Chapter 126: Launching the Offensive

"Don't worry, boys. Just keep at it, show your determination at the plate, and a hittable pitch will definitely appear."

In the Ichidai Sanko dugout, Manager Tahara said this to the players.

No matter how formidable a pitcher is, as the pitch count rises and the game progresses, their stamina and concentration will inevitably decline; a hittable pitch will absolutely appear then, and all their batting lineup needs to do is seize this hard-won opportunity.

"Yes!" everyone replied in unison.

The game continued; in the bottom of the first inning, Seido was on the attack.

The first to step into the Batter's Box was Seido's leadoff hitter, Zhitian Jiangtai.

Facing the pitching of Ichidai Sanko's ace, Zhenzhong Yao, Zhitian Jiangtai had a poor start; after barely making contact with a High-speed Curveball, the quality of the hit was poor, and he failed to reach base.

"Zhenzhong Yao's pitches are staying very low today; both his Fastball and Breaking Ball are hard to hit," Dong Qingguo said while standing in the dugout.

"Hmm, their defense is also playing very shallow, looks like they're coordinating with the pitcher. But if it's just High-speed Curveballs and Fastballs, even if the pitches are low, Senior Dong, you should still have a way to hit an Extra-base Hit, right?"

Chris said while sitting on a small stool.

Dong Qingguo gave a disdainful chuckle, "With a level like that, they're still far from being able to handle me."

"Senior Yuki should be able to do it too." Huangqian Yangyi sat down next to Chris while drinking water.

Chris smiled and said, "Now let's see if Kominato can put on a performance."

On the field, Kominato Ryosuke stepped into the left-handed Batter's Box; always wearing a smile, he took a few practice swings. He liked pitchers with few pitch types like Zhenzhong Yao; fewer pitch types meant fewer options for pitch selection, making it easier to choose his pitches.

The Ichidai Sanko battery clearly knew Kominato Ryosuke's style; to deal with him, one had to be prepared to be entangled.

The first pitch was an inside pitch flying in at an angle; Kominato Ryosuke did not swing, letting the baseball fly past him into the mitt.

"Strike!"

Then, the second pitch was an outside High-speed Curveball; Kominato Ryosuke didn't let it go this time, or rather, this was the pitch he had been waiting for.

The bat swung out, and Kominato Ryosuke's entire body was putting force into it.

Bang!

The bat made contact with the baseball, and the little white ball flew out instantly, but unfortunately, the direction was toward the foul territory at Third Base.

"Strike!"

Phew~ The Ichidai Sanko Catcher let out a long breath. The angle of that previous pitch had already been very tricky, yet Kominato Ryosuke, who wasn't tall and didn't have long arms, was still able to make contact; this little guy really wasn't an ordinary person.

The Catcher was surprised, but Kominato Ryosuke was secretly sighing; he had chosen that pitch well, but his power couldn't keep up. If he possessed the power of Masuko Toru, he might have been able to muscle that ball out for an Extra-base Hit to Left Fielder.

Knowing his own weaknesses, Kominato Ryosuke played to his strengths and avoided his shortcomings, desperately developing his pitch selection, which formed his distinct batting style.

Soon, Zhenzhong Yao threw the third pitch, another High-speed Curveball, but the landing spot was toward Kominato Ryosuke's side.

Bang!

The bat made contact again.

"Jianjie!"

Bang!

"Jianjie!"

"Jianjie!"

"Jianjie!"

After four consecutive foul balls, Kominato Ryosuke calmly set his batting stance again, without the slightest hint of impatience.

On the contrary, both the Catcher and Zhenzhong Yao were becoming a bit anxious; if this stalemate continued, they would eventually be hit by the opponent, so they had to think of a way.

The Catcher gave Zhenzhong Yao a look: throw a ball to lure the opponent into swinging!

The count was still two strikes and no balls, which was an advantage for Ichidai Sanko.

Zhenzhong Yao nodded; he also knew that continuing to be entangled like this wasn't a solution.

Soon, a four-seam Fastball aimed at the outside corner flew over.

Kominato Ryosuke's gaze sharpened, the corners of his mouth curled up, and then he pulled back the bat he had instinctively swung; the swing didn't go halfway, and the baseball entered the mitt.

"Ball!"

Trying to trick me? I was prepared for that!

Kominato Ryosuke looked back at the Ichidai Sanko Catcher with a provocative gaze.

The Catcher took a deep breath; as expected, it was useless. In that case, they could only face him head-on.

Both sides engaged in a contest again; after Kominato Ryosuke stubbornly entangled with Zhenzhong Yao for another 3 pitches, he finally hit the ball, but the quality was low—it was a Grounder, and Kominato Ryosuke was tagged out.

When he left the field, Kominato Ryosuke's look of regret gave Zhenzhong Yao a stomachache; you consumed so many of my pitches, and you're still not satisfied?

After loosening his neck and shoulders, Zhenzhong Yao focused his attention on the next batter, Seido's third batter, Yuki Tetsuya.

This person's characteristics were also very distinct, belonging to a batter with extremely strong explosive power; once he made solid contact with the ball, every hit was an Extra-base Hit, and a Home Run wouldn't be a surprise.

To deal with this type of batter, one had to throw pitches that were hard to turn into Extra-base Hits even if hit, and coordinate with the defense behind to retire him.

The Catcher had the same thought as Zhenzhong Yao; the two exchanged glances and quickly decided on the first pitch.

Stepping into the Batter's Box, Yuki Tetsuya had a profound gaze and an expressionless face, but anyone could feel the aura he radiated—an aura that did not tolerate being underestimated by the pitcher.

After the baseball flew out, Yuki Tetsuya chose to swing on the very first pitch; his lower legs drove his body to exert force, and the bat smashed out fiercely. With a crisp "bang," the baseball was hit and slammed into the ground.

It's a Grounder! The Ichidai Sanko Catcher was secretly delighted; everything was going according to their expectations. However, while it was indeed a Grounder, Yuki Tetsuya had fully exerted his power on this swing, and after the baseball bounced, it still flew directly over the Shortstop's head at a very high speed!

"Safe!"

Yuki Tetsuya seized the opportunity and successfully reached base!

In the bottom of the first inning, Seido's third batter opened up the situation for the team and began their offensive!

"Jiecheng!!"

"Seido!!"

Cheers erupted from the stands; the audience gave high praise for Jiecheng's performance.

Next, Seido's Fourth Batter, Dong Qingguo, carried his bat and walked to the Batter's Box. The Ichidai Sanko Catcher's heart was in his throat; Dong Qingguo—if they couldn't retire him here, it would become a situation with runners on first and second base, and the next batter would be that Huangqian Yangyi.

Come on, Zhenzhong Yao, finish him off right here!

The Catcher quickly signaled, and Zhenzhong Yao nodded solemnly; he also knew the current situation was very unfavorable for them, and if they didn't want to give up a run, they had to make Dong Qingguo return empty-handed.

Whoosh!

The baseball flew in rapidly; Dong Qingguo's eyes widened, and he swung the bat with great force.

"Pop!"

"Ball!"

Phew~

Dong Qingguo exhaled while turning his head to look at the Catcher; could it be that they were going to give him a Base on Balls?

However, after meeting the Catcher's gaze, Dong Qingguo knew the opponent had no intention of giving him a Base on Balls; that's great, he hated being given a Base on Balls the most.