Diamond Ace's Passionate Swing

"Seido, great! They've taken the lead!"

"We've finally caught up, Takako-senpai."

"No outs, bases loaded, there's still a chance to score!"

"Let's turn things around in one fell swoop!"

The Seido cheerleaders erupted in deafening cheers, with wave after wave of shouts.

Taiwada looked at the situation on the field with a complicated expression.

"I never expected him to dare to ground from third base to home plate."

Fujio nodded and analyzed, "They've probably been doing this kind of training all along."

"Because the runner starts running the instant the batter hits the ground ball, constantly putting pressure on the opponent in a position to be ready to score at any time. This aggressive style of play is Coach Kataoka's style."

On the field, Masuko's short game failed, and instead, she was caught out by Sensen's infielder.

"Out!"

The referee's gestures spoke volumes.

Now it's the seventh batter's turn, the catcher, Kazuya Miyuki.

Miyuki stood in the batter's box, a rare look of helplessness on his face.

"No way..."

Senju's pitcher, Maki, also seemed somewhat hesitant.

But I still followed Coach Xianquan's instructions and threw the ball.

"Bad ball!"

"Bad ball!"

"Bad ball!"

"Bad ball!"

The referee's voice broke the deadlock: "Four balls."

Minister Ota's eyes widened: "Another guaranteed admission! Twice in a row! And we're leading the score, are you kidding me?"

Miyuki was walked home, and Isashiki returned to home plate without any pressure, scoring another run, which was practically a free win.

The score is now 4-1.

Seido Rest Area.

Coach Kataoka's sharp eyes seemed to see through the opponent's intentions: "It seems they've scouted us. No outs, bases loaded—they'd rather concede a run than face us head-on?"

Chris, a senior colleague, calmly analyzed from the sidelines: "With runners on base, it's impossible for Miyuki to make a mistake, and the opponent probably wouldn't dare to take a gamble."

Coach Kataoka's lips curled up slightly.

"That's enough..."

The coach of Xianquan had a gloomy look in his eyes, thinking to himself, "I should only face opponents I'm sure I can beat head-on."

On the mound, Maki seemed to have returned to form, with a series of wide curveballs and fastballs, leaving Kominato Haruichi, who came in next, with no chance to hit a shot.

"Strike! Batter out!"

Miyuki walked back to the rest area, lost in thought: "His directness has improved. Because of my pass, it actually fueled his fighting spirit..."

"Did the coach know this would happen, which is why he ordered the player to be promoted?"

Coach Kataoka suddenly called out to Tanba, who was about to go on the field.

"Tamba."

All eyes were on Danbo.

"Replacing Tanba, the ninth batter, is a substitute hitter, Akira Furuya."

This decision caused an uproar in the room.

Minister Ota exclaimed in surprise, "In this situation, are we going to have someone else take Tanba's place in the attack?"

"Fight your way out, Furuya!"

Sawamura shouted excitedly, as if he himself were on the stage.

Furuya's eyes were resolute, as if burning with flames.

"I really want to go out and pitch, but right now I need to hit the ball!"

Fujio's expression turned serious: "Is it time for a decisive battle, Coach Kataoka...?"

"This game will be the turning point of the match."

Taiwada asked doubtfully, "Your specialty is relay tactics?"

"Lin Xiao, a first-year student, has already pitched in several games. Will he not be sent out to play again?"

"If Seido wins this match, their next opponent will be Inashiro Industrial 90% of the time."

"Coach Kataoka did this to give the ace more rest, since facing an old rival could turn into a pitching battle."

In the rest area of ​​Xianquan, the coach kept a close eye on the situation on the field.

"If we can get past this hurdle, we'll have the upper hand, Maki!"

Furuya stood in the batting zone and took a deep breath.

"To strike in place of Tanba-senpai... This strike is extremely important."

"But with two outs and the bases loaded... the coach put me on the plate at this point, I absolutely can't let him down!"

On the pitcher's mound, Maki looked at Furuya Akira with disdain.

"Now they're replacing a pitcher at bat? And it's a freshman at that..."

In the rest area of ​​Xianquan, the coach shouted, "Zhenmu! Now! Suppress them!"

Maki's eyes sharpened, and he replied, "Just a first-year student..."

He secretly vowed, "Just a first-grader!"

Maki started throwing the ball, the ball was fast and the angle was tricky, all of it was thrown low.

"call out!"

"Snapped!"

"good!"

The Xianquan team members were in high spirits.

"They're really going all out, so there's nothing to worry about!"

"Bad ball!"

The referee's voice rang out.

Sawamura shouted anxiously from the sidelines, "Good! Aim carefully at the ball! Aim carefully at the ball!"

Kominato Haruichi, who was also watching the situation on the field closely, said softly, "You've got a good eye for things."

Standing in the batter's box, Furuya felt immense pressure: "Actually, once you step into the batter's box, the pressure is much greater than you imagine..."

"However, his fastball is very similar to the one Lin Xiao threw yesterday."

"Next, all we need to do is find the trajectory of the curveball before the two strikes..."

"Out of bounds!"

The referee announced it again.

Minister Ota's face turned pale: "It's another straight line..."

"One bad ball and two good balls, there's no way out."

"This kind of situation is really too much for first-year students..."

Miyuki encouraged him from the side, "It's okay, it's okay, you timed it very well."

Tetsuya Yuuki's voice was steady and powerful: "Swing your bat as hard as you want!"

Lin Xiao stood at second base and shouted, "If you hit it, you can go to the pitcher's mound!"

The coach from Senquan squinted at Furuya Akira.

"He's also a first-year pitcher, but he's always played outfield part-time."

"70% batting average, three home runs..."

"Although the data is limited, that first-year student seems quite talented. His intuitive attack is really powerful!"

He looked at Maki and gave him instructions: "To deal with this kind of hitter, just use a fastball to pressure him!"

"With your strength, you should be able to suppress it!"

Furuya stared intently at the pitcher's mound, his mind racing: "Could it be a curveball?"

"In the end, it all boils down to a straight line..."

"I really want to get on the pitcher's mound!"

Maki's eyes were sinister, as if he wanted to devour Furuya Akira: "It's too early..."

"It's too early for someone in your grade to wear a team uniform!"

Just then, Maki released his ball.

"Curveball!" Furuya's heart skipped a beat.

"Kick the ball out!"

"Ping!"

The crisp sound of metal clashing echoed throughout the stadium.

Xianquan's coach's expression changed drastically as he stared at the field in disbelief.

"Why...why are you throwing curveballs here, Maki..."

The baseball flew through the air in a beautiful arc.

The Seido cheerleaders erupted in a huge cheer: "Go through!"

"Yay!"

The baseball sailed over the left fielder's head and slammed into the scoreboard.

"good!!!"

The commentator's voice became hoarse.

"Is the pitcher too eager to strike out...?"

"Did he hit too high? I thought he couldn't hit a long hit, but he's positioned too far forward..."

"All runners hit the base! A phenomenal home run!!!"

"They scored four points in one go!"

Sawamura jumped up excitedly: "That's amazing, Furuya!"

The commentator spoke at lightning speed: "As a substitute player, he hit the opponent's winning curveball right from the start!"

"Yeah! Well done, Fang Gu!"

Fujio remarked, "That guy's only a first-year student, isn't he?"

Taiwada was also incredulous: "I never expected to snatch four points in one go."

"But now Seido's pitchers can pitch with ease, right?"