Diamond Ace: Monster Slayer

Chapter 156 The Genuine Catcher
"All of a sudden the difference is only one point!"

Minister Ota, who had just looked relaxed and was about to make a replacement, immediately felt something was wrong.

If they continue like this, they will most likely be overtaken by the time the next round comes around.

If the game continues at this pace, Thompson will definitely have another chance to play in the lineup.

Neither Kawakami nor Sawamura dared to say whether they could suppress the opponent.

Especially Kawakami.

The performance was very stable, and that is why the Qingdao High School supervision team felt a little scared.

As long as he is stable, there will be absolutely no chance for Thompson, unless he suddenly "mutates".

If we talk about "variants", the most likely one is Sawamura.

When the summer competition started, no one thought that the No. 20 pitcher from Seidou High School could cause any big waves.

But he can seize opportunities in every game he plays and defeat strong opponents, making him the undisputed rotation pitcher of Seidou High School.

This kind of performance that is inconsistent with imagination is called "variant" by the audience.

In the following games, Danbo's condition was also ruined by Thompson's home run, and his pitching became weaker and weaker.

The first two hits were easy, continuing the offensive.

It was not until the eighth batter of Bingcheng High School that the second runner of Qingdao High School, Youjian, caught a double play.

The ninth batter hit a high fly ball, which was caught by Zhou Hui in the left field, ending this chaotic inning.

In the top of the sixth inning, Bingcheng High School scored three runs, making the game full of suspense once again.

After this round, Ice City High School's defensive position also adjusted.

"Ice City High School's defensive position change notice: Second baseman Sasaki-san will go down for a rest and will be replaced by catcher Horita-san. The catcher will be Thompson-san."

After hearing the notice of substitution, everyone at Qingdao High School looked towards their locker room.

Thompson had already changed into catcher's gear at some point and ran onto the field with the other starters.

"He is probably the real catcher of Ice City High School. He should have a better cooperation with Allen. Everyone should face him well and don't let down their guard."

Supervisor Kataoka reminded.

In this game, Ice City High School has shown many moves that have never been used before.

Thompson is likely their last resort!

After crossing this hurdle, the third round of the quarterfinals will be waiting for them.

"Yes!"

This time, the batting started with Ryosuke, who was the second batter.

This proves that Zhou Hui still has a chance to hit.

Batting for two consecutive innings, plus playing defense in the top of the sixth, is a physical job.

The next time he plays, Zhou Hui will be the third to bat.

He had hits in his first two at-bats, so he wouldn't show mercy in his next at-bat.

"Bottom of the sixth inning, Seidou High School is on offense, the second batter and second baseman is Ryosuke Kominato."

"Let me see what kind of team made you lose so many points."

Thompson made a secret signal to Allen on the pitcher's mound. Surprisingly, Allen looked very carefully this time.

No longer the arrogant look he had before.

It seems that only Thompson can cure him.

The signal Thompson gave this time was a straight ball in the very corner of the low outside post.

He didn't know much about the players of Seidou High School.

So I can only go on the court and use various balls to further understand their playing style.

This is their best approach.

"Whoosh!"

"Snapped!"

"nice shot!"

"Not swinging? Waiting for the inside corner?"

To test this idea, Thompson chose the inside corner for the next ball.

“Whoosh!” “Snap!”

"nice shot!"

On the next pitch, Ryosuke still didn't swing the bat, and quickly reduced the count to two strikes, with no balls.

Ryosuke is now in a desperate situation.

One step back and there is a cliff!

In the following games, Thompson became calmer and Allen, who was directing the game, seemed like a different person.

But after Ryosuke used his own style of play, Thompson still felt a headache.

His eye for ball selection is very strong, and ordinary lobs have absolutely no way of defeating him.

He can spot a bad ball from any angle, so a head-on attack might be the better option.

"Whoosh!"

Another inside corner kick!
Thompson intended to use this pitch to force Ryosuke to swing and see if he could keep the ball in bounds.

"Snapped!"

But unexpectedly, Thompson caught the ball.

Thompson thought to himself that this was not good.

He believed in Ryosuke's "eye for ball selection", and this ball might very well be reported to him!
The angle of this ball was very tricky and the referee was unable to make a judgment for a while.

"Good ball! Batter out!"

The referee made a wrong judgment in the end and judged this not-so-obvious bad ball as a good ball!
This ball is still a little bit in the bad ball zone, so strictly speaking it is not a good ball.

But the referee's energy is limited, and this kind of ball can be good or bad, so he stood on the side of Ice City High School, which was at a disadvantage in the score.

There was some luck involved in the strikeout, but it is undeniable that Thompson showed his brains as soon as he took the field.

He is always looking for opportunities.

Even when facing unfamiliar players, he is not afraid.

"Third batter, first baseman, Yuuki-san."

"That ball just now was probably a mistake made by the referee, right?"

"Who knows."

Ryosuke did not blame the referee for the problem and walked straight back to the locker room.

After Yuki came on the field, he still did not move.

The catcher was quite capable as he struck out Ryosuke right at the start.

"For an inside straight ball, the shortstop's defensive position must also be changed to free up the second half of the right half."

Thompson gave the signal.

To deal with someone as powerful as Yuki, you have to use some psychological tactics.

Following Thompson's instructions, the shortstop moved closer to third base.

The entire right half is empty!
"Are you betting that I can't hit the right half?"

Yuki held the bat and wanted to teach Bingcheng High School a lesson.

He must hit the right half!
This time reason did not overcome desire.

"Whoosh!"

The baseball flew out, and Yuki no longer thought about hitting it to the left half.

His striking ability is very strong, and even if he hits that position, the players of Ice City High School may not be able to defend it.

But he just wanted to hit the ball to the right half!
"Qiang!"

Yuki's force is directed towards the right half of the area.

The body is forced to be pulled to that position, the swinging posture is unnatural, and it is impossible to hit any efficient strikes.

In this way, the first baseman watched the direction the baseball was rolling, caught it steadily, and cooperated with Allen to get the out.

After being eliminated, Yuki realized that if the ball had not been hit to that position, would it have been a good hit?

Yuki looked back and saw a triumphant smile on Thompson's face.

The genuine catcher of Ice City High School is indeed terrifying!
……

(End of this chapter)