Diamond Ace's Passionate Swing

In the rest area of ​​Seido.

Minister Ota frowned and said, "What bad luck. We could have gotten this many eliminations, but now the situation has become even more tense."

Coach Kataoka calmly analyzed, "It's no different from a hit. Only someone who consistently hits the ball with all their might can reach that kind of landing point."

Miyuki looked at Sawamura and thought, "Sawamura, will you continue to lose points like this, or will you be able to overcome this crisis? This is the moment that will truly test your strength."

Yuki encouraged him, "Sawamura, focus on the attacker, and believe in yourself."

Isashiki, in center field, shouted, "Let them hit third base, then we'll tag them out at home plate!" Ryosuke Kominato added, "We don't expect you to strike out anyway, just stay calm."

After hearing this, Sawamura firmly replied, "Yes, I'm counting on you all, seniors."

Miyuki chuckled and teased, "He's really polite, except to me."

Coach Matsumoto, standing on the sidelines, quickly made a new decision.

He gave his teammates a signal: "First base runner Murata can start running on the first pitch, Asano should attack any sweet pitch, and third base runner Nakai should run back to home plate depending on the situation."

The runners and batters on the Kiryu track received the message and were on high alert.

Coach Matsumoto thought to himself, "That pitcher's foul is a huge blow to their pitchers. We must not give him time to calm down; we must press our advantage."

Sawamura glanced at the runners on first and third base, who were quite far from the bases, and wondered to himself, "Will they steal a base? Are you trying to steal a base?"

Sawamura remembered Professor Kesley's method. His eyes suddenly turned fierce, as if all his fighting spirit had been ignited.

He threw the ball, and Miyuki watched it fly towards him, his heart tightening. "That's too sweet, this ball is dangerous."

Batter Asano swung his bat without hesitation and carried the ball away.

In an instant, the ball flew towards Sawamura like a cannonball.

Everyone was stunned.

Sawamura instinctively stretched out his glove.

With a loud "bang," the ball flew into Sawamura's glove.

Sawamura froze, momentarily at a loss, thinking, "I've received the ball, so what should I do?"

"Oh, right, the third base runner."

Seeing this, Miyuki shouted, "Sawamura, throw to second base! There's a chance for a double play!"

Sawamura seemed to snap out of his daze and quickly passed the ball to second base.

Yoichi Kuramochi precisely caught the ball on the base, then jumped up and threw it to first base.

First and second base runners out!

Upon seeing this, the audience cheered excitedly: "Great, it's a double kill!"

"The third base runner didn't dare to move at all, not bad, that guy named Sawamura."

Kuramochi laughed loudly, "Sawamura, you've actually learned how to steal bases too, and you're doing a pretty good job of it."

Sawamura said with a smile, "Yes, Chris taught me all of this."

Kuramochi ignored Sawamura's words and simply replied, "Oh, right."

Miyuki also said with a smile, "But that ball was in the red center, Sawamura, you're really lucky."

Coach Matsumoto, his face contorted with rage as if something was about to be revealed, said, "Then... what's wrong with that pitcher? He can't even handle pickoffs, yet he manages to steal bases."

The assistant coach next to him said fearfully, "Coach... Coach, his true nature is showing."

Miyuki thought to himself, "I thought he would panic, but he's surprisingly calm. Could it be because..."

"He's always been on weaker teams, so he's used to facing crises."

"Seriously, Lin Xiao, Furuya, and Sawamura have brought me so much joy." Sawamura looked at his teammates and said firmly, "I'll try my best to throw the ball to the other team. Please help me out."

"Ping!"

The crisp sound of the ball hitting the shuttlecock seemed to resonate in everyone's heartstrings.

Sawamura Eijun stared intently at the baseball flying toward right outfield, leaning slightly forward.

Kenjiro Shirasu, like a cheetah, quickly started his run, sprinting across the right field before leaping into a beautiful sliding tackle to catch the ball securely.

"Out!"

The referee's loud voice announced the end of the round.

In the Seido rest area, Minister Ota stood up excitedly, his hands clenched into fists.

