If not for the overly real sensation of the collision between the baseball and glove, Tsuchiya Ryota might really have thought he was dreaming, and a nightmare he would want to wake from immediately at that.
The scoreboard above the stands at Hachioji City Stadium clearly displayed the current score - end of the fifth inning, Waseda Industries 1:3 Practical Academy.
Although the score gap didn't seem large, only two points; looking at the actual performance on the field, compared to the good state in the previous match, today Waseda Jitsugyo seemed collectively out of power:
The starting pitcher, Suzuki Kensuke, conceded 3 runs over five innings, was hit for 7 hits, issued 4 walks, and managed only 1 strikeout - even his partner of three years, Tsuchiya Ryota, found it hard to imagine that this was his partner's performance.
The result of the unstable pitching was that the whole team's performance was affected to varying degrees:
The lineup that flourished in the last game was completely silenced today, only managing to score one run in five innings against Practical Academy's pitcher, Mitsutake, using a sacrifice bunt strategy.
As for the defense, today the defenders were full of mistakes, even making several basic errors that usually would never occur.
If not for the unimpressive strength of Practical Academy's lineup, the score on the field might have been further widened.
On the first base side, in Waseda's players' preparation area, the atmosphere was somewhat despondent - facing a team far inferior in strength to themselves, yet being suppressed by the opposing pitcher for five full innings, it was hard for the players not to hold a grudge.
Just after finishing the batting in the top of the sixth inning, Tsuchiya Ryota returned to the preparation area from home plate, furiously punching his own thigh, trying to vent his emotions in this way.
After calming his emotions slightly, he candidly shouted at his partner:
"Kensuke, what's up with you today? Is this the performance you should be giving?"
"I've been trying as much as possible to cater to your state with today's pitching calls, what exactly are you hesitating about, Kensuke!!!"
"Last year we stopped at the fourth round, we've sweated so much, put in so much effort for a year to go to Koshien."
"Are your dreams of going to Koshien with everyone just empty words? Do you want our dreams to be buried here like this too?"
"Wake up, Kensuke!!! We don't have time! This is the last chance!!!"
Tsuchiya Ryota tightly gripped his partner's shoulders, trying to wake him up this way.
Suzuki Kensuke himself didn't know what was wrong with his state
- obviously during the pitching training a few days ago, his condition was good, and the feeling during pregame warm-ups was also quite nice.
But once it came to the official game, the scene of last year's crushing defeat to East Asia Academy reappeared in his mind, lingering like a nightmare on his heart.
As for Tsuchiya Ryota's near-reproachful questioning, Suzuki Kensuke didn't feel angry: He certainly understood his partner was using this way to make him find his state again, everything was for the team, for everyone's common goal;
He was just angry with himself, angry at his sleepwalking-like performance, angry at his inability to escape the past failure, and angry that he might personally bury everyone's dreams.
Suzuki Kensuke hung his head in thought for a while: In a short time, he would likely be unable to adjust his state, but the game's current situation was already precarious - looking at Mr. Izumi, who was also bowing his head considering strategies, he offered his solution:
"Mr. Izumi, please make a pitching change."
Hearing this statement, Tsuchiya Ryota cast an incredulous glance at his partner -
A pitcher, especially the team's starting pitcher, would absolutely not voluntarily give up his position on the mound.
Such behavior means he has lost the confidence to shoulder the responsibility for victory or defeat - and a pitcher who has lost confidence, all threats will cease to exist.
Izumi Minoru, who had similar thoughts, also looked up at Suzuki Kensuke, finding his expression seemed sincere, nodded, walked forward to pat Suzuki Kensuke's shoulder, and comforted him by saying, "Take a good rest."
Then, Izumi Minoru walked out of the player preparation area, signaling a pitcher change to the umpire.
Number 1, Suzuki Kensuke, out;
Number 18, Lin Guanglai, in.
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Swiftly and confusedly sent to play, Lin Guanglai was a bit baffled at first too.
Originally, before the start of the latter half of the game, he and the captain were supposed to alternate onto the field - reasonable rotation can ensure the pitcher maintains a good condition and control during the game, while also preventing injuries due to over-fatigue.
The initial scenario envisioned was Waseda easily passing, a five or seven-inning scenario to clock out in today's game.
Though unsure what had happened to the captain, now that he was on the field, he must fulfill his pitching responsibilities:
The revival of the lineup's state requires time, and his task was to prevent further widening of the score with his pitching before everyone's state fully returned.
Looking at the batter facing him directly, Lin Guanglai calmly exchanged signals with Tsuchiya Ryota behind home plate, and after confirming the pitching strategy, decisively threw the ball.
The familiar grip, familiar pitching preparation steps, and familiar ball trajectory - standing on the mound, everything felt familiar.
Unlike the main quick ball strategy from the previous game, today's pitch sequence by Lin Guanglai would emphasize more on changing the rhythm, aiming for outs using a large number of ground balls and fly balls - choices considering the team members' state on the field.
To allow the on-field seniors to regain their game feeling quickly, it was necessary to make everyone more actively involved in defense, using increased defensive participation to improve batting performance.
Facing a not-fast incoming ball, Practical Academy's first batter was evidently well-prepared, ensuring he focused on the ball's trajectory and then swung the bat forcefully - he was pleased to hit the incoming ball successfully, but the heavy sensation afterward exceeded expectations, making it difficult to maintain follow-through strength.
This was a heavily weighted sinker.
Struggling to complete the swing motion, he had no time to care about the ball already hit, the Practical Academy's batter promptly dropped the bat and sprinted towards first base - the ball he hit bounced twice on the ground, flying slowly but steadily towards the gap between first and second base.
Stationed at second base, Fukasawa Kouta calmly and swiftly positioned himself for a catch, smoothly securing the baseball into his glove, and then made a slight adjustment before throwing towards first base - stationed at first base, Sugai Natsuki was well-prepared, with his left foot tightly on first base, right foot taking a big step forward, catching the ball steadily in his glove.
Through the joint cooperation of field defense, Practical Academy's first half-inning batter was put out with just one pitch.
For Waseda's players, this was undoubtedly a morale booster - especially after an entire five innings of suppressed play.
After confirming the first batter was out, Tsuchiya Ryota "swooshed" up from behind home plate, tossing aside the catcher mask, and shouted loudly to his teammates on the field:
"That's it! There's still two more outs this inning. Everyone focus! Defend like just now!!!"
"Our summer can't end here!!!"