Diamond Ace's Passionate Swing

"Bang!!!" The ball was hit and flew high into the air.

"Out of bounds!" the assistant referee immediately gave the instruction.

Yuki frowned, annoyed. "I missed again. That shot was too cunning."

Chris watched the ball go out of bounds, already having a plan for the next shot. He looked at Lin Xiao, "Lin Xiao, stay calm, stick to the plan!"

Lin Xiao watched the ball fly away and understood Chris's plan. He looked at Chris, his eyes full of confidence.

Lin Xiao raised his leg and swung his arm forcefully, sending the ball flying from his fingertips like a white bullet.

call out! ! !

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the baseball hurtled towards home plate at breakneck speed.

Yuki watched the white ball fly towards him, carefully judging its trajectory, and swung decisively. "You're the one!"

The moment the ball and the bat met, the ball passed right through the bat.

Yuki's pupils dilated instantly, and he couldn't help but shout, "Forkball!" He was filled with regret, thinking, "Wrong judgment, missed again."

"What a bold pitching combination! That pitcher and catcher pair!"

The ball went smoothly into the glove.

"Snapped!"

"Strikeout!"

Chris was secretly delighted: "Success! Lin Xiao made a beautiful shot."

Lin Xiao cheered excitedly from the pitcher's box.

"Lin Xiao, that kid, is really something!"

"Yeah, even Yuki got struck out by him."

Kuramochi and the others stared at Lin Xiao, seeing the future of Seido.

Next up is Masuko.

Lin Xiao adjusted his stance and threw a four-seam straight ball.

Masuko stared intently at the ball, her bat precisely hitting its trajectory. However, the ball was moving too fast, and the bat squeezed and deformed the ball, creating a high fly ball in the outfield.

The outfielder moved quickly and caught the ball securely, sending it out of play.

The sixth batter is Miyuki. He has a unique characteristic: he has a hard time hitting the ball when no one is on base.

But as Lin Xiao's catcher, he knew Lin Xiao's pitches very well, and if he couldn't hit them, it would be quite embarrassing. However, Lin Xiao, relying on his speed advantage, successfully shut down Miyuki on base.

After the first round of practice ended, several more rounds were conducted, and the practice quickly came to an end.

The first team assembled at the field, and the assistant coach, holding a report, began to read: "In the first round of batting, Miyuki only managed a single, with no runs scored."

"In the second round of batting, Yuki hit a single and Miyuki hit a double, but no runs were scored."

"In the third round of batting, Yuki hit a single, Kuramochi hit an infield single, and Kominato hit a single, scoring 1 run."

"In the fourth round of batting, Yuki hit a double and Isashiki hit a single to the outfield, scoring 1 run."

Everyone was deeply moved after hearing this.

Sawamura and Furuya Akira's eyes were filled with fighting spirit; they longed to shine on the court like Lin Xiao.

Looking at his older brother Ryosuke Kominato, Haruichi Kominato's fighting spirit was also ignited. He also wanted to join the First Army and fight alongside his brother.

After this practice match, the first-year pitcher Lin Xiao came to accept him as their ace pitcher, believing that he fully deserved the title of Seido's ace pitcher.

Izashiki loudly complained, "Lin Xiao, why do you only throw four-seam fastballs at me and never throw any other pitches? That's so unfair!"

Lin Xiao laughed and explained jokingly, "Because you, senior, clearly prefer head-on confrontations, I can't help it."

"Besides, there's really no way to deal with Yuki and Kominato-senpai without using cutter balls and forkballs."

Coach Kataoka was quite satisfied with Lin Xiao's performance, but he also noticed that Miyuki, as Lin Xiao's catcher, was performing poorly. Therefore, he ordered all the batters from the first to the ninth in the first team to run laps.

Although the team members were somewhat helpless, they obeyed the order and ran to the track to begin the punishment laps.

Lin Xiao and Miyuki formed a pitching and catching team, and their teamwork was excellent, making their training very smooth. However, Sawamura's partner was another third-year catcher with a gloomy expression, named Chris.

Sawamura had many grievances against his pitching and catching partner, Chris.

They clashed on their very first meeting.

Lin Xiao decided to help Sawamura anyway.

At this moment, Sawamura was running desperately on the playground with heavy tires hanging from his body.

His figure appeared somewhat lonely in the sunlight. Sweat soaked through his clothes, streaming down his face and dripping onto the dry ground, disappearing instantly.

He ran while shouting loudly, trying to release the unspeakable anger and dissatisfaction in his heart.

Seeing Sawamura's condition, Lin Xiao ran over and ran alongside him, patting Sawamura on the shoulder: "Sawamura, are you alright?"

Sawamura stopped, panting heavily, a hint of anger in his eyes: "Lin Xiao, leave me alone."

"Why am I paired with Chris?"

Lin Xiao understood Sawamura's feelings. He sighed softly, "Sawamura, I know you're upset. But have you considered that Chris also has his own unspeakable difficulties?"

"I think you should ask Miyuki or Kore about this."

"Oh, right, you didn't know that, did you? Senior Chris actually has a shoulder injury."

"His year at Seido High School was known as a poor year. Apart from him, the other players were all technically weak. He was the starting catcher for Seido from the beginning. Later, he had to have surgery for a shoulder injury and spent a lot of time in rehabilitation after the surgery."

"Back in junior high, Chris was Tokyo's number one catcher; no one could beat the team he led."

Sawamura's resolve wavered upon hearing this. He recalled Chris's performance in training, though Chris was always quiet and reserved. Sawamura began to doubt whether his previous judgment had been correct.

"Think it over carefully." Lin Xiao had said everything he needed to say; now it was up to Sawamura to decide what to do.

The highly anticipated first round of the Kanto Conference has officially begun.

Kanto Conference, Round 1

Seido (Tokyo) VS Yokohama Kohoku Gakuin (Kanagawa)

The stadium was packed, the audience's enthusiasm burning like a raging fire, creating an incredibly vibrant atmosphere. Cheers and shouts mingled together, seemingly threatening to lift the entire stadium.

The match was tense in the top of the eighth inning. The score was currently 6-2, with Seido trailing by 4 points.

In the first six innings, Tanba's pitching performance was commendable. With his excellent control and varied pitches, he successfully suppressed Yokohama Kohoku Gakuen's batting lineup.

By the seventh inning, the opposing batters seemed to have figured out Tanba's pitching rhythm and started hitting hits frequently, instantly turning the tide against Seido.

The atmosphere in the rest area was somber.

Coach Kataoka frowned, his gaze shifting between Lin Xiao and Furuya, a hint of hesitation in his eyes. He knew that the pitcher's performance often determined the outcome of the game, and changing the pitcher at this point was both risky and a last resort.

Finally, Coach Kataoka took a deep breath, made up his mind, and said, "Lin Xiao, you go on the field."

Although this match was tough, it was a rare opportunity for Lin Xiao to hone his competition experience.

Players like Lin Xiao are best suited to gain experience and inspiration through competition.

Lin Xiao stood up without hesitation, his eyes resolute, and replied, "Coach, don't worry, I will do my best!"

The starters on the first team all wore complex expressions when they heard the decision.

Some looked worried, concerned about whether Lin Xiao, a first-grader, could shoulder this heavy responsibility.

Some people have high expectations for Lin Xiao and believe that he can bring surprises.

Miyuki frowned slightly, thinking to himself, "Although Lin Xiao is strong, this is his first time playing in such an important match. I hope he can keep his composure."