"Finally managed to hold onto the points, but it's really bad for my heart."

He let out a long sigh, as if a heavy burden had been lifted, but fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Takashima Rei stood to the side, a relieved smile on her face, and gently pushed up her glasses.

"Everyone is so tired, but our fighting spirit hasn't diminished at all."

Her gaze fell on the figure on the pitcher's mound, her eyes filled with admiration and anticipation.

"How will the coach evaluate Sawamura's pitching performance?"

Rei Takashima pondered the question seriously, her brows furrowing slightly.

Suddenly, a soft snore came from beside her, breaking her thoughts.

When Takashima Rei turned her head, she saw that Lin Xiao had already leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes and fallen asleep, with a faint smile on his lips.

She was instantly enraged, and reached out to grab Lin Xiao's waist, twisting it 180 degrees.

"Aww!"

Lin Xiao was instantly jolted awake by the pain, his eyes snapping open. He winced in pain and nearly jumped off his chair.

He was about to get angry when he discovered that the culprit was his cousin, Takashima Rei. He immediately deflated like a punctured balloon and became obedient.

"What are you doing? You were sleeping so soundly."

He rubbed his lower back, his tone carrying a hint of grievance and dissatisfaction.

Takashima Rei frowned, a hint of sternness in her eyes.

"Watch the game carefully. This is the national runner-up. You can learn from this and gain valuable experience."

Seeing Takashima Rei's serious expression, Lin Xiao didn't dare to say anything more and could only obediently nod.

"Yes."

He sat up straight, but his gaze drifted unconsciously toward the court, and he muttered to himself: So what if we're the national runners-up? We still beat them to a pulp.

On the sidelines, Coach Matsumoto's gaze swept back and forth between Sawamura and Lin Xiao.

"Natural drift ball, which is a type of shot that occasionally comes from players who have not received formal instruction before high school."

"It's not easy for us who are used to practicing with ball machines."

"Coach Kataoka, could your secret weapon be...?"

Time ticked by, but the tension of the match showed no signs of abating.

Every pitch, every swing, tugs at everyone's heartstrings.

Finally, the final whistle blew, and the score was 15-14.

Seido High School won by a narrow margin of one point!

Coach Matsumoto stood up, a relieved smile on his face, and walked up to Kataoka Teshin, extending his hand.

"Today was truly an interesting match!"

"It also gave us a great opportunity to observe and practice."

Kataoka Tesshin also reached out and shook hands firmly with Coach Matsumoto.

"Don't mention it, we're in the same boat."

Kataoka Tesshin remained expressionless and spoke calmly, showing no sign of joy.

Coach Matsumoto's gaze fell on Sawamura and Lin Xiao again, his eyes filled with admiration.

"However, I'm actually quite envious of you, Coach Kataoka."

"Among the rookies in the first year, there are three pitchers with different pitching styles. There is the pitcher with a strong fastball and strong hitting, and the left-handed pitcher who came in in the last three innings also has a pretty good tail-pitch."

He paused slightly, as if organizing his thoughts.

"However, if these two can stabilize their ball control, they will definitely become outstanding players in the future."

Upon hearing this, Minister Ota's eyes widened instantly, his face filled with disbelief.

"The coach representing the Osaka region actually acknowledged the abilities of Lin Xiao and Sawamura."

His voice trembled with excitement.

Takashima Rei stood to the side, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes.

"Faced with such a strong batting lineup, Lin Xiao pitched two scoreless innings and struck out three consecutive batters. Sawamura allowed three runs from the sixth to the ninth inning."

She silently analyzed and compared the two people's performances in her mind.

Despite hearing Coach Matsumoto's praise, Kataoka Tesshin's face remained expressionless.

"However, those guys are still too green."

He said it calmly, with a hint of sternness in his tone.

Coach Matsumoto laughed, seemingly having anticipated Kataoka Tesshin's strictness.

"Haha, Coach Kataoka, you're really strict."

"In conclusion, our players must have been quite stimulated by this competition, so let's meet again at Koshien next time."

Kataoka Tesshin nodded, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes.

"it is good."