Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 61: Rebirth – Practice Match (13)

"Has he adjusted himself already? Incredible!"

"And this kid's pitches… they're getting stronger. Even the catcher is struggling to catch them," Coach Takei thought to himself, marveling at the scene.

He hadn't yet realized that Sawamura wasn't pitching at full strength. However, as his condition improved, even with controlled force, Sawamura's pitches grew more intense.

After his moment of awe, Coach Takei began signaling to his players on the field.

"Be careful! You understand, right? Two outs already, so don't swing recklessly at that kid's pitches! If you miss, the game's over! Just observe and get a feel first!"

"I understand!"

"To think about it—it's unbelievable. When we joined the baseball club, it was just to be part of an ordinary sports club. Winning or losing never really mattered to us. We never dreamed that one day we'd play in a game we wanted so badly to win!

"Now that we're here, we have to go for it. We absolutely have to win!

"And to think the entire game has been a no-hitter… What a joke! We have to get a hit and turn this game around!"

Though no words were spoken, Sawamura could feel the fierce fighting spirit from the batter's gaze.

Sawamura had never considered himself stronger than his opponents, so he steeled himself, fully focused.

"So this is baseball! The atmosphere on both sides is incredible!" Sawamura thought as he watched the batter, showing no fear.

"At this point, there's no other choice. Right down the middle; let's settle this! I'm not letting the ball get past me," thought Shin, the catcher, as the batter and the battery prepared for their showdown.

"Come on, Ei-chan!"

"It's fine; I can see the glove clearly. I'm calm. Don't be afraid—just aim for the glove and throw! Don't fear, don't back down. Who would back down at a moment like this?!"

With Sawamura's self-assurance, a flash of white streaked toward the mound, the ball spinning with unbelievable speed.

"Steal!"

"What?! Stealing with two outs? Aren't they worried that a single mistake would end the game?"

Others on the field likely thought the same, and even Sendo couldn't help but admire their boldness.

"Pop!"

"Strike!"

"Will I make it?" Shin, who had a weak shoulder, couldn't help but worry.

"The ball's loose! Run!" shouted the fourth batter desperately from the plate.

As Shin went to throw, his focus wavered. His eyes were locked on the runner, and in that split second, he fumbled the ball. The momentum from his catching motion sent the ball flying behind him!

"Run!" Nearly everyone in Seiwa was yelling frantically.

They all knew how hard it was to get a hit off this pitcher—let alone a big hit or even a single.

On the other hand, Akagi's lack of formal training time and experience dealing with intense situations was glaringly obvious.

In that instant, except for Sawamura, everyone on Akagi's team felt a rush of panic.

The opposing team's twenty-plus members, including the stand-in umpire, were shouting at the top of their lungs, further disorienting them.

"Shin, stay calm! Get the ball back to home plate; just protect home! You have enough time!" At that moment, a familiar voice rang out from Akagi's bench, a voice that Shin thought sounded like music to his ears.

Panicked moments earlier, Shin felt as if he'd found his anchor upon hearing it.

"I've got the ball!" Shin picked up the ball slowly.

"Back to home plate!" He sprinted to the plate, firmly planting his foot on it, keeping an eye on the runner on third without any intention of throwing.

Seeing Akagi's catcher's composed response, Seiwa's runner had no choice but to stay on third.

"Whew! That scared me half to death!" Fumino, watching from the sidelines, was tense to the point of panic. She had never imagined a baseball game could be so intense—the collective shouts just now felt as if they would engulf her.

Her words echoed what the players on the field felt.

It seemed like all nine of Akagi Junior High School's players experienced that momentary blankness, their minds overwhelmed by the roaring voices that flooded the field.

In contrast, everyone from Seiwa felt it was a missed opportunity—a perfect chance to tie the score.

They had expected the inexperienced Akagi catcher to fumble, perhaps to kick the ball in a moment of panic or to make a hasty throw to third base.

A less composed catcher would have likely made a critical mistake in that tense moment.

But thanks to a single loud shout from the sideline, the danger of losing a run was smoothly avoided.

Everyone—whether from Akagi or Seiwa—looked at Sendo, who was sitting calmly on the sideline as if nothing had happened.

"Sen-chan!" (repeated by everyone)

"As expected, as long as Sendo's here, there's nothing to worry about," Sawamura thought to himself.

"That kid! No wonder the coach picked him. I'm starting to understand what the coach was talking about."

"Absolute composure and decisiveness—the ability to make the right call, sacrificing without hesitation. That's truly an incredible talent."

"In fact, it's almost monstrous! If he acted even a bit more like a typical twelve-year-old, we'd already have won this game."

"If Morishita had scored, even if that 'big-hearted' pitcher remained unfazed, the rest of Akagi's defense would have likely fallen apart. From there, a string of hits to turn the game around would've been easy. They're not exactly on the verge of breaking down, but they're clearly tense!"

"In other words, we're still not out of chances!"

If Sendo had overheard Coach Takei's thoughts, he would've simply nodded in agreement.

The other Akagi players, on the other hand, were extremely nervous—they had never played in such a high-stakes game before.

The closer the game got to the end, the more their nerves got to them. It was an inevitable result of their lack of experience with this kind of tense atmosphere.

Suddenly, Sendo looked at Sawamura, lifted his chin slightly, and gave a subtle signal, gesturing as if to tell him to go for it.

The move was stylishly flashy, almost like a commander sending his general into battle with a dramatic flick of his head.

"Heh!… TWO OUT!" Having spent four years alongside Sendo, Sawamura immediately understood his meaning. He gave a little laugh, raised his left hand, and shouted.

"TWO OUT!" his teammates echoed quickly. Though the tense atmosphere remained, and their stiff movements didn't relax, Sendo's previous gesture at least stopped things from getting any worse.

"Victory won't come that easily! Our opponents are fighting with everything they've got too!" Sawamura's eyes still gleamed with excitement.

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