Chapter 417: The Battle of Ouya - The Sound of the Offensive Horn
The Inside Corner Fastball.
Followed immediately by a diagonal pitch to the outside corner.
Wakabayashi Gou had fully utilized the width of the strike zone.
"Whoosh"
"Swish"
"Ping!"
In the midst of his judgment, Kuramochi swung fiercely.
This hit still didn't yield much advantage, and the vibrating sensation in his arm even made Kuramochi furrow his brows.
"Whoosh"
The ball shot out and quickly slammed into the ground.
"Thud"
After a dull sound,
"Foul!!!"
The loud call of the line judge echoed.
This guy completely knows every angle the batter hates and pitches accordingly, especially making subtle adjustments based on our characteristics.
Kuramochi pursed his lips, forcefully shook his arm, and gripped the bat even tighter.
Seido High was aiming to use low pitches as a breakthrough.
Or rather, to make the opponent wary and achieve their strategic goal.
But now, it seemed.
This offensive tactic wasn't very effective.
At this moment, the best approach was to exploit the characteristics of the opponent's defensive setup.
"Here it comes!"
Speak of the devil.
"The ball's got power, Gou."
"Let him hit it, we'll definitely catch it."
"Attack, attack, completely suppress him, Gou."
In the field of vision.
On the field, the defensive positions of Ouya High's fielders began to shift to the right, their cheering appearing so normal and ordinary to the average eye.
But to Seido High, it wasn't that simple.
This was an excellent opportunity for Seido High.
"Whoosh!"
The stepping motion.
The arm swinging in tandem.
As Wakabayashi boldly stepped forward with his left leg and swung his arm down, a flash of light streaked across.
From the dugout, Miyuki, Eijun, and Maezono's eyes gleamed with intensity.
"Swish!"
"Boom!"
At the batter's box.
Kuramochi didn't even need to think, his feet forcefully stomped forward.
A gust of wind roared as the cold metallic bat swung.
The chilling aura of the bat.
As it swept past.
Even Sumi at home plate could feel the icy coldness piercing through.
"Ping!"
An outside fastball.
Got it!!!
A cold smile crept across Kuramochi's lips as he forcefully swung the bat, producing a thunderous crack.
At this moment, Sumi had no time to dwell on the earlier sensations.
Because the resounding crack and the flash of white light soaring into the sky immediately caused Sumi's expression to change.
"Center fielder!!!" Sumi immediately stood up and shouted towards the outfield.
"Whoosh!"
Like a cheetah, swift as a gust of wind.
As the ball shot out.
At home plate, the cheetah sprang into action, leaving behind only a terrifying afterimage in Sumi's eyes.
Even Wakabayashi on the pitcher's mound had a change of expression.
"Hurry, throw it back to the infield!!!"
This ball was clearly not going to be caught. As the ball leapt into the outfield, it quickly descended. The center fielder and second baseman, who were relatively close, couldn't reach it in time.
"Thud!"
A clear sound rang out.
The ball fell to the ground and bounced off at another angle.
In just a few seconds.
By the time the center fielder finally reached where the ball had bounced and intercepted it.
Kuramochi's figure had already dashed to second base.
If the center fielder had been just two seconds slower, Kuramochi would have definitely headed straight for third base.
But even so, Kuramochi's base-running speed had already made the Ouya High players grit their teeth.
This guy is too fast! And this was just a single to center field!
And it was so close to second base.
This guy!!!!
"Ohhhhh, that's the speed! Once Kuramochi gets on base, it's really hard to stop him."
"After all, he's Seido's leadoff hitter. This inning is dangerous for Ouya High."
"Too bad his power isn't great, his technique is a bit rough, and his pitch selection isn't the best. He's more adept at bunts and some infield hits."
"Honestly, if it weren't for his speed, that wouldn't even count as an infield hit. For 99% of other batters, that would be an infield grounder, resulting in an out."
"Alright, alright, nobody's perfect. If Kuramochi had power, good technique, and excellent pitch selection, plus that speed, wouldn't that be something?"
"Hmm, that's true."
"At the very least, he could improve his batting technique. He doesn't need much power, but his technique could use some work, and his pitch selection too. Kuramochi is the type of player who, as long as he can make contact, has a much higher on-base rate than the average player. But that prerequisite is being able to make contact."
"Yeah, that makes sense. It depends on how Seido's Coach Kataoka and the others think about it."
"Most importantly, in this inning, will Seido score first, or will Ouya hold them off? That's crucial!"
Compared to the spectators in the stands, who were enjoying the show.
The mood on the field for the Ouya High players wasn't so pleasant.
Kuramochi might be the least threatening batter in terms of hitting, but once he's on base, he becomes the most dangerous player on Seido's team.
Especially when they saw Kuramochi's provocative like, exaggerated lead off the base.
All the Ouya High players twitched at the corners of their mouths. This guy is too arrogant.
On the pitcher's mound.
Wakabayashi also showed an extremely displeased expression.
However, at this moment.
None of the Ouya High players showed any special expressions.
Only Sumi at home plate showed a hint of confusion. After all, Kuramochi's swing was too decisive, so decisive that it seemed like he was completely sure it was an outside fastball.
This made Sumi feel a shadow of doubt in his heart.
"Second batter, second baseman, Kominato-kun."
"Haruichi, wait a moment. After you step up to the plate, immediately show a bunting stance. Don't focus too deliberately on targeting their outside fastball. Try to lower their guard as much as possible."
Just before Haruichi was about to step up, Eijun suddenly recalled a certain situation from the original story.
He quickly grabbed Haruichi's sleeve and spoke in a low voice.
"Mm, I understand, Eijun-kun."
Haruichi's small face showed a serious expression as he nodded lightly and replied in a calm tone.
"A bunt?"
"A sacrifice bunt?"
"Is that really possible? Haruichi has the ability to hit for power, though."
"But right now, there are no outs, and with Sawamura and Miyuki coming up next, advancing Kuramochi to third base would completely change the situation."
"Another possibility is a hit-and-run."
"Seido really isn't holding back at all."
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