The batters in the dugout were stunned when they saw the result.
"What? Another high inside pitch?"
Startled, Hashimoto hurriedly swung his bat.
But the ball's trajectory was completely different from what he had predicted. His swing came too quickly—and because he rushed, his form collapsed.
"Bang!"
The bat cut through empty air.
The baseball slammed into Miyuki Kazuya's glove.
On the mound, Ushijima Wakatoshi stood calmly, expression unchanged.
"Strikeout!"
The umpire waved his hand, signaling the out.
Hashimoto clicked his tongue as he walked back toward the dugout.
"Damn it… the third pitch was still a high inside four-seam."
"I thought the third pitch would be the usual 150 km/h four-seam with unstable control."
"Instead, he threw another high inside fastball at around 145 km/h… but with perfect control."
"I was completely fooled."
He shook his head in frustration.
Inside Akikawa's dugout, the players felt the pressure rising.
It was obvious now.
Today's pitching strategy was completely different from what they had studied.
You Shunshin and the others stayed silent, carefully observing the field.
"Wow! Two strikeouts right from the start!"
"Yeah, that's incredible! Against Akikawa's first and second batters too!"
In the stands, the female reporter from Baseball Kingdom Monthly watched the game excitedly.
Beside her, her senior colleague Fujio nodded.
"Yes. His control is excellent, and his inside pitches are extremely sharp."
"Ushijima Wakatoshi not only has many pitch types…"
"But his command is also exceptional."
The stadium erupted with cheers from Seido's supporters.
Compared to them, Akikawa's fan section was much quieter.
"Well done, Ushijima! Two strikeouts already!"
"Finish it! Strike out the third batter too!"
In the stands, Seido's second-string players shouted enthusiastically.
Everyone on the field could feel the growing momentum.
"Third batter, shortstop—Onishi!"
The announcer's voice echoed across the stadium.
Onishi stepped into the batter's box.
Ushijima watched him calmly from the mound.
So this is Akikawa's core batting lineup…
He glanced toward Miyuki.
The two exchanged a brief look and quickly confirmed the sign.
Everything was ready.
"Whoosh!"
The first pitch exploded toward home plate.
Onishi's eyes lit up.
"The trajectory… that's a moving two-seam!"
He swung confidently.
"Smack!"
But the bat missed completely.
The ball snapped straight into Miyuki's glove.
Onishi froze.
"What?!"
"That was a four-seam fastball?!"
Akikawa's dugout erupted in shock.
Until now, whenever Ushijima threw toward the center of the strike zone, it had always been a two-seam fastball.
A two-seam looked almost identical to a four-seam, but it moved slightly before reaching the plate.
In previous tournaments, Ushijima used that trick often.
He would throw four-seam fastballs on the inside and outside corners—
Then throw a two-seam down the middle.
Batters would assume it was another four-seam and swing accordingly.
But at the last moment, the two-seam's movement would jam the bat and produce weak contact.
However—
Today's pitch was a true four-seam fastball.
No movement.
Just pure speed.
And because Onishi expected movement—
He completely missed.
Behind the plate, Miyuki grinned slightly.
"Hehe…"
Onishi tightened his grip on the bat.
Next pitch… the cutter should come now.
The second pitch arrived quickly.
The ball rose slightly higher than expected.
"Damn it!"
Instinctively, Onishi swung.
"Clang!"
The ball shot foul near third base.
"Foul!"
Onishi clicked his tongue.
"A high outside pitch…"
"This pitching pattern is completely different from before."
He glared at the mound.
Is he seriously planning to challenge all three batters with just four-seam fastballs?
That's unbelievably arrogant.
The third pitch came without hesitation.
The baseball tore through the air.
With two strikes already against him, Onishi had no choice but to swing.
Ushijima's control was excellent.
But his pitch speed was overwhelming.
Onishi's bat lagged behind by half a beat.
"Smack!"
Another swing and miss.
"Strikeout! Batter out!"
"Change sides!"
"Wooooah! Three up, three down!"
"That's incredible!"
"Three strikeouts with nothing but four-seam fastballs!"
The crowd burst into cheers.
Even Akikawa's supporters were stunned.
No one expected Seido's ace to dominate the inning like this.
Ushijima had completely manipulated Akikawa's expectations.
Ushijima jogged back to the dugout with his teammates.
"Nice pitching!"
"The strategy changed completely today!"
"In the past, you'd strike batters out using three different pitch types."
"But today you struck out three batters using only the four-seam."
In the stands, Fujio wiped sweat from his temple as he spoke.
"Yes… previously he mixed inside and outside pitches with different breaking balls."
"Sometimes he opened with a 150 km/h fastball with unstable control."
"But today… everything is different."
Owada Akiko nodded, her eyes fixed on the mound.
"A pitcher like that is extremely difficult to predict."
"A pitcher who thinks while pitching is far more dangerous."
"Most pitchers get carried away trying to overpower the batter."
"That's why they rely heavily on the catcher's guidance."
"But if the pitcher himself is calm and calculating…"
"That's truly terrifying."
Back in Akikawa's dugout, the players stared toward Seido's bench.
"So far… he's only used fastballs."
"And yet our entire lineup was fooled."
Onishi slammed his glove in frustration.
"We focused too much on his other pitch types."
You Shunshin finally spoke.
"Yes…"
"He realized we were wary of his breaking balls."
"So he used nothing but fastballs to destroy us."
You Shunshin exhaled slowly.
"This opponent…"
"…is far more dangerous than we thought."