Shun faced the bottom of Aoba Junior High's batting order in the top of the third inning. However, unlike the first two innings, the number of pitches was significantly higher.
It seemed that all of Aoba's batters had been instructed not to swing until the count reached two strikes. Unfortunately for Shun, his luck from the previous innings seemed to diminish as well, as his unpredictable sliders ended up much further outside the zone this inning.
Still, Aoba's bottom of the lineup couldn't get on base, as even with full counts, it was nearly impossible for them to hit Shun's slider.
"Strikeout! 3 outs, changeover!"
Shun heard the umpire's call and quickly returned to the dugout. He had managed to get through the inning without any issues, but he knew that the real challenge would come in the next inning when he would face the top of Aoba's lineup for the second time.
"My bad, coach." - Aoba's ninth batter apologized as soon as he returned to the dugout after being struck out by Shun.
"Don't worry, you did well. The plan is working. Now we just have to wait for that pitcher to tire out..." - Aoba's coach said with a smile. Even though his players hadn't gotten on base this inning, he was able to confirm his theories.
First, he was confident that Shun didn't have any hidden pitches, and second, he was certain that the boy didn't have good control over his pitches.
The bottom of the third inning began quickly. Aoba's pitcher had no trouble eliminating Shoto's eighth and ninth batters, making Shun step into the batter's box with two outs and no one on base.
Nevertheless, Shun didn't seem to care about any of that as he focused intently on the pitcher standing on the mound. He watched the boy begin his wind-up and quickly throw the ball toward home plate.
"Sinker! In the zone!" - Shun identified the pitch that had gotten him out before, a sinker in the lower part of the zone.
WOOSH
"Fuck! My bad, Shun." - Ren apologized in frustration as he returned to the dugout. The young samurai clearly wanted to bring Shun home or at least get on base to give Kenta a chance to hit.
"Don't worry about it, man. Just make sure to hit the next time." - Shun replied with a smile, giving Ren a pat on the back. He knew hitting those pitches wasn't easy, but he trusted that his two friends, Ren and Kenta, would figure it out by the end of the game.
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"Hm." - Ren nodded as he clenched his fists. He knew Shun must be under great pressure, pitching against Aoba with the score tied. Ren quickly glanced back at Aoba's ace as he returned to the dugout.
'I'll send you flying next time!' - Ren thought, determined.
"Hey, coach, I need to tell you something..." - Shun reached the dugout and quickly began explaining his discovery to Coach Yamada about how the fielders were adjusting their positions for each batter.
"Hm, we can't be sure with only two batters, so let's analyze carefully in the next inning. But either way, I'll warn the rest of the team. Good work, Shun." - Coach Yamada said, placing a hand on Shun's shoulder. He couldn't deny that he was impressed with how closely the boy was paying attention to the game.
"Focus on pitching now. Something tells me the next inning won't be easy..." - Coach Yamada added. He couldn't deny that he was nervous to see how Shun would fare against Aoba's batters the second time around.
After all, Shun had been incredible the first time through the order against Hokuto in the friendly game, but it was the second time through the lineup when things started to get out of control.
"Hm, I know." - Shun responded calmly. The boy understood his issues well. He then glanced toward Aoba's dugout, locking eyes with Aoba's coach.
Shun felt a chill run down his spine as he saw the man's cold smile aimed at him.
"Looks like you're confident in your batters. Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I don't plan on letting them hit today!" - Shun muttered as he climbed the dugout steps with his glove in his hand.