Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 223: The Yakushi Battle (6)

"That was way too close! My heart almost jumped out of my chest! How strong is that kid's athletic ability? He almost caught that home run from that angle!" Even though the home run was already settled, Raizou still felt lingering fear.

During the celebration, he laughed heartily, but the shock Sendo had given him earlier was no joke.

"But even though that ball looked dangerous, it was still off by several dozen centimeters," Sanada replied.

"Ahahaha! The more nerve-wracking it is, the better it feels after scoring! But from now on, We absolutely can't hit toward center field!"

"It's way too scary!" In the end, Raizou chose to play it safe.

Ping!

"It's coming! It's coming! It's coming!"

"A clutch double!"

"One-run game!"

"Yakushi's lineup is exploding!"

"And they still have runners on second and third!"

"After taking down Ichidaisan High, let's crush Seidou too!"

"Yakushi! Yakushi! Yakushi!"

The neutral spectators started cheering for Yakushi. All they wanted was an exciting game.

This kind of atmosphere puts immense pressure on the pitcher—sometimes enough to break them.

The players from Ichidaisan High, watching from the stands, were talking about it.

"That guy thrives in this kind of atmosphere!"

"Shattering the opponent's confidence when they think they have the game won…"

"That's what he loves the most!" Sendou's little fan simply smiled and murmured.

This left several upperclassmen stunned.

At that moment, Seidou's bench moved. Coach Kataoka stepped forward and raised his hand.

Miyuki immediately understood, signaling both the infield and outfield to move in.

"Hahaha! Tough guys! Are they really going to go all-in against Yakushi's lineup right here?" Ichidaisan High's leadoff hitter, Hirakawa, laughed loudly.

"This is how it should be! An unwavering defense gives the pitcher confidence!" Manaka added.

Pop!

"Ball!"

"We saw that clearly!"

"Don't swing at bad pitches!"

The momentum had completely shifted in Yakushi's favor.

Ping!

"Didn't get a good hit!"

"But the ball is landing in a tricky spot!"

"Tie game!"

"This lineup is unstoppable now!"

"Next batter—Yakushi's ace, Sanada!"

"How will Seidou respond...? Huh? They're not backing down at all!"

"That's way too aggressive!"

"Are they really refusing to retreat no matter what?"

"Like hell we're gonna let you walk away unscathed, you bastards!" Jun-san from right field roared.

"Let's bait him with a low pitch and make him swing!" Facing Sanada, Miyuki signaled.

However, despite the courage his teammates gave him, Kawakami's pitch still came in a little high.

Ping!

Sanada, a hitter who excels at crushing fastballs, didn't miss his chance.

"That idiot! That direction is...!" Coach Raizou shouted in alarm.

"Center fielder!!!" Seidou's supporters cried out in unison.

"Yes! A deep shot to center field!" Some excited spectators, seeing the ball's trajectory, were already celebrating.

But fans tend to have short memories and overlook crucial details. They only remembered Raichi's home run earlier, forgetting how close it was to being caught.

Ku! Ku! Ku!

Smack!

Out!

Three outs! Inning change!

"Yes!!!"

The moment the umpire made the call, Seidou's dugout, cheering section, supporters, and even the players on the field erupted in roars of triumph.

Now, it was Seidou's turn to bat in the bottom of the fifth, with Kuramochi leading off.

However, at this point, Sanada was in absolute top form.

With a mix of cutter, shuuto, and fastball, any hittable pitches from before had all but disappeared.

It was a three up, three down inning.

...

Top of the sixth inning, Yakushi High at bat.

Seventh batter, catcher Watanabe!

Yakushi's lineup had almost cycled through in the previous inning. Aside from their trio of first-years, the rest of their batters were well-balanced, each with their own strengths—except Watanabe.

Watanabe was patient, watching carefully, but in the end, to avoid striking out looking, he swung and grounded out.

And now, the dangerous part of Yakushi's lineup was back.

If Seidou couldn't shut them down completely, it would soon be Raichi's turn again.

Kawakami glanced toward the bullpen at Tanba before firming his resolve. Digging deep, he fought to record the outs and successfully prevented Raichi from stepping into the batter's box.

...

Bottom of the sixth inning, Seidou's cleanup hitter leads off.

No matter how many times he saw them, Raizou couldn't help but groan every time Seidou's fourth and fifth batters stepped up. It gave him a stomachache just thinking about them.

But life had to go on, didn't it?

Besides, with Sanada's current form, it wasn't an impossible battle.

Ping!

However, Yuuki still managed to reach base with a solid hit.

Then came Sendo—and this time, he ran into trouble.

His previous strategy—fouling off breaking balls until he got a good pitch—wasn't as effective as he'd hoped.

