Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

V6_Chapter 60: Tide Turns!

A small white ball, trailing a long trail, soared out of the field. The entire crowd was captivated by the flight of the ball.

The usually chatty commentator was, at this moment, undeniably the most excited.

“WHEN SEIDOU HIGH SCHOOL WAS ON THE BRINK OF DESPAIR, IT WAS HIM AGAIN—SAWAMURA EIJUN!!!!! HE STEPPED UP AND HIT A CLEAN HOME RUN, TYING THE SCORE!!!!”

Only after the commentator finished did the umpire on the field react. By this time, Sawamura Eijun had nearly completed a full lap around the bases and was about to return to home plate.

“SAFE!”

“SCORE!”

In the bottom of the seventh inning, with two Outs, Sawamura Eijun hit a clean home run, leveling the score at 1-1.

Breathing heavily, Sawamura returned to home plate, a satisfied smile on his face, and pointed a finger toward the sky.

At that moment, he felt a sense of redemption. Although the earlier run wasn’t entirely his fault, as the Ace pitcher, he felt a profound responsibility. Now that the score was tied, he was determined to fight to the end against Inajitsu.

The audience in the stands rose one by one, clapping and cheering for Sawamura.

Nationally, Sawamura was undeniably the most renowned high school player. His fan base was big.

There was a reason for his popularity something like what is happening now, a magical power capable of creating miracles.

The game continued amidst a storm of excitement. Seidou was a sea of joy, while Inajitsu felt like the icy Arctic Ocean.

The advantage they had so painstakingly built was now gone in an instant.

The game had reset to the starting point.

The proverbial duck that was about to be caught had flown away.

Frustration was one aspect, but many players now displayed stubborn determination in their eyes.

King Seidou! The Demon King Sawamura!!

Indeed, they were not opponents to be easily defeated; their strength was challenging. The more they fought, the more it fueled their resolve.

On the mound, Narumiya frowned.

He was not someone who believed in fate; if there were such a thing, it should revolve around him.

This is not a joke this is what he actually believes.

But just now, his pitch had been hit out of the park exactly as he had feared!

‘What was happening?’

Narumiya was baffled, truly confused.

“Damn, so accurately! What kind of luck is this.”

Others couldn’t understand Narumiya’s frustration.

The game continued.

In the Inajitsu dugout, Coach Kunitomo was visibly annoyed.

Yet, he didn’t quite know what he should be annoyed about. Given the situation, he believed the Ace should have performed correctly.

But the result was harsh.

‘Sawamura was truly an unpredictable player.’

“Fourth batter, catcher, Miyuki-kun.”

It was Miyuki’s turn to bat.

“If we can take this opportunity to defeat Narumiya Mei in one go, it would be ideal,” Kuramochi hoped.

Miyuki shared this sentiment. Even though he knew the difficulty involved, there was no better opportunity than this.

So even with two Outs and no one on base, Miyuki remained highly focused, his eyes locked dangerously on Narumiya on the mound.

He speculated on the type of pitch Mei might throw.

‘With the new pitch just hit for a home run, Mei would likely use his best pitch to regain his rhythm.’

‘Straight ball!’

‘Forkball!’

‘Slider!!’

‘These were Narumiya Mei’s top three pitches.’

‘If I was the catcher trying to help Mei find his rhythm or test if his form was consistent, these were the pitches I would ask for.’

‘The question was, which one would be chosen?’

Miyuki couldn’t guess, so he had to take a gamble.

He placed his bet on the straight.

Though it seemed like the most ordinary of the three, it was not. Narumiya Mei had made his name with his Straight ball.

‘He was most confident with the Straight ball.’

‘At this moment, it was likely that he would use a Straight to adjust his state.’

Determined, Miyuki prepared himself and awaited Narumiya’s pitch.

Without delay, the ball came flying over.

The pitch was almost exactly as he had imagined.

Ping!

Facing the awaited Straight ball, Miyuki hit it decisively.

The ball flew past Narumiya and landed behind him.

‘Damn!’

Narumiya Mei jumped up, attempting to intercept the ball with his mitt.

Unfortunately, he had clearly overestimated himself; the ball was out of his reach.

The baseball passed by Narumiya and landed between the second baseman and shortstop.

Shirakawa dashed across like a lightning bolt and barely managed to catch the ball.

Due to his speed, he lost his balance after catching it and fell.

The second baseman moved up to support.

By the time Shirakawa handed the ball to the second baseman and threw it to first base, Miyuki was already nearing the base.

In the end, the ball flew over, and Miyuki slid.

“SAFE!”

Miyuki beat the throw by a split second and successfully reached first base.

Two Outs, runner on first base!

Everyone had thought that Seidou’s attack would end after Sawamura’s home run.

Unexpectedly, Seidou showed no signs of letting up.

They suddenly launched a fierce offensive.

The dynamics of the game changed fundamentally at that moment.

The situation that Inajitsu High School had controlled was now slipping into Seidou High School’s hands.

“Fifth batter, first baseman, Maezono-kun!”

At this moment, Maezono, who resembled a furious giant, stepped into the Batter’s Box.

His eyes were narrowed dangerously, fixed intensely on the pitcher’s mound.

It felt as if he was ready to consume Narumiya Mei alive.

The tension in the stadium was at an all-time high.

In the Seidou High School dugout, Coach Ochiai stroked his chin with a relaxed demeanor.

‘Since being promoted to team captain and fourth batter, Miyuki’s growth has been remarkable. He’s already racked up two hits in this game.’

His easygoing attitude indirectly reflected the mindset of everyone at Seidou High School.

After Sawamura hit that home run and tied the score, the dynamics of the game changed fundamentally.

