Kasuga's second batter stepped into the batter's box, fueled by the loud cheers from the crowd in the stands. Shun calmly assessed the situation as he took a deep breath, feeling the mounting pressure on him. Instead of being intimidated, he used it as fuel.
Daigo also did his best not to succumb to the pressure and to stick to the plan. He knew how important it was for Shun that he called the right pitches, so he quickly signaled the first pitch of the duel.
PAH
"Ball!" - The umpire announced as Kasuga's second batter watched Shun's horizontal slider dip below the zone.
For the second pitch, Daigo called for another horizontal slider, this time within the zone. However, Shun's slider unpredictably broke too much.
PAH
"Ball!" - The pitch ended outside the zone again, giving Kasuga's batter the advantage with two balls and no strikes. Daigo started to feel the pressure of being behind in the count, and unconsciously, he felt the need to force a strike.
POFT
"Ball!" - Unfortunately for him, Shun's sliders were breaking strongly, and the control he had shown in the early innings seemed to be slipping away. After a vertical slider dropped from the top of the zone to the ground, with a count of three balls and no strikes, Daigo signaled Shun's hanging slider for the first time in the game, confident that Shun could place this pitch in the zone.
"Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga!"
"Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga!"
With three balls in the count, the lively cheers from Kasuga's crowd filled the stadium. Shun did his best to ignore the noise and focus on pitching to Daigo's glove, but unfortunately, he was so focused on the pitch itself that he didn't notice the mistake in Daigo's call.
"Heh!" - Shun smiled after catching the ball from Kenta. He nodded to his friend, then turned to face home plate. As excited as he was by his friend's incredible play, he still needed to finish this inning.
[Hmph! You understand, don't you, kid? This isn't the time to be on the defensive! There are two other pitchers ready to take your place, so as long as you're on that mound, give it all you've got!] - The old man's voice echoed in Shun's mind, though Shun didn't respond.
Shun understood this very well. However, under pressure, he had ended up taking a more defensive approach on the mound. Not only that, he had also agreed to Daigo's last call without thinking, which was clearly a mistake, had Kenta not made that play, the runner would have reached at least second base.
"Looks like he's feeling the pressure too..." - Shun muttered as he looked at Daigo squatting behind home plate. The last pitch, a hanging slider with a three-ball, no-strike count, had clearly been a desperate call to avoid a walk. But Shun didn't blame him, as he had agreed to the call without thinking.
Shun looked at Kasuga's third batter in the left-side batter's box. He then glanced at Daigo, who signaled for a horizontal slider outside. Noting that Daigo seemed even more cautious after the last pitch's mistake, Shun decided it was time to wake him up.
Shun shook his head, rejecting the call, but instead of waiting for Daigo to signal again, he began his windup, leaving the young catcher confused behind the plate.
"HA!" - Shun shouted as he threw with everything he had.
"Damn it!" - Kasuga's third batter cursed from the box as he saw Shun's pitch coming straight for his head. Shun's front-door slider that struck him out in the first inning was fresh in his memory, but seeing the ball racing toward his head, his survival instinct took over.
PAH
"Strike!" - The umpire called as the ball broke into the strike zone, while the third batter fell on his backside, trying to avoid being hit.
Daigo, who had just caught the ball, looked at Shun on the mound, feeling the tremendous intensity his senpai had put into that pitch. He stood up, throwing the ball back to Shun, but his demeanor had changed. With just one pitch, he had fully understood the message Shun was trying to convey.
Daigo noticed the third batter getting up and stepping back into the box. Without hesitation, he signaled to Shun and positioned his glove in the strike zone. Although Daigo could still feel a heavy pressure, his attitude had shifted, and he was now ready to go on the offensive.