At the top of the sixth inning, Seido made several substitutions.
Chris replaced the catcher.
Sawamura Eijun took over on the mound.
Kominato Haruichi replaced Kominato Ryosuke at second base.
Arima Kazusa replaced Masuko Toru at third base.
"Sawamura!"
Just as he was about to step onto the field, Sawamura heard Kanzaki Ryou's voice from behind.
"Aniki! Please give me your commands!"
Sawamura turned around and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"..."
Kanzaki Ryou rubbed his temples.
"Just pitch properly. And don't embarrass Chris-senpai while you're at it."
"Huh?! Hmph!"
Sawamura turned away with a snort. How could he possibly drag his master down with him? Absolutely impossible!
Watching Sawamura march onto the field in a huff, Chris glanced at Kanzaki.
"You keep provoking him like this. Aren't you afraid it'll backfire?"
"Then it'll be entertaining," Kanzaki said with a grin.
"You really are something…"
Chris sighed. People always said catchers were scheming, but this Ace was no better—teasing even his own junior.
At the top of the sixth, Sawamura Eijun stood on the mound.
Whoosh—
Whoosh—
Whoosh—
After taking three deep breaths, Sawamura suddenly raised his head and shouted:
"I'll let them hit it! My teammates behind me, please take care of me!!!"
"Haha, you're already tongue-tied just stepping onto the mound?"
"You're hilarious, Eijun-kun!"
"Bring it on!"
"We've got your back!"
Voices of encouragement rang out from behind him.
Inside the Osaka Kiryu dugout, several people noticed the changes.
Seido now had three first-years on the field.
Coach Takahiro Matsumoto's expression darkened.
So Coach Kataoka was using Osaka Kiryu as a training ground for Seido's rookies?
And the pitcher was a left-hander.
Furuya Satoru had already surprised him earlier with his velocity alone. Even though his performance was unstable, his potential was undeniable.
So what about this left-handed pitcher?
If Coach Kataoka dared to put him in, he must be special.
Behind home plate, Chris quickly gave the sign.
He knew Sawamura's strengths well. But everything depended on whether Sawamura could actually hit the target.
Come on, Sawamura. Show me.
Sawamura's leopard-like eyes locked onto Chris. He nodded hard.
This first pitch has to be good!
Whoosh!
The batter's pupils shrank the moment the ball left Sawamura's hand.
What?!
I can't see the release point at all!
Thwack!
The batter swung late.
"That's strange…"
"Was I seeing things?"
Murmurs spread among the Osaka Kiryu players.
The ball wasn't fast.
The course wasn't complicated.
Yet he was late.
"Strike!"
Chris didn't hide his approval.
The second pitch came.
Again, the batter failed to pick up the release point.
"Strike!"
Two low outside fastballs. Two swings and misses.
Chris received the ball and shifted his glove to the low inside corner.
An inside pitch to a right-handed batter—aggressive and oppressive.
With Sawamura's hidden release point, it would be deadly if executed properly.
Whoosh!
The ball cut diagonally toward the inner corner.
Thwack!
Another empty swing.
"Strikeout!"
"Well done, Sawamura!"
"Nice pitching!"
"I knew you had it in you!"
Sawamura planted his hands on his hips and laughed loudly.
"Ha! That was easy!"
The next batter stepped in.
Osaka Kiryu began adjusting, but the unfamiliar angle still troubled them.
Bang!
An inside pitch was smashed toward third base.
"Third!"
A figure burst forward.
Arima Kazusa dove, smothered the ball, rolled, and fired to first in one smooth motion.
Thwack!
"Out!"
"So fast!"
"He stopped that?"
"Who's the third baseman?"
"A first-year!"
The stadium buzzed.
Kanzaki Ryou crossed his arms proudly.
"See? I scouted him."
Takashima Rei pushed up her glasses.
"He really is excellent."
Coach Kataoka, rare amusement in his eyes, glanced at Kanzaki.
"Since you scouted him, if he makes a rookie mistake, you'll be punished together."
"Eh?!"
Kanzaki froze.
Takashima Rei and Ota exchanged glances.
The Coach… joking?
Only Ochiai nodded seriously.
"So Kanzaki-kun discovered him? Impressive."
By the eighth inning, Osaka Kiryu had mostly adapted.
They began swinging earlier.
Sawamura, limited to his four-seam fastball and showing signs of fatigue, lost some control. Balls were put into play more often.
However, most were grounders.
With Seido's solid defense backing him up, Sawamura allowed two runs across three innings.
On offense, Seido added three more runs.
Kominato Haruichi and Arima Kazusa both recorded hits.
For first-years, their performances were outstanding.
Top of the ninth.
Osaka Kiryu quickly pushed across a run.
12:12.
Momentum surged.
One out.
Runners on first and third.
Bang!
Hiromi Tachi crushed a pitch straight back up the middle.
"Danger!"
"Sawamura!"
The ball screamed toward the mound.
Sawamura reacted purely on instinct.
Thwack!
The ball slammed into his glove in front of his body.
"Second base!!" Chris roared.
Gritting his teeth, Sawamura twisted and threw.
Kominato Haruichi caught it and instantly fired home.
Thwack!
"Double play!"
Top of the ninth inning—over!