Initially, Seidou had almost no chance!

If Sawamura Eijun had been out at that moment, Seidou High School would have had a 99% chance of losing the game.

The strategy devised to counter Inajitsu had failed completely.

The likely outcome would have been that Seidou would be eliminated without a single effective hit.

However, with that home run, Seidou not only tied the score but also gained the opportunity to return to the upper lineup.

Then, Miyuki hit another single!

This further improved Seidou’s chances.

This is why Coach Ochiai could so casually comment on the players on the field.

Sawamura’s impact is self-evident, but since the establishment of the new team, Miyuki has become increasingly outstanding.

Not only Coach Ochiai but also the scouts present, had noticed Miyuki’s impressive performance.

Coach Kataoka’s tone had also become more relaxed.

“He was always the ‘savior’ of our team!”

‘Hmm?’

Coach Ochiai was familiar with this term and looked at Kataoka in surprise. He didn’t expect to hear it directly from Kataoka, and he nodded in agreement.

It wasn’t surprising that such a term would emerge when Sawamura still didn’t join Seidou High School.

As everyone at Seidou praised Miyuki, Maezono was in the Batter’s Box, facing Narumiya Mei.

Through their previous encounters, Maezono had gradually adjusted to Narumiya’s pitching speed.

Just after Sawamura’s home run, Miyuki had followed up with a hit.

Maezono knew that with his strength, defeating Narumiya head-on was very challenging! Even though he had adapted to Narumiya’s speed, the pitching was still tough.

‘But this was a great opportunity!’

It was the most difficult moment for Narumiya, and Maezono was more than ready to capitalize on it.

As long as he could win, he was willing to do whatever it took.

Maezono, who looked like a fierce warrior, fixed his intense gaze on Narumiya on the mound. At the same time, he widened his batting stance, though his grip on the bat was not extended.

‘This is a precise hitting stance.’

Tadano, the catcher, did not relax his attention to this detail.

He was keenly aware of Maezono’s every move and understood his intentions.

‘The batter is skilled at dealing with inside pitches and straight balls, so let’s use breaking balls to counter him.’

Having made up his mind, Tadano immediately signaled Narumiya on the mound.

On the mound, Narumiya nodded in agreement.

Although Tadano had not made any particularly impressive plays in this game, his rate of growth was remarkable. Before the game, there were concerns about his abilities, but now Tadano seemed to be performing well, even streamlining the game strategy.

‘It should be like this.’

In this situation, even if facing them head-on, one must not appear cowardly.

‘Not to mention, we still have the advantages.’

Roaar!!

Narumiya’s pitching motion was fluid and precise.

By the time Maezono reacted, the ball was already in play.

So fast!

The small white ball appeared like a streak of lightning, instantly reaching the batter’s hands.

Faced with this sudden pitch, though Maezono wasn’t very confident, he still swung his bat with determination.

But as he swung, the ball had already slipped into Tadano’s open Mitt.

Snap!

“STRIKE!!”

The atmosphere fell silent.

The previously relaxed Seidou dugout also grew quiet.

Maezono’s swing had been late?

And it was late by so much.

By the time the baseball reached the catcher’s Mitt, Maezono’s swing hadn’t even reached halfway.

This swing wasn’t just late; it was as if he was half a beat behind.

‘So fast!’

At that moment, Maezono’s mind felt like it was struck by lightning.

Though Sawamura Eijun and Narumiya Mei had not thrown a particularly large number of pitches in this game, their combined total was approaching 70 pitches.

And despite giving their all, the ball speed had not decreased, and it even seemed to have increased.

‘This is simply incredible.’

Standing in the Batter's Box, Maezono felt as if he were in the eye of a storm.

Since joining Seidou High School, Maezono had considered himself one of the hardest workers. He trained longer than anyone else and was certainly the most dedicated among his peers. Even compared to former third-year senpai’s and later, Sawamura, Maezono's training was relentless, others didn't persist as long as he did.

Hard work paid off, and his skills significantly improved.

Initially, Maezono had confidence in facing any challenge.

But standing in the batter's box against Narumiya Mei, he could clearly feel the gap between himself and his opponent.

This gap felt like an insurmountable chasm between heaven and earth.

‘Up to now, apart from Sawamura and Miyuki, no one else had managed to hit off Narumiya.’

‘That was the strength of the opponent.’

“Whew!”

At this moment, Maezono's forehead was dotted with beads of sweat.

He knew his role—he needed to bring Miyuki home and help the team take the lead. This would make the game nearly secure. Otherwise, the game might go into extra innings.

If that happened, the outcome would be uncertain.

This opportunity was too good to miss.

Maezono knew what he should do now, but he found himself unable to execute.

Wanting to get a hit and actually getting one were two entirely different things.

On one hand, he urged himself to hit the ball. On the other hand, Maezono couldn’t find any opportunity to attack.

This was the most troubling aspect.

‘What to do?’

He could only brace himself and take a chance.

Maezono told himself to stay steady. With almost no chance of hitting the ball, if he played cautiously, he could only focus on a particular type of pitch.

‘Let’s go with the Straight ball.’

When Maezono made this decision, his fate was already sealed.

Two months ago, Narumiya had just lost to Seidou.

He had learned a crucial lesson.

Never challenge the opponent with their strongest pitch. Winning such a duel might significantly damage the opponent’s confidence, but the chances of losing also increase.

Having experienced failure, Narumiya Mei was no longer the somewhat whimsical prince he once was.

To win with his team, he abandoned unnecessary things.

Just like now, facing Maezono, he used only breaking balls.

“STRIKE!!”

“STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!”

Three Outs, offense and defense exchange.

…