The Old Baseball Player System

But Shun\'s rest didn\'t last long, as he had dinner early and went straight to bed. Shun then spent a long night in the arena, practicing pitching and hitting in the training center.

Sunday morning arrived, bringing with it the day of the fourth round. Shun got up early as usual and, without wasting time, left the house for his morning run.

The boy returned home only to have breakfast and grab his things, heading directly to the baseball field at Shoto Junior High, where the team had arranged to meet before going together to the stadium.

When the entire team arrived, Coach Yamada quickly went over the team\'s strategies for this game against Suiren Junior High. The pitcher chosen for the game was Sora. Thus, Jiro took right field, while Shun covered center field in place of the ejected Ryosuke.

In the lineup, there weren\'t many changes. Shun continued as the leadoff hitter, followed by the young samurai Ren. However, instead of Kenta, Jiro was placed as the third hitter, moving Kenta to fourth. Daigo became the fifth batter, followed by Sora. The end of the lineup had Hisashi in seventh, Tomo in eighth, and Takeya in ninth.

Coach Yamada made a few changes to try to balance the lineup, even though it was difficult to avoid the team\'s reliance on the third-year players\' hits.

Shun also talked a bit about Suiren\'s pitcher with the whole team and later, on the bus, explained in detail what he had observed about Suiren\'s hitters to Daigo and Sora.

Thus, the fourth round of the Tokyo tournament, Shoto Junior High against Suiren Junior High, began.

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The tension was palpable as the players of Shoto Junior High took the field. Sora was on the mound, ready to start his first duel of the morning. He adjusted his glove, took a deep breath, and focused on Daigo\'s signals behind the home plate. Daigo had already received instructions from Shun about Suiren\'s key hitters and was ready to guide him.

The first Suiren Junior High hitter, a tall boy with a determined look, positioned himself in the box, swinging his bat a few times. Sora knew he needed to start with a safe pitch to calibrate his arm and maintain control.

Daigo signaled the fastball, a pitch that would bring speed and precision.

Sora lifted his leg, propelled his body forward, and threw with firmness.

PAH

"Strike!" - The umpire announced.

The Suiren hitter narrowed his eyes. He knew it wouldn\'t be an easy game against Shoto. Confident with the good start, Sora prepared for the next pitch. Daigo indicated a curveball. Sora nodded, knowing that combining speed and spin could confuse the opponent.

He threw the curve low, making the ball drop slightly out of the zone. The hitter hesitated but couldn\'t hold back and swung the bat.

WOOSH

PAH

"Strike!"

The hitter was annoyed for swinging too early and, now trapped with two strikes, prepared for a possible third pitch. Daigo signaled for the screwball, Sora\'s specialty pitch that broke the opposite way, making it harder to read.

Sora focused, and, like a whip, released the screwball toward home plate. The ball traveled in a straight path but suddenly veered toward the opposite corner.

WOOSH

PAH

"StrikeOut!" - The umpire announced, and the Suiren hitter lowered his bat, frustrated.

The first out of the day gave a confidence boost to Sora and the Shoto team. He received the ball back, determined to keep up the pace.

The next Suiren hitter, shorter and more agile, cautiously positioned himself in the box. He knew Sora\'s screwball was dangerous. Daigo opted to start with a curveball, hoping to see how the hitter would react.

PAH

The hitter held back, and the ball passed very close to the corner of the zone.

"Ball!" - The umpire called.

Sora adjusted. He threw another curveball, this time more centered but with a late break that fooled the hitter. The ball seemed in the middle of the zone but suddenly dropped.

WOOSH

PAH

"Strike!"

The count was tied. Sora then decided it was time for another screwball, but he aimed it outside the zone, trying to draw an impulsive reaction.

PAH

"Ball!" - The hitter resisted, deciding not to risk it.

With a slight nod, Sora prepared for a fastball down the center. He wanted to show that, besides spin, he also had power.

The Suiren hitter got ready, and as soon as the ball flew toward the zone, he swung with all his might, making slight contact.

WOOSH

DING

The ball was hit toward the infield, where Kenta, alert, easily caught it and threw to first base.

