Chapter Text
“Im stays alive and hits it foul! The count stays full and Yoo is now on her 13th pitch in this A-B. Wonderful stuff we have here folks, I suggest not leaving your seats.”
”If you’re new here, welcome! The rivalry between these two goes way back, predating their collegiate careers all the way to high school. Baseball is truly poetic in that they made these two meet again here.”
The commentators’ voices keep alternating, doing their best to narrate the at-bat happening right now. The iconic Number 00 player, Yoo Jeongyeon, two-way player extraordinaire on the mound, facing the equally iconic Number 09 player, Im Nayeon, for the first time. It was only the bottom of the first inning, Kingsworth Knights versus the ULA Griffins and there was already two outs for the Griffins.
They’ve been at it for a while now, Jeongyeon’s pitch count going up and up until they ran the count full and Nayeon’s just been fouling balls left and right. There was a stubbornness in both players’ eyes, mirroring each other in a rather funny way for people who are so against each other. They similarly do not want to let up.
Nayeon did not want to strike out to Jeongyeon, and Jeongyeon badly wanted to close out the inning by striking out the side. It was a pride thing for them both, especially since they’ve played against each other when they were in high school, only back then they were both pitchers and both put up a good fight. Good enough that it ended up as a pitcher’s duel and both teams only ended up scoring when their bullpens took over.
Now, Nayeon plays as the Catcher of the ULA Griffins. The transition from pitching and hitting in highschool to catching and hitting was easy, she preferred it this way if you ask her. She was the type to want to call the shots, and the position where she can do that the most is behind the plate. Jeongyeon on the other hand, fought tooth and nail to maintain her position as a two-way player as she entered her collegiate career, now she’s a starting pitcher and the designated hitter for the Kingsworth Knights.
Both universities are known to just swap the championship title every year, although the Knights are now gunning for a two-peat, especially since they have three new freshmen star players on their roster: Yoo Jeongyeon, Park Jihyo, and Hirai Momo. But that didn’t mean that the Griffins didn’t get new additions as well, of course there was Im Nayeon, then Minatozaki Sana, and Myoui Mina.
Jeongyeon shook her head at the pitch her catcher suggested, she didn’t want to throw Nayeon a slider to the dirt. She already knows she won’t get away with sticking to the outside corners, instead she settles for a fastball, relying solely on her arm (which is already feeling a little sore), and her annoyance at the emotionless face Nayeon gives her.
Winding up, Jeongyeon takes in a deep breath and lets her signature pitch fly…
”Here’s the wind-up, 13th pitch, folks. Nobody on with two outs, the pay-off!”
”Im is hit! The best AB of the year ends in an unfortunate way, with Im being clipped in the hand. Thankfully that hand-guard looks thick.”
”Fuck!”
”Hot mic from Yoo there, folks. She turns away from the plate and doesn’t return the staredown Im gives her as the catcher heads to first base.”