[511] The Opening Dilemma of the Inashiro Match

Chapter 511: The Opening Dilemma of the Inashiro Match

With his tall frame, dark skin, and confident smile—Carlos stood in the batter's box.

Compared to the summer tournament, his batting average had clearly improved.

While he wasn't yet as terrifying as his second-part manga counterpart, who could smack home runs out of nowhere, his current power hitting was still nothing to underestimate.

In fact, his ability to hit for extra bases was just as good as some cleanup hitters from other teams.

And combined with his speed—

Carlos was arguably the most dangerous all-around threat in Inashiro Industrial's lineup.

Against a batter like this, the key was to overpower him with pitch strength.

If not, he'd be a real problem.

On the mound, Eijun rotated the ball in his left hand behind his back, feeling the sensation at his fingertips and in his arm.

"Play ball!"

At the umpire's call—

Carlos instantly tightened his expression and shifted into a clear bunting stance.

It was obvious—he was looking to bunt.

Eijun grit his teeth.

Behind the plate, Miyuki narrowed his eyes and gave a subtle sign with his fingers.

He's just testing us. Don't fall for it. Start with a fastball inside—win this with velocity!

Eijun confirmed the sign with a small nod.

He took a deep breath—

Raised his right leg high and then exploded forward.

Boom!

His left arm shot up—

Then came crashing down.

Whoosh!

As the ball blazed toward home plate—

A sharp, tingling sensation ran from his fingertips up his arm, causing a flicker of change in Eijun's expression.

The straight fastball blazed ahead.

And right as it neared the plate—

Carlos abruptly pulled back, shifting into a normal batting stance, then swung!

Swish—CRACK!

The loud crack of the bat rang out.

Carlos had a strange look on his face.

That impact—he could feel something strange through the bat into his hands.

Surprise flashed across his mind, but it didn't affect his follow-through at all.

With a smooth twist of his body, he completed his powerful swing.

All his strength poured into the motion.

Whoosh!

The ball shot out toward third base.

Thud!

It slammed hard into the ground and ricocheted.

Third baseman Shoji dove—

But the ball just barely slipped past the line and zipped by third base.

In the batter's box—

Carlos had already tossed his bat and sprinted off.

Everyone's eyes followed his flying figure.

By the time left fielder Asou picked up the ball—

Carlos was already sliding into second base with textbook form.

With a bold swing on the very first pitch of the game, Inashiro instantly created a scoring opportunity—catching everyone off guard with just how clean and aggressive the play was.

"…He's already on second?"

"Damn, Carlos is going all out from the very first pitch!"

"Was Sawamura's pitch just now off target?"

"No, no—it wasn't. That pitch was low and tight on the inside. Very tricky location. Carlos probably just guessed the pitch right."

"Well, Carlos has been performing really well this fall. Coach Kunimoto was even considering moving him to a cleanup spot. That first pitch going like this... it's within acceptable margins."

"The real problem is what comes after. With Carlos already on second, this opening inning could get tricky."

In the stands, spectators reacted with surprise at the very first showdown.

Everyone expected an intense, high-level clash right from the beginning—but even so, this start caught many off guard.

Even Seidou's side hadn't seen it coming.

Just like that, on the first pitch, their least-wanted baserunner made it to second base?

On Seidou's bench, both Coach Kataoka and Coach Ochiai frowned slightly.

But only Eijun, standing on the mound, knew the truth.

The moment he released the pitch—

A sudden muscle spasm in his arm disrupted the transmission of power to his fingertips.

The pitch had no real heat behind it.

Otherwise, under normal conditions, that ball would've gone foul—no chance it would've landed in play and reached the outfield.

In the infield, Kuramochi and Haruichi, who both knew the inside story, seemed to sense something was wrong too. They glanced toward the mound, concern flashing in their eyes.

"Sawamura."

At home plate, Miyuki hadn't noticed anything off.

After all, giving up a hit on the first pitch was nothing unusual. He hadn't caught that one himself and based on what he saw, the pitch's speed and location didn't seem problematic.

Naturally, he chalked it up to Carlos simply winning the exchange.

Miyuki called out softly to Eijun, giving his arm a gentle wave.

"It's only the first pitch. Don't let it get to you."

"…Yeah."

Eijun nodded lightly from the mound.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Looks like he couldn't afford to go full force on his throws.

He needed to adjust his form, ease up on the arm motion.

Even if it meant sacrificing a bit of velocity and movement—he had to ensure he could still deliver with some control.

Focus on command now.

He ran through countless thoughts in his head before finally steeling himself.

"Second batter, shortstop—Shirakawa!"

Another bunt?

The moment Shirakawa stepped into the batter's box, he also squared up in a clear bunting stance.

From Inashiro's perspective—

That first hit had already proven Eijun wasn't in top condition to start.

In the dugout, Coach Kunimoto adjusted his strategy immediately:

Capitalize on this early-game window.

Pile on pressure against Sawamura.

This made Eijun grind his teeth in frustration.

He already knew these two guys were annoying to deal with.

This time—they were even worse than before.

"First pitch—low and outside. Keep it lower, more precise."

Miyuki subtly moved his fingers beneath the mitt.

On the mound, Eijun's expression turned serious.

He made a slight adjustment to his stance based on how the last pitch felt.

His leg lift and arm swing were also subtly corrected.

Whoosh—

As his arm lifted—

That faint sting and numbness in his left arm came again.

But this time, it wasn't enough to affect the pitch.

The ball shimmered off his fingertips and shot toward home plate.

As the sharp gleam of the pitch cut through the air—

In the batter's box, Shirakawa's expression darkened.

His uncovered eye clearly tracked the ball's path.

He stepped out and abruptly straightened his posture, swinging the bat fast and sharp.

Swish—

And at that same moment—

Carlos burst off from second base.

CRACK!!

A loud crack rang out.

The ball roared off the bat—

Blazing light streaked across the field—

And figures from the infield dashed forward at full speed.

At that instant—

A fierce, perfect contrast of motion ignited across the diamond.

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