Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

Originally, the Seidou High School baseball team was about to lose.

If the third baseman from the Texas team had been able to pick up that ball and throw it to first base, the game might have been over right then!

Although Kuramochi's speed was incredibly fast, the American players were no slouches either. Their fielding speed was also swift.

Kuramochi might not have been able to keep up with them.

However, an unexpected event occurred that drastically changed the situation for both sides.

The Seidou High School baseball team, who had been on the brink of falling into despair, miraculously stayed alive at that moment.

In such a crucial moment of the game, this sudden twist completely turned the tables.

The situation in the game had inevitably shifted.

What had seemed like an inevitable loss for Seidou High School suddenly turned into a resurgence, like wild grass springing up after a fire.

The grass that cannot be burned will grow again with the spring breeze.

This was how the Seidou High School baseball team felt at that moment.

Like wild grass, they were full of tenacious vitality, continuously growing and never giving up.

When the Seidou baseball team realized the change, the Texas team suffered a severe blow.

Lincoln, who had thought the game was almost over, now had sweat pouring down his face and felt his fatigue multiply exponentially.

It's one thing to be able to see the finish line and sprint towards it, which can help tap into one's potential.

But now, Lincoln couldn't even see where the finish line was.

What was he supposed to do?

He let out a long breath, gritting his teeth and pushing through.

He didn't dare to ask for more, but if he could just last a little longer, he was confident he could still win.

'Bring it on!'

'All of you!'

No matter how many players from Seidou got on base, his goal had never changed.

It was to secure the final Out of the game.

Shaking his head, Lincoln steeled himself, and the light returned to his eyes.

"Nice Run! Cheetah!"

"It Was Luck But I Will Take Whatever I Got!"

"Don't Crash And Burn Now! You Hear Me?"

"Kuramochi-senpai!"

"Let's go!"

"Kuramochi!"

On the other side, in the Seidou baseball team's dugout, the atmosphere finally changed.

After just having gone through what felt like hell, the players were now calm, as though they had been reborn.

When a person is no longer afraid of death, what is there left in the world to fear?

Seidou High School had already walked to the edge of the cliff, and now, everything from here on was just extra.

They had become fearless.

Their ambitious attitude and unyielding spirit moved Coach Kataoka.

Initially, he hadn't planned to interfere further in this game.

But now, he changed his mind.

Looking back toward the dugout, despite the momentary respite, he could tell that few of the players were truly burning with fighting spirit.

Coach Kataoka could see that most of them lacked confidence in facing the Texas team's Ace, Lincoln.

What a huge pressure that was!

If they got an Out, the game would be over.

Even Shiratsu, normally so composed, wasn't looking quite as calm as usual.

Coach Kataoka thought for a moment, then fixed his gaze on one player.

"Kominato!"

"…Yes!"

Hearing the order, a player immediately stood up from the bench in the Seidou team's dugout.

This player was shorter than most on the team, standing under 1.7 meters.

He looked very shy, like the little brother next door, with none of the intimidating presence of a baseball player.

But Coach Kataoka had high hopes for this young player.

What set him apart from the others was the burning fighting spirit in his eyes.

"Your turn."

The young player's eyes sparkled with surprise.

"Understood!"

Haruichi had been eager to step onto the field for a while.

When Sawamura and Miyuki had been substituted earlier, he had been itching to play, but Coach Kataoka had overlooked him, forcing him to wait for a long time.

Now, his chance had finally come.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Sawamura, who was changing his mitt and preparing to bat, glanced over.

Sawamura could roughly guess what Coach Kataoka had in mind.

Though he wasn't sure of Kataoka's specific reasoning, he knew that bringing Kominato in at this moment was likely a strategic move for the team to win.

The only question was whether Haruichi, who had just come onto the field, could manage to hit Lincoln's pitches.

It's important to note that pitchers like Lincoln were naturally a challenge for Kominato.

Because of his smaller frame, Kominato lacked the raw power of other players on the Seidou High School team.

And Lincoln, on the other hand, was a power pitcher, known for his violent throwing style.

Facing off like this, Kominato was clearly at a disadvantage.

However, as Kominato stood in the Batter's Box, he exuded an aura of confidence.

It was as though no matter what pitch came his way, he would be able to hit it.

The catcher for the Texas team glanced sideways at the player now entering the Batter's Box for Seidou High School.

He didn't recognize him well and assumed this was the rookie the Coach had told him to watch out for.

'This frustrating team! They didn't even start their main players, and now they were sending in this first-year rookie so late in the game.'

The Texas catcher couldn't help but curse them internally.

Then he turned his attention to his own pitcher.

'No need to worry about him. He's just a kid. Stick to your rhythm and throw the ball.'

There was only one Out left. In situations like this, it was important to stay calm.

Once you let your emotions get the better of you, you lose your rhythm.

Lincoln, agreeing with the catcher's advice, prepared to pitch.

But before he could, Kuramochi, who was on first base, began to move.

"This damn fly!"

Seeing Kuramochi take off from first base, Lincoln immediately threw a pickoff attempt to first.

His technique wasn't as refined as the pitcher from Japan, but it had its own unique flavor.

It was fast and fierce, leaving no room for the batter to react.

Just as Lincoln thought he'd caught Kuramochi, Kuramochi made a quick dive back to first base.

This scene infuriated Lincoln.

He was already exhausted, and now seeing Kuramochi taunt him like this made his blood boil.

If this continued, Lincoln feared this sly player would wear him out.

'Forget him! If he wants to run, let him.'

The most important thing now was to deal with the batter on the plate.

With two Outs, if he could get the batter out, he would secure the final out, and all the problems would be solved.

With that thought in mind, Lincoln stopped paying attention to Kuramochi and focused entirely on pitching to Kominato.

'Great job, You-san!' Haruichi quietly cheered in his mind.

At first, he hadn't been sure, but now all the conditions had aligned perfectly.

'Without the special signal from the catcher, the first pitch would most likely be a fastball on the outside corner or inside.'

Given his relatively weak hitting power, the probability of Lincoln throwing a pitch on the outside corner was 80%.

Clearly, Lincoln was confident in his pitching and didn't bother to hide it. He probably thought that someone of his size couldn't possibly hit such an outside pitch.

Whroosh!

'The outside pitch!!!'

The moment Kominato saw it, his expression brightened.

Everything was exactly as he had guessed. Now, it was up to him to hit the ball.

With a quick step, Kominato pulled his entire body forward by almost half a meter.

Then, without hesitation, he swung his bat at the incoming pitch.

Paak!

'Heavy!'

His hands felt as if they had been slammed by a car, and the bat almost slipped from his grip.

But Kominato gritted his teeth and held on.

His teeth clenched, and with all his strength, he sent the baseball soaring.

Seeing the ball flying everyone in Seidou was praying.

'On the field…!'

'On the field…!'

'Please fall on the field!'

The ball flew in a perfect arc, dropping into the gap in the field.

"YES!!!!"

"It's a hit!!"

"NOW GO! GO! GO!!!" The first base coach yelled!

Lightning flashed in Kuramochi's eyes!!

He immediately Bolted towards second base!!!

He knew that Kominato's Devilish genes were so strong, that there was no way they would lose to these American hulks!

…