Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 113: Twists and Turns

"Batting second, second baseman, Nakashima-kun!"

"Batting second, second baseman, Nakashima-kun!"

"Come on, Nakashima!"

"Hit it out, Nakashima!"

"Hold the line! Two outs to go, Akagi!"

"Time for the decisive moment! ×N!" Both the Akagi players and Nakashima had this thought at the same time.

"The game between Tokugawa Junior High and Akagi Junior High has reached its peak intensity."

"We're in the bottom of the final inning, one out, a runner on second base, and the score is 3-1 with Akagi in the lead."

"Will Akagi hold their lead, or will Tokugawa stage a walk-off comeback?"

"The winner will advance to the top eight. Who would have thought this summer's third-round game would be this thrilling?"

Akagi's pitcher and catcher had already prepared themselves. All eyes were on the first pitch!

Ping!

"Foul ball!"

"Ahhhh!"

"Too bad, it's a foul ball, but it nearly broke through the infield. Is this strategy okay? All nine Akagi players are still positioned in the infield!"

But there was no movement from Akagi's bench, seemingly dismissing it as a fluke.

Even so, Sendo felt that the nine-player infield defense was reaching its limit.

From his perspective, the batter wasn't forcing it.

Plus, soft baseballs travel farther, and fly balls can be dangerous.

If it were him, he'd have confidence chasing it down from the outfield.

"If it gets hit out again, we'll adjust. Originally, I planned to retreat only if we got unlucky and the heart of their lineup came up." Sendo thought to himself.

Ping!

"Foul ball!" This one rolled behind the catcher!

"Only two pitches to corner the batter. Can they finish him off and get the second out?"

"That was a bad swing!" The batter scolded himself in frustration.

"Akagi isn't giving the batter any time to breathe. Here comes the third pitch!"

"Damn it! All or nothing!"

Ping!

"Foul ball!"

"That was close! This one flew beyond the infield again. Still no adjustments?"

"As expected, Akagi's number 10, the actual coach of Akagi Junior High, Sendo Akira, is already making changes! The outfielders are moving back. It's a sensible move since Tokugawa's batters have the ability to break through the infield."

"But that's not all. Their batting style looks familiar—are they mimicking our strategy of hitting earlier?

Swinging with more power, are they? This means we can't recklessly walk their third and fourth batters now!" Sendo thought, reacting to the announcer's analysis.

"Speaking of which, I'm a fan of Sendo!"

"Huh?" Sendo stumbled slightly upon hearing the announcer's sudden comment.

Thankfully, his strong physique allowed him to regain balance using just his calf muscles.

"Haha, just kidding! I'm a fan of Sendo Akira from Slam Dunk! Looks like Sendo-kun's dad might be too—what a tongue twister!"

"Hey, old man, that joke isn't funny at all!" Sendo mentally retorted.

While the announcer lightened the atmosphere, Sendo completed his adjustments.

The outfielders retreated slightly but maintained a forward defensive stance.

The infielders remained alert for bunts.

At this point, the pressure was immense—getting caught off guard would lead to costly mistakes.

"Not a bad setup. It seems this student coach isn't just an ordinary baseball enthusiast," thought Tokugawa's coach Kunimi.

What he didn't know was that Akagi's adjustments were a last resort.

Although Sendo had already predicted his intentions, he kept silent to avoid placing too much pressure on the targeted players.

It was better to let them adapt on the spot.

"Akagi's adjustments are complete. The game resumes."

"The pitcher and catcher are signaling... All set! Here comes the fourth pitch!"

Ping!

"It's a hit! But unfortunately, it's another foul ball! That one nearly got caught by the right fielder who had just moved back!"

"Damn it! Even though I'm hitting dead center, are they adjusting their pitch speeds?"

Meanwhile, the signals from the bench gradually quieted down.

"The fifth pitch!"

"Stealing!"

"A bunt?!"

Sawamura instinctively twisted his wrist, trying to turn the bunt into a high chopper—something he'd done many times in high school.

