Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 224: The Yakushi Battle (7)

Jun forcibly took out Fukuda, finally securing the second out.

With two outs and a runner on third, neither a bunt nor a sacrifice fly was an option anymore. As a result, Seidou's infielders returned to their normal positions.

In other words, this inning had now turned into a direct showdown between the pitcher and the batter.

"It's my turn to bat in this situation? Damn, this is exciting!"

"Batting sixth, pitcher—Sanada-kun!"

"Is this the will of the baseball gods calling me to the plate?" Sanada muttered, his tone filled with curiosity.

"A chance to score in this crucial moment falls to the ace who carries the team?" Owada was surprised by the coincidence.

"Ah! This is also fate in baseball!"

"What should we do, Coach?" Ota, the team manager, turned to look at Kataoka.

Unlike Seidou's previous game, where they were leading by one run in the top of the eighth with two outs, this was the top of the seventh, two outs, and they were trailing by two.

If they brought in Tanba now, there was a significant risk—his form hadn't been great. After all, offense is unpredictable, and their batters hadn't yet figured out the opposing pitcher's rhythm.

The real issue was that Sanada's stamina was nearly depleted, and he was sitting deep in the dugout. Since the dugout is positioned lower than the field, those inside aren't easily visible from outside, creating a lot of room for tactical maneuvers.

Strategy is a strange thing—moves that seem foolish from an all-knowing perspective might actually be the correct play.

Kataoka was decisive. Without the benefit of an omniscient view, the Seidou bench saw this as the moment of truth.

If they failed to contain the opposing ace, the three-run gap would be the least of their worries—the momentum of the game could turn into a devouring beast.

High school players aren't professional athletes accustomed to the cutthroat nature of victory and defeat. As ordinary teenagers, their mental state could easily be swayed by the game's atmosphere.

Conversely, if they managed to shut down the opposing ace here and win this showdown—what could be called the "Battle for the Summit"—Seidou's morale would skyrocket.

The moment Ota asked his question, Kataoka stepped out of the dugout.

"Seidou is making a move!" The reporters at the sidelines immediately noticed the shift.

"Seidou High School, player substitution announcement! Pitcher Tanba-kun will replace Kawakami-kun as the ninth batter! Batting ninth, pitcher—Tanba-kun!"

Although Kawakami had regained his form, he had been relying heavily on the defense to bail him out. Now that it was crunch time, they decided to send in their ace.

"Kominato!" Back in the dugout, Kataoka called out Haruichi.

"Yes!"

"Start warming up with your swings. If an opportunity arises, I'll send you to bat."

"Huh? Oh—got it!"

...

"Damn it, this game just won't let us breathe! It's nothing but one hype moment after another!" Raizou was practically bursting with excitement—it was clear he wanted to be out there playing.

"A showdown between the aces in this kind of situation… It's unreal!" No doubt, Raizou was the one enjoying this game the most.

Meanwhile, Kawakami wasn't satisfied with his performance. As Tanba stepped onto the mound, he immediately started apologizing.

However, Tanba didn't see it that way at all. Watching Sawamura and the other pitchers fight their hearts out had ignited something deep within him.

And since he was the type to say whatever was on his mind, his words quickly dispelled Kawakami's guilt.

"Tanba-san! If there's ever a time to take down the opposing ace, it's now! That's what being a man is all about!" Sendo chimed in.

"Yeah! I'll take him down!" Tanba replied with a confident grin.

"You can leave center field to me!"

"Of course! I've always trusted you!"

"Oi! Sendo! Why are you over here again?!" Kuramochi interrupted, clearly exasperated.

He was probably the only one left who still bothered to call out Sendo for his habit of running over to the infield for impromptu meetings.

"Because it's fun over here!"

That response left Kuramochi speechless. This guy was just too carefree, and the coach let him get away with it.

Meanwhile, back in the dugout, Kawakami was showered with encouragement and praise from the team.

"Finally… we're standing on the field with this lineup!" Ryousuke murmured with emotion.

The third-year seniors simply smiled in silent agreement.

"Can I touch your shiny head? It feels like it might bring good luck!"

The next second, things took a turn. Ryousuke was the first to snatch off Tanba-senpai's cap.

Seeing this, Sendo's eyes lit up—this was exactly why he had come over!

"Yahaha! Can I touch it too?" Kuramochi joined in, clearly interested.

"I want to as well!" This time, it was Gossip Tetsu speaking.

Tetsu wasn't just nosy—he wanted to get involved in everything. In that sense, he and Sendo were quite similar...

"Stop it, Tetsu!" But Tetsu was already reaching for Tanba's head.