He pulled it off on the first pitch, but when the second one was a Shuuto, he swung and missed completely.

Recognizing the difficulty, Sendo quickly abandoned his small tricks.

After a tense seven-pitch battle, he ended up hitting a liner straight into Mishima's glove—out.

With Sanada in peak form, Seidou failed to score in the inning.

...

The game was still tied as it entered the late stages.

Whether this stalemate could continue was anyone's guess.

Because in the next inning, it all reset—Raichi was leading off.

And this would be Kawakami's first time facing him today.

At this point in the game, both teams were evenly matched. If there was a potential turning point, it might just reveal itself in Raichi's at-bat.

"This isn't looking good... His breathing is getting unsteady."

Raizou glanced at Sanada, who had a towel draped over his head, completely lost in his own thoughts, not even in the mood to chat.

Sanada's pitching motion relied on anchoring his left foot to the ground, ensuring no energy was lost from his lower body to his upper body.

This increased the power behind his pitches—one of the reasons Seidou's "scheming duo" had called his pitches wild.

But this posture put a significant strain on his body, and without a strong foundation, it was difficult to sustain. That was why Sanada had been injured before.

"You guys must turn this around in this inning! Keep scoring non-stop! That way, Sanada will have an easier time pitching for the last two innings."

Knowing they couldn't afford to let this game drag on, Raizou issued his orders forcefully.

"Yes!!!" The Yakushi players responded with a resounding shout, and hearing their energy, Sanada couldn't help but smile.

Sendo, however, smirked mockingly at their words.

"What is it?" Miyuki noticed his expression and asked.

"I just heard something interesting. Why does scoring more runs make it easier for a pitcher to throw?"

"Well, obviously, when there's a lead, they have more room to work with! It means they won't have to deal with as much pressure and risk mentally breaking down!"

"Wait… are you talking about what that annoying old guy just said?" Miyuki suddenly realized.

"Ah, I see now!"

Miyuki blinked, confused by the seemingly random "I see now" from Sendo.

"We're really being underestimated, huh? Even if it turns into a slugfest, we're not going to lose."

Sendo first glanced at Kawakami, then turned his gaze toward Raizou, his thoughts unspoken but clear.

...

Top of the seventh inning. Yakushi High at bat.

Leading off, third baseman, Raichi!

"Crush it!"

"We're counting on you!"

The Yakushi dugout was shouting at the top of their lungs, cheering on their cleanup hitter.

"Stay aggressive, Kawakami! Stay aggressive!" Jun-san was the first to encourage him.

"Don't forget your attacking mindset!" Kuramochi added.

Sendo wasn't the only one who noticed the small details—Miyuki and even Coach Kataoka had picked up on them too.

Kawakami's expression had been stiff all game—it was clear he was incredibly tense.

It was possible he was still replaying the home run Sawamura gave up to Raichi in his head, subconsciously fearing him.

Miyuki had started noticing something was off too. As the catcher, he could feel it directly—there had been too many mistakes on his low pitches today, and that didn't sit right with him.

Coach Kataoka, also aware of the situation, quietly signaled to Furuya in the outfield—telling him to be ready in case Kawakami couldn't hold on.

Miyuki, making a quick and decisive judgment—

intentionally walked Raichi.

His decision was absolutely correct—pitching with a half-hearted mindset could lead to a complete collapse.

And once that happened, there would be no stopping the avalanche.

After issuing the intentional walk, Kawakami visibly exhaled in relief, while the Seidou dugout encouraged and reassured him.

On the other hand, Yakushi's supporters mocked his "cowardice".

They jeered, saying things like, "The pitcher's scared!" and the like.

But in a single-elimination tournament like this, no one was going to take high risks just to satisfy the crowd's expectations.

...

"Second batter, left fielder, Akiba!"

"That's the way! Let's go, Akiba!"

Whoosh!

"Huh…?"

Just as Kawakami was about to deliver the pitch, Akiba suddenly squared for a bunt.

"Yakushi is going for a bunt?! Did Sendo predict this too?!" Even Chris was taken aback.

At that moment, Kawakami instinctively pulled his pitch off target.

Smack!

"Ball!"

Just a mere change in batting stance had completely thrown off Miyuki's game plan. The match had suddenly become much more complicated.

And once again, Akiba showed bunt.

"So this is what Sendo meant by 'key moments'…? How interesting!" A smirk crept onto Miyuki's lips.

The situation was becoming increasingly dangerous. After witnessing this fake bunt, the likelihood of Yakushi actually executing a bunt-and-run was extremely high.

...

"Steal!"

But on the very next pitch—Raichi suddenly took off for second base!

