"Top of the ninth inning, Waseda Industries' offense, the batter stepping up is number five, catcher, Tsuchiya Ryouta."
With the broadcast from Koshien Stadium, Tsuchiya Ryouta, who has delivered an outstanding performance both as a catcher and a batter in this match, leaves the waiting area and stands outside the batter's box by home plate.
Since Suzuki Kensuke was unable to play in the subsequent games due to injury, he assumed the role of the team's captain on the field—now the team is trailing by one run, and there's only half an inning left. The sense of responsibility as a captain continuously drives Tsuchiya Ryouta; a sense of belief arises within him.
Due to being behind in the score, Tsuchiya Ryouta did not rashly swing the bat but instead carefully selected pitches from the beginning of the at-bat.
Shimabukuro Hiroshi's first pitch carried a probing intent—a low-corner slider with little drop.
