"Ono! You will be the catcher! Pair up with Sawamura and complete the rest of the game."
"Yes, Sir!"
Ono Hiroshi's response was loud and clear.
It was obvious that this outcome had long been anticipated by him.
Yui and Okumura both looked very disappointed.
However, they still gave Ono their support and encouragement.
"Senpai, it's your turn!"
"We will be ready at any time."
Their classmate Lee-Hyun had already shown excellent performance on the field.
How could they sit still?
They really wanted to get on the field and play.
But unfortunately, Coach Kataoka didn't give them this opportunity.
In fact, they didn't have the time to get caught in their disappointment, as Kawakami and Furuya caught them for a warm-up!
"Eh? Why didn't you guys ask me?" Miyuki was surprised that they didn't ask him to catch them.
But they completely ignored him and moved to the bullpen…
"Hyaa-ha-haa! What do they want from a guy who got replaced!" Kuramochi will not lose this opportunity to gloat at Miyuki.
"…You know, you should learn to mince your words a bit!"
"Hyaa-ha-haa!" Kuramochi's words had a damaging effect on black hearted catcher, and that by itself made Kuramochi more pleased.
There are not many chances to make this sharp-tongued Miyuki uncomfortable, especially with how thick his skin is.
"Don't worry, sit tight on the bench while we bring down this monster!"
"You always have so many thoughts and worries on the field, for once, you can relax and watch the game."
"It is our time to take the worry now. Rest assured Miyuki, we will win this game and bring you back into the field!"
Kuramochi, Shiratsu, and Maezono assured Miyuki that they would handle it and that he could leave everything to them.
'These guys…' Miyuki was surprised by his teammates' attitude, he actually never doubted them and knew they could bring back this win.
His teammates are strong, even in this situation they were pressuring Narumiya like crazy, and sooner or later they will topple him down.
They needed to just hold on until then and not let the opponent widen the gap.
"Alright, but focus on the defense for now, we are going to face their 5th 6th, and 7th batter, they are not the best but they are tricky on their own." Miyuki could only say this to his friends before they took the field.
"YOU GOT IT!"
"NOW LET'S GO!!"
"WE WILL BRING THEM DOWN!!"
"YYYEEEEAAAAAAHHHHH!"
The boys roared to show their spirit, rushing to the field like soldiers going to war!
Meanwhile, Coach Ochiai was quietly stroking his small beard, thinking about Kataoka's decision.
The catcher on the field wasn't Yui, whom he had recommended, but Ono Hiroshi.
After working with Coach Kataoka for over a year, Coach Ochiai understood well that Kataoka's decision wasn't made to go against him.
He must have his reasons.
It wasn't until he heard Coach Kataoka's instructions to Ono that Ochiai finally understood Kataoka's thinking.
Compared to the three catchers, Coach Kataoka clearly trusted Sawamura's abilities more.
So, instead of selecting the most suitable catcher for facing Inashiro (who, in Ochiai's view, would be Yui, and in Kataoka's view, Okumura), he chose the catcher who would completely trust Sawamura and was willing to support him.
Not every catcher has such awareness.
Ono Hiroshi, who had been a backup for so long, didn't have any particularly outstanding skills, but he was always very reliable.
Perhaps this is why Coach Kataoka valued him.
A supporting role doesn't need to be too flashy, as long as it complements the main star.
Moreover, Ono's fundamentals are solid, and he practices with Sawamura more than anyone else.
At this time, sending him onto the field was the most suitable choice.
After understanding this, Coach Ochiai nodded and stopped voicing any opinions.
The Seidou High School Baseball Team's internal position battles were not visible to outsiders.
From their perspective, sending Ono onto the field at this moment was the natural choice.
Sawamura and Ono, who were preparing to play, discussed their pitching strategy.
"How do you want to do it?"
Ono Hiroshi made it very clear that he was just a helper.
Whatever Sawamura wanted to do, he would cooperate.
"Next, the opponent will definitely try to force me into difficult pitches."
Sawamura had a clear understanding of the current situation.
Putting himself in Coach Kunitomo's position, he would do the same.
Forced Sawamura to use extremely difficult pitches, even if the batter swings and misses, the catcher might still fail to catch the ball.
This would expose Seidou's weakness in switching catchers.
"Do you have a plan?"
"We'll take it one step at a time. But since the opponent wants to keep pressuring me, they'll probably hit any good balls a Foul, right?"
Ono wasn't stupid. When Sawamura hinted at his plan, he immediately understood.
"That's not a bad idea. If used properly, taking down the opponent should be no problem."
"Then let's go!"
"Fifth batter, catcher, Tadano-kun."
At this moment, Tadano stood in the Batter's Box, ready to swing at any time.
On the pitcher's mound, Sawamura looked calm, as though he wasn't worried about the current situation.
Once the umpire signaled the start, Sawamura immediately got into position and threw the ball!
Tadano's back immediately felt a chill.
He hadn't expected Sawamura to act so decisively.
Without giving them any chance to react, he pitched immediately.
'Wasn't he afraid the catcher would be caught off guard and miss the ball?'
SNAP!
"STRIKE!"
Tadano had clearly overthought things. Sawamura had no such worries.
His pitching was as powerful as always.
Ono, the catcher, caught the ball smoothly, looking almost effortless.
Although Sawamura's difficult pitches were hard to catch, even the third-level breaking balls, Ono was still able to handle it through his year of hard work.
For a moment, it threw Tadano off guard.
Of course, Sawamura wouldn't give him a chance to adjust his rhythm.
Without hesitation, Sawamura threw his second pitch.
WHRROOSH!
The baseball shot through the air like a laser, crossing over a dozen meters and reaching the Batter's Box.
'What a sharp pitch!'
Tadano felt his mind race.
He remembered Coach Kunitomo's advice from before.
Keep the pressure on! It wasn't to wear Sawamura out, but to force him into making difficult pitches.
He had already struck out 18 batters, and each additional strikeout would be a new record.
As long as there was a chance, Sawamura wouldn't miss it.
But if Sawamura wanted to add more strikeouts, he would have to pitch even more difficult balls.
That guy's pitches were so weird that even Seidou's own catcher might not catch them.
If they could exploit this, their chance would come!
…
T/N: The game is almost over!
It has taken longer than I expected, at least I hope you guys are enjoying it.
As always, Thank you all for reading!!
Have a good day people!
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