Shun watched the opposing team take the field and then focused on their pitcher. He was a third-year student, right-handed, with a common height and appearance. Shun asked the system to display his stats.
[Haruto Mori
Overall: B-
PITCHING: B+
BATTING: C+
FIELDING: B
RUNNING: C+
GAME IQ: B+
Overall Potential: A+]
"Oh? The captain said this team didn't give up many runs even in the games they lost, so this guy must be the reason. He's good." - Shun was a bit impressed. This Haruto Mori was a solid pitcher, possibly even better than some pitchers in the Kanto tournament.
The first batter for Shoto Junior High stepped into the batter's box as Haruto threw the game's first pitch.
PAH
"Strike!"
A fastball right down the middle, and the batter stood frozen.
"It looks like they knew we wouldn't swing at the first pitch" - Captain Kazuki remarked.
It's common for batters not to swing at the first pitch of the game, the reason being to ensure that the opposing pitcher throws more pitches, avoiding an out with just one pitch, for example. Of course, there are also strategies that target the first pitch, this is baseball after all, with multiple strategic possibilities for every play.
The pitcher threw again.
WOOSH
DING
"Foul!"
A fastball on the inside corner, and the batter tried to make contact but couldn't get a solid hit.
The third pitch came.
WOOSH
PAH
"StrikeOut!"
PAH
"Ball!"
Kenta didn't move as he watched the fastball above the zone.
"This guy is good. He made solid contact with both fastballs in the zone, but he didn't even flinch when they were slightly outside. The count is 2 balls and 2 strikes. The next batter is the best hitter on their team, so it's better to finish this here. This guy only watched your curveball unable to do anything last time, so throw me another one Haruto!
Let's get him out!" - The opposing catcher thought as he signaled to his pitcher.
The pitch came.
"Finally" - Kenta gave a slight smile as he identified the pitch.
WOOSH
DONG
A hit to left field, and Kenta safely reached second base.
"Nice hit, Kenta!"
"Good job, Kenta!"
Cheers came from the dugout. Kenta waved to his team but quickly turned bright red when he heard a girl's voice cheering.
"Yeeeaaaahhhh!! That's my Kenta!! Great hit!!" - The lovely Mio Shimizu cheered excitedly.
"That bastard!" - Ren had a pained expression on his face. He wanted to leave the dugout and go punch his lucky friend. It wasn't enough that Kenta was good at baseball, he was also lucky with girls. The young samurai-haired boy was nearly in tears, thinking about how unfair the world was.
Meanwhile, the captain stepped into the batter's box.
The first pitch came.
WOOSH
DONG
Kazuki felt something odd when he made contact, but he ran to first base as he saw the ball head toward center field.
PAH
Unfortunately, the ball went straight into the center fielder's glove.
"Out! 3 outs, changeover!"
The captain was frustrated as he returned to the dugout. There were three outs, and now it was their turn to defend. Kenta, who was also heading back to the dugout, spoke.
"Hey, captain, did that ball move?"
"Huh? Hm, I'm not sure. I thought I made perfect contact, but I felt something strange when I hit it."