Chapter 351: Coach Kataoka's Instructions
This at-bat put a lot of pressure on Kuramochi. Especially since the previous core lineup had failed to score, making this turn extremely important.
Moreover, after entering Koshien—aside from that earlier one-sided game—his batting average hadn't been good. You could say his weakness at the plate had already been exposed.
"Kuramochi!"
At that moment, Coach Kataoka called him over and gave him some on-the-spot instructions.
This sudden attack was crucial. Once the opponent figured it out, it would be hard to get such a good opportunity again.
No one knew what exactly Coach Kataoka told him.
After stepping into the left-handed batter's box, Kuramochi, having received the coach's instructions, assumed a bunt stance.
"No outs, runner on first! Here, Seidou chooses the safe option—advancing the runner!" the commentator announced as he watched Seidou's move.
"Take the safe out here! Infield! Be ready for a hit-and-run! Third baseman, move up and watch for the bunt—this batter is very fast!…"
Nagumo glanced at Shirasu, who was itching to run on first base, and began directing the field with a series of gestures, signs, and shouts.
"Very cautious, Kiryu!"
"Of course. Even though it's only the middle innings, the score difference is just one run. If this continues, it could end up being a very low-scoring game. Every single run might decide the outcome. And this is the top of the lineup in the third round—you definitely don't want too many runners on base. If they advance another runner, this inning will bring up the cleanup hitter again! That last out was already dangerously close—he hit a bad pitch that far! Most importantly, with runners on base, you can't just throw bad pitches anymore!"
"Ah! Now that you mention it, I almost forgot. That's really true!"
Even the spectators on the sidelines felt their hearts tighten.
Baseball games always alternate between calm moments and intense tension.
"No matter what you're planning, I won't let you succeed so easily! It could be a hit-and-run, so don't throw anything easy to hit! Use this pitch to test them!"
The guy who had been grinning slyly for a while nodded without feeling any strain in his face.
At the same time, Coach Kataoka also gave a sign to Shirasu.
Shirasu touched the brim of his cap to show he understood.
"Pop!"
"The runner's going!"
"Whoosh!"
"So it is a bunt?" That thought flashed through Nagumo's mind in an instant.
But since the first pitch was meant as a probe, Nagumo wasn't flustered at all.
"Smack!"
"Ball!"
However, Kuramochi pulled the bat back at the last moment. As Nagumo caught the ball and looked up, preparing to throw, he saw Shirasu returning to first base.
"I've been played!"
At that moment, he fully realized he had just been tricked.
Coach Kataoka's earlier sign had been for Shirasu to fake a steal as cover.
As for what it was covering, even Shirasu didn't know—it had been passed directly between him and Kuramochi.
"Whew…"
In the batter's box, Kuramochi took a deep breath again, releasing the pressure.
As the one executing the tactic, he was under the greatest strain.
....
"Listen carefully! On the first pitch, take a bunt stance—but it's just a feint! Watch the pitch carefully. If it's something you can hit, don't hesitate—but that's unlikely. They'll definitely use the first pitch to read your intentions, to judge whether it's a bunt or a hit-and-run. It won't be an easy pitch to hit, so be patient. Your target is still the outside pitch. Also, don't make your step too obvious in this at-bat. Even if the first pitch is outside, if it's not good to hit, don't force it. They're most cautious on the first pitch—holding back will only confuse them more. I'll have Shirasu cooperate with you on the first pitch. Until you're pressured in the count, don't swing at pitches you're not confident in. If you feel there's no opportunity, I'll have you bunt to advance the runner!"
Recalling Coach Kataoka's instructions, Kuramochi glanced toward the bench.
Seeing the coach nod and make a signal—bringing both fists together as if gripping a bat—Kuramochi switched to a normal batting stance for the second pitch.
This was the terrifying part of having a proper strategist as a coach. If left to the players themselves, aside from Sendo, no one could construct such a layered, interconnected strategy. Even Miyuki couldn't yet think that deeply.
Miyuki had excellent overall vision, but this kind of multi-layered tactical planning was still beyond him at this stage—he hadn't reached the level he would have as a third-year guiding others.
