Chapter 78: Using Every Chance

Seeing Allen making a bunt stance, no matter what the Seidou School Baseball Team had been planning, at this moment, they had no choice but to follow the defense strategy.

They had no choice but to move their infielders forward!

If they didn't do this, there was no way to stop a bunt.

And with Mike's speed, the Seidou High School players would have no chance to react.

So even though they were being led by the nose, they had no choice but to follow.

The infielders of Seidou moved forward, and Allen was pleased.

He pulled his bat back into his stance.

Seeing this, the Seidou players had no choice but to step back.

When they retreated, Allen took up his bunt stance again.

Back and forth, they kept facing off like this three times.

Eventually, the Seidou players gave up.

During the confrontation, they were like fools, completely following the opponent's rhythm.

If this continued, the situation would only become more passive.

With no other option, the Seidou players could only remain in their defensive stance.

Although this gave Allen the space to hit, fortunately, Seidou still had a trump card.

Sawamura's pitching was not something the opponent could easily bunt.

At this moment, no matter how heavy Sawamura's burden was, he could only keep carrying it.

Sawamura on the mound was fully aware of this.

Even if Allen was determined to bunt, he didn't care. And now, Allen had pulled his bat back.

Before pitching, Sawamura glanced towards third base.

He didn't expect to easily solve the problem of Mike on third base.

Once that guy was on base, he was as timid as a rabbit and wouldn't dare to stray too far!

Sawamura's purpose in looking over was simply to keep him in check.

After all, if the Dream Team players were allowed to run freely, they could cause a lot of trouble.

Seeing Mike obediently waiting at third, Sawamura turned his attention back to Allen.

When it came to pitching, Allen's talent was something Sawamura himself couldn't match.

But when it came to batting!

Sawamura didn't think Allen was much stronger than him.

'This guy was just riding on his fame to show off in the Batter's Box.'

If we're talking about batting power, Sawamura believed he was the stronger one.

Now, Sawamura made his stride and pitched.

During Sawamura's pitch, Allen raised his bat high, ready for a showdown.

However, as soon as Sawamura released the ball,

Allen instantly made a 180-degree turn.

He pulled his bat back and shifted to a bunt.

On the mound, Sawamura was stunned.

The infielders of Seidou had all moved forward for a bunt defense. This was the result of Allen's earlier deliberate adjustments...

To direct the opponent to his intended attack direction, then send the ball into their hands?

'Allen, what kind of strategy is this?'

'What do you want with this!'

Sawamura was confused.

In a flash, Sawamura's mind raced.

If the opponent wasn't deliberately trying to self-destruct, then where did Allen actually want to hit the ball?

Thinking of this, Sawamura felt the fog in front of him clear.

Everything became clear.

Throwing away all impossibilities, Allen's action now was aimed directly at attacking the center.

Despite Maezono and Kanemaru already using the forward defense strategy,

The ball's path hadn't been completely blocked.

For example, directly in front of the pitcher…

'That's a good one!'

Truthfully, Sawamura was surprised by his own guess.

Whether or not his guess was correct, the only option for action at that moment was one.

He had to run forward without hesitation.

Sawamura thought this and did it.

He took the lead and charged forward.

Paak!

Just as Sawamura had expected, Allen indeed bunted the ball toward the center.

'This is a payback for the one before!'

Allen couldn't bunt the ball before, because he was surprised by Sawamura's Forkball. So He was now ready and he took a step toward the mound to stop the ball before it broke completely.

The ball rolled at just the right speed, perfectly avoiding Maezono and Kanemaru.

The famous Son of Baseball, using a bunt to intentionally walk, was hard to believe in such a match.

But no matter how hard it was to believe, the reality was right in front of them.

What was more surprising was that the guy himself was happy about it.

In this match against the Seidou High School Baseball Team, the Dream Team had indeed given their all.

They held nothing back, using all their strength to score a run.

But unfortunately, as the saying goes, "The higher the magic, the higher the counter."

The Dream Team's tactics, while not bad, were no match for the superior skills of Sawamura.

Sawamura had already prepared.

The mental processing that took place in his mind was complex, but to Sawamura himself, it was just a fleeting moment.

To the spectators, it seemed like as soon as Sawamura threw the ball, he immediately started running forward.

By the time the ball was hit, Sawamura had already covered several meters.

The ball rolled towards him, and Sawamura chased after it.

In an instant, the two met.

