. Well, for the spectators, a little extra flavor was quite nice.
The first-year students, after changing into their gear and taking the field, didn't seem to be greeted by a good time. After giving up a run in the bottom of the fourth inning, the first-years were still relatively optimistic, thinking the situation might get better!
However, the second and third-year Senpai, as their predecessors, gave them another good lesson.
The second and third-years quickly found their rhythm, and now, in the bottom of the fifth inning, they made the first-years understand what high school Baseball was, especially with that naive guy in Right field making those 'Banzai' catches, leading to more and more long hits!
The bottom of the fifth inning had just begun, and they had already given up two runs; it was almost like the beginning of another nightmare!
The only thing to be thankful for was that the first-years' fighting spirit seemed to have returned somewhat. With gritted teeth and cooperation, even though the second and third-years scored two runs, they also got one out. At least there wasn't a complete collapse like in the bottom of the third inning!
Watching the first-years' performance on the field, Coach Kataoka nodded almost imperceptibly, seemingly satisfied that the first-year students had regained their fighting spirit. Of course, no one noticed Coach Kataoka's action.
As always, his face remained cold and expressionless.
But it seemed the first-years' fighting spirit wasn't very effective. After that out, which was clearly due to an error and barely secured, the first-years seemed to be struggling more and more against the second and third-years, who were getting better and better and showing their true strength!
In a flash, it was a bases-loaded situation again!
"Hoo hoo!" The first-year Pitcher on the pitcher's mound was panting heavily. It was only his second inning on the field, and he was already drenched in sweat, as if his physical and mental limits had been reached.
"Time out! Pitcher change!" Coach Kataoka looked at the situation on the field and suddenly had an idea. This was an excellent test situation, wasn't it?
Two runs given up, bases loaded—he wanted to see what that kid would do. This was the most challenging situation for a Pitcher!
"XXX, go to Right field! Sawamura Eijun in Right field, switch to Pitcher!" Coach Kataoka's words echoed across the field.
Sawamura Eijun, who was sweating profusely in Right field, thinking about how to catch the ball next, instinctively froze. Huh? Me? On the pitcher's mound? If it were at the very beginning, Sawamura would have run to the pitcher's mound without hesitation. But the series of events just now made him feel like he had misheard when he heard this sentence!
"Sawamura Eijun! Hurry up! Get on the pitcher's mound!" When Coach Kataoka's cold words echoed again, Sawamura shivered, confirming that he hadn't misheard!
Instantly, Sawamura felt all his pores open up! Adrenaline surged! A feeling of excitement welled up! Finally! Finally, he was going to step onto the pitcher's mound!
"It's finally this guy's turn, huh?" Miyuki Kazuya's face showed an interested expression. He had already seen Sawamura's pitches, but facing such a situation and after more than half a year, Miyuki was very curious about what kind of pitches he would throw!
"Sawamura is going to play, isn't he?" Aj muttered in Left Field, "It looks like this inning is over. Bases loaded, huh."
It wasn't that Aj looked down on the second and third-year Senpai, nor was it that Sawamura's pitches were incredibly powerful. It was just that, generally speaking, if you saw Sawamura Eijun's pitches for the first time, the possibility of hitting them was too low. Generally, you needed to adapt a bit before you could hit them. Just like in the original novel from his previous life, Masuko Toru also watched for an inning before guessing Sawamura's pitch quality based on his own experience.
And the most crucial thing was that Masuko Toru, the former fifth batter of Seido and a power hitter in the cleanup lineup, his characteristic and advantage was that he was a representative of powerful swings!
That is to say, a metal bat and powerful swings basically had some slight counter to Sawamura's erratic pitches.
What are erratic pitches? Irregular changes in front of the batter are the essence of these pitches. This means that for technical batters, the possibility of accurately hitting the sweet spot and getting a hit right away is not high, unless they are truly exceptionally talented. But power hitters are an exception.
For these types of batters, perhaps they are not as skilled as agile players in precise hitting techniques, but they have a natural advantage!
If they just time their swing correctly, even if there's a slight deviation from the standard, they can still forcefully sweep the ball away with brute strength!
Masuko Toru used these two great advantages to hit a Home Base off Sawamura's pitch!
But in this Red and White Battle, other than Masuko! Aj firmly believed that the other batters simply couldn't truly get a hit off Sawamura's pitches! After all, almost none of the first-string starters and main members were present!
"Hehe!" Sawamura Eijun stood on the pitcher's mound, his face full of excitement as he looked at the batter's box not far away, "I'm definitely going to surprise that bastard glasses uncle!"
And the first-year catcher squatting there was the newly replaced Kariba Wataru!
At this moment, Kariba's expression was already one of despair. He didn't expect the guy on the pitcher's mound to be an optimistic idiot. It's over. Facing the second and third-year Senpai, he's actually going for a showdown in the middle of the plate!?
It's one thing if you can't throw breaking balls, but you can't even throw corner pitches!?
Kariba gritted his teeth, thinking fiercely, Forget it, whatever, I don't care how it turns out!
"Start!" Coach Kataoka said coldly, his gaze fixed straight ahead, looking at Sawamura Eijun not far away. He wanted to see if this young man would bring any surprises!
On this stage he had prepared for him! What kind of performance would he put on!
"Hoo!" Sawamura Eijun exhaled slightly, his eyes becoming calm. No matter what kind of person he usually was, when he stood on this pitcher's mound, he firmly remembered his duty!
Aj quickly ran towards the falling ball, slid, and firmly caught the ball in his hand. To be honest, this kind of pop fly was too easy to handle. There was no speed, no tricky angle, it was very straight, as long as you could judge the landing point correctly, you could easily catch it!
"Batter out! Change of sides!" As soon as Aj caught that ball, Coach Kataoka's voice spread across the field. In just three pitches, two batters were retired!
The crisis of bases loaded with one out was instantly resolved by the young man named Sawamura Eijun!
The field, both on and off, was immediately in an uproar!