The Old Baseball Player System

The fourth inning began with Kenta stepping into the batter's box as Takumi returned to the mound. After nearly giving up a home run to Kenta in their first encounter in the first inning, Takumi and his catcher were a bit more cautious with Shoto Junior High's captain.

With the score tied, even a solo home run could make the difference in the game, and with no one on base, the obvious strategy was to take a cautious approach against Kenta. That's exactly what Kasuga's catcher did.

The first pitch of the duel was a low sinker outside the zone, which Kenta simply watched. The second pitch was a slider on the outer edge, breaking away from the strike zone, and Kenta, once again, just watched. With a count of two balls and no strikes, Kasuga's catcher called for a circle changeup on the outside corner of the strike zone, trying to sneak a strike past Kenta. Takumi pitched as requested.

WOOSH

DOONG

Unfortunately for Kasuga, Kenta was fully focused, and as soon as he saw the changeup on the outside corner, he stepped forward and swung his bat hard, sending the ball flying to right field.

However, even though Kenta made great contact, he couldn't angle the hit enough due to Takumi's good pitch, which prevented the ball from going out of the field, stopping at the wall before the fielder could retrieve it and throw it to second base.

Kenta reached second base with ease, beating the right fielder's throw. With a runner in scoring position and no outs, things looked promising for Shoto Junior High, while Takumi on the mound could feel the pressure.

That last changeup was a good pitch, the only issue was that it was Kenta standing in the batter's box. Even so, now that he'd allowed a double, he was in serious danger of giving up a run, and considering the level of Shoto's pitching, he understood just how valuable this run could be.

Takumi took a deep breath on the mound. Even in this situation, his coach didn't seem inclined to pull him from the game, which did wonders for his confidence.

"Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga!"

"Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga!"

The crowd's cheers grew even louder, they knew very well that these situations were where they could really make a difference, and they were fulfilling their role perfectly. Takumi could feel the confidence and hopes placed in him at that moment, making him smile. The nerves of possibly giving up the run that could put his opponent ahead faded, replaced by a determination to meet those expectations.

Meanwhile, Daigo walked to the batter's box, feeling the pressure of the moment. Even as he tried to focus, he couldn't deny that the constant noise from the opposing crowd was affecting him a bit, this was, after all, the first game of its kind for the boy.

Still, Daigo understood the weight he carried at this moment. He knew that if he wanted not only to win this game but also to win the Kanto tournament, he needed to step up. He had to help Shoto's lineup score runs, and in his mind, his sole focus was bringing Kenta home.

Thus, both Takumi and Daigo were determined to win this duel. In the end, after a long battle, Daigo came out on top, reaching base on a hard-fought walk.

Takumi did his best to eliminate Daigo, but the boy simply made contact with every pitch near the zone. After seven foul balls, Takumi finally threw the fourth ball, allowing Daigo to walk to first base.

This made things even more complicated for Takumi. With runners on first and second and no outs, Shoto Junior High's sixth batter, Sora, stepped into the box determined to keep the momentum going.

Takumi stood on the mound, feeling sweat drip down his face. Beyond all the pressure, pitching under Tokyo's intense summer sun was no easy task, the fatigue was already beginning to set in, even though he hadn't even completed four innings.

"Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga!"

"Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga!"

The loud cheers of the crowd echoed in Takumi's ears. He took a deep breath and looked at his catcher's glove. He saw the signal for a low inside sinker and nodded.

"Ha!" - Takumi grunted, giving everything he had in the pitch.

WOOSH

DING

Seeing the ball in the zone, Sora swung his bat. However, just before he made contact, Takumi's sinker broke more than usual, causing him to make weak contact, sending a soft grounder toward the second baseman.

POFT

PAH

Kasuga's second baseman quickly moved toward the ball, fielding it after a bounce and threw it swiftly to the shortstop at second base.

PAH

"Out!" - As soon as the umpire announced the out, Kasuga's shortstop threw the ball to first base.

PAH

"Out!"

"Fuck!" - Sora cursed in frustration as he slowed his run. Although he'd sprinted as fast as he could, he couldn't prevent the double play. He then walked back to the dugout, head down, visibly frustrated for lowering his team's chances of scoring this inning.

Daigo also began his walk back to the dugout, equally frustrated. He hadn't been able to reach second base in time, leaving them with two outs.

"Yeahh!" - Takumi roared in excitement after seeing the double play, but an overwhelming cheer soon filled the stadium.

"Yeeeeaahhh! Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga! Ka- Su- Ga!" - Kasuga's fans celebrated wildly after witnessing the double play.

Meanwhile, Kenta calmly observed the scene from third base. Despite the double play, he'd managed to advance to third, greatly boosting Shoto's chances of scoring this inning.

Shoto's seventh batter, Tomo, the third baseman, then stepped into the batter's box. Nervously, he looked at Takumi on the mound. Feeling the immense pressure of the moment, he couldn't stop his hands from trembling slightly.

With two outs and a runner on third base for the third time in the game, Takumi looked determinedly at the nervous boy in the batter's box.