"Hit-and-run!"

"Send it flying, Akiba!" Mishima, waiting in the on-deck circle, couldn't sit still.

"Ignore the runner! Just swing with everything you've got!" Miyuki mentally commanded.

His glove was steady, a firm reflection of his will.

Smack!

Smack! Kawakami's slider got the batter to swing and miss, and Miyuki fired the ball to second.

It was just barely not in time to catch Raichi.

"Phew! That catcher's arm strength is still crazy!" Even Raizou was shaken. Today had been full of nerve-wracking moments.

Now, it was no outs, runner on second. The count: one ball, one strike.

The only silver lining—Kawakami's control was finally settling back in.

Whoosh!

Smack! The third pitch was fouled directly into the catcher's mitt.

With the count now 1-2, the batter had no choice but to swing at tough pitches.

...

Ping!

After a tense battle, Akiba finally found his chance.

"Yes!! A deep hit to left-center field off a fastball!"

"7-6! Yakushi takes the lead!"

"What a clutch hit, Akiba!"

"Are these guys really first-years?! Their hitting is ridiculously solid!" Miyuki was in disbelief, even after seeing Sendo earlier.

Unlike Sendo, who relied purely on his raw athleticism, these guys had well-developed batting techniques—it wasn't even the same category.

...

"Keep it going, Mishima! Hahaha!"

Raichi, back in the dugout, cheered without a care in the world.

"Shut up! Don't call me that, idiot!"

Mishima snapped back immediately.

With no outs and a runner still in scoring position, Yakushi had plenty of options.

This situation made Kawakami, who had just started to regain his confidence, tense up again.

...

"Focus on the batter!"

Sawamura, his expression just as stiff, stood up and slammed his hands on the dugout railing, shouting.

Kawakami looked over.

"Don't worry about the baserunner—just focus on getting outs one by one!"

Even though Sawamura was still uncertain about his own condition, seeing him like this was heartbreaking.

Facing Mishima, a power hitter, Seidou's outfielders held their positions to guard against a possible deep shot.

Meanwhile, the infield moved aggressively forward, showing an all-out defensive stance—a clear statement that they wouldn't back down, aiming to instill confidence in their pitcher.

"Baka yarou! Offensive baseball is our specialty! Break through their infield wall, Mishima!" Raizou joined in the yelling.

"Both father and son calling me that? Seriously, what the hell?!" Mishima groaned.

...

The showdown between pitcher and batter was intense.

Mishima was an outstanding slugger, second only to Raichi—he was one of Yakushi's key figures.

But every time he fouled off a pitch, a certain wild monkey from the dugout couldn't sit still.

"You should hit that one like this!"

"No, no! Swing like this!"

Every single time, Raichi got scolded by Mishima. Yet he never got tired of it!

The scene was almost too vivid to believe.

...

Mishima, fueled by his desire to surpass Raichi, locked in.

With a powerful swing, he ripped Kawakami's perfectly executed slider through the infield, sending it at the perfect angle—Akiba scored easily.

Even the usually critical Mine Fujio couldn't find a single flaw in Mishima's batting.

"What a brilliant hit, Mishima!"

8-6! Yakushi takes a commanding lead!

By now, the entire stadium—except for Seidou's die-hard fans—had completely turned against them.

"Crush them, Yakushi!"

"After this, it's Inashiro's turn!"

"Take Yakushi to Koshien!"

"Raichi!!!"

...

The more he heard the roaring cheers, the stiffer Kawakami's expression became.

But out in center field, Sendo was getting more excited.

It was clear that no one in the crowd realized—their chants had only served to ignite Sendou's fighting spirit even more.

...

No outs, runner on second.

The situation had reset—just like before Mishima's at-bat.

Except now, the batter was Yakushi's cleanup hitter—right fielder, Yamauchi.

...

At the plate, Yamauchi pinched his nose.

Even though Seidou had anticipated it, Yakushi's bunting technique was still superior.

With a perfectly placed bunt down the first base line, Miyuki had no choice but to prioritize the sure out—sacrificing the runner to third.

...

One out, runner on third.

"Fifth batter! Second baseman, Fukuda!"

"Let's go, Fuku-san!" From the on-deck circle, Sanada genuinely cheered for his senior.

Yet Seidou still refused to retreat.

...

Ping!

"Yes!! A powerful shot to right field!"

"Yakushi's lineup is unstoppable!"

Smack!

This time, right fielder Jun-san made a spectacular running catch!

"Don't get cocky, you bastard!" He growled, immediately firing the ball to third base.

The baserunner, realizing the out had been made, had to rush back to his original base.

He barely made it in time—almost getting doubled up by Jun-san's cannon throw.

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