Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

V6_Chapter 56: It’s Over

No Outs, runners on first and third base!

In a situation like this, especially with Sawamura on the mound, it’s exceedingly rare.

The spectators in the stands have completely forgotten which team is which. None of them are cheering; they are all watching the game with bated breath.

Among the ranks of the Red Heart Brotherhood.

Kobayashi swallowed hard and glanced at Obayashi beside him.

"Today, Seidou’s luck is just..."

From Kobayashi’s perspective, although the situation involves Sawamura, it cannot be said that there is no connection with him, but the connection is quite minimal.

The other players haven’t made any major mistakes.

The current situation is largely due to luck.

“Luck is also a part of skill. And the recent base hits can’t be attributed entirely to luck. Seidou’s third baseman had the opportunity to tag Out the runner based on time. Ultimately, he failed to execute the tag because his skill fell short compared to his opponent’s.”

The assessment of Kanemaru is accurate!

In terms of timing, he could have dealt with Shirakawa first. But in the direct contest between Kanemaru and Shirakawa, Kanemaru lost.

This is the fundamental reason for the current scenario.

Even though he always believed in Sawamura, Kobayashi had a vague premonition of doom.

It seems this game is really hanging in the balance!

Many share Kobayashi’s feelings. The teams were evenly matched, to begin with, and now that luck is not on Seidou’s side, the game is undoubtedly more challenging.

That’s why everyone is so focused.

Scenes of the great Maou falling are rare.

They didn’t even dare to blink, fearing they might miss the thrilling moment unfolding before them.

At the catcher’s position, Miyuki frowned slightly.

He was acutely aware of the tension and the perilous situation. He knew exactly what the opponent might do.

‘The Four batter will bunt!’

Previously, Seidou had faced Inashiro High School.

Not just the match from two months ago!

Even back when Miyuki was a first-year player, they had faced Inashiro. Seidou had lost that game due to this very tactic.

‘A bunt by the fourth batter led to an additional run.’

‘That run had determined the outcome of the game.’

Thinking back to that moment kept Miyuki awake at night.

He had wondered how to counter such a situation if faced with it again.

The final conclusion seemed almost unsolvable.

Runners on first and third base!

In this case, if the batter executes a bunt walk,

‘As long as the ball lands, a forced scoring tactic can be employed.’

The initiative in this duel isn’t in Seidou’s hands but in the opponent’s. Whether they can defend or not is entirely unknown.

This is also why Miyuki decided to give up one run in the situation with no Outs and runners on first and third base.

He had thought about it many times, and the conclusion was nearly unsolvable.

In such a case, it is better to confront it head-on; they might have a chance to defend.

But Sawamura didn’t want to leave it to chance. He wanted certainty; they couldn’t afford to lose any more runs.

If they lose another run, they won’t be able to catch up in this game.

Miyuki still trusted Sawamura’s judgment.

In this situation, taking a risk was necessary.

“You must have seen the pitch by Mei before, right? The one with Kuramochi’s bunt that rebounded more than ten meters.” As soon as Miyuki spoke, a mischievous smile appeared on Sawamura’s face.

“It had to be said, this was indeed a good idea. Although the execution is a bit difficult.”

“But the look on their face would be worth it, right?” Miyuki too smiled in mischief.

It is true, that pitch couldn’t be easily imitated just by pitching.

After all, Sawamura doesn’t have Narumiya’s ball speed or power.

Furthermore,

The ball Narumiya threw had a lot of luck involved.

In this game, luck had firmly sided with Inashiro High School.

Whether Seidou could be so fortunate was uncertain.

“Then, can you do it?”

“Of course I can!”

Sawamura’s expression was still full of mischievousness.

If it were another opponent, Sawamura might not be as confident.

Inashiro’s baseball team has many skilled bunt players. For them, adjusting to a flying baseball is as simple as eating and drinking.

No matter how hard Sawamura pitches, they can handle the bunt well.

But for Yamaoka, it’s a different story.

He is currently the fourth batter at Inashiro High School and was the sixth batter in the previous lineup.

A very typical power hitter.

Practicing the bunt isn’t easy for such a batter, not to mention he rarely uses the bunt.

Even if he did some targeted exercises, his bunt skill was only average.

Against such an opponent, Sawamura is confident that he can do such a stunt.

Moreover, he has a hidden trump card.

After formulating the countermeasure, Miyuki returned to the catcher’s position, and the game resumed.