"Then I won't hold back! Yahaha!"

"Sendo! You too?!" Without even asking, Sendo joined in, leaving Tanba utterly devastated.

"Haha! Well done! This will help him shake off his nerves!" Miyuki chuckled mischievously.

"Be careful with the first pitch! Yakushi is the kind of team that swings right away!"

"Got it!"

With that, the timeout ended.

The most dangerous moment in this kind of situation was always the first pitch. Even Tanba himself wasn't entirely sure of his condition yet, and if he got hit right from the start, it could shatter his confidence.

This was one of the reasons why Coach Kataoka had put him on the mound at this moment.

At the very least, Raichi would get another at-bat in this game—probably more than once. That meant the more batters Tanba faced beforehand, the better he would understand his own state.

At the same time, it gave him the maximum possible time to adjust.

Giving up a run or two at this point wasn't the end of the world. As long as their ace didn't collapse...

Coach Kataoka had absolute faith in Seidou's lineup.

He had also noticed something—while Sendo's performance today wasn't particularly outstanding, it wasn't bad either.

But that was the thing—this "not good, not bad" result had come against a pitcher whose style was a terrible matchup for him.

Coach Kataoka could see it clearly—Sendo was visibly improving with each at-bat.

Before the game, Kataoka had mentally prepared for Sendo to have a rough day.

But to his surprise, in his very first at-bat, he managed to foul off a cutter he had never seen before.

In his second at-bat, even though he was out, it was more due to bad luck than anything else.

Sendo was putting pressure on the opposing pitcher, and his progress was promising. Kataoka was even looking forward to his final at-bat.

If they won this game, Seidou's offense would grow exponentially with Sendo's development. That was the advantage of a beginner.

The more complete a player was, the smaller their room for improvement. A dramatic leap was nearly impossible.

But for someone like Sendo, whose fundamentals were still developing, one intense game could elevate him by an entire level—or more.

Against certain pitchers, Sendo was undoubtedly on par with Tetsu as a hitter. But the difference became apparent against stronger opponents—it took an elite pitcher to expose Sendo's flaws.

However, apart from the Seidou coaching staff and professionals like Chris, most people wouldn't be able to see this.

And for the team, it was a win-win situation.

No matter how reckless Sendo was, they let him be. His natural lack of focus was an issue, but his interactions with teammates helped him stay engaged. Even if his concentration wasn't as sharp as others, with his physical gifts, it was enough.

Most importantly, Sendo's recklessness never crossed the line—he would never act selfishly at the expense of the team.

Seidou High School feared no offensive battle!!!

Back to the game—play resumed!

"Sanada swings at the first pitch!"

"If he connects, this is gonna be electric!" Mishima's comment was made even funnier by the way his eyelashes twitched with excitement.

"OH!!!"

Tetsu let out a single fierce roar from the Seidou dugout, setting the tone.

"Take him down!"

"Tanba-san! Attack!"

"Hold the line!"

"Tanba-san!"

"Let them hit it!"

Sendo raised his right arm, striking a bow-and-arrow pose.

"You better shout out loud, Sendo!" Maezono had sharp eyes and wasn't letting this slide.

"First pitch, outside fastball. It's okay if it's a ball, as long as it has power!" Miyuki wanted to use this pitch to personally gauge Tanba's current condition.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Miyauchi-senpai's judgment, but he needed to feel it for himself.

"Tanba!!! Go all out!" Ota, the team manager, shouted as well.

Everyone wanted their voices to reach Tanba, to let him know they were right there with him.

"No problem! I can see the glove clearly!

I can see the batter's face clearly too!

No problem!" Tanba kept reassuring himself.

His mind replayed practice sessions with his teammates, and the clearest image was that of Sendo.

After all, Sendo had spent countless practice sessions standing in the batter's box, deliberately trying to psych him out.

In Tanba's eyes, Sendo was the strongest left-handed batter he had ever faced.

"Compared to those guys, this is nothing!"

"A breaking pitch in the opposite direction?"

"Crush it!" Raizou shouted.

"Foul ball!"

It wasn't Tanba's fault—his fastball command had never been great, and coming back from injury, it was even worse.

Otherwise, the upperclassmen wouldn't have been shouting themselves hoarse last night, begging him to throw just a few good pitches. They wouldn't have had to settle for the occasional sharp one either.

Right now, his condition wasn't ideal, but his velocity was still high, and his pitches had power.

Just like in the previous timeline, he used two fastballs to push the batter into a corner.

