NOVEL SIMPLE V6_Chapter 46: Caught Off Guard
V6_Chapter 46: Caught Off Guard
No outs, runner on first base!
At the start of the game, Inajitsu had a great beginning.
At this moment, their batter was Shirakawa Katsuyuki, the second hitter.
Shirakawa is an exceptionally skilled hitter, similar in style to Seidou High School’s former main second baseman, Kominato Ryosuke. However, he’s not exactly the same; his position is shortstop, and his speed surpasses Kominato Ryosuke’s.
Despite his short stature, he frequently uses bunts and steals bases.
When Narumiya Mei was scouting top talents across Tokyo with the goal of dominating nationally, he focused on the most outstanding players from the second-year class. This included Carlos, who had just reached base, Seidou’s catcher Miyuki, and this very player.
“Checkmate!”
As Shirakawa stepped into the batter’s box, he immediately assumed a bunt stance. It seemed as though he was planning to advance Carlos to second base.
‘If Inajitsu intended to do this, it made sense.’ Miyuki thought.
After all, having a runner on first and on second base is a completely different scenario. Especially for someone like Carlos, once he’s on second base, he only needs one hit to potentially score, even if he’s not in the best position.
‘What’s confusing is that Carlos is also actively preparing to steal, seemingly to support Shirakawa.’ Miyuki noticed Carlos movement from the start.
Carlos is standing almost three meters away from first base, ready to steal at any moment.
On the mound, Sawamura calmly focused on Shirakawa.
Without warning, the baseball in his hand shot towards first base like a sharp blade.
Snap!
Maezono caught the ball.
Almost simultaneously, Carlos’s hand touched first base.
Just before Sawamura made his move, Carlos sensed it.
‘A pick-off!’
Although Sawamura’s motion was very subtle, it didn’t escape Carlos’s notice.
When he keenly realized that Sawamura intended to pick him off, Carlos quickly dived back to first base.
‘This was a prepared move!’
He knew Sawamura’s actions and habits very well.
‘Not easy!’ Sawamura’s face showed no sign of anger or satisfaction. He didn’t mind not getting Carlos Out right away.
His primary goal wasn’t necessarily to get Carlos out immediately. While that would be ideal, Sawamura didn’t force the issue. His most important objective was to keep Carlos close to the base.
‘This way, Miyuki-senpai could deal with Carlos if he attempted to steal.’
Sawamura believed that as long as he could keep Carlos contained, Miyuki would be able to stop Carlos no matter what.
With Carlos contained, Sawamura’s attention shifted back to Shirakawa.
‘This guy’s style is very similar to Ryo-san’s. Of course, he has the same weaknesses. Due to his build, he lacks power. And his training isn’t as thorough as Ryo-san’s, so his lack of power is even more pronounced. To handle him, focus on the most powerful straight fastball.’
The opponent was formidable, but Sawamura and Miyuki wouldn’t approach the game without preparation. They had thoroughly researched Inajitsu’s players and felt confident.
Seeing Miyuki’s sign, Sawamura subtly nodded.
The strategy had been discussed beforehand. If Carlos hadn’t reached base, Sawamura would have known what pitch to throw even without Miyuki’s sign.
Sawamura first petrified Carlos on first base and kept him there with his gaze.
Carlos didn’t move further, clearly intimidated by Sawamura’s earlier pick-off attempt. He was hesitant to act rashly.
Good!
Satisfied, Sawamura prepared to pitch.
His movements were smooth, with no pauses.
The baseball roared out of his hand.
Whoosh!
A flash of light, and the baseball appeared at Shirakawa’s side.
Shirakawa, who had been ready to bunt, pulled back his bat as expected.
Snap!
“STRIKE!”
A strike was called, the batter couldn’t bunt, and the runner on first base didn’t advance.
Despite facing a tough opponent, Sawamura maintained perfect control over the game.
Everything was under his command!
In Inajitsu’s dugout, Coach Kunitomo’s eyes glinted with coldness.