PAH

"Out!" - The umpire called, with two hitters down.

The last hitter in this part of Suiren\'s lineup looked nervous. He had already seen Sora\'s precision and Shoto\'s cohesive defense and knew it would be difficult to get on base.

Daigo signaled for the screwball again. They wanted to see how the third hitter would handle Sora\'s most unpredictable pitch.

Sora threw, the ball zigzagging toward the outer corner.

WOOSH

PAH

The hitter swung and missed, clearly deceived by the movement.

With a subtle smile, Sora delivered a similar sequence: screwball, curveball, and finally, a high fastball.

WOOSH

PAH

"StrikeOut! 3 outs, changeover!" - The umpire called, ending the top of the first inning with three solid outs for Shoto.

The Suiren team returned to their dugout visibly shaken. Sora had set a strong pace, and Shoto Junior High seemed more than prepared for this fourth round. Now it was Shoto\'s turn to showcase their batting power.

Shun was the first to step into the batter\'s box. He studied the Suiren pitcher carefully, recalling the observations he made the previous day. This pitcher preferred mixing fastballs with a tricky splitter, but Shun knew that with patience, he could find a weak spot.

The first pitch was a fastball, but Shun decided to wait, letting it pass.

PAH

"Ball!" - The umpire called, confirming the ball was out of the strike zone.

The pitcher frowned, slightly annoyed by Shun\'s patience. He threw a second fastball, this time more centered.

Shun didn\'t miss the opportunity. He stepped forward with a firm swing, and the sound of the contact echoed across the field.

WOOSH

DOONG

The ball went straight to left field, quickly passing the first baseman. Shun dashed, safely reaching first base with a satisfied smile.

Ren, the second hitter, watched Shun as he prepared in the box. He knew the Suiren pitcher would be watching Shun at first base and tried to use that to his advantage.

As the pitcher began his wind-up, Shun made a slight running threat to disrupt the rhythm. Ren seized the moment and, with a solid swing, grounded the ball toward right field.

WOOSH

DONG

Shun, with his quick instincts, ran to second base and decided to advance to third while the right fielder scrambled to retrieve the ball.

PAH

"Safe!" - The umpire declared as Shun slid into third base, with Ren safe at first.

Now, with runners on the corners and no outs, Jiro stepped into the batter\'s box, focused on bringing Shun home. The Suiren pitcher, nervous about the situation, opted for a splitter to break the hitting sequence.

But Jiro was ready. He watched the ball dip and, at the last second, made a light bunt toward the infield. It was the perfect play to bring Shun home.

TONK

Shun ran with all his might, sliding into home.

PAH

"Safe!"

The first run for Shoto was on the board, and the team celebrated in the dugout. Ren advanced to second base, and with Suiren\'s infielders focused on Shun at home, Jiro safely reached first. It was the perfect play to open the score and boost the team\'s confidence.

With a run on the board and a runner in scoring position, Kenta stepped into the box. The Suiren pitcher knew he\'d need to be careful with Shoto\'s captain.

The first pitch was a fastball. Kenta stayed calm, observing the pitch.

"Ball!"

The count was in his favor, and on the second pitch, the pitcher threw a curve, but Kenta was ready. As the ball reached the zone, he swung with all his strength.

WOOSH

DOONG

The ball traveled far, almost reaching the center-field fence, allowing Ren and Jiro to cross home plate and Kenta to advance to second base with a double. The Shoto crowd erupted in excitement, and the scoreboard now showed 3-0.

Daigo was up next, determined to keep the momentum going. With a precise hit, he drove Kenta to third base, though he was tagged out at first.

Sora, now with a chance to contribute on offense, entered the box with extra determination. The Suiren pitcher, already feeling the strain of the inning, delivered a fastball, but Sora didn\'t hesitate. He swung powerfully, sending the ball toward right field.

WOOSH

DONG

Kenta sprinted for home, increasing the score to 4-0, while Sora reached first base. Unfortunately, the last hitters in the lineup couldn\'t keep the momentum going, the seventh and eighth batters were retired, ending Shoto\'s offense for that inning.