Even though his pitches weren't landing exactly in Miyuki's glove, that didn't make them easy to hit. His unpredictability, combined with his high velocity, made it tough for the batter to make solid contact.

And everyone knew Tanba's out-pitch was a curveball with a massive break.

The inside pitches had to be watched carefully in case they suddenly took a sharp turn. At the same time, the batter had to be ready for his blazing fastball.

Tanba's velocity was even higher than Sanada's, which was why Sanada found himself behind in the count so easily.

Third pitch.

"Sendo! Thank you!" Tanba whispered under his breath.

In that instant, Sanada realized the pitch was coming straight for his eyes!

"Pop!"

The moment Sanada flinched to dodge, the outcome was decided.

"Strike!"

"Batter—out!!!"

This time, there was no early-game mistake, no moment where Miyuki had to save the play—just a three-pitch strikeout!

"UOOHHHH!!!"

Tanba let out a roar, as if pouring everything into that single shout!

Just as Mishima had said, if Sanada had hit the ball, the entire stadium would have erupted with excitement.

But a three-pitch strikeout was just as electrifying.

They had held their ground in the moment that could decide Seidou's fate!

For Yakushi, this was a heavy blow.

Because no one knew when Seidou's lineup would explode.

They had already scored six runs, but they weren't even close to a true offensive outburst yet!

Three innings left. A full turn through the lineup.

Even Raichi, as naturally aggressive as he was, could feel the pressure.

If they could stage a comeback in a single inning—what about Seidou?

...

Bottom of the seventh inning, Seidou High School's offense.

"Pinch hitter replacing the eighth batter, Sawamura—Kominato Haruichi-kun!"

"This bastard! They're going on the offensive now?!" Raizou could feel the pressure.

Bringing in a pinch hitter at this critical moment was a clear statement—they were using the momentum shift to launch an all-out attack.

They didn't know much about this Kominato Haruichi, other than that he was a first-year. But if Seidou was sending him in at this moment, there had to be a reason. If a pinch hitter managed to land a hit, it could ignite their entire batting lineup.

The strongest lineup in all of West Tokyo!!!

But at this point, all Yakushi could do was put their faith in their ace.

"Please take care of me!"

Haruichi stepped into the batter's box, standing there calmly without making any unnecessary movements.

He already knew—this pitcher was obsessed with inside pitches.

Facing a batter for the first time, he would most likely go inside to settle things.

"!?"

"Fine! Let's settle this then!" Sanada wasn't the type to back down from a challenge—he knew Seidou was going all-in here, and he was ready to fight.

"Whoosh!"

"Inside pitch!" The entire Seidou bench shouted in unison!

"Shuuto!" Haruichi thought to himself.

"Ping!" He gritted his teeth and made solid contact.

"Yes! He drilled it through!"

"Pinch hitter Haruichi is on base!!! And it's a double!"

Next batter, ninth in the lineup—Tanba!

And just like that, the game set up another ace vs. ace showdown!

First pitch.

"Steal!"

"Bunt!"

"Clink!"

"Safe!"

"Out!"

Even though Tanba's bunt wasn't the best, Haruichi's speed was no joke—his early jump got him to third base.

"First batter, shortstop—Kuramochi-kun!"

The announcement felt like a curse being cast upon Yakushi, forcing them to experience the same relentless pressure Seidou had endured before!

However, Yakushi did not have Seidou's rock-solid defense.

They couldn't afford to rely on spectacular defensive saves.

And now, Seidou's lineup had reached the top of the order.

Today, Kuramochi had been holding back a storm of frustration.

"Ping!"

"A clean hit to center field!"

"The runner scores—it's now a one-run game!!!"

"Keep it going, Ryou-san!"

"Second batter, Kominato Ryousukekun!"

Ryousuke went for another bunt, but Raichi made a terrible throwing error, letting him reach base.

One out, runners on first and second.

Then, Seidou's third batter, Jun, fourth batter, Tetsu, fifth batter, Sendo, sixth batter, Masuko, and seventh batter, Miyuki, all delivered consecutive hits.

Adding in Kuramochi and Ryou-san's plays, that made it seven consecutive hits!

Seidou had turned the game around, now leading by three runs!

Yakushi's relentless effort in the previous inning was completely erased!

And yet, Seidou's offense wasn't finished.

The lineup had cycled through once more, bringing it back to Haruichi.

Seidou's full-fledged offensive explosion had left the audience stunned—it was fast and decisive.

Unlike Yakushi's scrappy, hard-fought scoring attempts, Seidou's offense had been clean and overwhelming.

If Yakushi didn't find a way to stop this counterattack immediately, the game was already over.

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