Yamaoka assumed a bunt stance from the start.

Narumiya on first base was eager to steal.

On third base, Shirakawa was also restless.

They had both left their bases, trying to distract Sawamura.

But awkwardly, they were not very far from their bases.

It was as if they were afraid Sawamura would throw a pickoff throw.

It couldn’t be helped; Sawamura’s pickoff throws are too sharp.

A moment of carelessness, and the baseball would fly over before they could react.

Of course, that wouldn’t do.

So, it led to this awkward stealing stance.

‘What a clever thief!’

Sawamura was speechless.

It’s not that he didn’t want to make a move, but the opponent didn’t give him a chance at all.

For now, all attention should be focused on the batter.

‘The next pitch is crucial. although it is a good idea, if I don’t make it right we will be doomed.’

Inashiro High School will spare no effort for this.

It doesn’t matter if the batter is out or not!

It doesn’t matter whether Narumiya on first base is out or not.

As long as the final result is to send Shirakawa back to home plate.

All efforts will be worthwhile.

A 1:0 score is really uneasy.

A home run could change the game.

But a 2:0 lead would be different, extending the lead to two runs with only three innings remaining.

It can't be said that victory is guaranteed, but Inashiro’s chances of winning would undoubtedly increase significantly.

Everyone is focused on this showdown.

Only one voice is roaring wildly, the commentator of the game. With the live TV broadcast, the game is also equipped with a commentator.

This situation provides the commentator with a chance to showcase his skills.

He spoke with enthusiasm.

He described this matchup as one that could turn the game around.

According to him, the final winner of this matchup is likely to be the ultimate winner of the game.

Fujio rolled his eyes at this nonsense.

Everyone ignored him as mere chatter.

Their full attention was on the field.

On the mound.

Sawamura gripped the white ball tightly with his middle and index fingers.

He was very clear about his pitching task.

Badum!

His heart is bounding loudly.

‘It’s best if the baseball has a slight upward float, not too much, because too much will cause it to rebound high into the sky, but not far.’

‘Just a little.’

Badum!!

‘This way, the baseball can travel far enough with the power of the rebound.’

Badum!!!

The right leg was raised high, almost over Sawamura’s own head.

In the stands, a scout in a suit widened his eyes in surprise.

In theory, the larger the stride, the greater the force applied to the baseball.

“It’s so high!”

Many people in the stands noticed this.

Then they saw the foot that was almost above his head, come down hard.

As the center of gravity shifted, Sawamura’s whole body made a large stride, and the baseball in his hand soared forward at some point.

Whoosh!

As if full of horsepower, the white ball turned into a streak of light and instantly appeared in the strike zone.

Ping!

It struck the bat squarely and rebounded.

Throughout the process, Yamaoka, holding the bunt, didn’t even have time to react.

‘Out!’

‘Run!!!’

He only realized it when he saw the baseball flying out.

Without even releasing the bat, he trotted to first base.

Rewind the time.

Before Sawamura Eijun pitched when he was just preparing to throw,

Narumiya on first base and Shirakawa on third base had already started running.

They resolutely adopted the forced scoring tactic!

To be honest, it’s not surprising, since none of Seidou’s infielders are playing infield defense, so why wouldn’t they use a forced scoring tactic?

Both were very fast and by the time the ball hit the bat and rebounded, they had already running.

‘No!’

Shirakawa keenly noticed something was off;

‘The rebounded ball seemed to be a bit high.’

When he turned around, he saw an astonishing scene.

Sawamura, who had dashed out, had run six or seven meters forward and caught the ball precisely.

Snap!

‘It’s over!’

At that moment, Shirakawa was despondent.

The batter was caught out.

According to the rules, he must return to third base to run again.

But can he go back to third base?

Of course not!

After catching the ball, Sawamura ignored Narumiya behind him and directly threw the ball to third base.

Whoosh!

Higasa caught the ball.

“Out!”

“Out!!!”

The forced scoring tactic failed, and two Outs were achieved in one go.

The entire game situation was completely reversed at this moment.

On the mound, Sawamura gave Miyuki at the catcher’s position a thumbs up.

This guy really deserves to be called Seidou’s savior; he’s reliable in critical moments.

Miyuki smiled nonchalantly.

Though the idea was his, and it was executed smoothly,

Without Sawamura’s pitching, it would have been just a fantasy.

“This guy is really something!”

Two Outs, runner on second base!

…

T/N: That's it for now.

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