Thud!

But this instinct backfired; the catcher missed the ball! It rolled behind him.

The batter abandoned the swing and sprinted to first base!

Now it was one out, runners on first and third!

"Ahhh!!!" Sawamura was momentarily dazed.

However, it was just for a moment. He quickly began encouraging his teammates.

This marked the key difference between Sawamura in junior high and high school.

Back then, everything depended on him; in high school, he often found himself needing support.

"Batting third, first baseman, Sumiyoshi-kun!"

"Batting third, first baseman, Sumiyoshi-kun!"

The announcer's voice pulled everyone back to reality. Last time, the heart of Tokugawa's lineup had forced their way through.

Sumiyoshi hit a solid line drive, and the fourth and fifth batters were walked intentionally to escape the inning.

This time, Akagi had planned to sacrifice a run and intentionally walk Sumiyoshi, then face the sixth batter.

Tokugawa's sixth batter, much like Takada, was a power hitter with poor timing.

Sawamura held a strong advantage against him, and facing him with two outs would've been a low-risk, high-reward scenario.

But with the earlier passed ball, that strategy was no longer an option.

The situation had reached a critical point.

If they couldn't get any of Tokugawa's heart-of-the-lineup batters out this inning, they'd have to face them one by one.

"Let's go, Sumiyoshi! Another hit to turn the game around!"

"Focus on the batter!"

"Shake it off!"

"Stay calm, Shin!"

The supportive shouts echoed around the field.

Sawamura dusted his hands with magnesium powder and suddenly felt the world go silent.

His focus sharpened, and he entered the zone.

Bang!

The sound of his stepping echoed loudly.

Whoosh!

Thud!

"Strike!"

The catcher missed again, but Shin blocked it with his body.

The batter had swung and missed.

"Did his pitch speed increase in this situation? He's not planning to strike me out with a perfect inning, is he?" Sumiyoshi joked to himself.

The second pitch came—a seamless sequence of leg lift, step, and arm swing.

Ping!

"Foul ball!"

"The pitches are getting stronger! That one was so close to being caught, but there's no sign of slowing down, even if the catcher can't handle it."

"So, they're willing to risk the catcher missing the ball and giving up runs just to challenge me head-on?" Sumiyoshi thought, watching as another high fly ball sailed over the backstop.

"Yes! Two strikes already!"

"Damn it! I can't catch these pitches at all! But I swear, I won't let the ball get past me again!" Shin was equally fired up, his determination unwavering.

Meanwhile, Sawamura's fighting spirit was at its peak. He seemed completely deaf to everything around him, possibly even ignoring the signals.

Not that there were many signals left to give—Shin had been focusing solely on adjusting pitch speeds.

Slap!

Sendo smacked his forehead.

"Finally lost it at the most critical moment, huh? But you must know, right?"

"Those pitches where you were holding back aren't effective anymore!"

"We're at the point of no return now! Will we lose by a passed ball, get hit for a loss, or survive this crisis?

It's completely out of control now!"

"It's all up to you, Eijun! And Shin—don't let the ball roll behind you!" Sendo's deep gaze remained fixed on the field.

He could only watch and wait.

Bang!

Sawamura stepped forward again.

"Steal!"

At that moment, Tokugawa initiated their attack.

The runner on third base dashed for home.

"A bunt!"

Ping!

"The bunt!"

"It's hit! The ball bounced right over the first baseman's head! The first baseman is retreating to chase the ball."

"The runner from third base scores! Akagi's backup is quick, but Sumiyoshi has already reached first base!"

"Safe!!!"

"That bunt became an infield single!"

"The lead is now down to one run!"

"It's still one out with runners on first and second. The tying run is on first base!"

"Can Tokugawa turn this game around?!"

Huff, huff, huff! Sawamura panted heavily as he observed the situation.

But he didn't seem affected at all.

The play was just a coincidence, a result of the angle and the soft ball's bounce.

