abcnovels
Chapter 153: Sixth Round (2)
Chapter 153: Sixth Round (2)
"StrikeOut!" - The umpire announced Jiro's strikeout.
"Yeeaaahhhh! Ka-Su-Ga! Ka-Su-Ga! Ka-Su-Ga!" - Kasuga's fans cheered excitedly after seeing Jiro struck out.
"Nice pitch, Takumi!" - Kasuga's catcher shouted, throwing the ball back to Takumi on the mound.
PAH
"Hehe." - Takumi smiled with satisfaction as he caught the ball. Now that he had eliminated two batters, he no longer risked letting Shun reach home on a sacrifice hit.
Of course, he was far from relaxed, knowing that to end this inning without allowing a run, he'd have to get through Shoto Junior High's best hitter, their captain, Kenta.
Shun watched from third base as Kenta stepped up to the plate. Although he couldn't reach home on a sacrifice hit now, he was still completely focused, ready to dash home if his friend managed a hit.
Kenta, for his part, stepped into the batter's box with determination. Even with two outs, he was prepared to drive Shun in. He calmly eyed Takumi on the mound, and as soon as he saw the pitch coming, he didn't hesitate.
WOOSH
DING
"F- Foul!" - The umpire announced, slightly taken aback by Kenta's powerful swing. Even though he'd made poor contact, Kenta sent the ball into the stands behind him without much trouble.
Takumi looked at Kenta with a grin. Even after seeing Kenta's powerful swing, he didn't seem intimidated, instead, he looked excited by the challenge. He glanced at his catcher's sign and quickly threw the second pitch of the duel.
Continue reading on M V L
PAH
"Ball!"
Kenta just watched the sinker drop a bit below the strike zone and heard the umpire call it a ball.
'Tch! This guy is good.' - The catcher thought as he glared at Kenta. He then called for another sinker, but this time, placed on the inside corner.
WOOSH
DING
Kenta managed to make contact, but once again fouled it off.
'Good. Let's finish this, Takumi!' - Kasuga's catcher signaled for a circle changeup, positioning his glove low in the zone. Since Takumi's circle changeup broke inward against left-handed batters like Kenta, Kasuga's catcher had to be careful, calling it a bit lower than usual. Takumi pitched as directed.
POFT
"Ball!" - The umpire announced as Kenta remained still, watching the pitch drop into the dirt.
"Damn!" - Kasuga's catcher cursed as he nearly let the ball slip past him. If he hadn't caught it, Shun would have likely scored from third.
The catcher took a deep breath before signaling for a slider for the second time in the game. Even though Shun had hit Takumi's first slider, there was no denying that a slider was the right pitch to call against a lefty like Kenta in this situation.
Takumi nodded, his resolve unshaken by his previous pitch. He then threw his slider straight to his catcher's glove without hesitation.
'Good slider... unfortunately, not good enough!' - Kenta smirked as he spotted Takumi's slider on the outside of the strike zone. Unfortunately for Takumi, Kenta had spent a lot of time practicing against another lefty's sliders over the last few days, and compared to the insane, unpredictable movement of Shun's slider, Takumi's was easy to read.
Kenta planted his foot and swung his bat powerfully, clearly aiming to send Takumi's slider out of the stadium.
WOOSH
DOONG
He made strong contact, sending everyone's eyes tracking the ball as it flew toward center field.
PAH
"Out! 3 outs, changeover!" - Unfortunately, even though it was a powerful hit, it lacked the angle to leave the field and ended up in the glove of Kasuga's center fielder, who was positioned almost against the fence.
"Damn!" - Kenta cursed, frustrated, as he walked back to the dugout. But before he could say anything else, a deafening cheer erupted from the stands above Kasuga's dugout.
"Yeeeahhh!!"
"Ka-Su-Ga! Ka-Su-Ga! Ka-Su-Ga!"
"Ka-Su-Ga! Ka-Su-Ga! Ka-Su-Ga!"
The fans shouted excitedly at the end of the top of the first inning. Despite Shoto's leadoff hitter reaching third base, Takumi had managed to strike out the second, third, and fourth batters in order, ending the inning without conceding a run.
---
"Ka-Su-Ga! Ka-Su-Ga! Ka-Su-Ga!"
"Ka-Su-Ga! Ka-Su-Ga! Ka-Su-Ga!"
Meanwhile, in the stands above Shoto Junior High's dugout, the deafening noise of Kasuga's fans continued.
"Ahhh, such a shame. Shun did everything right, but that pitcher's no pushover!" - Satoru, Hana's father, said while watching Takumi walk off the mound back to his dugout.
"That cheering section might be a problem too…" - Masahiro commented, his expression unusually serious. As a former catcher, he knew how much pressure a loud crowd could place on the opposing pitcher.
"Yeah…" - Kenshin nodded, watching his son walk back from third base to the dugout. He hoped that this pressure wouldn't negatively impact Shun, but he understood well that there was a high chance it might.
---
"Sorry, Shun!" - Kenta said to his friend before the two of them entered the dugout.
"Don't worry about it, we'll score next time. Just focus on defense now!" - Shun replied with a calm smile, giving Kenta a reassuring pat on the shoulder before entering the dugout. Without wasting time, he began removing his batting gear and made his way to the locker to grab his pitching glove.
Without saying a word, Shun left the dugout, now accompanied by the other eight Shoto players following behind him as he made his way to the mound to pitch.
PAH
Shun quickly started throwing warm-up pitches to Daigo to loosen his shoulder. Meanwhile, the first batter for Kasuga Junior High climbed the dugout steps and walked calmly toward the batter's box, studying Shun and trying to get a sense of his pitching style.
---
"Huh? Shun's going to pitch?" - Toji said, surprised, feeling both anxious and excited. In the other Shoto games he'd watched, either the kid with the screwball or the one with the knuckleball had pitched, so he hadn't expected to see his friend on the mound for the final.
"Looks like he wasn't kidding…" - Akira said, watching Shun take his place on the mound, remembering the conversation they'd had at the Hoshino house during Satoru's party.