[514] The Expected Difficulty of the Inashiro Match

Chapter 514: The Expected Difficulty of the Inashiro Match

"A sharp hit! Cleanup ace Narumiya Mei perfectly timed Sawamura's outside fastball, pulling it to right-center for a clean hit! The runner from second returned home easily—Inashiro Industrial takes the early lead in the top of the first!!"

"Nice hit, Mei!"

"Our Ace! Our Cleanup King! So reliable!"

"Beautiful contact, Narumiya!"

"Let's go, Inashiro!"

"Keep it going, Yabe!!"

Narumiya stood confidently on second base, left hand raised high.

His presence ignited an eruption of cheers from the Inashiro dugout and their supporters in the stands.

In this tournament so far, Eijun had only allowed a single run—and that was way back in the opening round against Teitou.

Yet here he was, surrendering a run in the first inning of the finals.

Naturally, Inashiro had every reason to celebrate.

On the mound, Eijun steadied his breathing.

He knew full well—his pitch just now had been off.

His control slipped, and the ball floated high.

The location was off, too.

Had it stayed where it should've, Narumiya likely wouldn't have made contact at all.

Behind the plate, Miyuki furrowed his brows.

From what he knew of Eijun, this kind of back-to-back misfire was almost unheard of.

"Time out."

Something in Miyuki's instincts told him—this was the moment to pause.

Without hesitation, he called time and jogged to the mound.

"That was a pinpoint hit. Even on an outside pitch like that, Narumiya managed to drive it clean."

"Coach Kunimoto definitely has high hopes for him…

Pitcher and hitter, a true dual-threat ace."

"Still, that pitch from Sawamura was kind of an easy one, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it looked a little too high."

"Even so, Narumiya's ability to hit it squarely—still impressive."

"First blood to Inashiro. That's not a good start for Seidou."

"Sawamura seems a little off today."

"Runner still on second—let's see if Miyuki and Sawamura can stop the bleeding here."

In the stands, tens of thousands of spectators buzzed with discussion.

Everyone had their own opinion about that early run.

But one thing they all agreed on—Inashiro had seized the early momentum.

"Sawamura, that pitch was too stiff."

Standing on the mound, Miyuki said it flatly, his tone serious.

"That's not a mistake you usually make."

"…Yeah, I know, Miyuki-senpai. I overdid it a bit."

Eijun gave a small nod and answered with a light, casual tone.

He didn't want anyone realizing the issue with his arm this early—not in the first inning.

Sure, there might be suspicions—but as long as he kept his demeanor calm and his performance mostly stable, that was all it would be: suspicion.

And just as expected—

Hearing Eijun's steady tone, Miyuki had his doubts, but didn't push further.

After all, Eijun's overall pitching still looked decent.

Miyuki didn't even connect it to yesterday's collision at first base.

Why would he?

Back then, Eijun had acted completely normal—

not the slightest hint of injury or discomfort.

"It's just the first inning. Don't lose your cool, Ace.

Take it slow," Miyuki said with a grin, extending his left hand.

Eijun bumped his glove against it with a nod.

"Yeah… I got it, Miyuki-senpai."

"Batting fifth, third baseman—Yabe."

Miyuki's timeout couldn't have come at a better moment.

It gave Eijun a brief chance to recover—to settle from the strain of the two-seamer and regain focus after his misfired outside fastball.

It gave him clarity on where his condition stood,

and how to adjust his pitching form accordingly.

Whoosh.

Pop!

"Strike! Batter out! Three outs—change sides!"

It was as if Eijun had regained his rhythm.

His outside pitches were smoother, his inside pitches sharper, and his variety of breaking balls added another layer of pressure. With that mix, Inashiro's fifth batter, Yabe, couldn't find any real opening.

After being chased by three fastballs—

The fourth pitch, a five-seam fastball—

Though it lacked the full power and break of Eijun's prime, the slight adjustment in form was enough. Yabe swung and missed.

Strikeout.

Eijun smoothly closed out the inning, ending Inashiro's offensive push.

"With a sharp outside breaking pitch to finish it off, Sawamura strikes out Inashiro's fifth batter! Even after giving up a run in the first, he didn't allow them to extend their lead—He shut it down cleanly with a clutch strikeout!"

"Nice pitch, Sawamura!"

"Just one run! Don't sweat it!"

"You got this, Sawamura!"

"That's it, don't give them any more chances!"

"Attaboy, Ace!"

"Keep that groove, Sawamura!"

With the fifth batter retired—

Eijun let out a quiet breath on the mound.

Thankfully, the issue didn't snowball.

This opening inning had been far tougher than he originally expected.

From now on, he knew—he'd have to be extra careful.

He gently clenched and released his left hand, silently reminding himself.

In Seidou's dugout and among their fans in the stands, there was a subtle sigh of relief.

It wasn't that they expected Eijun to never give up runs—But this kind of rocky start hadn't been seen since the summer tournament.

In fact, from the summer all the way to now, he had been nearly flawless in opening innings.

Fortunately, it seemed like this was just a small blip.

His strikeout against the fifth batter reassured everyone: maybe it was just a brief dip in form—

every pitcher has those.

As long as he maintained a solid level of consistency most of the time, he'd be fine.

And based on his recovery in the rest of the inning,

that's exactly what everyone believed.

Back in Seidou's third-base dugout—

"Well? How is it?"

Coach Kataoka asked calmly as Eijun and Miyuki returned to the bench.

Eijun adjusted his cap slightly, flashing a relaxed smile.

"I just lost a bit of control there, used too much force.

Nothing serious."

"…Good. It's only the first inning. One run isn't worth worrying about. What matters most is what comes next."

Kataoka nodded slightly, speaking in a composed tone.

"Yes, sir."

Sawamura responded firmly.

Coach Kataoka didn't seem to notice anything unusual.

But behind him—

Ochiai, gently stroking his chin and narrowing his eyes, had a different impression.

In just this single inning—

The experienced and sharp-eyed Coach Ochiai had sensed a faint oddity in Eijun's pitching.

He wasn't close enough to confirm it for certain—

But something wasn't right.

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