"That said, Akagi's coverage seemed a bit strange! Normally, the pitcher or the right fielder would cover first base, right?"

"Here, the pitcher didn't move—it was the second baseman and the right fielder covering instead. Are they trying to save their ace's stamina?" the commentator remarked as the dust settled.

"Batting fourth, center fielder, Ike-kun!"

"Batting fourth, center fielder, Ike-kun!"

The announcer's heavy emphasis on "fourth batter" seemed to amplify the pressure on Akagi, although it might have been just an illusion.

As Tokugawa's cleanup hitter, Ike's skill level was close to that of Tokyo's elite youth baseball teams.

The gap between amateur teams and professional youth squads was enormous.

Five professionally trained players, even as middle school rookies, would easily dominate Tokugawa's lineup.

"Still, Eijun can handle it! We have no other choice now. Attack!!!" Sendo silently cheered from the dugout.

"Go, Ike! Just one more run—turn it around!"

"Let's go, Ike!"

Tokugawa's morale surged with every pitch.

However, as long as Sawamura had his fighting spirit and Sendo stayed decisive, Akagi could still fight back.

"Tokugawa's spirits are at their peak! But Akagi's ace shows no signs of backing down."

"This is a true clash of titans!"

"What an incredible game!"

Lift the leg. Step forward. Swing the arm.

Thud!

"Strike!"

"A swing and a miss! Even Tokugawa's cleanup hitter missed the fastball!"

"That's it, Eijun!"

"Keep going, Eijun!" Wakana prayed silently from the stands.

"Don't back down, Ike! You can keep up!"

"Are you serious? That movement just now—was that a knuckleball? If it gets any crazier, you could call it a butterfly pitch!" Ike's mind raced.

His exaggerated thoughts weren't entirely accurate, but the unpredictability of Sawamura's pitches was undeniable.

Sawamura, his expression sharp, let a faint smirk cross his lips.

His movements were as precise as ever, almost mechanical in their repetition.

Ping!

"Foul ball!"

"Foul ball!"

Two consecutive fouls put Ike on the back foot.

"Are you kidding me? Does his pitch power increase with every throw?!" Ike thought.

What he didn't realize was that if he hadn't swung, the catcher would've struggled to handle those pitches.

Ike had no choice but to stand his ground, knowing a step back might result in a weak grounder or a harmless pop fly.

"Not good!"

Ping!

A high pop fly soared into the air.

"Catcher!!!" The entire Akagi team and their supporters shouted.

Thud!

"Out!"

"Ahhh!!!"

The crowd erupted in cheers.

"The game isn't over yet!!!" Tokugawa's fifth batter roared with a voice so powerful it seemed to drown out everything else.

The atmosphere went silent as everyone turned to see the fifth batter, his eyes bloodshot and filled with an almost predatory intensity.

"The game isn't over yet!" he shouted again.

"We're not losing here! I won't let us lose here!"

"Batting fifth, third baseman, Egawa-kun!"

"Batting fifth, third baseman, Egawa-kun!"

The announcer's words echoed like a drumbeat, perfectly matching the tension.

Even Sawamura's concentration was broken, snapping him out of his hyper-focused state.

Strictly speaking, Sawamura's "zone" wasn't beneficial—it wasn't like the invincible zone from Kuroko's Basketball.

"The game's not over, but I can't face you in this state!" Sendo thought as he coldly decided to intentionally walk Egawa.

If Egawa hadn't shouted and inadvertently helped Sawamura maintain his focus, Sendo would've had no choice but to challenge him.

Instead, he chose the safest option, prioritizing victory above all else.

"An intentional walk? Akagi Junior High opts to walk the fifth batter! It seems Sendo-kun believes the players on the field were shaken."

"It's a smart move. Facing the sixth batter, Fukushima, who hasn't recorded a hit, gives Akagi the best chance of closing out the game."

"This is baseball—the most tactical of all sports!"

"It looks like the next batter might be the final batter of this match! Bases loaded, two outs, and one more chance!"

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