Before his third year, Miyuki was more carefree and didn't think that deeply. Simply put, he was still in the "under the shade of a big tree" phase—he just needed to focus on what was in front of him, and most of his energy went into defense.
As for Sendo… that old schemer.
It wasn't that he wasn't carefree—it's just that this kind of thing was his personal hobby.
With his active mind, sometimes he even thought deeper than Coach Kataoka.
In fact, if Sendo were the one at bat, Coach Kataoka wouldn't even bother giving instructions—he'd just let him do whatever he wanted.
If not for Sendo's love of toying with opponents, would he even use something as "boring" as bunting in a game?
Miyuki, on the other hand, could also lure batters—but it wasn't his interest. His passion lay in pitch calling, pitchers, and overall game management—not in analyzing others' thoughts.
When Kuramochi let the first outside low pitch go and raised his bat again, Nagumo became even more confused.
Although the stance had changed, he still couldn't relax his guard at all. In fact, not understanding Seidou's intent only increased the pressure.
Realizing the situation was no longer something he could handle alone, Nagumo turned his gaze toward the bench.
Now he could only rely on his coach to face off against the opposing coach.
"It's fine! Just face them head-on!"
Coach Matsumoto, without the slightest hesitation, gave his signal.
Thinking too much only leads to losing yourself—just focus on your own baseball.
As a coach, Matsumoto understood this better than anyone.
It was similar to when facing Inashiro—Coach Kataoka decisively abandoned off-speed pitches and told his players to focus on their own baseball.
With his coach's guidance, Nagumo was no longer confused. He maintained all necessary caution, and what remained was to focus on confronting the batter.
Seeing the signal for a straightforward duel, Tate was unusually happy.
Almost no pitcher likes constantly hiding and avoiding confrontation.
Only that first-year "little sun" from Teito—who had already been eliminated in the round of 16—had such a peculiar preference.
That "little sun" actually had some similarities to Sendo.
The difference was that the little sun enjoyed luring batters into swinging at bad pitches—the thrill of fooling someone in that instant.
Sendo, on the other hand, was obsessed with analyzing his opponent's thoughts through every possible means—details, information—and then toying with them.
For Sendo, the joy lay in reading minds—figuring out the opponent. The subsequent manipulation was just proof that his reading had been correct.
The moment his judgment turned out to be completely right—that was the pleasure Sendou truly enjoyed.
....
"Whoosh!"
"Pop!"
"Strike!"
Now that he knew it would be a head-on confrontation, Tate immediately went all out, throwing a sharply angled crossfire fastball.
Kuramochi, who had already started his stride and was about to swing, saw the inside pitch and immediately pulled the bat back to dodge.
Even though he had been instructed to aim for the outside, he was clearly forced back.
At that moment, he realized all he could do was grit his teeth in frustration.
Frustration at his own weakness as a hitter.
Tate wouldn't dare throw this kind of pitch so casually to Sendou without any setup—even if the angle was this sharp and nasty.
Against someone like "Oniisan," whose batting technique was extremely refined, things were a bit different. You could overpower him with velocity—combined with a sharp angle, even a skilled hitter would struggle to get a clean hit and might instead be put away.
If Oniisan faced this pitch, he'd either not swing or just foul it off.
This obvious difference in treatment—and the fact that he himself had been forced back—only made it more frustrating.
Even if retreating had been the right decision.
"Strike! Nice one, Tate!" Nagumo happily returned the ball.
"That's right! No need to overthink it. No matter what, he's not some amazing batter. If he wants to bunt, let him try!"
That pitch gave Nagumo a huge boost of confidence, completely breaking his earlier hesitation.
"Another inside pitch, then finish him with an outside one!"
"Whoosh!"
"Pop!"
"Strike!"
Seeing consecutive inside pitches, Kuramochi grew even more frustrated.
Being looked down on like this made his eyes look like he wanted to devour someone—but he could do nothing about it.
Both the coach's instructions and his own rationality were holding him back.
"He's cornered!"
"Nice ball, Senpai!"
"Hit it, Kuramochi!"
"Hang in there!"
"Be aggressive!!! Kuramochi-senpai!!" Sawamura was once again shouting things no one could quite understand.
"Finish him! No need to throw a strike—he'll definitely swing when pressured!"
