Very quickly.
The game arrived at the fourth inning; it was once again Class B's turn to attack.
0 outs, 2 strikes.
However.
Sudo's face looked somewhat displeased as he looked at the opponent, Shibata So.
Both strikes were foul balls.
To put it simply.
His ball was hit.
"Annoying like an insect, give me a break."
Sudo, with a perfect posture, once again threw a pitch.
Bang.
A white light flashed, but it produced a crisp crashing sound; the powerful fastball flew straight toward the fence behind him.
"Foul."
After two strikes, fouls no longer count as strikes.
Shibata tugged at his sleeve and set his stance once again, a smile couldn't help but rise on the corners of his mouth:
"It's another fastball right down the middle, I say Sudo, don't tell me you only know this one pitch path?"
"Try it and you'll find out."
There were no fluctuations in Ayanokouji's tone as he once again set his glove.
Sudo's physical fitness and athletic nerves are both beyond reproach.
It's just that his pitch paths are still too few.
There are only two kinds: strikes and balls.
"Then I won't be polite."
Shibata's face instantly became serious.
150 KM is indeed very fast.
But.
It's not that there is no way.
He's more or less adapted to it.
Moreover, only having one kind of pitch path makes it far too easy to guess; he only needs to watch out for balls.
Seeing Sudo raising both hands, hiding the ball behind his glove.
The propped left leg was prepared to drop.
Now.
Bang!
A crisp collision sound rang out.
The white baseball, like an arrow off a string, flew straight past Horikita Suzune toward the outfield; meanwhile, Shibata, having thrown down his bat, quickly rushed toward first base.
Not until the shortstop Hirata intercepted the baseball did he discover that Shibata was already steadily standing on top of first base, preparing to answer questions.
Whether a substitute answerer is needed mainly depends on the subject.
Just for now, it seems.
Shibata doesn't need a substitute for this question.
Dammit.
Watching this scene, Sudo forcefully stepped on the pitcher's plate under his feet, venting his emotions.
On the other side.
In the coach's box.
"As expected."
Hikigaya and the others one by one revealed smiles.
Although Sudo's pitch speed is very fast, he only knows one kind of fastball, and it is a fastball right down the middle.
After one round, Shibata and the others have basically adapted.
It's not that Sudo doesn't want to throw other pitches.
Rather
He can't see clearly!
Two long years of hard study indeed caused Sudo's grades to improve rapidly, but correspondingly, the degree of his eyesight has also gradually increased.
Currently, it might just be nearsightedness of less than one hundred degrees.
But.
This is enough to become a fatal flaw in the sport of baseball.
Although two months of time is indeed very short.
Wanting to learn too many things is basically impossible.
But it's not that Sudo doesn't want to throw, it's that he really has no way!
"Everyone."
"A rare opportunity, you must definitely not let it go."
"Oh!"
Looking at Sudo stepping on the pitcher's plate on the pitcher's mound, Hikigaya's gaze was deep.
Sudo, who has already grown, naturally wouldn't vent his emotions like this.
It's just...
How could such rapid growth not come with a price?
The previous few times he provoked Sudo couldn't possibly have had no effect.
Now in Sudo's heart.
Perhaps there is one ten-thousandth of a regret!
If he weren't nearsighted, Sudo should have been able to do more.
Pity.
Now he can't do it!
For the class, for himself, for Horikita Suzune?
Regardless of what it was for.
Sudo cast aside his innate talent!
He began to become mediocre!
Now he is just an ordinary person who is better at sports than ordinary people.
His threat level is long since not what it used to be!
...
Very quickly.
The second batter, Kanzaki Ryuji, stood in the batter's box.
". only using some small tricks."
However.
Sudo's eyes looked toward the direction of first base.
Looking at Shibata, who was already two steps away from first base and was still gradually testing the distance, Sudo took a deep breath and his face became even more solemn.
Stealing base!
With the fast-footed Shibata taking the lead, applying pressure to the pitcher.
This was exactly the tactic determined by Class B.
Everything was designed around the two people, Shibata and Sumida.
Sudo naturally deeply knew this.
Two years of campus time, he had more or less an understanding of Shibata's strength, not to mention Hirata was a member of the football club.
Class C naturally researched knowledge related to stealing bases.
And Miyake Akito, who performed stably, served as the first baseman.
Looking at Shibata, who was already three steps away from first base, Sudo turned his head to look at the home run batter, Kanzaki Ryuji.
"Don't look down on people too much."
Sudo's face was dark as he raised the ball over his head.
Immediately.
He abruptly turned and threw it toward first base, and Miyake Akito also quickly caught it.
This scene had also been practiced countless times.
However.
Shibata reacted quickly, diving through the air to touch a corner of first base with his fingertip.
"Safe!"
As the umpire declared.
Shibata breathed a sigh of relief and casually patted the dust off his clothes.
With a proud smile on his face, he once again tested the distance toward second base.
He was, after all, the ace of Class B.
To think such a small trick could deal with him was to underestimate him too much...
On the other side.
Kanzaki Ryuji lowered his body.
His sharp eyes did not miss a single one of Sudo's movements.
It was clearly detectable that Sudo had become irritable; his state of mind had encountered a problem.
A rare opportunity.
The offensive must be sustained.
Moreover.
Even if it is a 150KM high-speed ball.
A pitcher who can only throw straight balls right down the center.
There is nothing to fear.
He is no different from a high-performance pitching machine.
Seeing the two failed pick-off attempts, Sudo finally threw the ball toward home plate.
"Ball!"
"Heh..."
Kanzaki's lips curled into a smile as he took his stance again.
The influence of mindset on a pitcher is immense; with just a hint of fluctuation, it wouldn't be strange if he could never stand back up.
"Ball..."
Kanzaki observed calmly.
It was indeed difficult to see that straight ball clearly, but one only needed to observe the opponent's posture.
As long as the posture is slightly deformed, it can basically be judged as a ball.
Though being walked to a base wouldn't matter much.
But Kanzaki still wanted to try.
To actually dare to choose three girls as starters, they really looked down on Class B. Seeing Sudo take his stance again.
Now!
With a bang sound.
The ball hit the ground, passing between the pitcher's mound and third base.
"Third base!"
Sudo's face flushed red as he hurriedly shouted.
Even before the pitch, he already had a premonition it would be hit.
Fortunately, Horikita Suzune's reaction was indeed not slow; she moved four steps away from third base, picked up the ground ball, and quickly threw it toward second base.
However.
Such ball speed.
In a men's game, it was simply too slow, far too slow.
Shibata, who had started running early, had already crossed second base. Ike Kanji, who caught the ball, wanted to throw it back to first, only to find Kanzaki standing firmly on first base.
Watching the scene before him.
Hikiagaya, in the coach's seat, let a smile appear at the corners of his mouth.
Previously, the school followed individual prowess; now that they had taken the stage, it finally began to lean toward unity.
Individual performance will be infinitely suppressed to the minimum.
This is also an indisputable fact.
Although it was indeed seeking private gain for Class B, Hikiagaya didn't feel there was anything wrong with it.
0 out.
Runners on first and third.
Next up is Yonezu Haruto, who has good power, then the fourth-batter ace Sumida, as well as Ichinose Honami, who has the right to reach base directly.
As long as he can sustain this offensive.
It doesn't matter even if it's a bunt.
That would be a scenario of infinite point-scoring.
At least the score must be pushed to over five points!