Chapter 294: [294] The Finals – No Retreat
Chapter 294: The Finals – No Retreat
After securing the first out against Nishi with a single pitch, Eijun showed no mercy when facing the second batter, Taninaka.
His first pitch was a powerful inside fastball.
The menacing presence of his cutter had already shaken Taninaka, and when confronted with the inside pitch—a straight fastball barely reaching 133 km/h—Taninaka's delayed reaction led to a significant mistake, resulting in a swing and miss for the first strike.
Miyuki, sharply aware of Taninaka's unsettled state, gave him no chance to adjust.
He immediately called for an aggressive sequence, directing Eijun to deliver a second pitch—a fastball to the outer corner of the diagonal zone—quickly pressuring Taninaka further.
For the third pitch, Miyuki signaled for the decisive strike.
Despite the slightly risky call, he instructed Eijun to throw a five-seam fastball.
Although Eijun's control wasn't perfect due to the pressure, the now-unstable Taninaka couldn't cope, striking out and giving Seidou another crucial out.
"Pop!"
"Strike three! Batter out!"
Taking the initiative, Seidou dominated the top of the sixth inning.
Miyuki seemed to shift from his earlier pitch-calling patterns, opting for quick and aggressive attacks that successfully took out the first and second batters of Komadai Fujimaki.
Once again, Seidou held the upper hand in this intense showdown.
After tossing the ball back toward the mound, Miyuki's eyes gleamed with an unusual light.
He hadn't expected Eijun to deliver such an impressive performance at this critical juncture.
Although it wasn't his best pitch, the concentration and focus Eijun displayed were extraordinary.
Is he a born ace? Miyuki wondered as he watched Eijun's confident figure on the mound.
"Nice pitch, Sawamura!"
"That's it, Sawamura-kun!"
"Go for it, Eijun-kun!"
The Seidou bench erupted in support, their chants of "Seidou! Seidou! Seidou!" echoing across the field.
In the bullpen, Hongou's eyes darkened as he glanced at Eijun's silhouette on the mound, his expression betraying his displeasure.
Meanwhile, in Komadai Fujimaki's dugout, Coach Nitta frowned. He had assumed that Eijun must be reaching his limit by now, yet the first-year lefty was still holding strong in the sixth inning.
If they couldn't find a way to break through soon, their chances of victory would greatly diminish.
"Third batter, left fielder, Iguchi-kun."
Damn brat, can't you just go down already?
With a fierce expression, Iguchi glared at Eijun.
The sight of the first-year pitcher standing tall on the mound irked him to no end.
Why does a mere first-year have such composure and consistency? It's infuriating!
"Whoosh!"
The bat in Iguchi's hands glinted coldly as he swung it in anger, cutting through the air with a sharp, explosive sound.
"Ping!"
A powerful impact resounded, sending the ball hurtling toward third base.
At third, Masuko's expression changed as he quickly dove toward the edge of the infield.
"Thud!"
A cloud of dust rose in the air.
The booming sound that followed, accompanied by the ball whizzing past and narrowly missing the glove, caused Eijun and his teammates, including Miyuki, to tense up.
Thankfully, the umpire's call in the next moment allowed everyone on Seidou to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Foul ball!"
You really can't underestimate this guy's power, thought Eijun, wiping the sweat off his forehead, his expression turning serious.
Balancing the force and finish of his pitches while maintaining precise control over the trajectory and angle required immense focus.
Every pitch he threw demanded meticulous calculation—draining not just physically, but mentally.
Among Seidou's four main pitchers, Eijun stood out as the only one capable of delivering such a performance in the middle innings, even under the accumulation of fatigue from consecutive pitches.
Furuya was out of the question.
Tanba struggled under pressure, and even making it past the second round of the lineup was a serious challenge for him.
Watching Eijun on the mound, Furuya might have felt envy or longing.
Kawakami, used to being a backup and warming the bench, likely harbored no strong feelings—just mild admiration.
But one person was undeniably affected differently: third-year ace Tanba.
In the dugout, Tanba wore an expression of deep complexity. At this moment, he felt a profound emptiness—as if the ace number on his back was mocking him, a hollow title that no longer held weight.
"It's really frustrating..."
His despondent expression, his tightly gripped hands on the railing, and the veins bulging on his arms all culminated in a resigned sigh.
He knew he couldn't replace that boy on the mound.
Not because of anything else, but simply because he wasn't reliable enough.
That was all there was to it.
"Whoosh!"
"Ping!"
"Thud!"
"Foul ball!"
Eijun, focused and undeterred, fired another powerful inside fastball.
He had no time to consider the feelings of the forlorn ace sitting on the bench.
He was fighting his own battle, already feeling the mounting pressure of being pushed to his limits.
The next pitch was an outside fastball to offset the aggression. Even with the obvious variation in pitching patterns—
"Ping!"
"Thud!"
"Foul ball!"
Iguchi still managed to keep up with Eijun's pitches.
Even when Eijun shifted to a changeup after his fastball, Iguchi made contact with the edge of the bat, sending the ball foul again.
At this point in the third round of the lineup, Iguchi, the ace and third batter, had clearly locked onto Eijun's pitching rhythm.
Even though he couldn't square the ball perfectly, he had firmly grasped Eijun's fastball trajectory. He could even barely keep up with the changeups.
It was becoming an increasingly troublesome situation.
The five-seam fastball was the ideal choice now, but Eijun wasn't confident he could control it well enough to land it in the strike zone. The risk of throwing that pitch was much higher than usual. The decision was a difficult one.
At that moment, however, Miyuki behind the plate seemed to sense the conflict in Eijun's mind.
With a subtle motion of his fingers, he signaled the next pitch. The sign lit up in Eijun's vision like a beacon.
Eijun's pupils constricted sharply.
In the next second, his lips curved into a faint smile.
Miyuki-senpai, this is just like you. Even though I prefer Chris-senpai's stable game-calling, only you have the ability to ignite a pitcher's spirit!
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