Chapter 294: Inashiro's Tight Press

"Nice ball!"

A low, outside Fastball secures a Strike, and Miyuki quickly stands up to return the ball.

Noticing Carlos's expression, Miyuki secretly chuckles to himself; this guy definitely didn't expect an outside pitch just now.

If following standard pitch calling, a high, inside Fastball would be very effective for this second pitch, and Carlos should have realized their intention to pitch outside by now—after all, someone on the Pitcher's Mound is being far too obvious.

But well, since the Ace has his own plans, Miyuki will naturally support him with everything he has. Come on, second pitch, a high, outside Fastball!

On the Pitcher's Mound, Huangqian Yangyi catches the return throw and looks at Carlos. This guy's gaze is different from before; there is a hint of provocation in it now.

Quite the fighting spirit. That's exactly why he's worth defeating.

Huangqian Yangyi is quite satisfied with Carlos's gaze. He looks up at the sun in the sky; it is truly hot, and the temperature is even higher than when the game started.

Whoosh!

Huangqian Yangyi throws the second pitch, and the baseball flying from his fingertips carves a white line through the air, heading straight for home plate.

Carlos in the Batter's Box looks stern. The moment the ball is thrown, he swings, sweeping toward the outside corner.

Just missed!

After the swing, Carlos knows he missed by the distance of a ball. The little white sphere flies rapidly over the bat and drills accurately into Miyuki's mitt.

Damn it!

Carlos swings and misses, feeling very frustrated inside. He knew it would be an outside pitch, yet he still couldn't hit it. This bastard's pitching is still too sharp. Deep breath—Carlos sets his batting stance again, instantly casting the previous failure to the back of his mind.

If it really is as he thinks, three consecutive outside pitches, he doesn't believe he won't be able to hit even one.

Soon, Huangqian Yangyi throws the third pitch, a low, outside Fastball!

The Fastball, exceeding 150 km/h, drills toward home plate like a wild beast. Carlos in the Batter's Box swings his bat with all his might, letting out a low roar.

However, at this very moment, the flying baseball seems to suddenly accelerate, whizzing past the incoming bat.

Pop!

"Strike!"

"Strikeout!"

As the umpire's voice rings out, the Seido fans in the stands erupt into thunderous cheers. Three outside Fastballs to take out Inashiro's leadoff hitter—such a dominant performance leaves a deep impression on everyone.

"Ace!!"

"Huangqian is the strongest!"

"Strikeout!!"

The spectators are excited, and the teammates on the bench are also thrilled. Sawamura leans over the railing, shouting "Aniki" at the top of his lungs. On the field, Huangqian Yangyi's performance also puts his teammates defending behind him completely at ease.

"That bastard is definitely doing this on purpose. A show of force, this is definitely a show of force!" Narumiya Mei says, gritting his teeth and glaring at Huangqian Yangyi.

At this moment, the leadoff hitter Carlos is already walking off the field. As he brushes past the second batter, Shirakawa Katsuyuki, he says:

"Watch out for his Fastball, it accelerates!"

Shirakawa Katsuyuki raises an eyebrow. A Fastball that accelerates?

No wonder Carlos couldn't hit any of those three consecutive outside pitches. This guy is even harder to deal with.

"Second batter, Shortstop, Shirakawa."

The announcement sounds, and Shirakawa Katsuyuki steps into the Batter's Box.

Looking at Shirakawa Katsuyuki's world-weary face, which always wears a cold expression, Huangqian Yangyi has an urge to pay him back the money he owes.

This is a deep guy who doesn't easily show his emotions on his face.

At the Catcher's position, Miyuki watches Shirakawa Katsuyuki. This person has been a Shortstop since middle school, his batting level is also very high, and most importantly, he is bold.

He's a troublesome guy. But, looking at his stance, could it be that Inashiro's strategy today is to force Yangyi to throw outside pitches?

That's right, Shirakawa Katsuyuki's stance is also very close to home plate.

Trying to apply pressure, Miyuki guesses.

If it were an average Pitcher, they might really not dare to frequently jam the ball inside in this situation, especially in a final that decides the ticket to Koshien.

But Miyuki knows that for that guy on the Pitcher's Mound, the more you do this, the more fired up he gets.

This time, Miyuki gives the sign again: a high, inside Fastball.

Huangqian Yangyi doesn't shake his head. After a slight nod, he lifts his left leg in the next second, steps out with a fierce stride, gathers power in his fingertips, and the baseball shoots toward home plate instantly.

Pop!

The baseball drills toward Shirakawa Katsuyuki's chest at a very tricky angle. The latter doesn't swing at all; looking at this baseball, Shirakawa Katsuyuki suddenly has an urge to step back.

Watching this ball fly past his eyes at close range, a thin layer of sweat seeps onto Shirakawa Katsuyuki's forehead, and his throat involuntarily gulps.

Shirakawa Katsuyuki suddenly feels that today's strategy seems a bit dangerous. With Huangqian Yangyi's pitch speed, if it really hit his body, perhaps a teammate would be taking his place on base.

Whoo~

Quietly taking a deep breath, Shirakawa Katsuyuki tries to calm himself down as quickly as possible. If he really gets hit, as long as he can secure a scoring opportunity for the team, it's worth it!

With this thought rising in his heart, Shirakawa Katsuyuki's entire demeanor changes. When Huangqian Yangyi's second pitch is thrown, he swings his bat without hesitation.

Bang!

The metal bat hits the baseball, making a crisp sound. Unfortunately, because his batting posture is distorted and the swing is incomplete, the ball flies Jianjie.

Two Strikes, the Batter is cornered. Huangqian Yangyi's two powerful responses with inside pitches to Inashiro cause another uproar in the stands.

At the Catcher's position, Miyuki sets his mitt: a low, outside Cutter Slider.

Huangqian Yangyi nods. After two consecutive inside pitches, throwing an outside one—Shirakawa Katsuyuki has been waiting for an outside pitch the whole time, but after the previous two inside pitches, his heart must be in chaos.

In the Batter's Box, Shirakawa Katsuyuki subconsciously guards against an inside pitch. Just like Carlos before him, he also believes that Miyuki and Huangqian will throw three consecutive inside pitches to strike him out forcefully; that is something they would do.

Whoosh!

When the third pitch is thrown and Shirakawa Katsuyuki swings his bat early toward the inside, he sees the baseball flying toward the outside instead.

Pop!

"Strike!"

"Strikeout!"

"Ohhhhhhh~!!"

"Well done, Ace!!"

"You bastards from Inashiro, now you know how good our Ace is."

"Two outs!"

"One more!"

The triumphant shouts of the Seido fans seemed to vent the frustration of being suppressed by Narumiya Mei in the first half of the game.

"You're wicked, Catcher."

"In the last at-bat, he struck out Carlos with three consecutive outside pitches, and this time against Shirakawa Katsuyuki, he first used two aggressive inside pitches to create a misconception, then finally finished him off with an outside pitch."

"Miyuki Kazuya, he really has a knack for playing with a Batter's mindset," Mishima Yuta said.

In the stands, Sanada Shunpei and Mishima Yuta were discussing it.