LRAB Chapter 156: Sixth Round (5)
Chapter 156: Sixth Round (5)
The second inning began with Takumi back on the mound as Shoto's fifth batter, Daigo, stepped into the batter's box. Kasuga's crowd was already back to making noise, after all, Kasuga's real strength was its defense.
Daigo was determined to get a hit, but Takumi had no intention of making it easy. After three pitches, the count was two strikes and one ball. Cornered, Daigo felt pressured to swing no matter what.
WOOSH
DING
PAH
"Out!" - Daigo ended up hitting a weak fly ball that landed in the left fielder's glove, becoming the first out of the inning.
Shoto's sixth batter, Sora, then stepped into the box. The boy put up a good fight against Takumi, bringing the count to a full three balls and two strikes. Unfortunately, after a few foul balls, Takumi finished the duel with a circle changeup.
WOOSH
PAH
"Strikeout!"
Shoto's seventh batter, Tomo, stepped into the batter's box with two outs, swinging at the very first pitch, trying to make good contact with Takumi's low sinker.
WOOSH
DING
Unfortunately, Tomo grounded the ball toward the shortstop. He tried to run to reach first base safely, but Kasuga's shortstop wasn't about to let that happen.
PAH
"Out! 3 outs, changeover!" - The umpire announced as Tomo returned to the dugout, frustrated.
"Yeeaaahhhh!!" - Kasuga's crowd cheered excitedly from the stands, creating an encouraging atmosphere for Kasuga's players.
"Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga!"
"Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga!"
"Strikeout!" - The umpire announced as Kasuga's fourth batter stared in disbelief at Daigo's glove. A collective gasp could be heard from Kasuga's crowd in the stands, followed by a smattering of applause from other onlookers.
"Damn!" - The fourth batter muttered in frustration as he started his walk back to the dugout, unable to stop thinking about that backdoor slider that struck him out.
Kasuga's fifth batter stepped into the batter's box. Shun calmly looked at the boy, who was also pitching in this game, Takumi, before looking at Daigo's signal.
Takumi was determined to return the favor and also get a hit off Shun. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't that easy to make contact with Shun's sliders, especially for a lefty.
WOOSH
PAH
"Strike!" - Shun started with a horizontal slider on the outer corner that broke out of the zone. Takumi chased it but couldn't make contact.
PAH
"Strike!" - Shun continued with another horizontal slider, this time a front-door slider that ended on the inner corner of the zone. Takumi didn't swing, thinking it would be a ball, and found himself cornered in the count after only two pitches.
WOOSH
PAH
"Strikeout!" - Shun wrapped it up with another slider on the outer corner of the zone. Takumi couldn't connect with his bat and ended up striking out. The boy couldn't hide his frustration as he returned to the dugout. Meanwhile, the noise from Kasuga's crowd also began to dwindle, clearly affected by Shun's performance.
Kasuga's sixth batter stepped into the batter's box with two outs. The boy seemed determined to reach base, but Shun couldn't care less. On the very first pitch, a horizontal slider within the zone, the sixth batter made contact.
WOOSH
DING
Daigo stood up, tossing his mask to the ground as he looked up. He quickly positioned himself, not far from home plate, holding his glove up.
PAH
"Out! 3 outs, changeover!" - The umpire announced as Daigo caught the foul ball, silencing Kasuga's crowd, while worried looks could be seen in Kasuga's dugout.
Meanwhile, Shun had already begun his walk back to the dugout as soon as the sixth batter's pop-up left the bat. The boy walked calmly, not letting anyone know what he was feeling at the moment. This was unusual for those who knew Shun, especially his teammates who were familiar with how expressive the boy was on the mound. But it was hard to complain about anything, seeing the way Shun was pitching.