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“These are tears of a sense of accomplishment and relief.”

Taking the mound for the first time in Koshien to start the semi-finals, pitcher Takeru Ogo, uniform number 11, of Kanto Daiichi, contributed to the team’s progress to the finals with a powerful pitch that held the team to one run. in the fifth inning, there were red eyes.

The last summer of my third year, anyway.“I want to throw it”.“I want to throw it”.“I want to throw it.”.

Pitcher Ohgo met his teammates and coach Takamitsu Yonezawa in his dormitory and at the dining hall.“Strong appeal”I have been doing this.

Kanto Daiichi has been winning with two aces from the same level, pitcher Ryo Sakai, uniform number 1, and pitcher Tetsushin Hatanaka, uniform number 10. During practice, pitcher Ooto has continued to sprint and make changes to get his body sharp so he can enter at any time.

The opportunity came suddenly.

This is a semi-final match which will be the first final in the team’s history. After entering the stadium and warming up at the indoor practice area, Coach Yonezawa announced that he would be the starting pitcher. Director Yonezawa“I watched the video of Kamimura Gakuen late yesterday, and I had the impression that they would not swing the bat and hit hard. I trusted Oogo, who is sharp and powerful.”He revealed that he intended to hire her.

Pitcher Oogo is the best choice in this situation.“Let’s show that it’s not just two best kittens in the Kanto region.”I swore to myself. He may have been nervous about being on the mound in Koshien for the first time, but in the first inning, he suddenly walked the first batter, and with two outs in the second medal, he accidentally faced Kamimura Gakuen’s No. 4 hitter. , Teruta Masabayashi. On the fourth pitch after a one-ball, two-strikeout, he hit shortstop with a sharp falling pitch and got through.

After that, he stopped the situation with his usual position, mixing fastballs with a power of about 140 kg and sharp breaking balls. Although he was hit by a well-timed hit in the 4th inning, he pitched well into the 5th inning, allowing just one run, and pitched strongly in his first big game, tying to ace pitcher Sakai.

Meanwhile, Kamimura Gakuen’s ace pitcher, Takumi Imamura, held a hitless streak until the sixth inning.“Are we going to lose because of our own goals? “said the pitcher Oho, who was watching from the bench with an expression of concern. However, the team finally got their first hit in the 7th inning, and No. 7 hitter Shunnosuke Kumagai hit a timely two-base hit, and the team turned things around.

Pitcher Oho was so happy, even though he was in the middle of the game, there were tears in his eyes. Director Yonezawa told me, “It’s not over yet.”

In the end, they overcame great adversity and advanced to the final for the first time. Director Yonezawa“It was his first pitch at Koshien and he settled in well there. I think he was under a lot of pressure, but I think he did a good job.”He praised the strong pitcher Oho.

During the interview, pitcher Sakai responded with bright red eyes.“This is the first time I’ve been so happy to win a game. I have worked as hard as the Sakai and Hatanaka kits, so I changed with confidence in myself. I want to deliver the first victory of Kanto Daiichi to Coach Yonezawa. The next thing. We will do our best with the three kittens.”He was enthusiastic about the finals.

In addition to the two aces, pitcher Sakai and pitcher Hatanaka, pitcher Oogo got results on the stage for the first time this time.All preparations were made for the long awaited first victory.That seems to be true.