Sawamura quickly scooped up the ball, not even using his mitt to catch it, and directly threw it to home plate.

Snap!

Catcher Miyuki, who had worked with Sawamura for a while now didn't hesitate at all. Even though they couldn't communicate perfectly, they were in sync.

He had already prepared.

Once he received the ball, he immediately turned and tagged the runner Out.

Mike O'Connor's eyes nearly popped out.

They had originally thought this attack was almost certain to succeed, but the opponent's skill had surpassed theirs.

"OUT!!"

Everything seemed to have been set up, Mike was eliminated cleanly.

However, this delay prevented them from dealing with Mike's base runner, Allen.

Luckily, there were already two Outs.

Even if Allen got to base now, the danger wouldn't be too great.

Two Outs, a runner on first!

The crisis for Seidou High School's baseball team was mostly averted.

Of course, the players still couldn't relax just yet.

They had to continue fighting to make sure they could get through this inning safely.

After a few pitches, Sawamura made a bold move with a Moving ball.

Paak!

He forced the batter to hit a high fly ball, completing the defensive play for this inning.

Three Outs, offense and defense exchanged!

The thrilling back-and-forth in this game had become the biggest highlight.

The Dream Team fans in the stands were all excited beyond measure.

They found it hard to believe how intense the match was.

The level of both teams far exceeded their expectations.

"Truly tenacious!"

At this point, Walter's gaze towards Sawamura was no longer just one of admiration.

He had a premonition that in the near future, they would definitely meet again on a Major League field.

By that time, the name Sawamura would surely resound around the world.

Although Walter still thought that Sawamura had some shortcomings, such as his pitching velocity and endurance...

These were enough to compete with players of the same age.

However, when facing Major League players in the future, he needed to improve in these two aspects.

"Fortunately for him, he was still young!"

He had just entered his second year of high school and still had almost a year and a half until graduation.

With that time for refinement, Walter believed Sawamura would mature even more.

He would surely elevate his skills to even greater heights.

By that time, the Major League would truly shine with a constellation of stars.

The next few years would be the most exciting in the history of the Major League so far...

Though he was in awe of Sawamura's abilities, when talking with his own players, Walter didn't bring this up.

Instead, he raised another point.

"Good job, well done!"

The Dream Team players were a little uncomfortable with their Coach's praise.

From their own perspective, their performance couldn't really be considered excellent.

Though they had managed to score and tie the game, in the end, when it came down to the last opportunity, they had failed.

They didn't manage to take the lead and gave Seidou a chance to breathe.

The score was tied.

This meant that both teams still had a chance.

And from the state of the game, Seidou High School still had a good opportunity.

In the bottom of the 7th inning, the first batter for Seidou High School would be Sawamura.

At this point, no one dared to underestimate Sawamura.

He had practically single-handedly elevated the strength of Seidou's baseball team, putting them on equal footing with the legendary Dream Team.

If you put yourself in their shoes...

If you placed these proud Dream Team players in Sawamura's position, none of them could reach the level Sawamura had attained.

Not even Allen, the "Son of Baseball."

Under these circumstances, who on the Dream Team would dare to underestimate Sawamura?

Not just his pitching, but even his batting power was intimidating.

In their previous encounters, Sawamura had hit Allen's pitches twice.

This kind of showdown was the first time these Dream Team players had seen such a thing.

In the bottom of the 7th inning.

He was the first to step into the Batter's Box.

Even the players from the Dream Team, if they thought about it for a second, could guess what was coming.

Sawamura and Seidou High School wouldn't give up easily.

They would surely try to take this opportunity to take the lead.

At this point, did Walter's Coach really lose his mind?

How could he say they performed well?

"Not only did we tie the score, but we also pressured their pitcher," Walter said, without acknowledging the puzzled looks from his players.

He continued, smiling confidently.

Hearing this, the Dream Team players were even more confused.

Did they really pressure Sawamura?

Why hadn't they noticed that?

"Maybe the game was too intense. Didn't you all notice? The opposing pitcher's sweating has doubled compared to before. Though his pitching hasn't dropped in quality yet, I believe that will change soon."

Walter said confidently.

Even though Sawamura and Miyuki had done their best to cover this up earlier...

Some signs had still leaked out.

And these signs didn't escape Walter's notice.

After seeing them, he wouldn't pass up the opportunity to take advantage of his opponent's weakness.

If there was a chance to counterattack, Walter, as the Coach and his players would absolutely not let it slip.

…