NOVEL NEXT V6_Chapter 61: Always Fear the Quiet Ones
V6_Chapter 61: Always Fear the Quiet Ones
The score was tied at one-all. After seven innings, both teams were back to square one.
Now, in the top of the eighth inning, Inajitsu High School was on the attack.
In Seidou High School’s dugout.
Coach Kataoka prepared everyone mentally for a possible extra inning.
Kawakami and Furuya had started to warm up.
Although Sawamura’s pitch count wasn’t particularly high—only about seventy to eighty pitches so far—he could manage another thirty or forty pitches, holding up for three or four innings.
But just to be safe, Coach Kataoka had instructed Kawakami and Furuya to prepare.
Perhaps it was just his own perception, but Sawamura seemed unexpectedly fatigued in this game.
Given Sawamura Eijun’s usual stamina, he could handle nine innings without issue, and even extend to twelve innings if needed.
However, this game was unusual. Without a break in the middle, Sawamura’s physical consumption was much higher than usual.
‘Even so, Sawamura should have been fine after nine innings.’
‘Why, then, did he appear so exhausted after only seven innings?’
It wasn’t that he was out of breath or sluggish, but his sweat hadn’t dried even after the break.
‘He was sweating more than expected.’
Coach Kataoka, who was very concerned about his players' conditions, noticed this keenly.
So he had to prepare for any situation.
“Sawamura! Let’s go!”
Before taking the field, Miyuki called out to Sawamura.
Sawamura, who had been resting on the bench with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.
He had used the time to recover. However, the short recovery period after running the bases hadn’t been enough. He hadn’t even adjusted his breathing rhythm or dried the sweat from his face.
‘Strange.’
Sawamura frowned internally, wondering why he was so exhausted in today’s game.
‘Could it be that state?’
Sawamura had felt something similar when playing against Ugumori, but that was nearing the end of the game, and he hadn’t pitched.
‘So the feeling wasn’t as pronounced then.’
However, being in such a state of intense focus was draining both his mental and physical energy.
Now, it seemed the exhaustion was far greater than Sawamura had imagined.
It felt as if he were being drained completely.
He glanced at the game situation. It was now the top of the eighth inning.
The end of the game was near.
Taking a deep breath, Sawamura stood up from the bench.
He wasn’t weak enough to be defeated by mere physical exhaustion.
‘I hope there won’t be any extra innings in the end.’
‘With my current stamina, it would be tough to last through three extra innings.’
Sawamura thought to himself.
In the top of the eighth inning, Inajitsu High School was on the attack.
The first batter in this inning was Yabe.
Even if he was tired, Sawamura was still difficult to hit off.
Even though Yabe was now facing him for the third time, he still hadn’t fully grasped Sawamura’s pitching rhythm.
The white ball kept appearing at the up and lower corners, and the final pitch, a clean Forkball, dealt with the opponent.
“STRIKE!”
“STRIKE!”
“STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!”
One Out, no one on base.
Facing the next batter, Miyuki suddenly signaled Sawamura to throw a Moving ball.
‘Almost all of Sawamura’s previous pitches had been centered around breaking balls.’
The impression of those breaking balls was deeply imprinted in the minds of Inajitsu’s batters.
‘In such a situation, how would they react to the sudden appearance of a Moving ball?’
Miyuki thought mischievously.
His strategy proved effective. The seventh batter of Inajitsu showed clear discomfort against the unexpected pitch.
Since the pitch was in a favorable location, he swung at the first pitch.
Ping!
The white ball was hit and rolled into Sawamura’s mitt.
Sawamura quickly sent the ball to first base.
Snap!
“Out!!”
Two Outs, no one on base.
Such a clean and swift shutout had a shock effect as strong as a Strikeout.
The stands were increasingly filled with supporters of Seidou.
The eighth batter from Inajitsu felt as if he were battling the entire world.
He was almost scared out of his wits.
Though it might sound exaggerated, he was indeed very nervous and showed no reaction to Sawamura’s sharp pitches.
“STRIKE!”
“STRIKE!!”
“STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!”
Three Outs, offense and defense exchange.
Thus, the game moved to the bottom of the eighth inning.
Seidou High School was on the attack!
Seidou's coaching staff, who had hoped to mount a decisive attack, were now wearing worried expressions.
They had suddenly realized a serious issue: the game might go into extra innings.
This was a scenario they could not accept, especially given the physical condition of their Ace pitcher Sawamura.
A pitcher change could jeopardize their momentum against a well-matched Inajitsu team.
Coach Kataoka, wearing sunglasses, quickly addressed the gravity of the situation. “Treat this inning like it’s the last. You are the final hope for this game. No matter what, you must advance the lineup.”
“Yes!” replied the lower lineup batters in unison, their excitement palpable.
Despite the challenging task ahead, they felt motivated by the coach’s trust and were determined to contribute.
“Sixth batter, right fielder, Shiratsu-kun.”
Shiratsu stepped up to the plate first. He positioned himself close to the edge of the strike zone, ready to face Narumiya’s 150 km/h fastball.
This was a risky move, given Mei’s terrifying speed, but Shiratsu was determined to limit Mei’s corners by crowding the plate.
In the catcher’s position, Tadano felt some hesitation. With Shiratsu’s stance, choosing the right pitch was challenging and could potentially give the batter an advantage.
‘An outer corner pitch didn’t seem suitable, given the batter’s current position, where an outer pitch was the same as a center pitch.’
Just as Tadano hesitated, Narumiya rolled his eyes in frustration. ‘What’s the hesitation about? With his stance, how can he even swing at an inside pitch? Now’s not the time for doubts. If he’s not afraid of getting hit, neither should we be.’
Feeling Mei’s resolve, Tadano decided firmly, positioning the Mitt above Shiratsu’s knee.
‘No matter what strategy the opponent had, the batter couldn’t swing at this pitch. Ideally, he would step back, allowing us to return to our previous pitching rhythm. If he didn’t, the awkward stance would make it impossible for him to swing.’
Tadano was confident.
On the mound, Narumiya made his stride and threw the ball.
Whoosh!
The ball sped in like a white flash, targeting the inner corner. Shiratsu, who had been motionless, failed to swing at this pitch.
SNAP!
The ball was so close to his knee that it almost touched it.
“STRIKE!”
Despite not swinging, Shiratsu didn’t retreat. He fixed a cold, intense stare on Mei from the mound.
“Such an annoyance!”
Narumiya was clearly irritated by Shiratsu’s unwavering gaze. Though Shiratsu was one of Seidou’s top hitters, Mei didn’t view him as a serious threat.
Apart from Kazuya and Eijun, Mei considered the other Seidou players unworthy of facing him. It wasn’t arrogance but a harsh reality—the skill gap was simply too wide.
Shiratsu was good but still an underdog.
‘Play your part and stop acting like you’re a big shot!’
Narumiya, disturbed by Shiratsu’s demeanor, threw the ball with full force, repeating the inner corner fastball.
Shiratsu, who had remained still before, finally reacted. He stepped away from the strike zone, making the inside ball pitch look more like a center ball.
‘A Straight to the center.’
Despite its speed of 150 km/h, Shiratsu managed to connect with it.
Ping!
The ball was hit and soared away.
The sight stunned many in the stands, who gasped in surprise. They had expected only players like Kuramochi and Kominato to hit Narumiya Mei’s fastballs, not Shiratsu, a less prominent player.
The main players of Seidou ’s second-year team were Miyuki, Kuramochi, Maezono, and Shiratsu. While the other three were captains or vice-captains, Shiratsu was not. This spoke of his quiet nature.
The ball Shiratsu hit landed perfectly in the defensive gap.
…