‘Despite the situation of no Outs and a runner on first, with the batter being a top hitter and the runner Carlos, Seidou, or rather Sawamura, seemed to have the upper hand.’
‘It felt like everything was under Sawamura’s control.’
In a direct confrontation with Sawamura, even Coach Kunitomo didn’t believe they could return Carlos to home plate.
“We don’t have to go head-to-head with you!”
Coach Kunitomo released his arms from his chest and signaled the players on the field.
He began directing from the sidelines.
In Seidou’s dugout, Coach Ochiai stroked his goatee and said thoughtfully, “The opponents seem to be preparing something.”
Coach Kataoka nodded.
He also knew Inajitsu must have cards to play with, but so what? If Seidou were an ordinary team that could be beaten by a simple trick, they wouldn’t have won the National Championship.
“We’re not mind-readers. We can’t guess their thoughts. Right now, we must trust the judgment of the players on the field!”
Miyuki, Sawamura!!
Coach Kataoka had 100% trust in these two proud students.
Kataoka confidence made Ochiai speechless.
With players like Sawamura and Miyuki, the coach could almost sit back and count wins.
He also believed that Miyuki and Sawamura’s judgment would be accurate.
‘After all, the players are the ones competing, and players with high game sense like Sawamura and Miyuki would definitely notice something.’
Ochiai was right.
When Sawamura and Miyuki saw Coach Kunitomo’s signs, their vigilance was heightened.
They realized Inajitsu was preparing some kind of trick.
Shirakawa took a bunt stance for the second time!
Unable to guess their opponents' intentions, Sawamura and Miyuki decided to stick with their previous strategy.
They pitched according to the plan.
Whoosh!
The white ball flew out, but this time Shirakawa did pull back his bat to swing it again.
Ping!
The contact wasn’t the best, but the baseball was sent forward.
Carlos, on first base, dashed towards second like a wild horse.
After Shirakawa made the hit, he too sprinted towards first base like a flash.
Fast!
Both players moved with astonishing speed.
Even Seidou’s players were caught off guard.
“Hyaa-ha-haa!”
The ball was within the shortstop’s range. Kuramochi sprinted to grab it and prepare to throw to second base.
At the same time, second baseman Haruichi had reached second base, ready for a double play.
“Too late, throw to first base!”
Miyuki, from the catcher’s position, gave the command.
‘Carlos’s speed made a double play impossible.’
‘Now, the focus was on getting Shirakawa Out.’
Snap!
Kuramochi threw the ball to first base.
“Out!”
“Safe!”
Shirakawa was Out, falling a few steps short of first base.
Meanwhile, Carlos safely reached second base.
No Outs, runner on first base changed to one Out, runner on second base.
Inajitsu’s chances of scoring remained high.
“Third batter, pitcher, Narumiya-kun!”
Now, it was Narumiya Mei’s turn to bat, the third hitter for Inajitsu.
Different from his usual cheerful demeanor, Narumiya stood at the plate with a cold, intimidating presence.
He felt like an executioner, ready to deliver the final blow to Sawamura or Seidou.
‘Scary!’
Feeling the opponent’s intensity, Sawamura smirked mischievously.
He understood Mei’s intentions clearly.
But is it really that easy?
‘Don’t underestimate us!’
Sawamura pitched without hesitation.
Whoosh!
As Sawamura threw the ball, Miyuki, in the catcher’s position, saw something incredible.
Carlos, who had been stationed on second base, was attempting to steal third base.
‘I you want to get Out, then I will help you!’
Before pitching, Sawamura had casted his magic on Carlos, so he wasn’t too far from the base.
Miyuki was confident he could tag him Out at third.
However, Miyuki didn’t manage to catch the ball.
Sawamura, with his Last-Moment Adjustment, had thrown the ball to the outside, but the batter didn’t miss the pitch.
Narumiya took a step forward and swung at the outside pitch.
Ping!
The ball was hit and fell behind Sawamura.
‘A trick!’
‘It was all a trick!’
‘A hit-and-run!’
Sawamura and Miyuki were caught off guard by the opponent’s tactics.
…