"Whoosh!"
"Here it comes! Outside pitch!"
This time, Kuramochi stepped in properly.
"Yes! He swung!" Nagumo thought, convinced the batter had been forced to swing at a bad outside pitch.
But what he didn't realize was—
Being forced to swing at an outside pitch and deliberately waiting for an outside pitch were completely different things.
On top of that, Coach Kataoka had specifically instructed him on his footwork, ensuring he wouldn't reveal his target.
From the outside, there was no visible difference.
"Crack!"
So at that moment, it could only be seen as bad luck that it got hit.
"Thud!"
"It dropped!!!"
"Run! Run, Kuramochi!"
In an instant, Seidou's supporters erupted, shouting wildly.
"Yes!! Yes yes!
Yes!! Yes yes!"
The first to jump out was Ota, who had been clutching his chest the whole time.
"Ah!!! That was my line!" Sawamura protested—having his catchphrase stolen was too much.
"Yes!! Yes yes!
Yes!! Yes yes!
Yeees!!!"
"Are you trying to take it back?" Kominato Haruichi muttered, speechless.
"Kuramochi's persistence pays off! Seidou High, with two consecutive hits to start the inning, once again creates a golden scoring opportunity—no outs, runners on first and second! On the other hand, Kiryu High is once again plunged into danger! If they can't get an out soon, they'll have to face Seidou's cleanup trio with multiple runners on base!!!"
"Yes!!!"
Standing on first base, Kuramochi raised his fist in excitement, releasing all his pent-up frustration.
Although the ball didn't roll far due to the pitch's power, that actually worked in his favor—combined with his speed, he reached base easily.
If it hadn't been suppressed, he might still have gotten on base—but with a higher risk of being thrown out.
Still, since it was a clutch hit, no one was going to complain.
In that regard, he was much luckier than Maezono from his previous life.
"Second batter! Second baseman, Kominato Ryousuke!"
"Keep it going, Ryousuke!!!"
"Ryou-san!!!"
"Hit it!"
"Oniisan!!!"
"Next up is Kominato… another tough one," Nagumo muttered, trying to calm himself.
None of the upcoming batters were easy.
In their practice game, Kominato had gotten three hits!
Even if that had been due to lack of scouting at the time, they had improved now—but that was no reason to underestimate him.
After all, in split-second battles, anything can happen. Especially against a hitter with such precise bat control—unexpected results were even more likely.
As Kominato stepped into the batter's box, Nagumo couldn't help but glance toward the edge of the Seidou bench—
Sendo, wearing a helmet, reaching into a bucket full of bats.
No outs, runners on first and second. The batter was the number two hitter—already troublesome.
But the pressure from Sendo (the cleanup hitter) was even more terrifying.
No one wanted to face the fourth batter with the bases crowded.
While Nagumo looked toward Seidou's bench, Oniisan also glanced at the bench.
That was something every batter had to do—even if no signal was given.
Especially at moments like this, it was common for the coach to direct everything.
As expected, Coach Kataoka gave a series of signs.
Both runners and the batter touched the brim of their caps at the same time.
Touching the cap meant acknowledgment—an obvious signal that didn't need decoding.
So whether it concerned them or not, both runners and the batter would do it—to confuse the opponent.
No one would be foolish enough to try analyzing tactics based on that gesture.
"Let's settle this in one play!"
"The runners are going!"
"Pop!"
"Whoosh!"
"Hit-and-run? No—this is…"
At the moment the runners stole, Oniisan didn't move—but after the pitch was released—
"Tap!"
"Bunt!"
"First base!" Nagumo shouted unwillingly.
"Smack!"
"Out!"
Instead of blindly going for power, Seidou's attacking baseball applied pressure through various means, executing an efficient offense.
Even though the pitch was outside—and they were aiming for outside pitches—what mattered more here was maintaining a steady attack.
After all, even if you aim for a pitch, it only increases the chance of hitting.
But after advancing the runners, it becomes one out with runners on second and third.
This avoids a force play at first and expands the scoring opportunity.
Now there are two runners in scoring position—and the lineup turns to the cleanup hitters.
Kiryu is now facing a massive crisis!
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