'How did he hit that changeup?'
Both Ken and Daichi were stumped. They had only thrown the pitch a single time before, yet the guy was able to get a double from it.
'What a monster…' Ken thought inwardly.
"Nice hit Leo!"
The home crowd cheered loudly as finally the US team had managed to get a hit against the Japanese relentless defense. Now that it was the 8th inning, their chances to score were running out.
"It should have been me…" Sam mumbled to himself, feeling a little depressed.
Before the duo of Ken and Daichi had recovered, the announcer introduced the next batter.
"Batting 5th, 2nd base, Ryder."
A teen with black hair and a serious expression walked into the batters box. His shoulders were wide and he had long arms, reminiscent of a chimpanzee.
Though a little shaken, it wasn't exactly the end of the world if they let someone onto base. Of course that meant Ken's hopes of a perfect game were now over, but he never took notice of such things in the first place.
Ken gazed at Daichi behind the plate and tried to calm him down. It was a little difficult to do so since the additional strength he received from the Showdown skill was in the process of leaving his body.
Thankfully the guy didn't seem to be over thinking things. They were still in a good position and just needed 3 outs to end the inning.
Daichi squatted down and called for a fastball, only to receive a nod from Ken.
The first throw after showdown wore off was usually a little shaky, but he had yet to let Ryder make contact with the ball yet.
Ken entered his wind up and sent the ball flying towards the open glove of Daichi.
It was then that he heard the sound of rushed footsteps behind him.
"3rd!"
Aki's loud voice rang out, startling Daichi behind the plate. Due to the disturbance, he failed to catch the ball and was forced to try and pick it up in haste.
"Strike"
By the time he reached it and sent out the throw, Leo was already in the middle of sliding towards 3rd base.
'Damn it.' Daichi cursed inwardly, annoyed with his mistake.
Thanks to his butterfingers, Leo was now in scoring position on 3rd base with no outs in the inning.
This was the worst position Japan had been in all day, though since they were up 2 runs it didn't seem too bad, at least for now.
Just as Ken was about to call for a timeout, Daichi gave him a thumbs up, letting him know that he was fine. He'd been in far larger pinches than this, therefore he felt fine enough to continue.
He squatted down and called for the next ball, this time a two-seam fastball.
WHOOSH
PAH
"Strike."
Daichi nodded in satisfaction. As long as they could strikeout the remaining 3 batters, Leo wouldn't have a chance to make it home no matter what.
WHOOOSH
PAH
"Strikeout!"
After another fastball, Ryder was left swinging at nothing but air. He promptly left the batters box albeit reluctantly before heading back to the dugout.
"Batting 6th, 1st base, Davion."
Davion had a dark complexion and looked to have explosive athleticism. It was rather odd that someone like him would be stuck on 1st base, though it probably meant they valued him more as a batter than anything else.
Yet Ken had been able to keep him under wraps throughout the whole game. But he still needed to be careful since this was his 3rd at-bat where anything could happen.
Daichi too, understood the precarious situation they were in.
He called for a low fastball, hoping to bait a swing into the infield and possibly get a double play if the US team weren't on their toes.
Ken nodded and did as he was told. With the heavy spin on the ball, despite being on a low trajectory, it looked as if it was rising.
Davion's eyes snapped open as he went directly for the ball with force. It was as if he was a panther, pouncing on his prey with murderous intent.
WHOOOOSH
DOOOONG!
'No way!'
The ball was struck from underneath, allowing the ball to pop up into the outfield despite its initial low trajectory. It headed straight to Masayuki in the center outfield who promptly got under the ball.
Pah~
A few seconds later it dropped into his glove before he took a few steps and sent a killer throw towards home plate.
Leo had tagged up on 3rd base and was already in the midst of steamrolling his way home. It didn't take long for him to reach his max speed, showing just how impressive his acceleration was.
Daichi stood in front of the plate, waiting for the ball that was in the air and heading his way. He took his eyes off the ball for a brief moment, trying to gauge where the runner was.
By the time the ball arrived into Daichi's glove, Leo was just within striking distance.
Daichi lunged forwards with his glove outstretched, willing to put his body on the line in order to save the run. He braced for impact but in the next moment his jaw dropped as something completely unexpected happened.
As he fell to the ground, he saw the taut figure of Leo soar above him as if he was an Olympic swimmer diving into a pool.
Everything seemed to go in slow motion as the perfect figure performed a graceful swan dive towards home plate. He tucked his head in at the last moment, completing a gorgeous roll before ascending to his feet.
His foot tapped on home plate casually before he looked at the umpire for confirmation of his victory.
"S-Safe!"
After receiving the verdict, Leo walked off the field as if nothing had happened, leaving Daichi on the ground in disbelief.
With Leo's efforts, the US team had finally accrued a run on the board, making the score 2-1 in Japan's favor.