Diamond Ace's Passionate Swing

Danbo, who had been sent back to the first team by the coach, couldn't contain himself any longer.

"You take a break, I'll pitch," he said to the assistant coach as he took the glove and stepped onto the pitcher's mound.

Tanbo stood on the pitcher's mound, his eyes sharply fixed on Lin Xiao in the batter's box, anticipating a tense and exciting duel.

Lin Xiao stood in the batting box, slightly relaxing his shoulders and flexing his wrists, but his eyes remained fixed on Danbo.

Lin Xiao thought to himself, "Danbo's previous pitching ability was not to be underestimated, especially his curveball, which is very versatile. However, my training during this period has not been in vain."

Tanbo adjusted his stance, took a deep breath, and then threw a powerful outside pitch. The ball arced through the air and hurtled towards home plate.

Lin Xiao didn't rush to swing. He stood firmly in place, his eyes closely following the trajectory of the ball, thinking, "This is an outside corner. Danbo is testing my reaction. I won't rush. Let's see what other tricks he has up his sleeve."

Seeing that Lin Xiao didn't swing, Danbo's lips curled into a barely perceptible sneer. He threw the next pitch with renewed force. This time, it was his signature curveball. The ball, like a nimble snake, made a strange turn in the air, flying towards home plate.

Lin Xiao's eyes sharpened instantly; this was the moment he had been waiting for. He pushed off the ground with both feet, concentrating all his strength in his arms, and then swung the bat with great force.

"Bang!"

A crisp and loud sound of the ball being struck.

"Boom!" The ball slammed into the infield, bounced off the ground, and kicked up a cloud of dust.

Lin Xiao watched the ball sail away. "Nice, that was a beautiful shot!"

After the ball was hit, Lin Xiao's body moved like a cheetah, and he took long strides, sprinting towards first base.

Seeing Lin Xiao's aggressive approach, the player on first base quickly prepared to defend.

Lin Xiao, with his excellent speed, arrived before the ball and landed steadily on first base.

"Safe!" The assistant umpire's voice rang out, and Lin Xiao successfully reached base.

Tanbo stared at the ball that had been hit, momentarily stunned, then smiled with relief and said, "You little rascal, you're really good. But getting on base doesn't mean you can score. I'll shut you out on base." A hint of unwavering determination shone in his eyes.

Lin Xiao was not intimidated by Danbo's words. Standing on first base, Lin Xiao did not relax at all. His eyes were fixed on Danbo on the pitcher's mound, looking for an opportunity to steal a base.

After Danbo threw the ball, Lin Xiao keenly seized the opportunity.

He leaned slightly forward, then shot towards second base like an arrow released from a bow. His speed was astonishing, as if a gust of wind had swept by.

Seeing Lin Xiao suddenly start moving, the second baseman reacted quickly. He turned around and reached out to catch the ball passed to him by his teammate.

However, Lin Xiao was simply too fast. Before the second baseman could fully prepare, Lin Xiao had already closed in on second base. Just as the ball was about to reach the second baseman's hands, Lin Xiao decisively made a diving move.

With a beautiful dive, as Lin Xiao lunged toward second base, the second baseman finally caught the ball.

Lin Xiao's speed and skill gave him the upper hand. Just before the glove pressed down, his hand accurately touched the second base.

"Safe!" the referee shouted again, and Lin Xiao successfully stole second base.

Standing on second base, Lin Xiao's eyes revealed determination and confidence. He continued to observe the situation on the field, looking for the next opportunity to steal a base.

Now it was Yuki's turn to bat.

Lin Xiao stared intently at Yuki and pitcher Tanba, silently calculating the opportune moment.

After Tanba threw the ball, Yuki swung his bat with all his might.

"Bang!"

The ball was hit, resulting in a beautiful outfield single. The baseball flew towards the outfield, and the outfielder rushed to catch it.

Seeing this, Lin Xiao was overjoyed; he knew his chance had come. He once again ran along the base line like the wind, rushing towards third base.

He glanced at the outfielder's passing situation. He saw the ball about to be thrown to the second baseman.

Yuki steadily advanced to second base.

Lin Xiao seized the opportunity. When the ball was still being passed and a brief gap appeared, he suddenly stood up and rushed towards home plate. His speed was so fast that the second baseman had no time to react, like a lightning bolt across the field.

"Fly to home plate!" the catcher shouted, standing up and quickly getting into defensive position.

As Lin Xiao ran near home plate, he slid down the base again. He leaned forward and lunged towards home plate with a swift motion. Just as he was about to touch home plate, the catcher also rushed over with the ball.

The two players reached home plate almost simultaneously, and the atmosphere on the field became extremely tense.

"Safe!" the assistant umpire shouted as Lin Xiao successfully returned to home plate.

Tanbo stood on the pitcher's mound, looking at Lin Xiao with a smile of admiration on his face, secretly thinking, "This kid is really something!"

With Danbo joining the team, training went very smoothly. Inspired by the exciting match, the players trained even harder, each seemingly brimming with fighting spirit.

Before we knew it, the practice session was over.

The players sat around the edge of the court, listening to the assistant coach report training data to Coach Kataoka.

"Lin Xiao has 10 at-bats, 5 infield hits, 4 triples, and 1 outfield hit, with a 100% on-base percentage." As soon as the assistant coach finished speaking, the entire stadium erupted in commotion.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with shock. "This is unbelievable! A 100% on-base percentage!" the players exclaimed in amazement.

"Yuki had 10 at-bats, 4 home runs, 4 infield singles, and 2 triples, for an 85% on-base percentage." Yuki's performance was also outstanding.

Next, the assistant coach reported on the results of Isashiki, Kominato Ryosuke, Miyuki, Masuko, Kuramochi, and others. Coach Kataoka listened quietly, his expression a mixture of satisfaction and a hint of anger.

It's gratifying that Lin Xiao, as a pitcher, has such a high batting average, bringing new hope to the team. What's frustrating is that players like Kuramochi and Miyuki have relatively low on-base percentages, failing to meet his expectations.

"Those who don't meet the standard, add 5 more laps." Coach Kataoka's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority. Upon hearing this, Miyuki and the others couldn't help but groan, but they could only helplessly accept the punishment.

"Lin Xiao, you're a pitcher, and this is a very good hitting record." Coach Kataoka looked at Lin Xiao with admiration in his eyes. "But the focus should still be on pitching training. You can't put the cart before the horse."

Lin Xiao nodded seriously and replied, "Coach, I understand. While maintaining my hitting ability, I will pay more attention to pitching training and strive to improve my pitching skills."

Lin Xiao's future plan is to be a dual-wielder. He wants to be the strongest in both throwing and striking.

Coach Kataoka smiled with satisfaction, looking at Lin Xiao's performance. His plan was quietly accelerating. "It seems it's time to let the first team and Lin Xiao have some real-game practice." This idea gradually became clear in his mind, and an even more intense challenge was about to begin.